Columbus Blue Jackets Activate Carson Meyer, Yegor Chinakhov
The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated Carson Meyer and Yegor Chinakhov from injured reserve, immediately sending them both down to the minor leagues. The pair have each missed at least 20 games and will need some time in the AHL before any further action with the Blue Jackets.
Chianakhov, 22, last played on December 19, lasting just one shift before going down to a serious ankle injury. The young forward had recorded 13 points in his first 30 games and had recently been moved up the lineup to receive more ice time. Now, with the months-long setback behind him, he’ll try to get back on track and re-establish himself as an NHL talent going into next season.
Meyer, meanwhile, last played on January 10 and was already getting only a handful of shifts per game. The 25-year-old forward failed to record a single point in his 13 games with Columbus this season, but is an excellent piece for the Cleveland Monsters. While he might get another chance with the Blue Jackets, his activation will be a big boost for an AHL club struggling to stay relevant in the Calder Cup chase.
Incredibly, the Blue Jackets still have five players on injured reserve even with the two activations. It has been a catastrophic season for the club that expected to challenge for the playoffs after signing Johnny Gaudreau last summer. It should be noted that activating and sending Chinakhov and Meyer down does open up some extra cap room for Columbus, who are currently operating in the LTIR relief created by Zach Werenski‘s season-ending injury. If they wanted to add at the deadline, these moves only help.
Columbus Blue Jackets Place Carson Meyer On Injured Reserve
The Columbus Blue Jackets are facing even more injury trouble. The team has announced that forward Carson Meyer suffered an oblique strain during last night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. As a result, the forward has been placed on injured reserve and will be out for six-to-eight weeks.
In a corresponding move, the Blue Jackets have recalled forward Trey Fix-Wolansky from their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters.
This season has not gone according to plan for Columbus, and a major reason for their disappointing form has been injuries. Columbus has a whopping seven players already on injured reserve, meaning Meyer will be their eighth player to land on the list. Additionally, the Blue Jackets have franchise defenseman Zach Werenski on long-term injured reserve.
It’s been an absolutely brutal run of injuries for head coach Brad Larsen’s squad, costing the team valuable contributors such as Werenski, Jakub Voracek, captain Boone Jenner, Jake Bean, Yegor Chinakhov, Justin Danforth, Nick Blankenburg, and now Meyer.
These injuries have given some players in the Blue Jackets organization a greater chance to show what they can do at the NHL level than they’d likely have been afforded were the team in better health. Meyer is one of those players, as he’s gotten 13 games at the NHL level this season, a total that already matches his games played from last year.
In those 13 games, Meyer hasn’t managed to get on the scoresheet yet, but he’s registered 22 hits and six blocked shots. He’s found more offensive success at the AHL level, where he has scored 18 points in 15 games this season.
Speaking of AHL success, Meyer’s replacement on the Blue Jackets’ roster is Fix-Wolansky, who has set the American League on fire so far this year. His 34 points in 26 games lead AHL Cleveland, and his quality performance earned him some NHL games earlier this year.
The former Edmonton Oil King has developed nicely since being drafted in the seventh round by the Blue Jackets at the 2018 draft and will look to put together some quality performances in his current go-around at the NHL level.
Evening Notes: Dumba, Wiesblatt, Meyer
It seems as though Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba has been on the trade block for years on end. Now, rumors are once again starting to build up regarding the 2012 seventh overall pick. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on today’s edition of Insider Trading that both the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers have shown interest in Dumba, who is a pending unrestricted free agent.
Both teams still have playoff aspirations, desperately trying to add defensive depth. Dumba’s offensive production has taken a step back this season, as he’s recorded just 11 points in 39 games. It’s a far cry from his 50-point campaign in 2017-18, as injuries have mounted up.
Ottawa seems to have a larger hole of the two teams mentioned on the right side, but they do sit further out of playoff positioning than the Oilers. With Minnesota solidly in playoff positioning, they would undoubtedly be looking for roster players in return for the 28-year-old Dumba.
- San Jose Sharks 2020 first-round pick Ozzy Wiesblatt has spent the entirety of 2022-23 in the professional ranks but is still technically eligible for another year of junior hockey. In anticipation of a potential return to juniors, the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks traded for Wiesblatt’s rights today. In 17 games with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, Wiesblatt has managed five points in a limited role. A return to junior hockey for the latter half of the season would likely make some sense, especially on an already-strong Winterhawks squad.
- Even more injury troubles struck the Columbus Blue Jackets today, as forward Carson Meyer left their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with an upper-body injury, per the team, and did not return. The Ohio-born forward had yet to record a point in 12 NHL games this year, but mustered over a point per game in the minors. A sixth-round pick in 2017, Meyer is continually challenging his way up the organizational ranks.
Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Carson Meyer; Re-Assign Emil Bemstrom
The Columbus Blue Jackets have made a roster swap, sending Emil Bemstrom to the minor leagues while recalling Carson Meyer. Bemstrom played just under 12 minutes in last night’s loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Meyer, meanwhile, has been on fire with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL, scoring six goals and 18 points in 15 games so far. The Ohio State standout played in 13 games for the Blue Jackets last season and registered just three points but will certainly be bringing some confidence to the lineup after such a hot start.
Selected in the sixth round in 2017, Meyer was good for the Monsters last season too, but not quite to the same level. He had 16 goals and 27 points in 57 games, while racking up 63 penalty minutes. In his chances last year, he was willing to throw himself into anything that moved, racking up 27 hits in those 13 games despite averaging just over eight minutes a night.
Bemstrom is a very different player and one that might not be as well-suited for the bottom six. He has four points in seven games this season but doesn’t add any physicality and isn’t used on the penalty kill at all. If he’s not going to get regular minutes in a scoring role, perhaps heading to the minor leagues is a better option. He has also been banged up, missing some time due to an undisclosed injury.
Because he cleared waivers at the beginning of the season, Bemstrom is still exempt.
Blue Jackets Re-Sign Carson Meyer
Columbus has been active in recent days as they look to re-sign their pending restricted free agents. Winger Carson Meyer is the next one to receive a new deal as the Blue Jackets announced that they’ve agreed on a one-year, two-way deal with the 24-year-old. PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the contract pays $750K in the NHL, $125K in the AHL, and has a guarantee of $175K.
Meyer made his NHL debut this past season, getting into 13 games with Columbus in April as the team was playing out the stretch. He picked up a goal and two assists along with 27 hits in those appearances while averaging a little more than eight minutes a night on the fourth line. Prior to that, Meyer played in 57 games with AHL Cleveland, tallying 16 goals along with 11 assists.
While it’s possible that Meyer could try to push for a spot on the fourth line in training camp, the likelier scenario is that he returns to the Monsters as he is waiver-exempt through next season. But after a decent showing in the final month of the season, Meyer is someone that could be considered for an early-season recall when injuries arise in Columbus.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic was the first to report that Meyer was close to re-signing.