It has been an interesting season for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Despite a couple of moves to shore up their defense in the offseason, along with adding a top-three pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, they still find themselves among the bottom-five teams in the standings.
As the calendar hits 2024, we look ahead to the next major milestone in the season: the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. This year’s event is happening in Toronto, the begrudgingly conceded “Mecca” of the hockey world. For a lot of teams, the decision of which player will represent them is kind of obvious. However, for the Blue Jackets, there hasn’t been a guy that’s been far and away their best player. That means there are a few different options. Let’s explore.
The Returning Champion: Zach Werenski
While currently out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, the Blue Jackets’ current leading scorer, Zach Werenski, does have the possibility of returning in time for Feb. 1-3’s All-Star event. The Jackets’ number-one defenseman has represented the team twice already in his career and has the credentials to do it again this year.
He’s shown to be a consistent foundational piece to the Blue Jackets’ defense corps. He’s leading the team in scoring, which is no easy feat as a defenseman, and munching minutes, averaging over a minute more in ice time per game than the runner-up. The biggest drawback here is that he’s only scored one goal so far in 34 games, which, although he’s not a forward, could still hurt some of his chances.
The Established All-Star: Johnny Gaudreau
Werenski was hurt for the majority of last season, so that left an uncontested opportunity for Johnny Gaudreau to represent Columbus in the 2023 All-Star weekend. That decision was warranted purely in merit since he was leading the team’s scoring by 16 points at the time of the announcement. As for 2024, if Gaudreau is sent, it would be a decision based on established branding.
To say the diminutive, skilled winger has been having an “off” year would be an understatement. At 30 years old, he’s on pace for the worst offensive output in his career, currently projected to score 15 goals and 53 points over a full 82 games. He’s been abysmal defensively, too, with a team-worst minus-18 right now, putting him on pace for a minus-38. There has just been something not copacetic about his game this season. If he’s the pick, it will mostly be because of the name recognition, considering he’s participated in seven previous All-Star games.
The Newcomer: Adam Fantilli
Now, onto a fresh face who has blasted his way onto the Blue Jackets’ scene. Adam Fantilli is having a heck of a rookie season. That was most on display in December when he scored seven goals and 13 points in 14 games played and was listed as runner-up for ‘Rookie of the Month.’ Fantilli is well on track to be the Blue Jackets’ franchise center one day and is very likely to be their All-Star representative. The question is, will it be this year? It very well could be.
He’s on pace to score 23 goals and 48 points, which is not easy for a 19-year-old. He’s from the Toronto area, which would add a local draw to his selection. And he’s been one of the Blue Jackets’ few good stories in an otherwise difficult season. The credentials are there, and if the league is hoping to recognize one of their budding young stars, they’ll pick Fantilli to represent Columbus.
The Sneaky Long-Shot: Elvis Merzlikins
When looking at who else could be a sneaky pick in an otherwise wide-open race, goalie Elvis Merzlikins could be in the mix as well. There’s an argument to be made that he’s been the third-best goalie in the Metropolitan Division. No, he’s not New York Rangers’ star Igor Sheshterkin or New York Islanders’ franchise ‘tender Ilya Sorokin, but he’s been solid.
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When you factor in the terrible team defense in front of him and how much better he’s been at stopping pucks than the other two men that have tended the Jackets’ crease at times this season, he’s been sublime. Sure, he’s let the odd stinker sneak past him, and his win-loss record (7-8-6) isn’t great, but there is as much a case that he’s been the Jackets’ best player as there is for any of the other options. He shouldn’t be completely discounted.
So, Who Should It Be?
For me, the Blue Jackets’ 2024 NHL All-Star Game representative should be Fantilli. He’s a Toronto boy who has come into his own over the past month or so. As a 19-year-old in the NHL, it’s not easy to score over 20 goals and around 50 points, but that’s exactly what he is on pace for with a bottom-five team. In a league that should be highlighting its young talent, now is a perfect time to get Fantilli on the radar of the average fan.
However, in this event, the league has shown a history of choosing players of more a more established brand even if their appearance isn’t necessarily warranted from a merit perspective. That means it’s likely to be Werenski or Gaudreau. I would lean more toward Werenski, but if the league doesn’t think he’ll be healthy in time for the game, they’ll give it to ‘Johnny Hockey.’