It’s the last Tuesday in November. That means it’s time for another edition of Columbus Blue Jackets News & Rumors. We hope that you and yours made the most of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. If you’re anywhere else, well, we hope you had a good day.
When we last spoke, the Blue Jackets were mired in an 0-7-2 funk that plummeted them to last place in the Eastern Conference. They wake up on this Tuesday morning in last place by points percentage. But by points, they no longer have the fewest in the East. That distinction now belongs to the Ottawa Senators.
The Blue Jackets have played well but are now starting to get some results. Before we dive into these recent games, there was a major story out about one of the team’s bright rookies and whether or not he was staying with the team.
Voronkov Feeling Home Sick
Adapting to a new country and a new culture is hard. It’s takes on a whole new level of difficulty when a player does that not knowing the language. That’s where Dmitri Voronkov found himself.
After a brief stint in the AHL, Voronkov got the call to the Blue Jackets and has worked his way into becoming one of their better overall forwards. But then a report out of Russia came out that created a lot of concern especially within the fanbase.
Per that report, Voronkov was considering leaving the Blue Jackets to return to his native Russia. Then according to a report from the Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, the Blue Jackets confirmed that Voronkov was feeling home sick and was considering a return to Russia. GM Jarmo Kekalainen told the Athletic “We are dealing with it internally. It’s normal for a young player to feel homesick at times. And so we’re dealing with it.” (From Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Homesick Dmitri Voronkov ponders return to Russia, Aaron Portzline, the Athletic, 11/26/2023.)
Portzline went on to say that the team will introduce Voronkov to former Blue Jackets Fedor Tyutin as a means to help him adapt to the area.
Then on Monday, two different statements were released regarding Voronkov’s status. First, Alexander Chernykh said “For now, I’ll say this. Voronkov will play for Columbus. He’s not returning anywhere.”
Second, J.P Barry released a statement indicating that Voronkov has made the decision to stay even being encouraged by his family and friends.
Blue Jackets fans then stepped up their efforts in order to show Voronkov how much they love him. A sign was seen that said “The fifth line loves you, Dmitri.”
In all, it’s a very tough situation for a young player to be in. The Blue Jackets will try to do everything they can to get Voronkov comfortable in his new surroundings. He does have fellow Russians Ivan Provorov, Kirill Marchenko and Yegor Chinakhov all there to help him with translation and other things. It just so happened that each player scored a goal in their 5-2 win over Boston on Monday. The NHL says that’s the first time in league history four different Russian players on the same team scored goals in the same game. It became a historic night at Nationwide Arena on Monday as a result.
Seeing Better Results
The Blue Jackets needed something good to happen. Getting three wins out of four since last Wednesday is proof that some better results are coming. It also shows that their argument about being close had some merit.
The Blue Jackets handled the Blackhawks 7-3. They went to New Jersey and came away with a 2-1 win. They could have defeated Carolina too, except they allowed three late goals to lose 3-2. Then Monday’s 5-2 result the night after reinforced that the team is making some progress.
What is behind these better efforts and results? First, the goaltending. It’s been much better of late. Even in moments when the opposition is pushing, the goalies have stood tall. Merzlikins defeated the Blackhawks and Devils before becoming a hard-luck loser in Carolina. He was outstanding there too.
Then Spencer Martin played Monday against the Bruins and allowed just two goals. That kind of goaltending will allow any team a chance to win. While the team still needs to make strides defensively as a whole, goaltending is at the top of the list for this recent stretch.
Second, the Blue Jackets are getting offensive contributions from all over the lineup. Eric Robinson scored a game-winning goal. Their top line of Marchenko, Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau has scored of late. We mentioned all of the Russians scoring on Monday. Justin Danforth connected on an empty netter as well. Timely and depth scoring coming through at the right times has contributed to these results.
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Third, there is an improvement in puck management and gap control. It is still very much a work in progress but there is improvement. There is more decisiveness in making decisions. Better reads are being made. They’re staying above the puck better. Baby steps to be sure, but it is progress.
The one area where the team does need to find answers is protecting leads late. It came up again Sunday in Carolina. Coach Pascal Vincent acknowledged it was an area that needed addressed. There’s hesitation. There’s being afraid to make the big mistake and sitting back. Then there’s playing defense the whole shift only to clear the puck and have the next line do the same thing. They have to find a way to keep their attack mentality throughout the game no matter the score.
Good teams like Carolina will push. The Blue Jackets found out firsthand what sitting back against them can do. It’s not just one thing contributing to that. Playing a laid back system and taking away the middle can be effective. But it can also lead to not having the puck late. Winning late faceoffs and getting the puck out will do wonders in this department.
Overall, there was a lot to like over the last week. Results are starting to come. Now they must keep that going while trying to battle their way back in the standings.
Side Dishes
- Three Oilers scouts in Columbus on Monday, eh? That raises an eyebrow. They need defense and goaltending. My own take? Spencer Martin could be a target. He’s a bargain contract and someone with some upside. Daniil Tarasov is coming back soon. The Blue Jackets likely aren’t keeping three goalies. It makes sense. We’ll see how the Oilers choose to address their goaltending.
- According to Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch, Chinakhov seems to be unhappy in Columbus and may want out. He wrote in his recent takeaways column about the situation. (From Voronkov Stays, Chinakhov may want out: 4 Columbus Blue Jackets takeaways from Bruins romp, Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch, 11/27/2023, updated 11/28/23)
- In the piece, Hedger mentioned a text message from agent Shumi Babaev in which Chinakhov is unhappy with a fourth line role. “He doesn’t feel they trust him and he wants to leave. They don’t understand how bad Chinny feels.” Chinakhov did tell reporters postgame he had thought about a return to Russia before but says “But I want to play here and that’s it.” As of this writing, no trade request has been officially made.
- Since 11/1, Voronkov is third in rookie scoring with only Connor Bedard and Connor Zary ahead of him.
- The Blue Jackets now have 23 points from players age 20 or younger. That’s tied for second in the NHL with the Blackhawks. Only the Ducks have more.
- Here’s the sign that was made for Voronkov. Fans know how to meet a moment when it’s necessary.
