The Blue Jackets are 4-11-4 and 0-7-2 in their past nine games, marking their first long slump since April 8-25, 2021 (0-7-2).
Laine, who has been experimented with as a center, was on the right side during Tuesday’s practice, with rookie Adam Fantilli at center and Dmitri Voronkov on left.
“I expect him and all the players to respond like men,” Vincent said. “And I know he wasn’t happy. If he was happy today and he said otherwise, I’d be disappointed.”
Laine played in 471 NHL games with the Winnipeg Jets and Blue Jackets, scoring 382 points (200 goals, 182 assists). On January 23, 2021, he was traded to Columbus with Winnipeg by Jack Roslovic for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
“If you were in Game 7 and you wanted a guy who could make a difference, Patrik Laine was the guy for you,” said Vincent, who has known Laine since his days with the Jets. “So that’s in him and we expect that tomorrow and in the future.
“We need him. We absolutely need him. We need his talent. We need his presence. We need his skill level. He makes a difference in the game. ‘s ability. We know he can do it. To me, we’re moving forward.”
Rain was blinded by the scratch. He said he wasn’t playing up to his standards and being out of the lineup was the wrong way to deal with a slump.
“If you don’t have confidence, you’re not going to be watching the game and eating popcorn. That’s my opinion,” he said.
“…I’m not stupid, but at the same time, if you want to move forward, you have to get out. I don’t have the confidence to drink Biosteel on the bench. I’m crying over that. Not really. I’m not in a position to complain about anything about my play, but that’s the way I see it.”
