COLUMBUS, Ohio — Training camp is well underway for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The preseason opener — the first of eight exhibition games — is Monday in Buffalo, and the club made their first four cuts of training camp on Sunday after an intrasquad scrimmage.
But with still 2 1/2 weeks to go before the Oct. 10 season opener in Minnesota, the Blue Jackets’ toughest decisions are still on the horizon, as are a few other issues general manager Don Waddell and coach Dean Evason would like to have settled before the games start counting.
Here, as the Jackets enter their second week of camp, are eight topics we’ll be watching closely between now and the opener.
1. Waddell’s wishlist
When Waddell arrived in Columbus in late May, he started purging the roster of on-again, off-again players who never quite grabbed NHL jobs but merely muddied the picture over the past few seasons, especially at this time of the year.
Now, though, he’s looking for another roster boost, even after signing veteran James van Riemsdyk as a free agent this month.
Waddell expressed a desire to add another player even before it was known (at least publicly) that bottom-six winger Justin Danforth (wrist) would be limited at the start of training camp and might not be ready for the start of the regular season.
These days, Waddell has one eye on the proceedings in Columbus’ camp and another eye on the rest of the NHL, trying to anticipate situations around the league that could help the Blue Jackets.
The waiver wire is the most obvious option, but that likely won’t bear fruit until very late in camp, when clubs are forced to make tough decisions to get down to the league’s 23-player limit.
There’s also the trade market, but that may require patience, too. Waddell has had talks with several clubs, but there’s nothing right now that excites him. The salary cap could play a role here, too, as the Blue Jackets have an abundance of cap room, which is commodity in this league.
2. From speed to size
The arrival of center Sean Monahan via free agency this summer has allowed Boone Jenner to move back to left wing. That, coupled with the addition of van Riemsdyk and the emergence of Dmitry Voronkov, has given the Jackets a different look along the wall.
Suddenly, this group is stout. It remain to be seen how this will all shake down, and there are no guarantees the Blue Jackets will create enough offensively this season. But it’s gonna look different.
No longer will the Blue Jackets get pushed around and lose more than their share of puck battles down low. No longer will they look like a junior club getting off the bus.
Evason likes a heavy, competitive, combative club, so this roster is much more to his liking than the Blue Jackets would have been over the last two years.
Here’s Evason upon seeing Voronkov (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) on the ice for the first time early last week: “I didn’t realize how freaking big he is. He’s massive! I’m very excited. You get little goosebumps talking about that.”
3. Dealing with emotions
The Blue Jackets were devastated by the tragic death of star left winger Johnny Gaudreau on Aug. 29, and — as many have noted — there will be good days and tough days in the coming weeks, months and years.
The entire organization — management, players and support staff — have shown a tremendous capacity for grace, dignity and courage, both in honoring Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, and in finding an honest, meaningful way to begin to move forward.
They’ve found strength in Meredith Gaudreau’s breathtaking and heartbreaking eulogy of her late husband, in which she implored the Blue Jackets to go play hockey, just as Johnny Gaudreau would have wanted.
Waddell, Evason and the players have kept Gaudreau’s memory front-and-center in the dressing room. They’ve been encouraged to speak of him, remember him and grieve him, both on their own terms but most especially together.
It doesn’t feel right without Gaudreau around, of course. But so far it feels like the Blue Jackets have found the right balance to be motivated by his memory.
#CBJ roster for Monday’s exhibition opener in Buffalo: pic.twitter.com/QbUt8KXAe2
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) September 22, 2024
4. Forward thinking
Sorting out the Blue Jackets’ forwards isn’t quite as confusing as it’s been in previous seasons, but then that’s not necessarily a good thing (see No. 1).
We can say with some authority that these 11 forwards are locks to make the opening-night roster: Yegor Chinakhov, Adam Fantilli, Boone Jenner, Kent Johnson, Sean Kuraly, Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan, Mathieu Olivier, Cole Sillinger, James van Riemsdyk, Dmitry Voronkov,
Danforth (offseason wrist surgery) isn’t listed because it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to play by the Oct. 10 opener.
