While many coaches in the NHL will meet with players over the summer, not many fly all the way to the other side of the world to do so. According to TSN's Darren Dreger, that's exactly what Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice did, flying to Finland to meet with the team's star restricted free agent Patrik Laine.
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With training camp opening Friday, Laine is still without a contract. He's been spotted training with his hometown club of Tappara in the Finnish Elite League. Maurice's willingness to meet with Laine on his home turf is a pretty good indication of how much he values the 21-year-old sniper.
Laine has made many interesting comments over the summer, including that he only knows he'll be playing somewhere when the new season starts, as well as being asked if he wants to play in Winnipeg and responding that he has nothing bad to say about the team. He's also on record stating that he's unhappy with his usage, adding he wants more ice time with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. There's no word on whether any of these things were discussed when Maurice and Laine met, but it's a safe bet that his usage was at least touched on.
According to a Google search, a flight from Winnipeg to Tampere, Laine's home city in Finland, is anywhere from 16 to 18 hours.
