COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets:
Item No. 1: Built for ‘Z’
It has been said that this Blue Jackets season will be mostly about the emergence of their young, dynamic players — forwards Yegor Chinakhov, Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger. So far, those four have not disappointed in the Jackets’ impressive start to the season.
But if you’ve watched the first two games — a 3-2 loss in Minnesota on Thursday and a 6-4 win in Colorado on Saturday — one of the hardest players to ignore was veteran defenseman Zach Werenski.
The new system and attitude installed in the dressing room by new coach Dean Evason seem tailor-made to Werenski, who dropped 10-12 pounds over the offseason, he said, so that he could move quicker and log bigger minutes in a highly aggressive system.
Remember the Werenski who suffered through a 38-game goal-scoring drought last season? That’s not easy to do now.
Werenski has scored goals in each of the Blue Jackets’ first two games: the first a product of a new stick and a new approach on the power play, and the second a product of the new system that encourages — no, demands — that he and the other defensemen join the rush, carry the puck down low in the offensive zone, etc., whenever the chance is there.
“It’s just aggressive all over the ice,” Werenski said. “We’re going to make mistakes by being aggressive, kind of like our teams under Torts (former coach John Tortorella). Just go, and if you make a mistake by being aggressive, we’ll live with that.
“I think that’s how you have to play. If you give five guys time and space, they’re too good. I just love that mentality.”
The power-play goal in St. Paul, Minn., on Thursday was noteworthy.
It was late in the third period when Chinakhov slid a sharp pass across the top of the zone to Werenski, who was just inside the top of the right circle. Werenski didn’t gather the puck, aim and let loose with his patented wrister. No, he ripped a one-timer inside the near post.
Werenski’s shot wasn’t a full-fledged, step-into-it slap shot. But he doesn’t score right there if he doesn’t let loose immediately with a shot.
The last time Werenski scored a power-play goal on a slap shot? March 1, 2020, in a win over Vancouver in Nationwide Arena.
“I changed my stick, actually, so I can shoot snap shots now,” Werenski said. “I’m shooting harder. I have to be more of a shooter. I was that a couple of years ago.”
Werenski skated this summer with a group that included Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi, a 2020 winner of and three-time finalist for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the league’s top blueliner. You might say Werenski came away from that experience with a souvenir.
The decision was made to change the flex of his stick, from an ‘85,’ which was on the low end among NHL defensemen, to a ‘95,’ which is more common across the league. The higher the number, the stiffer the stick.
Voilá, the Werenski slap shot.
It’s hard to argue with Werenski’s credentials as an offensive defenseman. Since he joined the league in 2016-17, only six defensemen have more goals than Werenski (92): Josi (129), Brent Burns (114), Dougie Hamilton (108), Victor Herman (107), John Carlson (99), and Alex Pietrangelo (93).
A slap shot adds an element the Blue Jackets have been missing since Seth Jones departed, especially on the power play.
Makin’ it look E-Z! @FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/0NMsENGv01
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 13, 2024
Werenski’s goal only 6:38 into Saturday’s game was once again assisted by Chinakhov, but under completely different circumstances.
The Blue Jackets were quick with the puck out of their own zone, and Werenski quickly read the play and joined the rush with Chinakhov, getting a stride ahead of Avs defender Josh Manson. Chinakhov’s backhand pass from the right circle to the goal mouth was a beauty and Werenski finished it.
Werenski has always been a mobile defenseman and has always been willing to join the rush. But Evason’s new system sets him free in a way that hasn’t happened since his rookie season when Tortorella immediately dubbed him the ‘rover’ and allowed him to create.
The 27-year-old was wise enough to see this coming, so he changed his offseason diet to lose weight and be able to play heavy minutes at a high pace. He cut out most carbohydrates and sugars, meaning he’s “mostly a carnivore now.”
“I was between 218 and 222 last season,” Werenski said. “Now I’m between 207 and 211. Big difference. I feel faster and I feel like playing 25 minutes is a lot easier. Think about it. You take a 10-pound weight off, you’re going to feel faster.”
Item No. 2: Tuesday’s game
Tuesday’s game in Nationwide Arena against the Florida Panthers will be the Blue Jackets’ home opener, but it won’t be celebrated as such. The game has been dedicated to the memory of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, and it figures to be an emotional night at the rink.
The Blue Jackets, it must be said, have handled this tragic situation in the most graceful, respectful way possible. When the tragedy occurred on Aug. 29, it was only right to wonder if these players, this organization and these fans could ever find joy in hockey again.
Meredith Gaudreau’s eulogy was incredibly powerful, and it was important in helping the Blue Jackets find a purpose for the season. There were no bad days at the rink for Johnny Gaudreau, she noted, and the Blue Jackets could honor him by adopting that approach.
Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell and coach Evason are both new to the organization — they had no existing relationship with any of these players before arriving in Columbus — but they’ve shown a masterful touch in allowing players to grieve while also encouraging them to smile and laugh at Gaudreau’s memory.
They have kept Gaudreau very much alive in the dressing room with the frank and honest way they speak about his impact.
And, of course, there’s veteran center Sean Monahan, who signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract with Columbus in part because he wanted to play with Gaudreau again — as they had in Calgary a few years earlier — and wanted to raise their kids together.
A new tradition in honor of 13 ❤️💙
Only fitting that Monny wears the donkey for our first dub🎉 pic.twitter.com/M9brYCATdt
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 13, 2024
Monahan spoke before the season opener in St. Paul on Thursday.
“It’s a day-by-day process,” Monahan said. “I mean, I don’t really know how I handle it. You just do. I think it’s something that I definitely think about all day.
