COLUMBUS, Ohio — This is the most intense week of training camp for the Columbus Blue Jackets, not just because the difficult roster decisions are becoming clearer — that’s true for every team in the league right now — but for the opportunities for clarity.
The Jackets play their final four preseason games in the span of five days, beginning with Monday’s 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. That’s a rich opportunity for the seven forwards and four defensemen who are still in the running (at least on paper) for the final roster spots.
Put another way: Six of those forwards and two of the defensemen were in the lineup against the Capitals.
“It’s not a secret, we’re pretty set,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “There’s a few positions that are open. There’s competition going on up front, but it’s going on with defense, too. The guys who are competing are all going to get (preseason) games, still.
“As a group in the coaches’ room, we feel real positive about our depth. Myself, coming in here, I didn’t know the Columbus guys, forget about the Cleveland guys. But I’ve worked with them now, we’ve practiced, and I’ve seen them in the room, and I’m very impressed. I like what’s been built here.”
The Blue Jackets play tonight in St. Louis, then finish the preseason schedule with back-to-back games vs. Pittsburgh on Thursday (in Columbus) and Friday (at Pittsburgh).
There could be room for two forwards to survive final cuts, unless GM Don Waddell is successful in his attempts to land a veteran NHL forward, either through trade or the waiver wire. In that case, it would make only one spot available and it could change the type of player the Jackets decide to keep.
There’s likely room for only one defenseman, but there are a lot of moving parts on the back end.
The goaltenders are pretty much set, with Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov expected to the Blue Jackets’ 1-2 in some order.
NHL rosters must be set by Oct. 7.
Let’s dive into this, shall we?
Forward
Between Waddell whittling down some of the roster’s fringe players this summer and Evason’s well-structured training camp, there are surprisingly few questions among the Blue Jackets forwards.
Sean Monahan is centering the top line with Boone Jenner and Kirill Marchenko on his wings. Adam Fantilli is the No. 2 center, with James van Riemsdyk and either Dmitri Voronkov or Yegor Chinakhov on the wings, while Cole Sillinger anchors the third line with wingers Kent Johnson and either Voronkov or Chinakhov.
The only mystery, it would seem, is the fourth line.
Veteran Sean Kuraly is locked in at center, and Mathieu Olivier is the fixture at right wing. The question, then, is who will play on the left side of that line and who will serve as the extra forward when the Jackets have a busy schedule or a road trip.
Again, Waddell is trying to add a forward via trade or waiver wire. So, as you peruse this list, keep in mind that only one of these guys — or possibly none, if they don’t open the season with a 13th forward — is going to make the cut.
The candidates:
Owen Sillinger: The first name Evason jotted down next to Kuraly at the start of training camp, and that’s mostly where he’s skated ever since. That has to count for something, right?
Sillinger, who just turned 27, has spent the past two seasons with AHL Cleveland, drawing rave reviews from coaches for his consistency and work ethic. We know Waddell is averse to bringing players to the NHL too quickly, but Sillinger has paid his dues.
One issue potentially working against him? He doesn’t need waivers to be sent to the minor leagues.
James Malatesta: No question, Malatesta fits the profile of a fourth-line winger. He won’t overwhelm with his size, but he’s well put together and plenty competitive. There’s a little offensive touch in there, too, which will likely emerge as his career moves on.
Malatesta did spend last season with AHL Cleveland, but it would make sense if Waddell believes he needs more time to percolate. He does not need waivers to go back, either.
Dylan Gambrell: There’s a good argument to be made that Gambrell could be listed higher. He has more NHL experience than anybody else on this list (233 games with San Jose and Ottawa), so he requires waivers in order to head to Cleveland.
Here’s something else to consider: Whereas Waddell may want to see Malatesta, Sillinger and others playing regularly in Cleveland — not sitting in Columbus — Gambrell could be the more reasonable choice as the Jackets’ 13th forward should they keep two players on this list or should Waddell add a player from outside the organization.
Mikael Pyyhtiä: He’s played four years of pro hockey if you count the three-plus seasons he played in Finland’s Liiga before coming to North America. He also played 17 games last season for the Blue Jackets, with no goals and two assists.
