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David Jiricek

Blue Jackets Assign David Jiricek To AHL, Recall James Malatesta

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David Jiricek’s stint with the Blue Jackets was short-lived.  Two days after being recalled under emergency conditions, the team announced that they assigned the blueliner back to AHL Cleveland while bringing up forward James Malatesta.  Malatesta’s recall is on an emergency basis and thus won’t count against their post-deadline recall limit.

Jiricek has split this season between Columbus and Cleveland with a small majority of his games coming at the NHL level.  He has played in 36 games with the Blue Jackets so far, collecting nine points and 39 blocked shots while logging a little under 15 minutes a night.  In the minors, meanwhile, the 20-year-old has been much more productive, collecting seven goals and ten assists in 24 games.

Jiricek has now officially burned the first year of his entry-level contract but there is still a milestone to watch for.  If he’s on the active roster for 40 games, he would accrue a season of service time toward UFA eligibility.  Accordingly, the Blue Jackets haven’t brought him up much lately; his two-day recall from earlier this week was his first in nearly two months.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see his NHL action be limited down the stretch for that reason.

As for Malatesta, he’s in his first full professional campaign after wrapping up his junior career on a high note, winning Memorial Cup MVP with QMJHL Quebec.  The 20-year-old leads the Monsters in penalty minutes with 79 through 53 games so far while chipping in with a dozen goals and nine helpers.  It’s unclear which forward’s availability is in question for their game tonight against Vegas which created the emergency conditions for Malatesta to be recalled.

Blue Jackets Recall David Jiricek

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4:16 p.m.: Columbus has recalled Jiříček under emergency conditions, per a team release. The move does not count toward their three remaining post-trade deadline standard recalls.

3:26 p.m.: The Blue Jackets plan to recall top defense prospect David Jiříček from AHL Cleveland, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. The move is in response to an injury plaguing top blue-liner Zach Werenski, who Portzline reports was absent from practice on Thursday. Head coach Pascal Vincent said he’s “hopeful” Werenski will be available for Friday’s game against the Avalanche after blocking a shot late in Columbus’ prior game against Detroit, but the team is still waiting on the results of his evaluation (via the team’s Jeff Svoboda).

Jiříček, the sixth overall pick of the 2022 draft, has been buried on the depth chart this season and has even been the subject of a few trade rumors. The 20-year-old had a banner year in 2022-23 as one of the best rookie defensemen in the AHL, earning an All-Star Game nod while also taking home the silver medal, Best Defenseman, and All-Star Team honors at the World Junior Championship with Czechia. He logged his first four NHL games as well but was held without a point in two early-season and two late-season showings. Regardless, most expected him to crack the Blue Jackets out of camp this season, but he ended up as one of their last cuts and started out the campaign in Cleveland.

With continued strong play, Jiříček has forced his way back into the majors multiple times this season with injuries plaguing Columbus’ blue line. His usage has been controversially minimal, averaging 14:47 per game, limiting him to a goal and nine points in 36 contests despite boasting a passable 48.1 CF% at even strength on a defensively challenged team. He’s since been passed over for multiple recalls, with Vincent recently saying the organization preferred to keep him playing heavy, important minutes with Cleveland down the stretch. As such, Jiříček hasn’t played an NHL game in over two months, last suiting up on Jan. 9.

He’s still been quite strong in the minors, boasting seven goals and 17 points in 24 games, although a -15 rating in such a short span is somewhat concerning – it’s already the worst on the team. Cleveland’s other major offensive threat on the blue line, Jake Christiansen, has 40 points in 54 games with a +8 rating. Christiansen was a recent emergency call-up to Columbus with Adam Boqvist sidelined due to an upper-body injury.

Still, Jiříček remains undoubtedly the organization’s best and brightest defense prospect. The right-shot blue-liner would also even out Columbus’ current shot discrepancy, allowing Jake Bean to move back to his natural left side against Colorado if Werenski is absent.

