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What Your Team Is Thankful For: Columbus Blue Jackets

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

What are the Blue Jackets most thankful for?

A rock-solid scouting staff.

There hasn’t been a ton to celebrate in Columbus over the past few months. The team watched several of their best players leave for greener pastures (or sandier beaches) this summer and have now struggled through the early part of the season en route to a 11-14-4 record. The hopes that Pierre-Luc Dubois, Seth Jones and Zach Werenski could take the next step and keep them competing for a divisional playoff spot have been dashed so far, as the offense and goaltending have desperately missed Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky (at least the one that played for Columbus).

There is reason to be hopeful for the future however. Players like Alexandre Texier, Emil Bemstrom and Andrew Peeke all selected outside of the first round, have made contributions in the NHL this season, despite each being under 22. The team’s most recent first-rounder, Liam Foudy, is one of the most dynamic skaters in the CHL and has a good shot at representing Canada at the upcoming World Juniors. If Columbus decides to hang onto their picks, or even collect some new ones, their staff have the skills to rebuild this pipeline quickly.

Who are the Blue Jackets most thankful for?

Seth Jones.

Through all the noise and disappointment, the Blue Jackets best defenseman has quietly logged huge minutes for the team while still being one of the best at both ends of the rink. Jones may not be having the best season of his career, but is a stabilizing presence for the organization that can be relied upon every night.

With an excellent contract that keeps him under control through the 2021-22 season, Jones can still be the core of whatever GM Jarmo Kekalainen tries to build in Columbus.

What would the Blue Jackets be even more thankful for?

A few more saves.

It’s not that Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins have been dreadful this season, it’s just that neither one is well suited to be a starting goaltender in the NHL right now. The former had played in 90 NHL games before this year and hadn’t been very effective since the 2015-16 season, while the latter had only been really tested against players of this caliber at the World Championships. Merzlikins had always shown quite well at international competitions, but the grind of the NHL is a much different animal.

Blaming a pair of goaltenders with such little experience for the struggles this season would be foolish, but getting an extra save or two would certainly make things look a lot better.

What should be on the Blue Jackets’ Holiday Wish List?

A draft lottery horseshoe.

If Kekalainen and head coach John Tortorella were speaking honestly, they probably would admit that the team isn’t going to win the Stanley Cup this season. While the St. Louis Blues showed everyone to not give up at this point in the year, the Blue Jackets are only three points ahead of the New Jersey Devils and 13 points out of a divisional playoff spot. It would be an incredible story if they were to turn things around, meaning they may soon end up focusing on the upcoming draft instead.

Columbus doesn’t have their second- or third-round picks thanks to the Ryan Dzingel and Ian Cole trades, but could very well end up as sellers at the deadline to recoup some of those lost assets. A draft lottery win would certainly be something to celebrate and build around moving forward.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Injury Notes: Chicago, Minnesota, Columbus, Montreal

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The Chicago Blackhawks have placed both Duncan Keith and Andrew Shaw on injured reserve, though both of their designations are retroactive and allow the team to activate them at any point. Without them, the team is down to just 21 players on the active roster meaning they could potentially bring up some more bodies to help out.

More injury placements from around the league:

  • The Minnesota Wild have sent Mikko Koivu back home to see the team doctor, placing him on injured reserve in the process. Greg Pateryn has been recalled from his conditioning stint and placed back on injured reserve, while Nico Sturm has come up from the AHL.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets meanwhile have moved Zach Werenski to injured reserve, retroactive to November 30th. The young defenseman is expected to miss four weeks thanks to a shoulder injury, which opened the door for Andrew Peeke to get his first NHL chance.
  • For the Montreal Canadiens, Jesperi Kotkaniemi has suffered a concussion from the big check he took last night. Kotkaniemi was leveled by Nikita Zadorov in the corner and is out indefinitely, though avoided any other significant damage.

Kirill Marchenko Re-Signs In KHL

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If Columbus Blue Jackets’ fans were looking at Kirill Marchenko’s production as a teenager in the KHL fondly and hoping he could be a potential addition to their group next season, think again. Marchenko has signed a new three-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg that will keep him in the KHL through the 2021-22 season.

Marchenko, 19, was the 49th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and impressed by making his KHL debut last season. He was also included on the Russian World Junior team a year ago, something not many 18-year old players accomplish. He’ll be there again this year in a more prominent role, especially because of the six points in 14 games he’s put up during his short time with SKA.

As with any young Russian, using a high draft pick on them comes with some risk that they will not decide to come over to North America. The Blue Jackets will retain Marchenko’s draft rights indefinitely, but he’ll sit just out of their reach for the time being. There are ways of getting out of KHL deals, but Columbus will have to wait for Marchenko to express a desire to leave his home country.

