- The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that they’ve reassigned goaltender Nolan Lalonde from OHL Erie to AHL Cleveland. The 19-year-old signed with Columbus as an undrafted free agent in October but had a tough year in junior, posting a 4.09 GAA along with a .868 SV% in 41 games with the Otters. With Jon Gillies being recalled today and Daniil Tarasov being injured in Cleveland’s game today, Lalonde could have a path to make his pro debut fairly soon.
Blue Jackets Rumors
Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Jon Gillies On Emergency Basis
The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that netminder Jon Gillies has been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, on an emergency basis. The move comes after starting netminder Elvis Merzlikins suffered an apparent leg injury during the team’s 8-2 loss last night against the Montreal Canadiens.
Veteran Michael Hutchinson entered last night’s game in relief for Merzlikins and is now likely to take over the starter’s crease for as long as Merzlikins is sidelined. Hutchinson was acquired at the trade deadline from the Vegas Golden Knights in the Blue Jackets’ Jonathan Quick trade and has appeared in eight games in Columbus.
He hasn’t been great in that span and has a .874 save percentage, but it’s important to note that Hutchinson has often been placed in less-than-ideal circumstances having to enter games in relief for other goalies.
Hutchinson in total has played 15 games this season, those eight with Columbus and seven in the AHL with the Golden Knights’ affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. He posted a 1-5-1 record and an .897 save percentage with Henderson but does have a .917 career save percentage in the AHL.
The Blue Jackets’ newest netminder is Gillies, 29, a 2012 second-round pick who was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes when Columbus sent Jakub Voracek’s contract to the desert.
The former college hockey star was the backup for five games with AHL Cleveland and has played a total of 15 games this season, all for Arizona’s AHL affiliate. Gillies has a career .893 save percentage in 32 NHL games, with 19 of them coming with the New Jersey Devils last season.
Both Gillies and Hutchinson are on expiring league-minimum two-way contracts this season, meaning the rest of this season serves as an important opportunity for each to put some solid starts on tape and give themselves the best possible footing to enter the offseason.
Jack Roslovic Could Be A Trade Candidate This Summer
Teams looking to add center help this summer might want to keep their eye on Columbus. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic speculates (subscription link) that with the likelihood of the Blue Jackets landing a top center in this summer’s draft and the expected signing of prospect Dmitri Voronkov, the team might be willing to part with Jack Roslovic. The 26-year-old has struggled with consistency this season but has once again reached the 40-point mark, pocketing nine goals and 31 assists through 68 games so far. He has one year left on his contract with a $4MM cap hit so there wouldn’t be a long-term commitment for acquiring teams to worry about. If Columbus was willing to use one of their three retention slots to lower that cap charge, they could land a quality prospect or pick if they were to move on from Roslovic in the coming months.
Blue Jackets Recall Jake Christiansen And Trey Fix-Wolansky
While the Blue Jackets picked up an overtime victory on Friday, it came at a cost with both defenseman Erik Gudbranson (upper body) and winger Mathieu Olivier (lower body) exiting with injuries. Accordingly, they announced a pair of recalls from the minors as they have brought up defenseman Jake Christiansen and winger Trey Fix-Wolansky from AHL Cleveland on an emergency basis.
Christiansen has suited up in 18 games with the Blue Jackets so far this season. In that stretch, he has a pair of assists while averaging roughly a block and a hit per contest while logging just shy of 14 minutes a night. However, despite not being particularly productive in Columbus, the 23-year-old has done well offensively with the Monsters, collecting eight goals and 21 assists in 43 games to help him earn this recall.
As for Fix-Wolansky, the 23-year-old has appeared in four games with Columbus this season. He has been held off the scoresheet in those contests while averaging just under ten minutes a night. However, Fix-Wolansky has been one of the top scorers in the minors this season, picking up 26 goals and 51 assists in 53 games with the Monsters, numbers that put him in fourth league-wide in points. With the injuries that Columbus has, he might have a chance of playing a little higher in the lineup this time around.
As both of these recalls are designated as emergency ones, they will not count against the post-deadline limit of four per team. However, as soon as Gudbranson or Olivier (or anyone else currently injured at their positions return), they will have to be returned to the AHL or converted to a regular recall at that time which would then count against the limit of four.
Latest On Sean Kuraly
- Veteran Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly is returning to the lineup for his club’s game tonight against the New York Islanders. As team reporter Jeff Svoboda notes, Kuraly was originally projected to miss the rest of the season with the oblique strain he suffered on March 2nd, but he now returns with a full 12 games left on the schedule. The longtime bottom-sixer has scored 10 goals and 17 points for the Blue Jackets this season, providing valuable grit and veteran leadership to a young Blue Jackets team.
Patrik Laine Out 2-4 Weeks With Triceps Strain
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine is expected to miss two to four weeks due to a triceps strain suffered in practice Thursday, according to the team. The 24-year-old Finnish forward has been one of the team’s best players this season when healthy, recording 52 points in 55 games.
