The Columbus Blue Jackets have had quite the rollercoaster season so far. A strong start in October has quickly turned into a major slide in November, with the Blue Jackets currently sitting three points from the bottom of the league with 16 points. The games recently have been much more in line with what most people expected coming into this season with multiple blowout losses. The tight-checking team that was scoring at a franchise record-breaking rate has dried up and nothing has been particularly positive in their most recent stretch of play.
As is always the question when a team is having bad luck and bad outcomes, what do the Blue Jackets need to do to help get themselves back into their winning ways? The most obvious answer is lineup changes. There are multiple players that may be getting promoted or demoted, as well as a key injured player expected back soon. Here are some moves that could happen to help spark the Blue Jackets.
Kent Johnson Returns
Head coach Dean Evason stated on Monday that Kent Johnson needed a couple more practices before being cleared for games. Hopefully, that will allow him to return as soon as Thursday’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Johnson was off to a phenomenal start before being injured in just the fourth game of the season. He has two goals and three assists in those games while looking to have hit a new gear in his play. One area this team has been lacking is players who can carry the puck through traffic and help set the offense up. This need is especially true for the powerplay, which the Blue Jackets currently rank 24th in the NHL at powerplay goal percentage.
Related: Kent Johnson’s All-Around Abilities Makes Injury Absence More Profound to Blue Jackets
He would also be a welcome addition to the second line to help provide more talent around center Adam Fantilli. Fantilli has had a bit of a slow start this season, scoring just three goals and six assists in 18 games. While Fantilli’s play has been pretty good on its own, his linemates haven’t been able to do much to take the pressure off of him. With Johnson on his line, Fantilli would have a playmaker to help take pressure off of him, as well as potentially set him up for his excellent shot.
David Jiricek Will Be Sent Down
To say it has not been a good season for David Jiricek would be an understatement. He has only played in six games so far, has no goals and one assist, and is averaging 11:12 of time on ice per game. Between being healthy scratched most nights and barely utilized when he is in the lineup, it is glaringly obvious that this coaching staff has no faith in him currently. Evason has stated that everything must be earned, and clearly he doesn’t feel like Jiricek has done enough to earn more ice time. He has still been prone to making poor decisions and being out of position. While he certainly isn’t alone in some bad turnovers, Jiricek’s inability to show enough positives has led him to be the odd man out most nights. By contrast, veteran defenseman Jack Johnson has played in 14 games so far. That’s not a good sign for the Blue Jackets’ top defensive prospect.
While it has been publicly speculated that general manager Don Waddell may look to move Jiricek, that seems very unlikely at this point. He is still only 20 years old and was the sixth overall pick just three summers ago. His size and ability give him massive upside, and it would be a mistake to move on from him so soon. Defensemen typically take a little longer to develop, so no one should be surprised that he isn’t quite ready to take on a full-time NHL role. With the return of Johnson soon, the Blue Jackets will need to clear a roster spot, and it is hard to imagine that they will continue to keep Jiricek from getting playing time.
Jiricek will most likely be sent to the Cleveland Monsters to play top minutes and continue to work on his game. That seems like the best path for his development at the moment. The only caveat to this is if Jiricek has decided to move on. He voiced his displeasure last season after being sent back down to the Monsters, and many have speculated that he may request a trade instead of reporting to the AHL team. If that happens, it would force Waddell’s hand most likely.
Denton Mateychuk Will Be Called Up
This might be more of a stretch on an already crowded blue line, but Denton Mateychuk‘s play may force the Blue Jackets to bring him up to the NHL soon. Through 15 games, he has six goals and ten assists, including two overtime game winners from this past weekend. He looked great during the preseason as well, and was probably the hardest cut for the Blue Jackets to make. Waddell has been a vocal proponent of young players playing in the AHL to learn and develop, and since Mateychuk doesn’t need waivers to be sent down, it made sense that he would be sent to the Monsters this season. But if Evason really is committed to the idea that players earn their ice time, it is becoming hard to dismiss Mateychuk’s phenomenal play so far.
Denton Mateychuk OT Winner: Part II 🎞️
— Cleveland Monsters (@monstershockey) November 17, 2024
🍎: Del Bel Belluz & Grimaldi pic.twitter.com/f8WGKkPKb5
The biggest obstacle right now is that, without an injury, one of the other defensemen would need to clear waivers to be sent down. The Blue Jackets may be hesitant to do that, but given the continued struggles on defense, they may not have a choice. Mateychuk could give the Blue Jackets a boost on the backend, as he has proven both the ability to generate offense and effectively defend in his own end. Multiple players on this roster will most likely be moved before the trade deadline, such as Ivan Provorov. Will the Blue Jackets move him sooner to open up a spot for Mateychuk?
Shake-up Is Needed
Kent Johnson is coming back most likely this week, so that’s a guaranteed change to the lineup, most likely at the expense of Jiricek getting sent down. But Mateychuk being called up could also help give this team a needed shake-up to reinvigorate the roster. Waddell has already stated that he doesn’t plan on moving future assets to bring in current players right now, so the only lineup changes will have to come from within. Multiple players who have expiring contracts will be moved, but those will most likely be for middling picks and will happen right at the trade deadline. But if Johnson and Mateychuk can provide some added skill and scoring to this team, it might be exactly what the Blue Jackets need to get back on track this season.
