'I’m just prepared for anything': Jets' Patrik Laine says he isn't sure what future holds

Two recent interviews with Jets forward Patrik Laine suggest he and the Jets have hardly opened negotiations for a new contract this summer.

According to a translation, Laine told Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat in an interview published on Friday that it's likely the Jets open training camp in September without him present. He reiterated this possibility to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston, who reported that talks between the two sides have been "non-existent all summer."

"Well you never know. It’s still business, you’ve got to be prepared for anything," Laine told Sportsnet in regard to his next contract. "But yeah, you never know where you’re going to play next year so I’m just prepared for anything."

Laine is just one of a number of high-profile restricted free agents this summer that have yet to sign, leaving much of the league in a sort of purgatory. As The Athletic's Craig Custance reported Thursday, many teams and agents are waiting to see what dollar sign Toronto forward Mitch Marner signs for before diving into negotiations with other teams around the league. The Jets have two such RFA problems on their hands in 21-year-old Laine and 22-year-old forward Kyle Connor.

Connor, who scored 66 points for the Jets last season, recently told TSN he still plans on signing a new contract before training camp opens in September. Based on Laine's conversation with Sportsnet, the Tampere, Finland native does not appear as confident as his teammate that he will even remain with the Jets when the dust finally settles.

"Well I’ve got nothing bad to say about Winnipeg, you know?" Laine told Sportsnet. "It’s been good so far. But you never know, so that’s kind of my comments."

Laine has established himself as one of the game's dynamic young scorers after scoring 110 goals in his first three NHL seasons, a feat that stands tied for 25th-most among all skaters since 1967. But even though he scored 30 goals in 2018-19, Laine finished with only 50 points, raising eyebrows about his overall play and what his true worth is on his next contract.

Some teams with high-profile RFAs still need to sort out salary cap problems so they may sign those players. Lack of money does not appear to be the issue in Winnipeg — according to CapFriendly, the team has roughly $17.5 million in cap space with only Laine and Connor still to sign.