“I live for Johnny. … It’s a new season. He should be here. It’s always gonna be tough. He’s my best friend. (Playing together) is something we were really looking forward to, and it’s something that got taken away, so it’s a tough one to still navigate.”
It’s fitting that the Blue Jackets are playing Florida on Tuesday. Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk became close friends with Gaudreau when they played together in Calgary.
The typical opening night festivities will be put on hold until Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Tuesday’s events will likely be incredibly moving and memorable. Gaudreau’s presence, like his sweater in the dressing room, still hangs all around Nationwide Arena.
The Blue Jackets made a change to their postgame routine, ditching the Civil War kepi that has been passed around the dressing room in recent seasons after wins. In its place is a donkey hat, which, if you knew Gaudreau, who called all of his close friends “donkey,” is a poignant and humorous way to remember him.
Embrace Tuesday. Hug your friends and family.
Item No. 3: Snacks
• The Blue Jackets lost fourth-line left winger Zach Aston-Reese on his first shift Saturday when he was clipped in the head by Colorado’s Chris Wagner. Aston-Reese skated off under his own power and went directly to the dressing room. He did not return. The Blue Jackets did not provide an update after the game, but it’s possible forward Dylan Gambrell, a healthy scratch in the first two games, could make his Blue Jackets debut on Tuesday.
• Due to travel woes, the Blue Jackets didn’t leave Denver after Saturday’s win until 1:30 a.m. local time, or 3:30 a.m. in Columbus. They landed at Columbus’ John Glenn International at 6:26 a.m., at which time most of the players and staff raced home and went to bed. Waddell, of course, headed straight into this office at Nationwide Arena.
• It appears that Blue Jackets winger Justin Danforth, who missed all of training camp as he recovered from offseason wrist surgery, is getting close to a return. Danforth made the season-opening trip to Minnesota and Colorado. On Friday, between the games, he took part in his first practice when the Blue Jackets skated at the University of Denver.
• The Blue Jackets provided updates on injured forwards Boone Jenner and Dmitri Voronkov this week. The news on Jenner was not great. He had shoulder surgery last Wednesday in Vail, Colo., and stuck around in the area to join up with the Blue Jackets in Denver. The hope is he’s able to return late in the season, perhaps in time for the March 1 Stadium Series game in Ohio Stadium between the Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings.
• The news on Voronkov was more positive. It was learned last week that he will not need surgery to repair an upper-body injury, and Waddell said he’d be surprised if Voronkov wasn’t back playing by the end of November.
• Here’s your Sunday Gathering trivia question: Werenski played his 488th NHL game on Saturday, all with Columbus. He’s a few weeks away from becoming the fourth Blue Jackets defenseman to play 500 or more games. Name the other three.
• Mikael Pyyhtiä may not have made the season-opening roster if not for the injuries to Jenner and Voronkov, but he had a tremendous training camp and has quickly gained the trust of Evason and the coaching staff. He played a career-high 19:08 on Saturday as part of a checking line with center Sillinger and winger Kent Johnson. That line had the unenviable task of checking Nathan MacKinnon’s line, one of the toughest tasks in the league. This is quite a step for Pyyhtiä, a fourth-round pick (No. 114) in 2020. He’d played 19 games in the NHL before this season, including 17 in 2023-24. But they were prompted by a wave of injuries at midseason. Asked if he came to training camp believing he could earn a spot, Pyyhtiä smiled. “I knew there was a chance, but it was … far (away),” he said. “I’m so excited. My friends and family (back home in Finland) are all saying congratulations.”
• When coach Ken Hitchcock took over the Blue Jackets early in the 2006-07 season, one of his first bold moves was to put goal-scoring machine Rick Nash on the penalty kill. It worked wonders and Nash has often credited Hitchcock, and that move in particular, for helping to shape his career. Nearly 20 years later, Evason has made the same move with playmaker Kent Johnson, who has never been allowed near the PK in Columbus. Johnson led all Blue Jackets forwards on Saturday with 2:55 of short-handed time — part of the 21:30 he played overall, his most ever in a regulation game. But get this: Johnson’s cumulative short-handed ice time heading into this season — we’re talking 130 games — was 18 seconds, all during his rookie season. A little trust goes a long way.
• AHL Cleveland opened its season with a 7-3 loss in Hershey, Pa., which is where its last season ended in Game 7 of the AHL Eastern Conference semifinals. Defenseman Denton Mateychuk, who is playing on Cleveland’s top pair with Cole Clayton, had a goal and an assist. Luca Del Bel Belluz is playing as the Monsters’ No. 1 center, with wingers Rocco Grimaldi and Trey Fix-Wolansky, and Hunter McKown is centering the second line with James Malatesta and Owen Sillinger.
• The Monsters named Stefan Matteau captain, with Fix-Wolansky, Sillinger and Clayton the alternates.
• Grimaldi, a veteran of 203 NHL games with Florida, Colorado and Nashville, is now with his fifth AHL club in four seasons. He’s a dynamic AHL scorer — he had 36-37-73 in 72 games with AHL Chicago last season — but has been waiting on a two-way NHL deal this summer, hoping to play his way back to the NHL where he last played (seven games) with Nashville in 2021-22. AHL Cleveland signed him to a 25-game player tryout agreement which allows him to stay active while he waits for such a deal with Columbus or any other NHL club. Given the Blue Jackets’ depth issues up front, it makes sense that he would land with Columbus. He scored in his AHL Cleveland debut on Saturday.
• Trivia answer: The other three defensemen to play 500 or more games for the Blue Jackets are David Savard (597), Fedor Tyutin (553) and Rostislav Klesla (515). Jack Johnson (447) could join the group later this season, too.
(Photo of Zach Werenski: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)
