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Blue Jackets Notes: Jenner, Merzlikins, Danforth

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Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner will remain out of the lineup tonight against the Avalanche, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports. He was unavailable for Saturday’s shootout win over the Penguins as well due to illness. That necessitated the emergency recall of 21-year-old forward Cameron Butler from AHL Cleveland, who made his NHL debut but was stapled to the bench for most of it, taking a lone 54-second shift. Butler was returned to Cleveland yesterday. Jenner has eclipsed the 20-goal mark for the third straight season, sitting third on Columbus in scoring with 22 goals and 35 points in 58 games, trailing only Johnny Gaudreau and Zach Werenski. Now in his 11th season in Columbus, the 30-year-old has two seasons remaining on his contract at a bargain-bin $3.75MM cap hit.

Other notes ahead of Monday’s matchup against Colorado:

  • Netminder Elvis Merzļikins has officially been ruled out of tonight’s contest with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day, per Dave Maetzold of Bally Sports Ohio. Columbus recalled prospect Jet Greaves under emergency conditions yesterday after Merzļikins missed practice with what head coach Pascal Vincent termed as a maintenance day. Greaves will back up while Daniil Tarasov makes his 22nd start of the season, a career-high. For Merzļikins, it’s another small blip in what’s otherwise been an improved but still underwhelming campaign. His .897 SV% and 3.45 GAA are vast improvements on last year’s totals (.876 SV%, 4.23 GAA) when he was one of the worst netminders in the league, but he’s still conceded more goals than expected – 6.4 to be exact, per MoneyPuck – for the second straight year. He’s largely managed to stay healthy, though, a major issue for him last season. He’s crossed 40 starts this season for only the second time since coming to North America in 2019.
  • Forward Justin Danforth returns to the lineup tonight after missing 11 games with a concussion, per the team. The 31-year-old had played in all 63 Blue Jackets games before exiting the lineup on March 9, scoring 10 goals and 11 assists for 23 points. He’s averaged 14:16 per game, a career-high. An undrafted free agent signing out of the KHL in 2021, the Ontario-born forward has cycled between center and wing for Columbus and lands on the former tonight, holding down a line between AHL call-ups James Malatesta and Carson Meyer.

Blue Jackets Recall Jet Greaves On Emergency Loan

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The Blue Jackets added goalie prospect Jet Greaves from AHL Cleveland on an emergency recall Sunday, per a team release. He could back up Daniil Tarasov in tomorrow’s contest against the Avalanche if starter Elvis Merzļikins, who head coach Pascal Vincent said missed practice today for maintenance purposes, cannot dress.

This is the fourth recall of the season for the 23-year-old Greaves. All four have come under emergency conditions and lasted only a few days, filling in whenever Merzļikins or Tarasov were unavailable. Over his three NHL showings this year, all starts, he has a 1-2-0 record with a decent .907 SV% and 3.38 GAA. Behind the Blue Jackets’ porous defense, that’s been good enough for a remarkable 5.0 goals saved above expected in his short stint, per MoneyPuck. He’s performed similarly well in the minors, recording a .907 SV% and 27-12-4 record with one shutout in 43 appearances for Cleveland.

Greaves, undrafted, landed his first NHL deal with the Blue Jackets in February 2022 after beginning the year on a minor-league pact with Cleveland. He’s now in the final season of that entry-level contract, which carries a cap hit of $758K. The Cambridge, Ontario native will remain waiver-exempt through 2025-26 and is slated for restricted free agency this summer.

Snapshots: Tanev, Bunting, Butler, Aston-Reese

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The Dallas Stars could be without their newest defenseman for an extended time, with Trade Deadline acquisition Chris Tanev leaving the team’s Saturday night game early after taking an elbow to the head from Seattle Kraken Adam Larsson. Larsson received a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit, while Tanev exited after 17 minutes of ice time. Tanev will be re-evaluated on Sunday, with the Stars hoping for an update early this week, per Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning Star (Web link).