East Notes: Red Wings, Lohrei, Jiricek

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The Red Wings were quiet at the trade deadline which came as a surprise to many with Detroit being in a playoff spot at the time.  Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that there were a couple of reasons for that.  GM Steve Yzerman felt that the asking prices were way too high for his liking while he was reluctant to part with any of his prospects.  Even if Detroit is able to lock down the final Wild Card spot and end their seven-year playoff drought, they’re still in the process of building up their roster.  It appears that Yzerman had no interest in taking any shortcuts when it comes to their long-term plan.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • While the Bruins papered Mason Lohrei back to AHL Providence to keep him eligible to play down there for the stretch run, that may not happen. Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald that he feels the young blueliner will be up for the rest of the season.  The 23-year-old has done well in his first pro campaign, getting into 39 games with Boston so far where he has a dozen points along with 61 blocks while averaging nearly 17 minutes a night.
  • With the Blue Jackets playing out the stretch and their back end being a bit thinned out due to injuries and the Andrew Peeke trade, the fact they haven’t recalled David Jiricek has been a surprise to some. Head coach Pascal Vincent told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link) that they’re prioritizing him playing big minutes with AHL Cleveland, a team that has been hit hard as of late due to recalls.  Jiricek has played in 36 NHL games this season; he’d accrue a season toward UFA eligibility if he gets to 40.  Speculatively, that could be playing a role in them holding him down there as well.

Blue Jackets Activate Zach Werenski Off IR, Reassign David Jiricek

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After missing a total of 10 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team has announced defenseman Zach Werenski has been activated from the team’s injured reserve. To clear a spot on the active roster, the team has reassigned defenseman David Jiricek to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters.

Even though Werenski will likely not save the Blue Jackets from another disappointing season, seeing the return of a defenseman of his stature is a victory for the organization nonetheless. Leading the team in average time on ice at 24 minutes, Werenski has scored one goal and 25 points in 34 games for Columbus so far this season, putting him third on the team in scoring.

Not only the best defenseman but arguably the best player on the Blue Jackets, Werenski is rather unique in the sense that he is tasked with leading the team’s primary powerplay unit, as well as seeing a fair amount of usage on the team’s penalty kill. In Werenski’s absence over the last 10 games, the team’s powerplay has only been able to execute 12.9% of the time, with the penalty kill only achieving a 70.9% success rate, both marketable drop-offs compared to the team’s current averages.

Nevertheless, even with Werenski being one of the most important players in Columbus, there are very legitimate concerns surrounding his ability to stay healthy. Out of a potential 266 games since the beginning of the 2020-21 NHL season, Werenski has only played in 150 of those contests, meaning he has missed nearly 44% of games over the last several years.

Originally recalled back from assignment on January 21st, Jiricek will return to Cleveland to continue to regain confidence in his game. Since his initial reassignment on January 18th, Jiricek was able to suit up in two games for the Monsters, assisting on all three goals scored for the team in their January 20th matchup against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Columbus Blue Jackets Activate Nick Blankenburg, Recall David Jiříček

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that defenseman Nick Blankenburg has been activated off of injured reserve and assigned to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, and defenseman David Jiříček has been recalled from the Monsters.

The 25-year-old Blankenburg has been out since December 19th due to injury. The former captain of the Michigan Wolverines was actually playing in the NHL when he was last healthy, skating in his sixth consecutive game with the club. Before that point Blankenburg was in Cleveland, which is where he’ll now return to. Blankenburg has played in 18 games for the Monsters, the first 18 games of his AHL career, and has gotten off to a nice start there with 11 points.

Jiříček now returns to the Blue Jackets’ roster after a two-game stay in Cleveland. The 20-year-old 2022 sixth-overall pick receives this recall fresh off of a three-point game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, a contest win which he played a role in all three of the Monsters’ goals. The six-foot-four blueliner has played in 36 NHL games already this season and registered nine points. He proved himself as an AHLer in his rookie campaign in North America, scoring 38 points in 55 games.