Toronto Marlies Hire Greg Moore As Head Coach

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Since the promotion of former head coach Sheldon Keefe to the same position with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies have been searching for his replacement. The team has decided to go outside of the organization to tab their next bench boss, a rare move in-season, and have announced that Greg Moore has been named head coach. Moore was hired away from the USHL’s Chicago Steel midway through his second season with the team.

Moore, 35, is very familiar with developmental hockey. A young head coach, Moore was himself an NHL prospect not long ago. The Maine native played for the U.S. National Team Development Program in the early 2000’s and then played his college hockey at home at the University of Maine. He was drafted by the Calgary Flames after his freshman year, but his rights were traded to the New York Rangers before he turned pro. Moore made his NHL debut with the Rangers in 2007-08 overall made ten NHL appearances with the Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets over five pro season in North America. He also played a leadership role with nearly every AHL club he played for. Moore moved to Germany in 2011 and extended his playing career another four years before calling it quits in 2015. He immediately jumped into the coaching ranks, becoming an intern assistant coach with the USNTDP. After two seasons as an intern, he became full-time in 2017-18 only to be named head coach for USHL rival Chicago a year later.

Moore is well-regarded among young NHL coaching prospects. His Steel team went all the way to the Clark Cup in his first season and recorded a 52-25-5 record overall in 82 games with Moore behind the bench. His name had already been in the mix for possible NCAA openings this off-season, but he gets an even better deal with an AHL promotion mid-season. The Leafs organization has seemingly had an eye on Moore for some time, as they invited him to be a guest coach at development camp this summer and worked quickly to hire him just ten days after the firing of Mike Babcock and promotion of Keefe. Moore will be in the spotlight with the Marlies, but has a bright future ahead of him following this major career move.

Five Key Stories: 11/25/19 – 12/01/19

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With the quarter pole of the season in the rear view mirror, teams have had plenty of time to evaluate their rosters and early performances and changes are starting to be made. That has been the overarching story of the week, as some clubs made moves – both long- and short-term – while others are preparing to do so.

Flames Fire Bill Peters: Well, not technically. Calgary accepted the resignation of their head coach, who was mired in scandal following an investigation into allegations of racist comments made while serving as an AHL head coach in the Chicago Blackhawks organization and further accusations of physical abuse while head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. The league will continue its investigation, but Peters days as an NHL coach are likely over regardless. While the veteran coach offered an apology for the incident in Rockford, the victim of the attack, Akim Aliu, called it “misleading, insincere and concerning”, which was likely the nail in his coffin. Geoff Ward takes over as interim head coach for the Flames, an under-performing team that had enough concerns of their own without dealing with off-ice controversy.

Bruins Extend Coyle And Wagner: The league-leading Boston Bruins signed a pair of local products to contract extensions, inking 2019 trade acquisition Charlie Coyle to a six-year, $31.5MM deal and 2018 free agent addition Chris Wagner to a three-year, $4.05MM deal. The 27-year-old Coyle, who won over the home crowd with a dominant playoff run last year, is now in place to likely succeed David Krejci and/or Patrice Bergeron as a top-six center for the Bruins, unless the versatile forward shifts to the right wing long-term instead. Meanwhile, the Bruins have always shown a willingness to invest in their fourth line and clearly feel Wagner can continue to be an effective checker and penalty killer for years to come. The team can now solely turn their attention to re-signing Torey Krug with these deals complete.

New Jersey Willing To Move Hall: The 2019-20 season has not gone as planned for the New Jersey Devils, who added considerable talent this off-season but have yet to see the on-ice impact. As a result, 2018 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall, the top impending free agent in this summer’s class, has become the most talked-about name on the trade market. The team is officially listening to offers, with most pundits expecting that he will be traded and perhaps sooner rather than later. Hall has had the misfortune of never playing for a true contender thus far in his career, but could wind up participating in a playoff run this year as a highly sought-after rental target. His former team, the Edmonton Oilers, are considered a possible landing spot, as are the Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens, and defending champion St. Louis Blues. More teams are sure to be in the running as the Hall sweepstakes heat up.

Dumoulin Out Eight Weeks: The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered yet another injury blow on Saturday as defenseman Brian Dumoulin sustained an ankle injury that required surgery and will leave him sidelined for eight weeks. The Penguins lead the NHL in man-games lost this year and the loss of Dumoulin is a major blow. The underrated defenseman is one of the premier shutdown defenders in the league and allows for pair mate Kris Letang to truly play his game. With Justin Schultz already out, not to mention Sidney Crosby and Nick Bjugstad, and Erik Gudbranson recently traded, Pittsburgh will be shorthanded on the blue line for a while.

