Columbus Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine will be away from the team indefinitely while he receives care from the NHL and NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Patrik Laine [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzOTUyNzI2NjY3Njk5NzA3/usatsi_21996447_168400847_lowres.jpg] Patrik Laine Patrik Laine has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, the Columbus Blue Jackets, league and NHL Players' Association announced Sunday. Laine, 25, will be unavailable indefinitely while he receives care. He can return to the club once cleared for on-ice competition by the administrators of the joint NHL and NHLPA program. “Patrik has our complete support, and our sole concern is his well-being,” Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. “Out of respect for Patrik, we will have no further comment.” As such with any players who enter the program, no further details are made available unless the individual chooses to share them. Laine has appeared in 18 games for the Blue Jackets this season, recording six goals and three assists for nine points. He last played on Dec. 14 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he suffered a fractured clavicle in the second period [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/injury-report/jackets-place-patrik-laine-on-ir-with-fractured-collar-bone]. Coach Pascal Vincent told reporters on Saturday [https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/2024/01/27/injury-setback-sends-blue-jackets-laine-back-to-columbus/72381903007/] he suffered a setback and returned to Columbus from the team's road trip. This is Laine's fourth season with the Blue Jackets since being traded from the Winnipeg Jets in January 2021. The Tampere, Finland, native has played in parts of eight seasons in total since the Jets drafted him second overall in 2016. His career regular-season totals include 204 goals, 184 assists and 388 points in 480 games. He also has 24 games of playoff experience with the Jets, with eight goals and 16 points.
