Columbus Blue Jackets star winger Patrik Laine has made it known he'd like a trade. But with Jackets GM Don Waddell recently stating that getting Laine dealt may be easier said than done, how can Laine make do in Columbus for the time being?

It’s now understood that Columbus Blue Jackets star winger Patrik Laine is looking for a change of employer. The 26-year-old Finn has been through some tough times of late, both personally and professionally, and last season, he made it known he would like a trade. But what happens if Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell can’t find a new home for Laine? It could be a very long year for him indeed.

If you listened to Waddell’s comments on TSN 1050 Toronto radio, you can’t discount the possibility Laine may have to start the season as a Blue Jacket. Waddell spoke frankly about the situation, noting that he barely knows Laine as a person, but he also understands Laine wants to be somewhere other than Columbus.

"This is a different situation than any that I've really dealt with,” Waddell said of Laine’s predicament. “I've had players that have requested trades, and sometimes you trade them, sometimes you don't. Obviously, I don't know Patrik, I wasn't here last year. He went into the (NHL and NHL Players’ Association’s Player Assistance) program 28 games into (last) year, and he's been very vocal about it, way before I got here, that he does not want to play for the Blue Jackets. There was a lot of things that went on in the locker room and he just doesn't want it."

Waddell elaborated on his initial point about trade requests, and the reality of what possibilities exist for Laine.

“This is different because it's harder to bring him back knowing the situation,” Waddell said. “But saying that, (bringing him back) might be the option. We're into the summer, he's got a high cap hit for two years. I'm talking to teams every day, I've got two or three teams engaged right now, we'll see where it goes. At the end of the day, like I told (Laine’s agent) Andy Scott…I can try to do it, but if there's not a deal to be made, he's going to have to come back here to camp and we'll welcome him back and try to make the best out of the situation."

Of course, some of Waddell’s message might just be him trying to salvage whatever leverage he has with Laine’s situation. Telling other teams he’s got no other choice but to trade him would do nothing but hurt the package that would come back the other way in a Laine trade, so Waddell has to at least give an indication the team would be okay with bringing Laine back. But maybe it is more than just a front – maybe Laine really will have to return to Columbus to begin the season.

After Laine’s personal troubles, he deserves to be supported wherever he plays. And given that things can always change, perhaps there is a road Laine can take where he re-evaluates his stance and sees a long-term fit for himself with the Jackets. And hearing from his GM that the team isn’t afraid to bring him back – on a Columbus team that should be better than the terrible group that competed last season – might motivate Laine to return to the form he had when he was generating 35-plus goals per season. The better he plays, the more other teams are going to want to pony up enough talent going to Columbus in a trade, so it really is in Laine’s best interests to compete as best he can until a trade happens.

Trade requests happen often in sports, and in some cases, they never get brought to the public’s attention. This isn’t true for Laine in Columbus, and it definitely isn’t a good sign that Laine could be playing on his third team in nine NHL seasons. But prospective trade partners always make deals for disgruntled players with the expectation they can position them to be happy and positive in their everyday working lives. Laine isn’t a problem child per se, but for several reasons, he’s got to show the league he can be a significant contributor for a good team. That’s going to be the challenge if he stays with the Blue Jackets for the short term, but if he can do that, he’s going to be much better off, either in Columbus or elsewhere.