Laine returns to Winnipeg for first time with Blue Jackets to face Jets

WINNIPEG --Patrik Laine said he's "kind of nervous" about playing in Winnipeg for the first time with the Columbus Blue Jackets when they visit the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Friday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, BSOH, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).

The 23-year-old forward, who was selected by the Jets with the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, was traded to the Blue Jackets on Jan. 23, 2021, with center Jack Roslovic for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft after scoring 250 points (140 goals, 110 assists) in 306 games through five seasons with Winnipeg.
He was injured and unable to play in the Blue Jackets' 3-0 win against the Jets in Columbus on Nov. 24, 2021.
"It's definitely been marked on my calendar," Laine said. "Especially just playing Winnipeg. Obviously didn't get the chance to play them when they were in Columbus. I've waited for this day for a while. Not so much playing Winnipeg, but just coming back here and playing in front of these great fans again. It'll be fun.
"Kind of nervous a little bit, not going to lie. Haven't been here as a visitor, so I have no clue how things work here. Just excited to see, not you guys (media) obviously, but everyone else. But no, it's been good so far."

Laine had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut with the Jets against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 13, 2016, and went on to score 64 points (36 goals, 28 assists) in 73 games that season. He finished second in voting for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year to Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews.
Laine scored 44 goals in his second season in 2017-18, but his goal total declined in each of the next two seasons, and injuries limited him to 46 games in 2020-21. He had two goals and an assist in Winnipeg's opener that season but sustained an upper-body injury during practice three days later and did not play again until after the trade; he made his Blue Jackets debut Feb. 2, 2021.
"Doesn't matter how much you think about it, it's not going to change," Laine said. "I haven't started analyzing it, really. It just didn't work out for me, it didn't work out for the team. And obviously they found a great trade for them that's been working out. Dubois has been really solid this year (50 points; 25 goals, 25 assists in 64 games). And obviously me and Jack over here, I feel like we've enjoyed playing here and hopefully he's had the same year."
The Blue Jackets (32-29-3) enter Friday 13 points behind the Washington Capitals for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Jets (30-25-10) are five points behind the Dallas Stars for the second wild card in the Western Conference.
Laine is tied with forward Oliver Bjorkstrand for the Columbus lead with 48 points (25 goals, 23 assists) despite missing 19 games with an oblique strain. When he was out with the injury, his father, Harri, died at 54.
"Yeah, it's been kind of a roller coaster emotionally this year," Laine said. "Obviously Dad passed away. I was out two months with an injury. Won a lot of games, lost a lot of games. It's been definitely one of the toughest years, not hockeywise, that I've had.
"But I think it's just a good time to learn and grow as a human. I feel like I've done that so far. It's been a weird one."