Also in the Metropolitan Division, the Columbus Blue Jackets lost dynamic defenseman Zach Werenski to an upper-body injury that will keep him out of action for at least four weeks.

Puljujarvi, Honka Not Playing This Season: The December 1 5:00PM ET deadline came and went and restricted free agents Jesse Puljujarvi of the Edmonton Oilers and Julius Honka of the Dallas Stars had not been signed. As a result, neither young Finn can play in the NHL this year. Both the Oilers and Stars have been trying to find a trade partner for their disgruntled young players, but to no avail. Neither team was willing to give their RFA away, even if that meant potentially not being able to trade them until the off-season. Both Puljujarvi and Honka have yet to live up to expectations in the NHL, but are playing well in Finland this season. This is likely not the last we’ve seen of either player in North America.

Columbus’ Zach Werenski Sidelined For Four Weeks

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The Columbus Blue Jackets knew they might lose defenseman Zach Werenski after he went down with an upper-body injury during their game against the New York Islanders Saturday. The Blue Jackets have since announced that the blueliner will miss four weeks due to a shoulder injury, the same injury he had surgery on over the summer.

The 22-year-old looked to have been in a serious injury after colliding with the Islanders’ Anders Lee just four minutes into the game. Werenski immediately favored his shoulder as he left the ice. He has been a key player on the Blue Jackets’ blueline as he is second on the team in ATOI, averaging 22:41, while he is tied for third on the team with six goals.

The team is currently with just six defensemen, but don’t play another game until Tuesday, which should give the team time to recall a defenseman. Scott Harrington will likely get the first shot in replacing Werenski in the lineup, but the team is likely going to call up a player from the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL with Adam Clendening likely being the top option, while youngster Andrew Peeke could also get an opportunity.

 

Snapshots: Russian WJC Coaches, Crawford, Werenski

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The Russian National team announced it has upgraded its coaching staff for the upcoming World Junior Championships, starting next month with Russian greats Igor Larionov and Nikolai Khabibulin taking roles with the team under head coach Valeri Bragin.

Larionov, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and three-time Stanley Cup Champion, will take over as an assistant coach after maintaining a role as an advisor for the senior national team. Khabibulin, a four-time all-star in the NHL, will take over as the WJC goaltending coach for Russia. He has served as goaltending coach for the Russian Olympic team. They will be replacing Yuri Babenko and Vladimir Kulikov, who were re-assigned.

Both coaches are expected to join the Russian team for training camp on Dec. 9. The tournament begins on Dec. 26 in the Czech Republic.

  • The Daily Herald’s Barry Rozner wonders whether this will be Corey Crawford’s last season with the Chicago Blackhawks. The 34-year-old has fared well after several injury-plagued seasons, posting a 2.94 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 13 games while splitting time with Robin Lehner. Unfortunately, Lehner who is six years younger, is having an even better season, and with both goaltenders hitting unrestricted free agency this summer, the team will have to pick one, which would suggest they will retain Lehner, although the scribe notes that it’s too early in the season to make any assumptions. However, with another young goalie close to ready in Kevin Lankinen, the team might have no choice but to move on from their longtime star goaltender.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that defenseman Zach Werenski suffered a upper-body injury and would not return for the remainder of the game against the New York Islanders. The injury looked serious as he collided with the Islanders’ Anders Lee less than four minutes into the game and hit him in the left shoulder, the same shoulder that Werenski had surgery on in July. The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger reports that there was no update on Werenski after the game and an update isn’t likely to be revealed until Monday. However, the 22-year-old leads the Blue Jackets’ defensemen with six goals and 16 points.

Poll: Which Teams Will Buck The Thanksgiving Playoff Trend In 2019-20?

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Just how important is playoff position in just the second month of the regular season? Very, if you look at recent results. Over the past six years, more than 70% of teams in a playoff position at American Thanksgiving have held on to their spot. While last year was slightly below the mark – 11 of 16 teams (69%) in a playoff position on November 22 qualified – the standings at the time were even more predictive than usual. The Lightning, Predators, Flames, Maple Leafs, Jets, and Sharks all finished in the same divisional seed that they occupied at Thanksgiving.

So who were the outliers in 2018-19? Obviously, the St. Louis Blues’ return from the basement of the league standings to win the Stanley Cup is a story that will stand the test of time. However, four other clubs also turned their seasons around: the Islanders, Penguins, Hurricanes, and Golden Knights. And the teams whose seasons took a turn for the worse: the Sabres, Wild, Rangers, Canadiens, and Ducks. Ironically, the Canadiens were narrowly inside the playoff window on Thanksgiving and ended up just barely outside in the spring. Meanwhile, the Ducks, Oilers, and Coyotes were all tied for the lowest playoff-qualifying record on Thanksgiving, with the Ducks getting the tiebreaker at the time, and all three failed to qualify for the postseason.

