Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine is clearly his own harshest critic.
Despite having two points through the team's first three games, Laine was quite critical of his play through the first week of the 2023-24 NHL season.
"Pretty awful so far," Laine told Jeff Svoboda of BlueJackets.com on Thursday. "Can't hit the net if my life depends on it, can't make any plays, can't win a faceoff. Just basically can't do anything right now."
Laine and the Blue Jackets are off to a 1-2 start, and for the 25-year-old forward, the only solution moving forward is hard work.
"I'm gonna keep working, gonna keep building, try to fix all this and try to get back to the level I need to be at," Laine said.
Two points through three games is hardly the worst start imaginable, so is it possible that Laine is being too critical of his own play? He thinks it's possible.
"Yes," Laine said when asked if he's too hard on himself. "A little too often. But I seem to learn nothing from it."
This is Laine's fourth season with the Blue Jackets since he was traded from the Winnipeg Jets in Jan. 2021.
He had 22 goals and 52 points in 55 games with Columbus last season. Laine has struggled with injuries during his time with the Blue Jackets and has yet to play more than 56 games in a single season for the club.
Laine has clearly set the bar high for himself as he looks to regain the form that saw him score 44 goals for the Jets during the 2017-18 season. If he does, perhaps he can help the Blue Jackets improve from their last-place finish in the Metropolitan Division in 2022-23.
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