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Dmitri Voronkov

Blue Jackets To Activate Dmitri Voronkov From Injured Reserve

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The Blue Jackets will have left-winger Dmitri Voronkov in the lineup for the first time this season tonight against the Jets as he makes his return from an upper-body injury, head coach Dean Evason told reporters (including the team’s Jeff Svoboda). He’ll be activated from injured reserve, but with ample cap space and an open roster spot, no corresponding transaction is necessary.

Voronkov, 24, had his start to his sophomore NHL season delayed when he sustained the injury late in Columbus’ preseason schedule against the Penguins. The initial prognosis wasn’t good, but it quickly became apparent that Voronkov wouldn’t require surgery to address the issue and would be back in weeks, not months. He returned to practice late last week, so he’s had a bit of run-up before re-entering the lineup.

It’s a legitimately impactful bit of news for the Blue Jackets, who have won two in a row and are now in wild-card position early on with a 5-3-1 record through nine games. Their offense clicking at a top-10 rate with 3.89 goals per game has much to do with that, and Voronkov’s return should only help them in that regard. The 2019 fourth-round pick arrived in North America last season after spending the prior five years with Ak Bars Kazan of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. He made an immediate impact in a middle-six role, finishing fifth on the team in scoring with 34 points (18 G, 16 A) in 75 games. With Voronkov on the ice at even strength, Columbus controlled 50.4% of shot attempts and 52.2% of expected goals, considerably above team averages.

Evason said that his return will send late-offseason pickup Kevin Labanc to the press box. Signed to a one-year league-minimum pact after being released from his professional tryout with the Devils, the 28-year-old had points in four of his last five games and five assists in seven games overall with a +3 rating. Nonetheless, it’ll be his third healthy scratch of the young season.

Voronkov is a pending restricted free agent. He’s in the final season of his entry-level contract, which earned him a $92.5K signing bonus over the summer and pays him a base salary of $832.5K this season for a cap hit of $925K. He’ll be eligible for arbitration.

Metropolitan Notes: Johnson, Voronkov, Blake, Roy

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Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson will not need surgery on his injured shoulder, GM Don Waddell confirmed to reporters including Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link).  However, that shouldn’t be construed that it won’t be a long-term injury as originally reported.  Instead, the team simply feels that the injury can be treated with rehab.  This is the second straight year that the 22-year-old has dealt with injury troubles and he was off to a good start before sustaining it as he had five points in his first four games.  He still technically hasn’t been moved to injured reserve at this time but that’s something that should happen in the coming days whenever they have to open up a roster spot.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Still with Columbus, forward Dmitri Voronkov was a partial participant in practice today and appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from a shoulder injury, reports Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch. The 24-year-old suffered the injury late in the preseason.  Voronkov had a solid rookie season for the Blue Jackets in 2023-24, picking up 18 points and 16 assists and with the injuries they’re dealing with, getting him back a little earlier than expected would be some rare positive news on that front.
  • The Hurricanes have once again sent winger Jackson Blake to AHL Chicago, per the AHL’s transactions log. They’ve done this four times already this season in an effort to bank a bit more cap room.  The 21-year-old has two goals in six games with Carolina so far so it’s safe to say he’ll be brought back up in time for puck drop against Seattle on Saturday.
  • Capitals defenseman Matt Roy skated today before practice notes NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). The 29-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in Washington’s season opener and hasn’t played since.  Roy was their most prominent free agent signing over the summer, inking a six-year, $34.5MM contract after putting up 25 points in nearly 21 minutes a night last season with Los Angeles.  While he’s now back on the ice, he did not accompany the team on their road trip to Tampa Bay.

Boone Jenner Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, May Not Return This Season

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Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell announced today that captain Boone Jenner is out indefinitely after undergoing shoulder surgery. “Our hope is he can return before the end of the season,” Waddell said, but there’s no guarantee he’ll suit up at all in 2024-25. Waddell later added Jenner would be out for at least five months, marking the beginning of March as his earliest opportunity to return, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Jenner sustained the injury in practice last week after losing an edge and crashing into the boards. After landing on IR before the season-opening rosters were due, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic indicated he could be out multiple months. Today’s news isn’t quite the worst-case scenario for Jenner, but it’s certainly not promising.

