Whoa.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic joined Bishop & Friends on 97.1 The Fan on Tuesday morning in a segment that lasted less than 10 minutes.
But the comments in those eight minutes were more than enough to paint a vivid image of the turmoil within the Columbus Blue Jackets' locker room over the last few seasons. More specifically, Portzline detailed issues with Patrik Laine, who was traded Monday to the Montreal Canadiens after a months-long saga.
In the segment — which can be heard in its entirety below — Portzline was asked about his thoughts on Laine's comments to the press following the trade.
"What jumped out to me is it sounded a lot like the press conference he held in Columbus when he made his way out of Winnipeg," said Portzline, referring to a similar presser Laine had in 2021 following his trade to the Blue Jackets from the Winnipeg Jets.
Laine had requested a trade from the Jets organization, as well.
But things took a turn from there, with Portzline sharing details on what Laine's departure from the team meant, and just how long it was discussed internally.
"There is a great sense of relief within the organization, not just to be out from under the contract, but to have this cleaned up," said Portzline. "To have this lingering into camp would have been really unfortunate."
Much of that relief is assuredly from new President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell, who joined the organization in June with a culture reset at the top of his to-do list. Waddell has been open about wanting to move on from Laine, but wanting to get as good of value as possible in the process.
As for the 26-year-old Laine, Portzline had a hunch as to when the forward knew he wanted out.
"I don't think he ever got over being made a healthy scratch by (former head coach) Pascal Vincent ... that relationship was strained, at best," said Portzline. "I think he (Laine) decided shortly after that that he just could not continue here. I think his broken collarbone healed long before his broken spirit did, and I'm not sure if that's healed even yet."
Laine and Vincent were close during their time together in Winnipeg, with Portzline adding that Vincent was a staunch defender of Laine when the now-former Blue Jackets head coach originally came to the Columbus organization.
Things took yet another twist in the interview when Portzline put a spotlight on what happened when some of the team's leaders were asked about how to improve the culture.
"I also think back to a meeting with the veteran players; I think it was probably after the (20)19-20 season. If my recollection is right, it was Cam (Atkinson), it was Seth Jones, it was (Zach) Werenski, it was (Nick) Foligno for sure, maybe Gus Nyquist," recounted Portzline.
"It was 'what do we need to do here to make this thing work? You guys know what a good (locker) room is like, you've seen it'," said Portzline. "And the players, they have a hard time doing this sometimes, and you understand why, basically came back with 'you got to get Laine and (Elvis) Merzlikins out of here. That is step one and two."
"The organization heard that and said 'you know what, let's get rid of the people who said that, not the people that they mentioned'," said Portzline.
Foligno was dealt at the trade deadline in April of 2021, with Atkinson moved just three months later. Jones left as a free agent at the same time, and Nyquist was moved in February of 2023 in another trade deadline deal.
Merzlikins is still with the team and has three years remaining on a contract that carries a cap hit of $5.4 million. Werenski, an alternate captain on the team, is the only player Portzline mentioned other than Merzlikins who is still with the organization.
"You ask those guys to bear their soul and they do and that's how you respond, by moving them out, rather than taking the suggestions they made," Portzline said. "Think of the chill that sends throughout the room. Don't ever share your opinion here, because that's how it's going to be handled. Not straight up, thanks for your input, we'll respect your privacy."
Reading between the lines, it sounds like many of these issues were not handled appropriately by former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who was dismissed early this year. Waddell has been efficient and calculated in fixing these mistakes in the past, but these are noteworthy comments from Portzline that detail just how sour things were in the locker room.
The entire interview can be heard here:
Aaron Portzline @Aportzline (#CBJ @TheAthletic) 8-20-24https://t.co/N15biWo3vi
— Bishop & Friends (@971BFS) August 20, 2024