Head coach Brad Larsen told reporters Friday that Laine sustained the injury taking a shot during the last drill of yesterday’s practice.
It’s an unfortunate break for Laine, who had four assists in his last two games after an unexpected move to center. The natural winger had looked comfortable in the middle of the ice, also recording a +3 rating, but struggled in the faceoff circle.
The potentially season-ending triceps strain adds to an already injury-littered campaign for Laine. He’s missed a combined 12 games due to a sprained elbow and sprained ankle sustained earlier in the season.
Laine has found his stride in Columbus over the past two seasons, recording 48 goals and 108 points in 111 games since 2021 without much team success. He’s quickly cemented himself in Columbus’ long-term plans and should be an important offensive piece alongside a growing young pool of impressive forwards.
With Laine out of the fold, Emil Bemstrom is likely to draw back into the lineup for tonight’s matchup against the New York Islanders.
Columbus Blue Jackets Loan Cole Sillinger To AHL
The Columbus Blue Jackets are playing for the draft lottery these days, but have found an opportunity for one of their young talents. Cole Sillinger has been loaned to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL to compete in a Calder Cup chase. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen explains:
This is a great opportunity for Cole to join the Monsters as they continue to push for a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Taking on additional responsibilities and playing games with playoff implications, and hopefully games in the playoffs, is hugely important to the development of a young player like Cole.
Zach Werenski was in a similar position a few years ago and the experience helped him individually and from a team perspective as it resulted in a Calder Cup championship.
This appears to have been the team’s plan for some time. At the trade deadline, the team “papered” him to the minor leagues, sending him down and recalling him on the same day. That made him eligible for the AHL playoffs, despite never actually leaving the NHL club at that point.
In fact, Sillinger has never played in the AHL at all. The 19-year-old forward stepped directly into the NHL after being selected 12th overall in 2021, and has played for the Blue Jackets ever since. While his rookie season went exceptionally well, the young center has just three goals and 11 points in 64 games this year, showing the same sophomore slump many top prospects experience.
Columbus Blue Jackets Reassign Daniil Tarasov
The Columbus Blue Jackets have returned netminder Daniil Tarasov to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, according to an announcement from the team.
The transaction indicates that starting netminder Elvis Merzlikins is likely ready to return to the team. Merzlikins has been away from the team for two weeks on personal leave, returning home to Latvia to be with his grandmother as she deals with an illness.
Tarasov’s most recent stint with the big club didn’t go particularly well. The 23-year-old netminder did register two wins in four appearances but posted just a .840 save percentage. It hasn’t been a great showing for Tarasov in the NHL overall this season, as he has a 4-11-1 record, a .892 save percentage, and a 3.91 goals-against average on the year. The numbers are a step back from the strong showing he had in three starts last year, posting a .937 save percentage.
His AHL numbers have been equally concerning. In nine games with Cleveland, his action limited in part due to preseason injuries and multiple recalls to Columbus, he has a .871 save percentage and 4.07 goals-against average.
Goaltenders do take longer to develop, and there’s still plenty of time left on the track for Tarasov, who was drafted in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft. Still, the team undoubtedly hopes for a strong showing down the stretch in Cleveland from the young netminder.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Hunter McKown
The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved to bolster their prospect pool, signing college free agent center Hunter McKown to a three-year, entry-level contract, per the team. Financial terms are undisclosed.
McKown will report directly to the Blue Jackets later this week, the team said. The news comes after reports this morning suggested the Chicago Blackhawks had an interest in acquiring McKown’s services.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen had the following statement on McKown’s signing:
We are very excited to welcome Hunter to the Blue Jackets family. He is a big, skilled center who is a powerful skater and possesses an elite shot, and we believe he has a chance to be a very productive player as he continues to develop. He was a highly sought after college free agent and we are thrilled to have him join our club and embark on his professional career with the Blue Jackets.
McKown, 20, was a breakout player for Colorado College the last two seasons, scoring 21 goals and seven assists in 38 games during his junior year. He also led the entire NCAA in power-play goals with 14.
Given his defensive prowess and good size, McKown projects as a capable bottom-six center who could potentially slot into a role similar to the injured Sean Kuraly as the season winds down. His booming shot made him an appealing signing for many teams, and McKown will join a young, rising team in Columbus, where he could get plenty of opportunity next season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.
Born in San Jose, California, McKown was passed over in the 2020 NHL Draft. Across his three-year career at Colorado College, McKown totaled 36 goals and 19 assists in 96 games.
Mikael Pyyhtia Assigned To AHL
- The Blue Jackets announced that they have re-assigned winger Mikael Pyyhtia to AHL Cleveland. The 21-year-old spent the season with TPS in Finland, picking up just seven goals in 47 games after putting up 21 in 56 contests in 2021-22 which helped him earn an entry-level contract last May. His season over there came to an end so he will now get his first taste of action in North America down the stretch.