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Last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets ran a bit of an experiment after losing center Sean Kuraly to injury. At the request of star sniper Patrik Laine, Columbus allowed the natural winger to play down the middle for two games. It seemed to work as the Finnish forward recorded four assists in two games. However, he got hurt and missed the final 12 games of the regular season.
It seemed the experiment would continue under head coach Mike Babcock. But Babcock was recently forced to resign from his position following a recent scandal. But that does not mean the Laine experiment is over.
Laine participated in his team’s practice on Wednesday and competed in drills as a center. He also worked as a center during Tuesday’s practice. He skated on a line with fellow star Johnny Gaudreau and promising winger Kirill Marchenko.
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Laine began training camp as a winger. But, for what it’s worth, Laine has stated that he is open to a position change. “We've talked about it a little bit,” Laine said back in July, via NHL.com. “I've been working on quite a bit of stuff, but you never know. I mean, there's always a possibility. It's totally up to what they want, but I'd be open to it.”
The Blue Jackets play their next preseason game on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. It’ll be interesting to see if Laine remains down the middle or moves to the wing for that game. If he plays center, one has to wonder if he lines up that way on October 12 when the Blue Jackets begin their 2023-24 season against the Philadelphia Flyers.
