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Blue Jackets Issue Multiple Injury Updates

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Blue Jackets defenseman Jake Bean has an upper-body injury that will keep him out for their six remaining games this season, head coach Pascal Vincent said Friday (via Jeff Svoboda of the team’s official site). The 25-year-old exited last night’s 4-2 loss to the Islanders after taking a shot to the hand late in the game, which the team later confirmed resulted in a break. It’s unclear if he’ll require surgery to repair the break or if rehabilitation over the offseason is sufficient to address it.

Bean’s third season in Columbus was much better than his second, when a November 2022 shoulder injury resulted in surgery that ended his season. He’s been a fixture in the Blue Jackets lineup for the most part, only being scratched on a handful of occasions. The 2016 first-round pick wasn’t able to rise above a third-pairing role, however, recording four goals and 13 points in 72 contests while averaging 16:20 per game. His pairing with Erik Gudbranson was Vincent’s most used, logging nearly 600 minutes together across 62 games. They were also the worst of Columbus’ six most-iced pairings at maintaining possession quality, controlling 45.1% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. Bean’s individual possession numbers weren’t any better away from Gudbranson at 5-on-5, posting an on-ice xG% of 44.9.

Bean was the WHL’s leading goal-scorer among defensemen in 2016 and won Best Defenseman honors in the AHL in 2020, but his NHL ceiling is crashing down as he passes through his mid-20s. While his junior and minor league production still suggests there’s significant upside in his game, it won’t come buried on the depth chart on one of the worst defensive teams in the league.

He’ll be an RFA this summer upon completion of his three-year, $7MM contract, the last time he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency. With younger, high-ceiling defenders like David Jiricek vying for bigger roles in Columbus and multiple exemplary young defense prospects on the way, Bean could find himself on the open market this summer if Columbus opts not to issue him a qualifying offer and risk being taken to arbitration.

Extra blue-liner Adam Boqvist is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury and won’t be cleared to play before tomorrow’s contest against the Flyers, so the Blue Jackets will need to recall a defenseman from AHL Cleveland. That will likely be Jake Christiansen, who’s got two assists in 12 NHL games this season and was returned to the minors Tuesday after a weeks-long stint in Columbus.

On a shorter-term horizon, Vincent also said neither center Sean Kuraly nor goaltender Elvis Merzļikins will be available against Philadelphia. Both are out with lower-body injuries. Kuraly has returned to practice and is nearing a return after a three-week absence, while Merzļikins hasn’t played since getting banged up in a win over the Penguins on March 30. Backup Daniil Tarasov also sustained an upper-body injury in last night’s loss to the Islanders, so they’ll need to bring fourth-string netminder Malcolm Subban up from Cleveland if he’s unable to dress tomorrow. 23-year-old Jet Greaves will likely get the start in any event, posting an exemplary .917 SV% in limited NHL action this year. Subban hasn’t played a major league game in over two years, last appearing with the Sabres in January 2022.

A rare bit of good news for Columbus is that top winger Johnny Gaudreau will return against Philly after sitting out last night’s loss with an illness, Vincent told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. It’s been a disappointing season for the $9.75MM man, only potting 11 goals, but he still leads the club in scoring with 56 points in 75 games.

Blue Jackets Recall Daniil Tarasov, Send Jet Greaves To Minors

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have swapped backup goaltenders, recalling Daniil Tarasov and sending Jet Greaves down. Greaves has appeared in two games with the Blue Jackets since being recalled on December 6th. He set a 1-1-0 record and recorded 72 saves on 77 shots, good for a .935 save percentage. The pair of games were Greaves’ second and third games in the NHL, after making his debut last season. Greaves has looked strong in his limited minutes, totaling a .937 save percentage through his three career games.

Greaves, 22, has also appeared in 12 AHL games this season, setting a 9-3-0 record and 0.899 save percentage. He set the same save percentage through 43 AHL games last season, going 19-16-5. The pair of consistent seasons brings Greaves’ career totals in the AHL up to 84 games played, a 40-31-7 record, and a combined .901 save percentage. Greaves was on an emergency recall with the Blue Jackets, who are without typical starter Elvis Merzlikins.

Tarasov is in a similar spot to Greaves, with both players being young goaltenders who have received minimal chances in the NHL and set strong numbers in the minor leagues. The 24-year-old Tarasov has played in four AHL games this season, recording a 2-1-0 record and .915 save percentage. The early season brings his career AHL totals to 32 games played, a 16-11-3 record, and a 0.897 save percentage. Tarasov has also appeared in 21 career NHL games, including 17 last season. He’s set a combined 4-13-1 record and .900 save percentage in the NHL. Tarasov will join Spencer Martin in Columbus’ goalie room. Martin has played in 11 games and set a .892 save percentage this season.

