When the NHL paused its regular season on March 12, no one knew how long the absence away from game-action would be.

There is still no return date in sight and it’s still up in the air if there will even be a conclusion to the 2019-20 season at all, but TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli wrote Wednesday evening that the league is targeting mid-to-late-May for the re-opening of team facilities. For Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets, it will be a welcome sight to get back on the ice.

Laine joined TSN’s Sara Orlesky via videoconference on Wednesday and joked that one of the biggest challenges if and when things get going again will be re-learning how to skate.

“For me it’s just trying to remember how to skate again probably. I haven’t been able to skate at all or I haven’t even touched my equipment yet. So I think that will probably be the biggest thing for me. Just try to get my feel back. That’s going to be hard when you haven’t really skated for a long time,” he said.

But as Laine points out, that’s going to be the case for many players.

“It’s the same for everybody. So can’t complain. Those are going to be fun games if we’re going to be able to play,” he said.

The Jets were on a roll at the time of the NHL’s pausing, having won four games in a row and five of their last six. They occupy the top wild card spot in the Western Conference at 37-28-6. While it hasn’t been as dominant of a regular season for Winnipeg than in years past, Laine thinks his team built up some nice momentum.

“I think we’ve always been good towards the end of the season and now it’s been kind of a different situation for us since the last two playoff runs. We were in the playoffs and we didn’t really have to think about making it to the playoffs because we were already in already like a month before the playoffs started. So now it’s kind of a different situation for us since we have to actually battle for a spot. But I think that’s only a good thing since we’ve been playing pretty much playoff hockey for the last month already if and when we make it to the playoffs. So I think it’s going to be a good thing for us.”

If play does resume at some point this summer, it’s probably going to be without fans given how COVID-19 is believed to spread. That’s fine with Laine if it means a return to hockey.

“I think everybody would still be rather playing with fans than without but if that’s the situation that we’re in that’s just the way it is and we still want to play hockey, that’s what we do, that’s what everybody wants to do and if it means that we have to play without fans and it’s going to be like that I don’t mind. I’ll play hockey whenever it’s safe,” he said.

As for how he’s been spending his time back in his native Tampere, Finland, Laine said he’s just passing the days like anybody else.

“I think it’s kind of the same everywhere. Just boring, kind of waiting to see what’s going on. And just mostly trying to stay inside, try to avoid unnecessary contact with people and just watching a lot of TV like probably everybody else is.”

The 22-year-old has 28 goals and 35 assists in 68 games this season.