The Columbus Blue Jackets have only played one preseason game going into Wednesday night’s home preseason opener against the St. Louis Blues. However, Tuesday’s practice gave some insight into where things stand with the potential NHL roster.
Just one day after the Blue Jackets’ 6-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, the team assigned goaltender Evan Gardner, defenseman Charlie Elick and forward Tyler Peddle to their respective junior teams. With the exception of forward Luca Pinelli, who will play Wednesday, most everyone else is destined for the NHL or AHL.
Head coach Dean Evason elected to split the two groups into mostly NHL and AHL groups. While these are certainly not final with seven preseason games to play, it does indicate where things currently stand.
Notably in the NHL group, forward Dylan Gambrell along with defensemen Jordan Harris and Jake Christiansen skated with those expected to make the opening night roster. Notably in the AHL group, forwards Owen Sillinger and Gavin Brindley along with defenseman Denton Mateychuk skated later in the day with those expected to start with the Cleveland Monsters.
Gambrell skated where Owen Sillinger skated to start camp, on a line with Sean Kuraly and Mathieu Olivier. Justin Danforth’s injury has left a potential opening on the left side of the fourth line.
Gambrell has some decent NHL experience with the San Jose Sharks and Ottawa Senators. He spent the 2023-24 season in the AHL for the Toronto Marlies. Should Danforth not be ready for the opener, there’s a good chance of that, several players could vie for that bottom-six spot.
Evason has said that they will look at different combinations and players to see where they could fit. Owen Sillinger is on the roster for Wednesday night’s game. That could be his best chance to make an impression in a game. James Malatesta is also on the roster for Wednesday and could fill that spot.
Here is what the NHL group looked like on Tuesday in lines.
- Boone Jenner – Sean Monahan – Kirill Marchenko
- James van Riemsdyk – Adam Fantilli – Yegor Chinakhov
- Dmitri Voronkov – Cole Sillinger – Kent Johnson
- Dylan Gambrell – Sean Kuraly – Mathieu Olivier
- Zach Werenski – Damon Severson
- Ivan Provorov – David Jiricek
- Jack Johnson – Erik Gudbranson
- Jake Christiansen – Jordan Harris
- Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov
Initial Impressions
Outside of who starts on that fourth line, there really isn’t much of a surprise with the forwards or defensemen. Danforth’s situation could allow 1-2 other forwards to make the roster.
The eight defensemen listed all need waivers except for Jiricek. Evason recently said that Jiricek has “as good a chance as anyone” to make the Blue Jackets. Given that he’s skating in the top four, that’s a good sign he’s in line to make this opening roster.
The two names of note that are not on the NHL group for now are Brindley and Mateychuk. With each being so new to the pros, it would take a lot for them to unseat a veteran. It’s not out of the question especially in Mateychuk’s case but with development being a top priority for the Blue Jackets, having them start in Cleveland is far from the worst outcome.
Monsters’ coach Trent Vogelhuber spoke on Tuesday after practice about Mateychuk and Brindley. What is the biggest thing they need to adjust to before they’re in the full-time NHL conversation?
Second #CBJ practice being run by @monstershockey HC Trent Vogelhuber. Denton Mateychuk and Gavin Brindley notably part of this group of mostly AHLers. pic.twitter.com/hf4x9ZLN5L
— Mark Scheig (@mark_scheig) September 24, 2024
“You can see their ceiling and how good they are,” Vogelhuber said. “In my short time with both of them, they’ve had really good games, periods and shifts. It’s the hardest thing for all of them is just doing it all the time at this level and doing it in the American League for 72 games. Last year, we played 95, right? So doing it 90-something and not having dips is the hardest thing when January, February rolls around and you’re like oh my God, we’re halfway. It can be daunting.”
“So you’re taking it one day at a time and hopefully not having big lulls. That’s the most common thing for adjustment for young players coming into the pro games. Because both of those guys individually are just so talented players. You want to avoid any kind of long, big dips. There’s going to be games for sure and that happens but you want to help them snap out of it as quickly as possible.”
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The big question for both Brindley and Mateychuk will also be if they can hang in against bigger and stronger players. One of the things the Monsters do a nice job with is the plan they execute for guys who need to get stronger.
Luca Del Bel Belluz went through this process at first. He realized he needed to get stronger. Instead of getting him into every game right away, the Monsters had him do heavy workouts early in the week while not playing weekday games. Then he played on Fridays and Saturdays. It was the perfect blend of strength training and playing games.
Should it come to that, Brindley and Mateychuk could take a similar path of getting stronger while playing games. With the extra veteran presence on the projected NHL roster, the younger prospects do not have to be rushed. If they are ready now, then so be it. However based on the early alignment, it would take some massive efforts to jump into the NHL group at this time. They will each get a chance Wednesday against the Blues to state their case.
Summary
There are three main questions to consider when it comes to how the Blue Jackets’ roster will look. Who fills the 4LW role? Do any of the prospects make enough of an impression to unseat a veteran? And will the team sign a PTO or make a trade to add to their depth?
GM Don Waddell is still looking for a potential move in the right situation. As camps around the league start to whittle down in size, the Blue Jackets could strike if an immediate upgrade becomes available. An example of this would be someone like Tanner Pearson should the Vegas Golden Knights release him from his PTO.
Seven preseason games can determine a lot. But for these Blue Jackets, we at least have a framework of what the potential roster could look like for opening night. There is opportunity for those that make a big impression.
Let the games begin.
