Laine 'open' to playing center with Blue Jackets this season

LEWIS CENTER, Ohio -- Patrik Laine's experiment at center for the Columbus Blue Jackets may have come to a premature end last season, but he's willing to give it another shot, or do whatever else new coach Mike Babcock has planned for him.

"We've talked about it a little bit," Laine said on Tuesday. "I've been working on quite a bit of stuff, but you never know. I mean, there's always a possibility. It's totally up to what they want, but I'd be open to it.

"We had a good talk. [Babcock is] hard but honest, so I respect that. But everything we talked about there is private and I'm not going to tell you this."

Normally a left wing, Laine suggested to switch to center to help the team following an injury to Sean Kuraly, and against the Vegas Golden Knights on March 19, then-coach Brad Larsen put him on the top line between Johnny Gaudreau and Kirill Marchenko.

Laine would get two assists in that game, and another two assists two days later against the Washington Capitals, but he then sustained a triceps strain in practice on March 23, which caused him to miss the final 12 games of the season. He finished second on the team with 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) despite only playing in 55 games.

However, with the Blue Jackets having selected center Adam Fantilli with the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft (he signed a three-year, entry-level contract on July 1), and signing center Dmitri Voronkov, 22, who played the past five seasons for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League, to a two-year, entry-level contract on May 4, whether Laine gets another shot at center remains to be seen.

"(The Blue Jackets) made some moves and we got some good players," he said.

RELATED: [Team Reset: Blue Jackets draft Fantilli, add defensemen Severson, Provorov]

Laine added that he understands the pressure that Fantilli could be facing, having been selected by the Winnipeg Jets with the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.

"I watched [Fantilli] in the World (Championships). He seems like a big kid with a lot of skill," he said. "I'm excited to have him over here and will try to help him out as much as I can. It's tough to come into the League at 18 as well as a high pick. I've kind of been there and done that."

Laine, who usually spends most of his offseason in his native Finland, returned to Columbus 10 days ago in order to join current and former teammates, such as Philadelphia Flyers forward Cam Atkinson, for the inaugural 3-on-3 Cap City Elite Summer League.

The first games, which took place on July 11, drew a large crowd, but Laine's debut with Kuraly's team, 614 Hockey, filled the bleachers with more fans packed along the glass where permitted.

After the game, a 14-13 loss in overtime, Laine spent 10 minutes signing autographs and posing for photos.

"I'd love to pretend all these kids are here for me, but that's not the case," Kuraly said. "It's just great. These kids are so happy to see him. He's a hero in this town as a hockey player, and you can see the love that he gets from the fans."