Patrik Laine and Johnny Gaudreau, the new Selänne–Kariya?

Did you find a pair of radars for Patrik Lainee? AOP / USA TODAY SPORTS

Columbus GM Jarmo Kekäläinen made the most important player contract of his career this week, when the Finn managed to get superstar Johnny Gaudreau to the Ohio meadows.

In addition to the game-related issues, the top contract was extremely important for Columbus’ image, because in recent years it has seemed like it was hard to get out of the club.

The arrival of Gaudreau, who scored no less than 115 points last season, is also extremely important for Patrik Laine, who does not yet have a contract for next season.

If and when Laine signs an extension with Columbus, he will most likely play in the same chain with Gaudreau.

The lanky Gaudreau is certainly not the kind of center forward Laine has been clamoring for almost throughout his NHL career, but the setup is still delicious.

Typically, forward pairs are a center-wing model, but there are also examples of wing-wing pairs.

The best Finnish example can be found in the late 1990s, when Teemu Selänne and Paul Kariya formed one of the best radar pairs in NHL history in Anaheim.

In the middle of the two top platforms, you could usually see the more scrappy Steve Rucchin, who was not a point-scorer, but did a valuable job without the puck while Selänte and Kariya were busy.

Columbus is in a pretty similar situation in this sense, because there are no top names available in the middle, and it’s hard to get them.

At this stage, it is still difficult to say who will be the team’s first center, but it is possible that either Kent Johnson or Cole Sillinger, among the club’s young promises, will step up to this role.

In any case, the offer should be fine for Lainee if she gets in the same chain with Gaudreau – also on a level playing field.

Gaudreau is one of the best passers in the NHL, and is one of the very few players who can create scoring chances thanks to his individual skill.

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Lainea has not yet had a waiter of this class in the NHL, which is great news for her. However, the reality is that Laine needs top-level passing, as compared to the league’s best forwards, he isn’t particularly good at creating scoring opportunities himself.

Until now, Laine has been profiled as a special man with too much superiority, and the most even result has been tight and, above all, uneven. At his best, Laine is of course a superstar-level scorer.

Laine is known to be much more comfortable in Columbus than in Winnipeg, and Gaudreau’s arrival is likely to be one more enticement for him to sign a multi-year contract extension.

However, the success of this supposed pair of super radars will largely depend on Lainee, because the rough unevenness that has plagued him for a long time should now be removed. Long periods of invisibility are no longer overlooked.

Of course, Laine cannot rely on being able to stand on the arc of b-point and wait for the button pass to hit the shoulder. More brashness needs to be brought into the attacking game, and “floating” outside the game needs to be reduced.

All the ingredients for a top season are there, but it won’t come to Lainee on a platter of gold. The attitude has to be in order already in summer training, where you need to get more sharp, especially for skating.

In the best case scenario, Laine and Gaudreau are a radar pair that perfectly complement each other, because over the years, Laine’s good passing skills have been overlooked. Gaudreaukin is a high-level scorer, although he may not be profiled as such.

Let’s also remember that In Calgary, Gaudreau benefited greatly from his chain mates Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk, so there should be quality available in Columbus as well.

Expectations are starting to be high. Now it’s Laine’s time to redeem them and prove that she is a superstar – specifically, a flat one.