The Columbus Blue Jackets weren’t meeting expectations under previous head coach Dean Evason. GM Don Waddell took swift action by hiring Rick Bowness on for the rest of the season.
One of the key factors that many believe went into the coaching change was the performance of the Blue Jackets’ young stars. With their production down compared to what was expected, it signaled that Evason may not have been getting the best out of them.
Under Bowness, it’s a fresh start for everybody including the Blue Jackets’ young stars. Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger didn’t score goals on Tuesday night against the Calgary Flames. But each were noticeable in their own right.
Johnson played over 20 minutes while leading all Blue Jackets’ forwards in time on ice. Postgame Tuesday, Bowness said that Johnson’s ice time “was deserved.”
One other forward eclipsed 20 minutes for the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Adam Fantilli had five shots on goal and was over 64% at the faceoff dot against the Flames. Bowness after practice on Wednesday called Fantilli’s line “good.”
Fantilli has just one goal, the overtime winner against Anaheim back on Dec 16, in his last 19 games. It’s not due to a lack of chances. He has 55 shots on goal in that span. That trend isn’t going to last forever.
Another New Coach
Fantilli has played in 177 NHL games after Tuesday night scoring 55 goals and 110 points in that time. Not even 200 games into his NHL career, he’s already on his fourth head coach.
Fantilli made his debut in October 2023 the fall after he was drafted third overall. His first NHL head coach? It was technically Mike Babcock. Then it became Pascal Vincent.
Waddell elected to move on from Vincent in the summer of 2024. In came Evason. Fantilli played for Evason both for the Blue Jackets and at the last Men’s World Championships for Team Canada. Perhaps there would be some consistency developing.
That got put to a screeching halt with the move to Bowness. The Hockey Writers spoke to Fantilli on Wednesday afternoon after practice to get his reaction to the coaching change.
“At first, I was surprised,” Fantilli said. “Any time there’s a mid-season coaching change, it’s a bit of a shock. But we’re looking forward. Obviously, we haven’t been performing to the level that we expect from ourselves and our fans expect from us. Management made a change and we’re excited for the future.”
When there is a coaching change, other changes usually follow. New systems have to be learned. Players also have to adapt to the way their new coaches operate. Fantilli acknowledged that’s been a lot to take in during his first couple of seasons.
“Every coach has different things that they want, different things they expect from you,” Fantilli said. “You’re learning to know new people, to interact with different people and different leadership styles. It’s been a lot over the last two and a half years but it’s exciting. I’ve loved every bit of it. Hasn’t been too much change in the locker room with the guys and I’ve gotten to know everybody really well. That’s been a great constant for me.”
“But behind the bench, yeah, there’s been a lot of changes and it’s been different. Every coach has different philosophies but I’m still having a good time.”
Early Bowness Impressions
Fantilli referenced an excitement to having a new voice running the bench. For just one game on Tuesday night even from the press box, the vibe felt different. Did he see it that way too?
“I think it kind of feels like you’re back in training camp or like a first day of school type feeling,” Fantilli said. “Got a new coach. Everyone wants to play their best, not that everyone doesn’t want to play their best all the time, but maybe give a little extra. The system, a couple tweaks that he made made us play a little more aggressive and maybe that’s why I looked a little bit more free out there.”
Bowness said he’s gone around to all of the players individually and will continue to do so in an effort to get to know everyone. He was seen at the morning skate Tuesday interacting with guys including Fantilli.
What has been Fantilli’s early impressions of Bowness?
“He’s very experienced. He’s got 2,700 games in the NHL (and) has been in the league for 50 years. From what I can tell, he’s a really good man. (He) cares a lot about the people in the locker room and I love how vocal he is on the bench too. It’s someone that brings energy and I appreciate it a lot.”
Bowness said during his introductory press conference that he’ll bring structure and attention to detail to the Blue Jackets. For someone like Fantilli who continues to get better away from the puck, it’s another reason why he’s excited to see what Bowness can do for him defensively.
“Just maybe some positional stuff on where I’m just arriving at in the D-zone, where I’m staying at getting into guys earlier. There’s always more you can do, I feel like, to make it harder for teams to get to your net and to enter your zone. That’s a guy who has a lot of experience in that area so I’m excited to learn from him.”
“Personally, I think I’ve made a lot of great strides there (defensively.) I know my plus/minus might not be showing that but I’ve been on the ice for a ton of empty net goals. My faceoff percentage has gone up like 9%. It’s all the stuff I’ve been working on.”
Fantilli might not have the goal totals he wants at this point. But he is doing a lot of other things well and now has an exciting opportunity to learn from a coach that has seen it all over his long successful NHL career.
If Tuesday night is any indication of how the ice time is going to go, expect to see a lot more of the young stars in key situations. It’s easy to see why Fantilli is excited for the future thanks to this coaching change.
