Laine sees big things ahead after signing contract extension

Blue Jackets fans -- and really, it seems, much of the NHL -- were in varying amounts of joy and shock as they scrolled through Twitter on July 13 when news broke that star forward Johnny Gaudreau was pledging his future to Columbus.
Seven hours ahead, Patrik Laine was in the same boat.

The Blue Jackets standout was getting ready for a vacation when the news broke on a Wednesday night in Columbus, which meant it was early Thursday morning in his home country of Finland. And suffice it to say Laine was just like the fans in that he could hardly believe what he was seeing when the Blue Jackets pulled off the move that shook up the hockey world.
"It was actually funny," Laine said. "I think it was Wednesday in Columbus, and we were actually leaving for Spain on Thursday morning, so me and my buddy woke up at like 3 in the morning Thursday. And he woke me up and said, 'You guys signed Gaudreau.' I was like, 'No, no chance. You're just playing with me.'
"And then I checked my phone and (saw) all these messages and checked Twitter and all that and I saw that we got Johnny, so I was pretty pumped. I feel like it was hard to scroll my phone. I think my hands were shaking. It's so exciting to get that kind of player on your team, and obviously he can help us in so many ways."
And after Friday, Laine officially knows he'll get the chance to suit up alongside Gaudreau in union blue with his
signing of a four-year contract extension with an AAV of $8.7 million dollars
. That -- and the accompanying trade of Oliver Bjorkstrand to Seattle in a salary cap move -- was the last big piece of the offseason puzzle for the Blue Jackets, who have to feel good about the work they were able to do to move along the team's "reset" this summer.
MORE ON LAINE: His top plays | Instant analysis of signing
Friday was a bittersweet day with the trade of Bjorkstrand -- more on that in a moment -- but general manager Jarmo Kekalainen now has his key pieces locked up for the foreseeable future and a wave of young talent on the way.
"I think this pushes everybody forward, and that is the part we always want to have nailed down is that we're growing every day," Kekalainen said. "With the depth chart that we now have, even with the guys that we don't expect to be in Columbus or maybe not even in the pros, I think we're in a great position to grow in the next few years to where we're going to be a real contender."
Finishing off the deal with Laine was the biggest piece of the puzzle left to cross off on the to-do list. Though both sides expressed confidence throughout the process that a deal would get done, it is nice to have ink on paper and have Laine in the fold for the next four years with a contract that buys out three years of unrestricted free agency.
Kekalainen called it "a good deal for both (sides)" and expressed confidence the two sides can get together down the road to extend the marriage even further if all works out as expected. On his end of it, Laine spoke glowingly of his time to this point in Columbus, from the relationships he's built with teammates to a burgeoning love of the capital city.
"Personally, I don't get it, why big names have left before," he said. "For me, that was never in my head that I wanted to go somewhere else. I feel like it feels like home to me already, especially seeing the team we have right now and what we have coming up in the next couple of years. There's no place I would rather play in this league.
"I feel like Johnny signs, (Zach Werenski) signs, a lot of the other guys sign. I feel like we all feel the same way. It doesn't really matter what other people say or think, we love it here. Everybody who plays for this organization or who works here, they love it. That's all that matters."
Laine is coming off his first point-per-game season in the NHL, posting a 26-30-56 line in 56 games with the Jackets in his sixth NHL season. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft, Laine overcame both injuries and the passing of his father last year to again be one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league, posting seven game-winning goals, three OT winners and at one point tallying 19 times in 22 games.
In all, he has 176 goals and 327 points in 407 career NHL games, but Laine said the biggest key to his success a season ago was more consistency.
"I think last year I closed the gap between a bad game and a good game a little bit," Laine said. "That's kind of been my main issue usually is that there are hot streaks and then there's those streaks where things are not going so well. I think that's probably my main focus, just to stay as steady as I can throughout the year and not get too high or get too down on myself."
The downside of the proceedings, though, came after the Laine extension was announced Friday as longtime CBJ winger Bjorkstrand was traded to Seattle for a pair of picks in the 2023 draft. One of the top 10 goal scorers and point producers in team history, Bjorkstrand -- who also led the team with 28 goals this past season -- unfortunately was a casualty of the team's need to get under the cap after the addition of Gaudreau.
Kekalainen said the Blue Jackets had to act quickly given how few teams could take on a contract like Bjorkstrand's, and unfortunately there simply weren't many good options available.
"Probably the hardest decision I've ever had to make as the general manager of the Blue Jackets was to trade Oliver Bjorkstrand, who I think very highly of not just as a hockey player but as a person," Kekalainen said. "He's been part of us and our organization for nine years.
"That was my first draft with the Blue Jackets (when Bjorkstrand was selected in the third round in 2013) and having personally seen him and scouted him when I actually went to see Seth Jones quite a bit and kept noticing Oliver Bjorkstrand, and seeing him grow and win the championship in Cleveland with us and become a real good player in the NHL, it was so hard to make that decision.
"But it is the ugly part of the business, I guess. That's what you have to call it. That decision had to be made. You can easily calculate the cap space around the whole league, and there was no good option available for us, really. This was the best of the no-good options that was available for us to become cap compliant."
Kekalainen said he anticipates the Blue Jackets are now in good shape with the cap, and while he will remain ever vigilant to keep improving the team, the heavy lifting going into the 2022-23 season now appears to be done.
With Laine, Gaudreau, Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski, Erik Gudbranson and Elvis Merzlikins signed for at least the next four years, and many of the team's youngsters maturing, the hope is something special is in the works in Columbus.
"I feel like we took a really good step in the right direction this summer," Laine said. "Obviously Jarmo and all the management, they did a great job of drafting players and making good deals, and as a player that's all you can ask for. They want to make this team better, and that's what the players want."