Jets' Patrik Laine: Sitting out Worlds

Laine will bow out of the 2019 IIHF World Championship after dealing with groin/back issues in the playoffs, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun reports.

Laine went through a handful of slumps this season, which could have been the result of playing hurt, and it showed on his year-end stat line, as the world-class sniper barely reached the 30-goal threshold and tallied his lowest point total (50) since breaking into the league. Still, the Finn remains one of the elite scorers in the NHL and should get back to being a 40-goal producer next season.