Metro Notes: Jiricek, Islanders, Gustafsson

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A few days ago, to create a roster spot upon the return of captain Boone Jenner, the Columbus Blue Jackets decided to send promising young defenseman David Jiricek back to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. Even though it has been a relatively mediocre season for Jiricek up to this point, it was still surprising to see Jiricek as the head eventually put on the chopping block.

Nevertheless, in an article today from Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, he reports that the plan for Jiricek is to have him play two games this week for the Monsters until the team eventually recalls him in a week. The organization may be looking to give Jiricek an extra boost of confidence before the Blue Jackets’ upcoming five-game road trip before the All-Star game.

As one of the more hyped-up Columbus prospects heading into the season, many expectations placed upon Jiricek before the season were largely unfair, as he has not gotten off to a hot start with the team. In 36 games for the Blue Jackets already this season, Jiricek has scored one goal and nine points, managing just under 15 minutes of ice time per night, without receiving much time on either the powerplay or penalty kill.

Other Metro notes:

  • After a surprise announcement today naming Patrick Roy the new head coach of the New York Islanders, many began to wonder if the organization would eventually look to go in a different direction with any assistant coaches. The General Manager of the Islanders, Lou Lamoriello, was asked precisely this question and assured that no other changes would be coming to New York’s bench any time soon (X Link).
  • Earlier today, Arthur Staple of The Athletic reported that New York Rangers defenseman Erik Gustafsson is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and would not be in the team’s lineup tonight. Playing on an extremely valuable one-year, $825K contract this year, Gustafsson has scored four goals and 21 points in 44 games, sitting second on the team in scoring amongst defensemen.

Blue Jackets Put Spencer Martin On Waivers, Jiricek Sent To AHL

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they’ve placed goaltender Spencer Martin on waivers today and sent defenseman David Jiricek to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. Martin was placed on waivers for the purpose of sending him to the AHL, but he will need to clear waivers first before he can be sent there.

Martin has struggled this season after he was acquired on waivers from the Vancouver Canucks back in September 2023. He has not appeared in a game since a loss on January 2nd to the Boston Bruins. For the season, Martin has dressed in 13 games and has a 3-8-1 record with a 3.65 goals-against average and a save percentage of .887%. Those numbers are not great, and some might speculate that they are being dragged down by playing on a bad team in Columbus, however, Martin’s numbers are only slightly worse with the Blue Jackets as his career average goals against is 3.63 and his career save percentage is lower at .886. Martin’s demotion could lead to Elvis Merzļikins getting more playing time in the coming days, which could be interesting given his recent trade request.

Jiricek heads to Cleveland after dressing in 36 games this season for the Blue Jackets. The former sixth overall pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft has played okay this season, although he hasn’t posted much in the way of offense with just a goal and eight assists this year. The Blue Jackets tried to give the 20-year-old the bulk of his zone starts in the offensive zone and did appear to be sheltering him as best they could. With his demotion to Cleveland, he will likely see more minutes and have an opportunity to play in more high-leverage situations which could help his development long-term.

Blue Jackets Recall David Jiříček, Place Jack Roslovic On IR

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The Columbus Blue Jackets brought top defense prospect David Jiříček back up from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on Monday, per a team release. In a corresponding move, forward Jack Roslovic was placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss four to six weeks with a fractured ankle.

Roslovic, 26, sustained the injury in Sunday’s 4-3 shootout loss at the hands of the New York Rangers. Playing in 14 out of 15 games for Columbus this season, Roslovic has two goals and six assists for eight points with 29 shots on goal and has averaged 16:30 of ice time per game.

The 2021 trade acquisition from the Winnipeg Jets has been working his way up the lineup after starting the season in a bottom-six role, yesterday skating on a line with Johnny Gaudreau and Cole Sillinger. In his place, 24-year-old Emil Bemström, who has three goals and an assist in 11 games this season, will likely slot into the lineup Tuesday against the Penguins.

