Noah Pedrazzoli takes a look at the Columbus Blue Jackets during a difficult time for the franchise and its fans
The Hockey world is deeply saddened and mourns the loss of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew who sadly died on August 29th, 2024. Johnny Gaudreau was a star player that has transformed every team he played for, whether it was Boston College, the team that drafted him in the Calgary Flames, or the team that he chose to change for the better in the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Gaudreau joined the Blue Jackets during the 2022 Free Agency period where he agreed to a 7-year contract worth $68.25 million dollars ($9.75 million per year). While the team around him did not perform to its potential, Gaudreau did everything he could to keep them competitive, even if they had to settle for a top-five draft pick each year of his tenure.
Upgrades
The CBJ had the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft where they drafted centerman Cayden Lindstrom, a puck-moving power forward who will be providing the Bluejackets with more youth and depth down the middle.
Speaking of centers, the Blue Jackets also signed free agent Sean Monahan. Monahan is fresh off a stint with the Winnipeg Jets after spending a majority of the season with, and then being traded by, the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline, where he had a monumental comeback season.
Sean Monahan will help Columbus down the middle
Monahan was a part of the incredible core in Calgary that consisted of Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm, and of course Johnny Gaudreau. After his resurgence this season, Monahan was looking forward to playing with his old line-mate again, unfortunately the tragedy that followed has prevented that prospective reunion from happening. Monahan will still have a prominent role on the Jackets, as he is their number-one center for the upcoming year, taking over for Boone Jenner.
Adam Fantilli, after recovering from his season-ending injury, is expected to be thrown into the deep end this upcoming season as he will have a larger role regarding the Jackets’ offensive strategy. Fantilli has already shown promising talent as a playmaker and a speedy forward who can provide offensive firepower (12 goals, 15 assists in 49 games pre-injury).
His production has led to a potential promotion as the team’s second-line center between Kent Johnson and Yegor Chinakhov. However, the current concerns are that the Blue Jackets aren’t allowing him to properly develop which could lead to future injuries or burnout if his workload proves to be overwhelming.
“The defense and goaltending are inadequate.”
Newly hired General Manager, Don Waddell, has performed admirably with what Jarmo Kekäläinen’s previous administration left him with. Waddell, after the free agency period, took care of some housekeeping by resigning the team’s prominent restricted free agents in Krill Marchenko, signed to a 3 x $3.875 million dollar contract, and Yegor Chinakhov, signed to a 2 x $2.1 million dollar contract.
The two wingers have shown great promise in their young careers as Marchenko was a prominent force on the Blue Jackets offense, when seemingly everyone on the roster was injured towards the end of the year. And Chinakhov has been a reliable middle-six winger to provide stability on a young Blue Jackets core.
Waddell has been tinkering with Columbus’ bottom-six forwards by adding speed and physicality to make life harder for opposing teams. Dimitri Voronkov has been a physical presence on the ice and is capable of netting a few goals as well, which has earned him a prime spot on the Jackets bottom-six.
Justin Danforth and Mathieu Oliver are both prime examples of the need for physicality that Waddell is trying to put forward. Oliver is a fan favorite known for fighting the New York Rangers phenomenon, Matt Rempe. Both Danforth and Oliver are bottom-six favorites for Columbus who will be essential to the defensive structure and vision that newly hired Dean Evason will need to implement.
The arrival of veteran Jack Johnson is also a welcome addition to the Columbus blue line.
Needs and Losses
The top-six forwards still need an identity. Sean Monahan was projected to center Gaudreau and Laine before Gaudreau’s passing and Laine’s trade to the Montreal Canadiens.
Laine went to Montreal with a second-round draft pick in return for defenseman Jordan Harris. Laine had a complicated ending with the Jackets as he was in and out of the NHLPA player assistance program in which he spent a large amount of time away from the team. The Laine trade can be seen as a fresh start for both Laine and the Blue Jackets overall.
Boone Jenner, the veteran captain of the otherwise young Blue Jackets team, will need to step up and have a larger role with the squad. After being demoted to the bottom six, Jenner is still a necessary piece to the team – not just on the face-off dot, but as a leader and mentor for the young squad.
Cole Sillinger is another player who will need to step up on the bottom-six. The former 12th overall pick of the 2021 draft has shown some talent as a two-way forward. But his workload has demonstrated to be overbearing due to the frequent injury bug that has plagued the team the past few seasons while having to defend against some of the tougher offensive-minded teams of the Metropolitan Division. Dean Evason will be a crucial factor in determining not only Sillinger’s developing role on the team.
Blue Jackets Division Outlook: 7th-8th Place
The defense and goaltending are inadequate. Elvis Merzlikins, in regards to his contract and recent trade requests during the season, was even commented on by Don Waddell in which he stated, “Let’s be honest, nobody is going to trade for that contract.”
Merzlikins is a goalie that will need to demonstrate his worth as a starting goalie but Waddell will also be charged with building a more proper defense around his goalie tandem. And Dean Evason will be charged with developing Daniil Tarasov, the young backup goaltender, in order to provide Merzlikins with some relief.
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Ivan Provorov, acquired last year in a three-way trade with the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers, has provided a semblance of offense on the backend, but is still lacking the stability seen during his time in Philly. While Damon Severson, acquired in a sign-and-trade with the New Jersey Devils last year, is a prominent two-way defenseman and was a beacon of hope in this past year’s lackluster season for the Jackets.
In addition, offensive defensemen Zach Werenski and David Jiricek will both need to contribute heavily on the team’s blue line. Both Jiricek and forward Kent Johnson were sent back to the AHL last year after previous coach, Pascal Vincent, dictated that Jiricek especially needed reps in the AHL for developmental purposes. Werenski is already an established quarterback for the Jackets offense, however, both Johnson and Jiricek will need to further prove themselves in order to become full-time NHLers.
It will be an especially challenging season for the Columbus Blue Jackets. And success may best be found in banding together to overcome the tragic, emotional loss of Johnny Gaudreau. It’s a tall order for all within the organization from management and staff on down to the players and coaches in the locker room.
We here at Hockey Night in New York offer our thoughts and condolences during a difficult time for those in and around the team and Johnny’s family.
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