Tanev is 12 games into his time with the Stars, recording one goal, two points, and 10 penalty minutes. The Stars sent away prospect Artem Grushnikov, a conditional second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick to land Tanev – and they’re getting their money’s worth, with Tanev stepping into an immediate impact role and averaging over 18 minutes of ice time each game. He’s served as much-needed depth behind star Miro Heiskanen, elevating the impact of depth defenseman Esa Lindell. Dallas would normally turn towards Jani Hakanpaa in the event of Tanev’s absence, though he’s also bearing through a day-to-day injury. The Stars aren’t carrying any other defenders, meaning they’ll need to make a call-up if neither Tanev nor Hakanpaa can go.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Michael Bunting left the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Saturday night game due to illness, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed after the game (Twitter link). Bunting played in nearly 10 minutes of ice time before exiting, with a -1 representing his only stat change. He’s found a strong scoring groove through his first 12 games in Pittsburgh, with three goals and seven points – though he’s still finding where he fits best in the lineup. There’s been no update on Bunting’s availability moving forward, though healthy scratch Emil Bemstrom is available to slot in if needed.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent right-winger Cameron Butler back to the minor leagues, after awarding him with his NHL debut on Saturday (Twitter link). He played in just one shift – staying on the ice for 54 seconds – during the eventual shootout-win. Butler, who is in his first year of pro hockey, will now return to the AHL, where he’s already managed two goals, eight points, and 63 penalty minutes in 46 games. He signed with the Blue Jackets as an undrafted free-agent in March of 2023.
  • Zach Aston-Reese has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Detroit Red Wings after being recalled on Friday (Twitter link). Aston-Reese didn’t appear in any NHL action during the call-up, making his sole game in December his only NHL game of the season. He’s managed 13 goals, 28 points, and 47 penalty minutes in 56 AHL games this season – his first year in the league since 2018-19.

Adam Fantilli May Not Return This Season

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With multiple injuries coming to the top of the 2023 NHL Draft class this season, it appears that Adam Fantilli of the Columbus Blue Jackets may be the only one unable to return this year. In an update from Craig Merz of the NHL, Fantilli’s recovery has been much slower than expected, a reality that could postpone his next matchup until next year.

Fantilli went down with a calf laceration on January 28th, with the original outlook putting him out for about eight weeks. That would have put Fantilli’s return earlier this week on March 25th, a milestone he was unable to hit.

In a quote regarding Fantill’s recovery process, head coach of the Blue Jackets, Pascal Vincent, said, “He’s still working on the recovery. I was really hoping to see him back before the end of the season. We don’t know yet. I still hope, but it’s slower than expected“.

If Fantilli is unable to return for Columbus this season, he will finish the year with 12 goals and 27 points in 49 games for the Blue Jackets. With many draft pundits putting Fantilli as the second-best prospect coming out of the 2023 NHL Draft, Fantilli did not show as much offensive prowess as expected throughout his first season in the NHL.

Nevertheless, there should not be any pessimism surrounding Fantilli’s future health, or his future talent level on the ice. At only 19 years old, the former Hobey Baker Award winner still has plenty of time to become an elite player for the Blue Jackets.

Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Cameron Butler

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The Columbus Blue Jackets recalled Cameron Butler from their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, with captain Boone Jenner out tonight with an illness. Since the recall was made under emergency conditions, it will not count against the Blue Jackets four-call-up limit for the time being.

As an undrafted free agent coming out of the Oshawa Generals program of the Ontario Hockey League, Butler signed his entry-level deal in Columbus a little over a year ago. In his last season in the OHL, Butler scored 27 goals and 55 points in 63 games for the Generals, registering three points in five playoff games as well.

Unfortunately, Butler’s offensive potential has not translated well during his first season of professional hockey, as he’s only been able to muster two goals and eight points over 46 games for the Monsters this season. Luckily, even though Butler is sitting 25th on the team in scoring, he still has the opportunity to develop.

