Patrik Laine Has Troubled History With Blue Jackets New Coach

Patrik Laine's first season in Columbus did not go as planned after a trade from the Winnipeg Jets. Him and then coach John Tortorella butted heads on a regular basis and it turns out there's more to the story that led to Laine being benched.

The incident happened during his fourth game as a Blue Jacket when Laine made reportedly a disrespectful comment towards assistant coach Brad Larsen. Laine ended up being benched for almost half of the second period and all of the third. At the time Tortorella didn't get into specifics but it appears someone has leaked the details to Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch.

The kicker here is that Larsen has since been named the new head coach of the Blue Jackets and now Laine and him have to hash things out with a whole new dynamic to the relationship. Apparently the two have not yet patched the relationship as Larsen refused to comment on the matter. Meanwhile reports out of Finland suggested Laine is only interested in a short term deal with the team this offseason and he's a restricted free agent looking for a new contract.

Laine had this to comment about Torts' system:

Tortorella did not give freedom to anyone. Forwards want to create offensively. I do not even want to be like everyone else. I am who I am and I do things my way. Everyone should be given the opportunity to be themselves. Then, of course, you have to play within the team's system. I think it’s stupid not to use my potential.

The drama continues in Ohio....