A hometown son, Roslovic has been inconsistent throughout his NHL career but has provided decent secondary scoring on the whole since arriving in Columbus, notching 47 goals, 84 assists and 131 points in 220 games with the Blue Jackets. The 2015 first-round pick is in the final season of a two-year, $8MM deal and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Jiříček, meanwhile, earns a deserved ride back to the NHL roster after being sent down Saturday to make room on the 23-man roster to activate Patrik Laine off IR. His ice time has been rather limited this season at 13:34 per game, a curious move by head coach Pascal Vincent considering his pairing with Ivan Provorov has been decent, as he’s registered a goal and two points along with 19 shot attempts.

Columbus selected Jiříček, who will be 20 later this month, with the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Playing in the AHL during his rookie pro season, a rare feat for a player fresh off his draft season, he notched 38 points in 55 games for the Monsters last year and was named the AHL’s Rookie of the Month for December. Jiříček, now the eighth Blue Jackets defenseman on the NHL roster, could return to the lineup tomorrow.

Blue Jackets Activate Patrik Laine, Send Jiříček To AHL

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that they’ve activated forward Patrik Laine off the IR and sent defenseman David Jiříček to their AHL affiliate the Cleveland Monsters. Laine suffered an upper-body injury on October 20th and has missed the Blue Jackets past nine games.

The news means that Laine will most likely dress for Columbus when they take on the Detroit Red Wings this afternoon. It is welcome news for the Blue Jackets as they currently sit eighth in the Metropolitan Division with a 4-6-3 record in their first 13 games. Laine has been a point-a-game player over the past two years but started slowly this year registering a goal and an assist in four games thus far.

The Blue Jackets were carrying eight defensemen and needed to move someone out to facilitate Laine’s return to the lineup. However, the Jiříček demotion is perplexing for several reasons. The 19-year-old has already exceeded the games played limit for his entry-level contract slide meaning that Columbus will burn a year off his deal regardless and according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic the team told him to find a place to live in Columbus just last week. The native of Klatovy, Czech Republic has been okay in ten games this season with a goal and two assists while keeping his head above water at 5 on 5. He hasn’t seen any time on the powerplay thus far and just over one minute in time on the penalty kill.

Columbus can always recall Jiříček from the AHL if they sustain another injury, but for a team that is developing a lot of young players, demoting a 19-year-old after telling him to find lodging might not sit well in their dressing room.

East Notes: Jiricek, Dach, Czarnik, Mazur

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While Blue Jackets defenseman David Jiricek is eligible to be sent to the minors which would allow the team more time to decide whether or not they should burn the first year of his entry-level deal, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the blueliner is expected to remain with the big club through his tenth game.  Doing so means that he would officially burn the first season of his entry-level contract.  The 19-year-old has two points in eight games so far this year in Columbus while logging a little under 14 minutes a night.  His presence on the roster means that two rearguards (Andrew Peeke and Adam Boqvist) are on the outside looking in but it appears that will be the case for the foreseeable future.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • The Canadiens announced that center Kirby Dach underwent successful knee surgery today. Dach sustained a season-ending torn ACL and MCL in Montreal’s second game of the season earlier this month while playing against Chicago, his former team.  Surgery was delayed until today to allow the swelling to go down.  Dach is expected to be fully recovered in time for training camp next fall.
  • CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the Red Wings have assigned forward Austin Czarnik to AHL Grand Rapids. The 30-year-old has played in eight games this season, picking up a single assist while logging just under 10 minutes a game.  The move puts Detroit at just 18 healthy skaters which isn’t likely viable so a recall – likely Czarnik – will come in advance of Thursday’s game against Florida.  Once Czarnik plays in ten games or is on the roster for 30 days, he’ll need to clear waivers again so this transaction stops the clock on the latter counter for now.
  • Still with Detroit, the Red Wings announced that they have activated forward Carter Mazur from season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to Grand Rapids. The 21-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in the opening game of Detroit’s prospect tournament back in September.  Mazur spent most of last season in college with Denver but managed to get in six games with the Griffins down the stretch where he had six points.  Because Mazur wasn’t on Detroit’s roster last season, there was no cap charge for his SOIR placement.

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