This season has gotten off to an unpredictable start, which could potentially threaten to derail the Thanksgiving trend. Several teams considered Cup contenders are currently outside the playoff picture, while multiple surprises currently occupy a spot. With Thanksgiving arriving tomorrow, this is the current status of the NHL standings (reminder – points percentage is the ideal way of viewing NHL standings):

Eastern Conference

M1 New York Islanders (.773)
A1 Boston Bruins (.771)

M2 Washington Capitals (.740)
M3 Carolina Hurricanes (.646)

A2 Tampa Bay Lightning (.619)
A3 Florida Panthers (.604)

W1 Pittsburgh Penguins (.625)
W2 Philadelphia Flyers (.604)

Outside the Playoff Picture: Montreal Canadiens (.563), New York Rangers (.545), Columbus Blue Jackets (.522), Buffalo Sabres (.521), Toronto Maple Leafs (.520), Ottawa Senators (.479), New Jersey Devils (.435), Detroit Red Wings (.327)

Western Conference

C1 St. Louis Blues (.680)
P1 Edmonton Oilers (.673)

C2 Dallas Stars (.615)
C3 Colorado Avalanche (.609)

P2 Arizona Coyotes (.620)
P3 Vancouver Canucks (.560)

W1 Winnipeg Jets (.604)
W2 Nashville Predators (.543)

Outside the Playoff Picture: San Jose Sharks (.540), Chicago Blackhawks (.521), Anaheim Ducks (.500), Vegas Golden Knights (.500), Calgary Flames (.481), Minnesota Wild (.480), Los Angeles Kings (.417)

2018-19 playoff teams jump off the page as potential candidates to disrupt the status quo. Particularly in the Pacific Division, it is hard to image none of the Golden Knights – who beat the Thanksgiving odds last year – the Sharks or the Flames will make the playoffs, especially as they look up at the Oilers, Coyotes, and Canucks.  There could also be hope in West for the Ducks and Blackhawks, who sit at .500 currently. Over in the East, the Maple Leafs stick out like a sore thumb among non-playoff teams and could be line for improvement following their coaching change. But will it be enough given their difficult start? The Canadiens will also hope for a reverse of fortunes from last year, going from first team out in the conference at Thanksgiving to in the postseason come April. The Sabres have started hot and collapsed two years in a row, but there is still time for them to turn things back around. All three Atlantic clubs see a Panthers team with plenty of problems ahead of them in the standings right now. Meanwhile, the Rangers and Blue Jackets will look to make an unlikely run to the postseason as they chase down the Flyers.

What do you think? Which of these teams will find their way into the playoff picture and which will fall victim to the Thanksgiving postseason trend? Select as many teams below as you like, but remember that for every addition, there has to be a subtraction of a current playoff team.

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Minor Transactions: 11/27/19

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The vast majority of the NHL is taking part in the action tonight, as 26 teams suit up in a busy Wednesday evening. That schedule includes some top-tier matchups like the Florida Panthers-Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers-Colorado Avalanche. As teams prepare for what should be an excellent night of hockey, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • As expected, the Columbus Blue Jackets have flipped backup goaltenders once again, sending Matiss Kivlenieks to the minor leagues and recalling Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins got into some game action last night for the Cleveland Monsters, stopping 28 of 29 shots.
  • Christian Folin has been sent to the AHL on a conditioning stint in order to get him a chance to play in a game for the first time in more than a month. The 28-year old has played in just five games for the Montreal Canadiens this season, none since the middle of October.
  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Marcus Hogberg from the AHL, as Craig Anderson missed practice today. Hogberg is expected to serve as the backup for Anders Nilsson tonight when the Senators take on the Boston Bruins.

Minor Transactions: 11/26/19

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After an exciting night that brought us four overtime finishes, the NHL is much quieter tonight with just three games on the schedule. That does however include an old rivalry game when the Boston Bruins travel to face the Montreal Canadiens. Not only do these teams have a long history of hating each other, they’re both currently in Atlantic Division playoff spots and know tonight’s two points are very important. As they and other teams prepare, we’ll track all the minor moves.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have flipped backup goaltenders, sending Elvis Merzlikins to the minor leagues while recalling Matiss Kivlenieks. The team completed a similar move earlier this month in order to give Merzliklins some extra work in the minor leagues. Kivlenieks is still waiting on his first NHL action.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have sent Sven Baertschi back to the minor leagues, only to recall Nikolay Goldobin. The 24-year old Goldobin has 20 points in 18 games for the Utica Comets after spending all of last season with the Canucks.

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