That leaves two open spots up for grabs over the next couple of weeks, assuming the Jackets break camp with one extra forward. Expect there to be a “Hunger Games” type of competition from the four or five players who should be considered candidates, many of whom have little or no NHL experience.
If Waddell gets his wish and adds a veteran forward, that would leave only one spot.
On Monday, Luca Del Bel Belluz, Trey Fix-Wolansky, Dylan Gambrell, Hunter McKown, Luca Pinelli, and Mikael Pyyhtiä will play in the exhibition opener in Buffalo. The first game would be a great time to make a great first impression on the new coach.
Others to be considered — and perhaps the two who should be seen as the favorites at this juncture — are James Malatesta and Owen Sillinger.
5. As for the defense…
Much like at the other end of the ice, the Blue Jackets’ defense is much more streamlined during this training camp after an offseason parting with depth pieces such as Adam Boqvist, Jake Bean and Nick Blankenburg.
It’s pretty clear how Waddell and Evason envision the Blue Jackets’ top-four, although there’s plenty of time (obviously) to change if this just isn’t working.
Zach Werenski and Damon Severson have worked as a pair so far in camp, a likely indication that they could be the top pairing at the start of the season. Ivan Provorov and youngster David Jiricek appear to be their initial idea for a second pair.
The third pair is where the mystery rests.
We can say with some certainty that Erik Gudbranson will be the anchor of the pair on the right side. But does he play with newcomer Jordan Harris, acquired in the Patrik Laine trade with Montreal, or with veteran Jack Johnson, who is back for a second tour in Columbus after signing as a free agent?
Denton Mateychuk begins his pro career with much fanfare, but the sense is that he’ll at least begin play with AHL Cleveland. Nothing irritates Waddell more than rushing prospects.
6. Goalie split?
We may not get an indication of this until we’re a week or two into the regular season, but it’ll be interesting to see which goaltender(s) get the bulk of the work, especially late in camp when the top two start to play full exhibition games to get ready for the season.
The 1-2 punch will almost certainly be (in some order) Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov, with Jet Greaves waiting in the wings should injury woes saddle Merzlikins and Tarasov, as they’ve done so often in the past. If all parties are healthy, though, Greaves will be the No. 1 at AHL Cleveland for a second straight season.
Evason has avoided watching film from last season, he said, hoping to truly create a “clean slate” for all players at all positions. That sounds like there’s a chance for either of Merzlikins or Tarasov to claim the top spot, but it wouldn’t surprise anybody if it’s a true 50-50 split to start the season.
7. Is Cayden OK?
The Blue Jackets knew they’d need to show considerable patience when they drafted center Cayden Lindstrom with the No. 4 overall pick in June. They’ve projected an “everything is fine” vibe the entire time, even as Lindstrom was ruled out for the prospects tournament in Buffalo and the start of training camp.
Lindstrom has begun skating on his own — progress! — but there’s no timetable for him to join a camp practice or play in an exhibition game, Evason said.
Let’s just say there is great consternation among the fan base regarding Lindstrom, and it would calm many nerves to see him skating hard and mixing it up in traffic and otherwise thriving. It bears watching the rest of camp.
Waddell has said that Lindstrom is almost certainly going back to his junior club, Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League, this season. And he’s insistent that Lindstrom won’t go there until he’s cleared by the Blue Jackets’ doctors, for fear of him returning early.
8. Where’s the floor?
It’s a conversation nobody wants to have, but at some point the Blue Jackets will need guidance from the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association as to what their salary-cap floor will be this season. This is a topic, of course, due to the tragic loss of Gaudreau.
At present, the Blue Jackets are approximately $3.4 million under the $65 million salary floor. It’s possible that they will get a one-year exemption, given the circumstances, but it remains unsettled.
The NHL requires all clubs to be compliant when rosters set in advance of the season. So there’s still time.
(Photo of Boone Jenner: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