Being one of the most consistent teams in the AHL over the last several years, Butler is not being heavily relied upon by the Monsters roster. Sitting one point back of the division-leading Syracuse Crunch, there is not much pressure on Butler yet, allowing him to develop at his pace.

Nylander Expected To Return Tonight

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  • Blue Jackets winger Alexander Nylander is expected to return to the lineup against his former team, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 26-year-old had missed the last two games after taking an elbow to the head.  Columbus picked Nylander up in a change-of-scenery swap that sent Emil Bemstrom to Pittsburgh last month and it’s safe to say the deal has worked out well for Nylander and the Blue Jackets as he has eight goals and three assists through 15 games with his new team.

Danforth Resumes Skating

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  • Blue Jackets team reporter Jeff Svoboda relays (Twitter link) that forward Justin Danforth took to the ice before the team’s morning skate today. The 31-year-old has been dealing with an upper-body injury for the last three weeks.  Danforth has been used pretty much everywhere in the lineup for Columbus this season, picking up 10 goals and 11 assists through a career-high 63 games.

Blue Jackets Reassign Tyler Angle

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The Blue Jackets have returned center Tyler Angle to AHL Cleveland, according to a team announcement Friday.

Angle, 23, played in Columbus’ last two games after they recalled him under emergency conditions Tuesday. The 2019 seventh-round pick averaged 8:20 per game but was held without a point. He went 3-for-9 in the faceoff dot and recorded five hits with no shots on goal. It wasn’t his first showing in the NHL, though – he scored his first major league goal in a two-game trial last season.

His return to Cleveland suggests a couple of currently injured Blue Jackets forwards may re-enter the lineup Saturday in the second half of their home-and-home against the Penguins. Yegor Chinakhov and Alexander Nylander are listed as day-to-day with upper-body injuries and have not been ruled out of tomorrow’s contest.

Angle is already in his fourth season of professional hockey. One of the older players in his draft class with a Sep. 30 birthday, the Niagara Falls native made the jump to pro hockey with Cleveland in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign, where he burst onto the scene with 11 goals and 24 points in only 23 games. Angle’s offensive production has been much more conservative in the seasons following, though, averaging less than half a point per game. He’s notched seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 34 games this season.

The speedy 5’10” forward is in the final season of his entry-level contract, which carries a cap hit of $851K. While in the minors, he earns a $70K salary. If the Blue Jackets extend him the $814K qualifying offer he’s due this summer, they’ll retain his signing rights as an RFA.

Alex Nylander Still Out With Injury

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  •  Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports is reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Alexander Nylander will miss his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. Although it does not sound like the injury is serious, it will blunt the momentum that Nylander has accrued in his first handful of games with the Blue Jackets. Since coming to Columbus, Nylander has played in a total of 15 games, scoring eight goals and 11 points in total.

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Blue Jackets Recall James Malatesta With Alex Nylander Out

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled top prospect James Malatesta under emergency conditions. He is expected to make his NHL debut on Tuesday, with winger Alexander Nylander out with illness, per the Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger (Twitter link). NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda also reported that Nylander has been designated as day-to-day with an upper-body injury (Twitter link).

Malatesta, 20, is in his first professional season after a successful four years in the QMJHL, where he managed 187 points across 214 career games. He’s still working to find his scoring groove in the AHL, scoring just 12 goals and 21 points in 53 games this season. He’s also recorded 79 penalty minutes, more than he totaled in any of his juniors seasons.

The Blue Jackets selected Malatesta in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He’ll become the second player from that round to make their NHL debut, joining Montreal winger Joshua Roy. Malatesta took line rushes alongside AHL linemates Tyler Angle and Carson Meyer, set to get his first NHL look alongside familiar company. Angle was recalled on March 25th and is set to play in his first NHL game of the season, after playing in the first two games of his career last season. He has 15 points in 34 AHL games. Meyer has gathered a bit more experience, with seven NHL games this season and 34 career games.

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