Blue Jackets Place Adam Boqvist On IR With Shoulder Strain, Make Six Other Roster Moves

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The Blue Jackets have made a series of roster moves ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Islanders, as outlined in a team release. The team has placed defenseman Adam Boqvist on injured reserve with a shoulder strain, placed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins on IR with an illness, and forward Cole Sillinger on IR retroactive to November 26 with an upper-body injury. Columbus has recalled three players from AHL Cleveland in response: defenseman Nick Blankenburg and goalie Jet Greaves have been summoned on an emergency basis, while forward Emil Bemström is coming up on a standard recall.

Additionally, the club has activated netminder Daniil Tarasov from long-term injured reserve, although he will remain with AHL Cleveland on a conditioning stint. He had previously been assigned to the minors on an LTIR-specific conditioning stint.

Boqvist, who sustained the injury in last night’s overtime loss to the Kings, is expected to miss four weeks, per the team. It’s horrible timing for the 23-year-old, who was beginning to settle into a top-pairing role alongside Zach Werenski after starting his season on a rough note. Boqvist made just four appearances in the team’s first 18 games, sitting as a healthy scratch on a near-nightly basis. He’s now made nine straight appearances, however, and had logged over 20 minutes in each of his last three contests. Since his last healthy scratch on November 18 against the Capitals, Boqvist had three assists, a +7 rating and 11 shots on goal.

The 2018 eighth-overall selection by the Blackhawks had a strong showing despite dealing with injuries in Columbus last year, logging 24 points in 46 games (a 43-point pace) and leading qualified Blue Jackets defenders with a 48.7% Corsi share at even strength. It’s fair to claim he was misused out of the gate by head coach Pascal Vincent, likely costing the struggling Blue Jackets a handful of points in the standings. Boqvist’s possession numbers have once again been strong this season, posting a relative Corsi share of 2.1%.

His spot on the active roster is assumed by Blankenburg, who figures to make his season debut tomorrow with Erik Gudbranson out sick. The 25-year-old made his NHL debut for the Blue Jackets at the tail end of the 2021-22 campaign after signing as a free agent out of the University of Michigan and has made a strong offensive impact despite standing at just 5-foot-9 – quite a diminutive frame for an NHL defender. His play at the minor-league level has been excellent, notching three goals, eight assists and a +9 rating in 18 games with Cleveland.

Meanwhile, Merzlikins is expected to miss one week with an illness after making 35 saves on 39 shots last night. He will miss the team’s next three games and can return on December 14 against the Maple Leafs. Backup Spencer Martin will likely start two of them, with Greaves potentially making his season debut Friday against the Blues in the second half of a back-to-back. Martin, who has a 3.02 GAA and .902 SV% after being claimed off waivers from the Canucks in September, now has an extended chance to make his case to stay on the roster with Tarasov nearing a return to NHL play.

Bemström comes back up to the NHL roster after being demoted to Cleveland on November 16, clearing waivers in the process. To say the 24-year-old took his demotion well is an understatement – he lit up the minors with ten goals and four assists in eight games, including five multi-point efforts. After showing he absolutely does not belong at a second-tier level, it’s not surprising to see him back in Columbus today after depth winger Eric Robinson was dealt to the Sabres.

There is no change in Sillinger’s status, and he remains listed as day-to-day. It’s unclear when he’ll return to the lineup, although he’s eligible for activation at any time, given the existing length of his absence.

Blue Jackets Assign Daniil Tarasov To AHL For Conditioning

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The Blue Jackets have assigned netminder Daniil Tarasov to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on a conditioning stint as he nears recovery from a knee injury, GM Jarmo Kekäläinen announced today.

To do this, the Blue Jackets first moved Tarasov from injured reserve to long-term injured reserve retroactive to the beginning of the season, then assigned him on an LTIR conditioning loan to Cleveland. This sub-type of conditioning stint means Tarasov can remain with Cleveland for up to six days or three games (with a potential two-game extension), after which the Blue Jackets can determine whether Tarasov can return to play. He remains on LTIR during the conditioning stint, although since the Blue Jackets had over $4MM in accrued cap space before placing him on LTIR, it’s irrelevant to the team’s financial picture.

Tarasov, 24, sustained a knee injury early in training camp and was initially listed as day-to-day. His recovery has drawn out much longer than expected, causing him to miss well over two months of action. The intriguing goalie prospect is no stranger to injury troubles, missing more than half of the 2021-22 season after undergoing right hip surgery.

