After Patrik Laine's disappointing 12 goals and 12 assists in 46 games in 2020-21, the 23-year-old Fin was looking to rebound in a big way this season.
He has certainly done that, with any questions of how he fit with the Columbus Blue Jackets being long forgotten at this point in his potential record setting season in the capital city.
On Wednesday night, Laine recorded two assists for his 14th multi-point game of the season. With those two points, Laine moved into a tie with Oliver Bjorkstrand for the Blue Jackets' points leader this season, with 45 apiece. Captain Boone Jenner, who is currently sidelined with a back injury, is next with 44. Behind that is forward Jakub Voracek, whose 40 assists makes up nearly all of his 43 points.
What's so incredible about Laine's point scoring, this year, is the fact that he has done it in at least 16 less games than any of the aforementioned players. In fact, he is currently scoring 1.07 points per game, which would be the second highest season total in Blue Jackets history, behind only Artemi Panarin, and has him on track to finish with more points than games played for the first time in his career.
The Finnish native has always been able to score goals, potting at least 28 in four of the five seasons that he has been in the league, and this season is no exception as he is on pace to score 32 goals in only 62 games. Only, this year he is doing it with assists as well, tallying 0.52 apg, the highest mark of his career, and this has helped him create 0.44 goals per game, which will be a Blue Jackets single-season record if it holds up the rest of the way.
Laine is finding the net with incredible accuracy as well. Before Wednesday night's game, he was shooting 19.4% on the year, better than any Jacket has done before. Even with dropping to 18.7% after the game, he is still on track to have the second best season in accuracy for Columbus.
Whether he's zipping a one-timer past the opposing goalie, flying past defenders with his deceptive speed, or creating opportunities for his teammates, Laine has certainly been exciting to watch, this year. As his playmaking and scoring continue to develop, personal and franchise records will almost certainly be set. The hope is that a long-term deal can get done in the near future and he can post record-setting seasons in Columbus, for years to come.
