Rooting for Patrik Laine is kind of like rooting for a summer blockbuster movie. You know it’s good, everyone knows it’s good, everyone loves it. Rooting for Nic Petan is kind of like rooting for a little known indie film that was only seen at a film festival. You know it’s good and if it was just given a fair chance with more people to see it, everyone else would know it’s good and would love it too.

Today we have a blockbuster going up against an indie project.

Patrik Laine has turned out to be a pretty good player huh? After being drafted second overall by the Jets in the 2016 NHL Draft – a spot they kind of lucked into as they won that year’s draft lottery to spring them from the seventh pick to the second – he’s been everything as advertised on the offensive side of things with a shot that’s put him in an elite class of players. Over the first two seasons he’s worked on his overall game to be a more complete player. What gets forgotten in the hype of him being an absolute sniper is that he’s 6’5″ and is starting to figure out how to play a physical North American style game.

If it was left at just that, Laine would be pretty darn popular, but you add in his off-the-ice antics which started even before the draft as he had the most casual 3 AM (his time) TV interview over iPhonw FaceTime. Since joining the Jets, he’s been spotted at random outdoor games, he grew out an ugly (aka magnificent) beard, he “penned” an entry in The Player’s Tribune about how Winnipeg is good, and just recently he helped brighten the day of a plane full of youngsters after an ugly incident with a drunk passenger.

Nic Petan has not quite had the same adventure Laine has had in his first couple of seasons. The second round, 43rd overall pick of the Jets in 2013 has had a bit of a tough time cracking the Jets main roster for various reasons, but it’s that fight that he’s had to make and then stay in the NHL that has made him a fan favorite as many are rooting for him to be given a fair chance with quality players on his line and not the likes of say a Chris Thorburn or Matt Hendricks (no disrespect intended to them of course)

Meanwhile Jets fans have seen been able to enjoy his work in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose where he’s made repeated highlight reel plays.

Fans will once again be rooting for him in training camp and this time with a few lineup spots open, there is hope that he can finally not only make the NHL roster, but stay there.

This may seem like an unfair vote – and it probably is – but Petan’s appeal shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s been a super fun player to watch with the Moose and there isn’t many who have seen Petan play or hustle and haven’t walked away a fan. Still, Laine is Laine…