The 2017 third-round pick began last season on the Blue Jackets roster but was eventually demoted due to poor play. He posted a 4-11-1 record, .892 SV%, 3.91 GAA, and conceded 6.4 goals above average in 16 starts, although he was far from the reason Columbus ranked 31st in goals against last season. Now in the second season of a three-year, $3.15MM contract, he has just 19 NHL starts to his name over the past three seasons, and his mediocre play in the minors since coming over from Russia must have the Blue Jackets questioning his long-term stance in the organization.

Assigning Tarasov on conditioning buys some time for Kekäläinen to make a choice regarding current backup netminder Spencer Martin, who’s given the Blue Jackets a solid .903 SV% and 3.20 GAA in nine appearances (seven starts) since they claimed him off waivers from the Canucks during the preseason. Whether the Blue Jackets opt to prioritize Tarasov over Martin remains to be seen, although it would make sense to go with the younger, higher-ceiling player, given the team sits far out of playoff contention. Martin is 28 years old, and his only season as a full-time backup, last year with Vancouver, was disastrous – posting a .871 SV% and conceding 27.5 goals above average in just 29 appearances.

The Blue Jackets could either trade Martin or look to pass him through waivers, although teams looking for goalie help may want to take a flyer on him, given his decent performance to open the campaign. Tarasov is no longer waiver-exempt and would need to be exposed in order to head to Cleveland full-time.

Columbus Blue Jackets Assign David Jiricek To AHL, Make Other Roster Moves

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have their final 23-man roster in place to start the season, making a flurry of camp cuts today to do so. Those cuts are headlined by defenseman David Jiricek, who’s been assigned to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters for the second straight season after the club selected him sixth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. Defenseman Nick Blankenburg and forward Dmitri Voronkov were also assigned to the AHL, while their other top pick in 2022, defenseman Denton Mateychuk, has been returned to the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. Lastly, Columbus placed forwards Yegor Chinakhov and Jordan Dumais, as well as goaltender Daniil Tarasov on the season-opening injured/non-roster list. Forward Mathieu Olivier was also placed on injured reserve.

Many believed Jiricek, 19, would make Columbus out of camp thanks to a strong showing in his rookie season with the Monsters. However, after Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen added a pair of veteran bodies to his blueline this summer in Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson, the path to a roster spot muddied significantly for the Blue Jackets’ many young defense prospects. Jiricek is still looking for his first NHL point after skating in four NHL contests with Columbus last season. With Cleveland, he recorded six goals, 32 assists, 38 points, and a -11 rating in 55 games.

Blankenburg and Voronkov were also both strong candidates to make Columbus’ opening-night roster. Blankenburg, a 5-foot-9, 174-pound right-shot defenseman, joined the Blue Jackets in 2022 via free agency after captaining a star-studded University of Michigan squad. The 25-year-old immediately stuck in the NHL, thanks partially in part to the Blue Jackets’ rash of injuries on the blue line last season, but he didn’t look out of place at all. While injuries affected Blankenburg too, limiting him to 36 contests, the diminutive defender recorded four goals and ten assists for 14 points – an impressive 32-point pace over 82 games. He’s destined for a major role in Cleveland to start the season and will be one of Columbus’ first call-up options aside from Jiricek.

Voronkov, 23, will get his first taste of North American hockey in the minors. The 2019 fourth-round pick was expected to make a push for a roster spot after breaking out for 18 goals and 31 points in 54 contests with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan last season. Like the two others mentioned before him, expect a recall for Voronkov at some point during the 2023-24 campaign.

Mateychuk, however, will likely have to wait until 2024-25 (or at least the very end of 2023-24) to get his first taste of NHL hockey. The 12th-overall selection in 2022 returns to Moose Jaw, where he will reclaim his role as the team’s captain after registering 129 points in 128 games over the past two campaigns.

There’s nothing new regarding the injuries to the four players destined for IR. All injuries were previously reported and were expected to keep them out through at least opening night. These are paper moves to get the team’s roster compliant before tonight’s deadline.

Yegor Chinakhov, Daniil Tarasov Will Begin Season On IR

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The Columbus Blue Jackets will place both forward Yegor Chinakhov and goaltender Daniil Tarasov on injured reserve prior to Monday’s opening-night roster deadline, per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. Chinakhov is listed as day-to-day with a back injury, while Tarasov carries a day-to-day designation for a knee injury. Both sustained the injuries shortly after training camp began in mid-September.

