Patrik Laine Looks Ahead After Another Lost Season

Patrik Laine is reportedly looking toward the future after an injury-riddled season, and that is the kind of sentence that carries more weight than it should in a player’s prime years. Injuries change the conversation around elite talent fast, especially when the missed time starts becoming part of the player’s identity. The question here is not whether Laine still has talent - everyone in the league knows that story - but what comes next after a season that never really got off the ground.