He has made progress in all the areas we need a 20-year-old to get better at,” said Maurice. “He’s still shooting the puck a ton. He has had his stretches where he’s not scoring. He has had his stretches when he’s absolutely on fire. We’ll take that. So many 20-year-olds can’t produce like he does at times. You’re constantly working his game to get more out of him. Like a lot of these kids that we’ve brought in, he’s been able to produce while they’re learning the game.
“So he’s getting better. A much, much better five-on-five hockey player than he was a year ago at this time. And as he gets physically stronger, he’ll be a little faster, the reads will come more natural to him. Eventually more zone time. I don’t know what his ceiling is. I wouldn’t be foolish enough to put one on him at this age. Great player, he’s going to get a lot better.”
Of course, there are things Laine can do better when it comes to his play away from the puck.
It’s his shot, vision and offensive instincts that are always going to be his bread and butter.
Because of Laine’s quick release and lethal shot, if he doesn’t score for a game or several, most folks are wondering what’s the matter.
Are unrealistic expectations part of the issue?
“Sure, but I’m guilty of that, too. We’re all, I’m trying to find the right word. The one that popped into my head is ‘intoxicated’ by that shot,” said Maurice. “I’m doing it, too. When he crosses the blue line and he’s still four feet from the top of the circle and you know he’s going to shoot, I think there’s a chance this thing is going in. How many guys in the league do you feel that way? If I was crossing the blue line you might as well just go get a Coke, because it’s not happening for you, you’re not missing anything. And then he kind of wears that frustration: ‘I can’t believe it didn’t go in. I’m going to use some Finnish words to describe how my play is.’ Would it be any different than when Connor McDavid winds it up from the tops of the circles and even though there are five guys he’s got to go through you think ‘Hey there’s a chance he could do it’ because you’ve seen it.
“(Laine) has scored so many goals from places most guys don’t that you are lulled into an expectation possibly that he should score every time he touches the puck, and that’s clearly not realistic.”
WIEBE’S GAME REPORT: Wheeler’s four points leads the charge in Jets’ win over the Avalanche
