Patrik Laine Comments on His Future in Columbus

Patrik Laine is ready to move on from this season and put the disappointment behind him. One thing he's not ready to put behind him are his Columbus Blue Jackets teammates, as Laine wants to return to Ohio.

With John Tortorella out of the picture, Laine's tone has certainly changed a little bit. He was recently asked about what he thought his future looked like, and had this to say:

It's not the system's fault. It's just my fault. "I don't think it matters who is behind the bench. I still have to go out there and do what I do, and I couldn't do that this year, but I'll do that next year. I love it here and I want to stay here for sure.

Laine finished the season with 21 points in 45 games and considering his ceiling of potential is a 60-goal scorer in the league, it was certainly underwhelming to say the least. At times he thought he was playing good and next thing you know he was benched for two periods. Changing cities and countries during a pandemic could not have been easy so there was lots weighing on his mind.

Laine will need a new contract as he's a restricted free-agent this offseason. The Blue Jackets have over $25 million in cap space, so the two sides should easily be able to work out an extension.