Pyyhtiä’s style of play doesn’t exactly scream “fourth-liner,” but he’s become a capable AHL player.
Trey Fix-Wolansky: If the roster spots available in Columbus were higher in the lineup, Fix-Wolansky would absolutely be higher on this list. He’s a proven AHL goal scorer, and while that hasn’t quite translated to the NHL yet, he’s not a fourth-line guy.
Fix-Wolansky will need to clear waivers to be sent to AHL Cleveland, where he’s played 244 games — and scored 86 goals — since 2019-20.
LDBB buries one! 💥@FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/sCzFfcNfCf
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 1, 2024
Luca Del Bel Belluz: The second-round pick (No. 44) in 2022 is coming off a solid first pro season in AHL Cleveland and possesses some interesting tools — decent size, decent speed and a heck of a shot, as seen in his late goal on Wednesday.
But we’re guessing Waddell and Evason think his development should continue under the coaching staff in Cleveland.
Gavin Brindley: He’s a bona fide NHL prospect, with lots to admire in his game already, but Brindley is coming straight out of college hockey and is therefore a long shot.
Brindley, who played one NHL game last spring, should be an impact player in the AHL. Let the development continue.
Defense
There may be half as many lineup spots on defense, but the Blue Jackets have more moving parts on this end of the ice.
When training camp broke, Evason had Zach Werenski and Damon Severson together as the top pair. The duo remains intact. It’s the second pair, Ivan Provorov and David Jǐrǐcek, that has started to feel a little shaky with Jǐrǐcek’s play.
If he’s not ready, who slots in? It was interesting to see Erik Gudbranson in that spot for Monday’s game, but if he moves up from the third pairing, who fills his old spot? It could be Jǐrǐcek, of course, but that would impact the left side of that third pair in multiple ways, too.
Lots of moving parts.
The candidates:
David Jǐrǐcek: Nobody needed a clean slate at the top of the organization more than Jǐrǐcek, who was none too pleased by his handling last season which included a demotion to AHL Cleveland. He believes he’s NHL ready, so this is a situation that will be handled delicately.
There’s so much to like about Jǐrǐcek’s game, but there are still flaws to iron out — his decision-making with the puck, his capacity for risky reads, etc. That’s hard to hide in a top-four spot, especially when the games start counting.
We’re still giving Jǐrǐcek the edge here — and it should be noted he continues to skate with the NHL group, not the AHL group — but we’re less confident he’s going to make the club at the end of camp than we were two weeks ago.
He does not need waivers to go back to AHL Cleveland.
Denton Mateychuk: They don’t want to do it. Waddell and Evason would really appreciate it if there were seven better defensemen in camp than Mateychuk, allowing them to send the 20-year-old to AHL Cleveland for at least a half-season of development.
But let’s get real: Mateychuk absolutely looks like he’s among the Blue Jackets’ six best defensemen.
“He’s young, so we’ll see what shakes out here. We still have some games,” Evason said after Monday’s game. “But what he has shown … clearly he’s been that guy for a long time. He’s going to be an NHL player for a long time.
“If he starts here, wonderful. If he doesn’t, his development is going to continue steady because of what we’ve seen. He’s gotten better and better, and his career is going to go like that as well.”
Jordan Harris: The Blue Jackets were initially looking for a forward as part of the return for Patrik Laine, but Montreal’s abundance of defense made Harris expendable. He’s an intriguing player, though he has yet to really define himself in the NHL.
If the Blue Jackets keep Gudbranson on the right side of the third pair, either Harris or Mateychuk make sense as his partner.
If Harris doesn’t claim a lineup spot initially, it might make sense to keep him as a seventh defenseman rather than expose him to waivers, which he’d need to clear to join AHL Cleveland.
Jake Christiansen: It helps that Christiansen can play on both sides of the ice, but it’s hard to see him jumping over the first three guys on this list to claim a spot. He’s an All-Star in the AHL, a major point producer and a power-play point man.
He’d need to clear waivers to return to AHL Cleveland.
(Photo: Geoff Burke / Imagn Images)