Chinakhov, 22, is three years removed from being one of the most surprising first-round picks in recent memory. So far, it appears to have been somewhat of a worthy gamble – he notched 13 points in 30 games for Columbus last season and has posted strong numbers in limited AHL action since coming to North America before 2021-22. Unfortunately, missing nearly all of training camp may have cost him a spot in the NHL lineup when he does return from injury. Not only does the winger not require waivers for assignment to AHL Cleveland, but his roster spot wasn’t secured – many young forwards were battling for spots in Columbus’ bottom six, all of whom had more chances during camp to earn the trust of head coach Pascal Vincent.

While it’s concerning that an injury that’s carried a day-to-day designation for two-and-a-half weeks may stretch out closer to a month, the news surrounding Tarasov’s health gives even more pause. When the Blue Jackets confirmed Tarasov’s injury on September 23rd, Portzline reported that it wasn’t serious. In fact, he went so far as to say Tarasov would be available at that point if the regular season was beginning. Luckily, Portzline had already confirmed this knee injury is not related to a significant one he suffered during the 2021-22 campaign, but it’s still not a good sign to see a seemingly innocuous pre-season injury stretching out and affecting regular-season availability.

The 24-year-old Tarasov had a much clearer path to a roster spot entering camp as the undisputed backup to starting netminder Elvis Merzlikins. A 2017 third-round draft pick, Tarasov got off to quite a hot start to his career, posting a .936 save percentage in four contests with Columbus in 2021-22 before the previous knee injury ended his campaign. He played 17 games last season, recording a subpar .892 save percentage and 3.91 goals-against average, but still posted far superior numbers to Merzlikins’ eye-opening .876 save percentage and 4.23 goals-against average. There were few goalies worse than Merzlikins last season, and his -25.9 goals saved above expected per MoneyPuck ranked last out of all goalies to play 20 games in 2022-23.

Another name near the bottom of last season’s list was Spencer Martin, who the Blue Jackets claimed on waivers last week from the Vancouver Canucks to serve as Merzlikins’ backup until Tarasov returns to action. Martin, 28, is largely an AHL veteran but got a shot as the Canucks’ backup last season, appearing in 29 contests and recording a .871 save percentage. It was a necessary claim, as the Blue Jackets’ only two goalies under NHL contract were 22-year-old Jet Greaves, an undrafted free agent signing entering his third season of pro hockey, and 19-year-old Nolan Lalonde, who will spend this season as the starter for the OHL’s Erie Otters.

Injury Updates: Palmieri, Tarasov, Savoie

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Newsday’s Andrew Gross has reported more details on Kyle Palmieri’s preseason absence for the New York Islanders, writing that while Palmieri has begun skating once again, he hasn’t begun practicing yet and is still dealing with an undisclosed injury suffered before training camp. (paywall link) It’s difficult to ascertain the true implications of Palmieri’s current health status, as so much about where he is in terms of readiness to play in the NHL is unknown.

But what is known is the opportunity his absence is giving to other Islanders forwards. Palmieri, who scored 16 goals and 33 points in 55 games last season, is a regular in the Islanders’ top six, and now with him out of commission, the Islanders have slotted Hudson Fasching into Palmieri’s usual second-line role next to Brock Nelson and Pierre Engvall. It’s also possible another winger such as Simon Holmström, Oliver Wahlstrom, or Julien Gauthier could get a shot in the Islanders’ top-six if Palmieri remains injured.

Some other injury updates from across the NHL:

  • Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen commented on the knee injury backup goalie Daniil Tarasov is currently dealing with, telling The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline that they “don’t have a timeframe on Tarasov’s injury right now; it’s a work in progress.” (paywall link) Portzline writes that the knee issue could very well keep Tarasov out into the regular season. Kekäläinen was asked whether the Blue Jackets would consider rostering three goalies (Tarasov, Spencer Martin, Elvis Elvis Merzļikins) once Tarasov returned, to which Kekäläinen replied “that’s not a plan,” meaning recent waiver claim Spencer Martin could very well find himself on the waiver wire once again whenever Tarasov returns to full health.
  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Samuel Savoie suffered an ugly injury in last night’s preseason game against the Minnesota Wild. After an attempted hit on Wild blueliner Alex Goligoski, Savoie slammed into the boards awkwardly and ended up needing to be stretchered off the ice. The Blackhawks announced today that Savoie “remains in Minnesota for further medical care” and have confirmed that Savoie has suffered a lower-body injury.

Columbus Blue Jackets Issue Multiple Injury Updates

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Ahead of training camps opening, the Columbus Blue Jackets released the injury status of four players:

D Jake Bean – out week-to-week with an abductor strain (groin)
F Kirill Marchenko – out day-to-day with back strain
F Mathieu Olivier – out week-to-week with a leg injury
G Daniil Tarasov – out day-to-day with a knee injury

The news sounds especially disappointing for the young Bean, who was limited to just 14 games last season thanks to a shoulder injury. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline relays he’s likely to miss the most time out of any player on this list, putting his availability for the beginning of the regular season in doubt.

It hasn’t been a smooth journey for the 2016 13th overall pick, as his development has been interrupted by injuries on multiple occasions. Without a clear path to a full-time roster spot with the team that drafted him in Carolina, the Hurricanes traded him to Columbus at the 2021 draft in a series of deals that saw Seth Jones head from Columbus to the Chicago Blackhawks. Bean seemed to put some things together in his first season with Columbus, notching 25 points in 67 games while earning a top-four role and posting acceptable possession numbers.

When he can make his season debut, he likely won’t get the same opportunity. After acquiring Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson this summer, Columbus’ top four is full, and there’s simply no way Bean will get the nearly 21 minutes per game he got in 2021-22. Missing training camp will only hurt matters, as his competitors for ice time will have more of a chance to show new head coach Pascal Vincent that they’re deserving of NHL ice.

Olivier is the other player whose absence is tabbed as longer-term. Portzline says this was a known factor for Columbus, as Olivier played the tail end of last season with a broken bone in his leg and experienced “complications” during offseason recovery. It’s unclear when exactly we can expect Olivier to return to the team. The 26-year-old enforcer scored a career-high 15 points in 66 games last season, his first in Columbus after beginning his pro career with the Nashville Predators. The spot he vacates in the lineup gives more opportunity for players like the returning Alexandre Texier and youngsters like Cole Sillinger and Dmitri Voronkov to gain spots on the team’s opening-night roster.

Marchenko’s and Tarasov’s absences are shorter-term and not expected to stretch into the regular season. Portzline says that both players would be available if the regular season began tomorrow and also clarified that Tarasov’s knee injury is not connected to the one that limited him to just four NHL contests in 2021-22.

Columbus Blue Jackets Expected To Name Niklas Bäckström Goalie Coach

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After solidifying Mike Babcock as their head coaching hire, which won’t be official until later this summer, the Columbus Blue Jackets still had one vacancy left to fill on their bench. That will be filled soon, as multiple sources indicated to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline that longtime Minnesota Wild netminder Niklas Bäckström will be named their new goaltending coach.

Bäckström will be taking over from Manny Legace, whose contract was not renewed after 2022-23.

The 45-year-old Finn last played in the NHL with the Calgary Flames in 2015-16 but played three more seasons professionally in Finland before calling it a career. Since retiring in 2019, he’s served on and off with Columbus as a scout and as a European goaltending development coach.

During his playing days, Bäckström amassed 413 games of NHL experience, 409 of which came with Minnesota. Known for his sound technical play, Bäckström was a Vezina Trophy nominee in 2008-09 after posting a .923 save percentage, 37-24-8 record, and eight shutouts in 71 starts.

Bäckström will now be in charge of working with Columbus’ NHL goalie tandem, which, as it stands, is made up of European starter Elvis Merzlikins and Russian backup Daniil Tarasov. Merzlikins struggled mightily last season after a strong stretch of play, and the pivot to Bäckström as goalie coach is made with his performance in mind especially.

Snapshots: Talbot, Toews, Reilly, Lalonde

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The Senators should be getting some help between the pipes soon as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Cam Talbot is expected to return to the lineup sometime this week.  He has been out for the last three weeks due to an oblique muscle injury.  The 35-year-old has a 2.85 GAA and a .905 SV% in 32 games this season, numbers that aren’t the greatest but at the moment, Ottawa is trying to hang in the race for a Wild Card spot in the East with rookies Mads Sogaard and Dylan Ferguson.  Accordingly, getting Talbot back should give them a boost for the final few games.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has been out for nearly two months due to symptoms from long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome but hasn’t given up on returning this season. To that end, head coach Luke Richardson told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the center has been skating in an effort to get back before the end of the campaign.  There was a recent report that Toews may be considering retirement and if that’s true, that could be fueling his desire to get back for the final few games.
  • Bruins defenseman Mike Reilly suffered a serious injury in the minors today, one that saw him knocked unconscious and stretchered off the ice. Fortunately, AHL Providence announced after the game (Twitter link) that he is alert, conscious, and able to walk around.  The veteran has spent the bulk of the year in the minors but is likely to be a Black Ace recall at some point in Boston’s playoff run.
  • 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.

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