The shoulder surgery adds to a long list of injuries that’s prevented Jenner from playing more than 70 games in a season since the COVID-19 pandemic. While the 31-year-old has been an invaluable piece for Columbus, putting up the best offensive numbers of his career after assuming the captaincy in 2021, a broken jaw and recurring back problems have truncated his last three campaigns at 59, 68 and 58 games, respectively.

A Blue Jackets lifer, Jenner was a second-round pick of Columbus back in 2011. His career averages suggest the offensive output of a squarely middle-six center, posting 22 goals and 42 points per 82 games. But he’s averaged over 20 minutes per game in the last three years, and with increased usage has come increased production. The Ontario native has produced a 32-goal, 55-point clip per 82 games since the 2021-22 campaign. He’s done so on a bargain-bin four-year, $15MM extension he signed before his 2021 resurgence – some will remember his 30-goal, 49-point breakout campaign for the Jackets way back in 2015-16.

Jenner’s absence will deprive Columbus of their top forward for most of the season, diminishing the effectiveness of an already thin group. He was expected to shift to the wing from center this year, so Adam Fantilli and Sean Monahan won’t see much of an increase in responsibility from their already-anticipated top-six roles. But Jenner’s injury will lead to more ice time for late-summer UFA pickups Kevin Labanc and James van Riemsdyk, who now each project to play tonight’s season opener in second-line roles flanking Fantilli, per the team’s Jeff Svoboda.

In much more positive news, winger Dmitri Voronkov, who also started the season on IR, isn’t expected to miss nearly as much time as Jenner with his upper body injury, per Waddell. He doesn’t require surgery and could return by the end of next month, Svoboda relays.

Blue Jackets Place Dmitri Voronkov On Injured Reserve

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to open the 2024-25 NHL season without forward Dmitri Voronkov. The team announced they’ve placed Voronkov on injured reserve with an upper-body injury from their most recent preseason contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He originally came to the organization as the 114th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft from the Kontinental Hockey League. He spent four more years suiting up for the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan but the Blue Jackets quickly pulled him to North America after his impressive 2022-23 KHL season where he scored 18 goals and 31 points in 54 games.

Voronkov became one of the few bright spots on Columbus’ roster last year scoring 18 goals and 34 points in 75 contests finishing fifth on the team in scoring as a rookie. The season was good enough for some outside consideration for the Calder Memorial Trophy as Voronkov placed 11th in voting.

It will be a while before Voronkov follows up on his strong rookie campaign with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic indicating that Voronkov will be out long-term. The Blue Jackets did not give a timeline for his return in their original announcement.

It’s another blow to a forward core that is still facing the void of Johnny Gaudreau after his tragic death in August. Voronkov was expected to be a reliable scorer Columbus could plug into their top- or middle-six even before the team signed unrestricted free agent forward James van Riemsdyk to a one-year deal. The Blue Jackets will need big years out of several players if they hope to improve or maintain their 2.85 GF/G from a year ago.

Metropolitan Notes: Karlsson, Rust, Keefe, Harrold, Voronkov

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Penguins star defender Erik Karlsson has shed his non-contact jersey as he aims to return from an upper-body injury by the season opener, per the team. He hasn’t seen any preseason action, but with five days still to go until their home opener against the Rangers, it seems like he won’t miss any regular season action. He hasn’t been ruled out for tonight’s exhibition game against the Blue Jackets, either, but with how much time he’s missed in camp, he should be considered doubtful at best.

Karlsson only re-joined practice yesterday after a few days of skating on his own. Evidently, it was a successful session, and he’s trending in the right direction quickly – after all, he only carried a non-contact designation for one day. It still wasn’t an incredibly rigorous practice, though, as head coach Mike Sullivan points out, and he wasn’t routinely taking contact. The 34-year-old is looking to get his second season in Pittsburgh off on the right foot after posting 56 points in 82 games last year, his lowest per-game production since the 2020-21 campaign.

It’s not all good news on the injury front for the Pens, though. Winger Bryan Rust remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury after previously missing practice for what the team termed maintenance reasons. The 32-year-old is expected to once again start the season on Sidney Crosby’s line after scoring a career-high 28 goals in 66 games last season.

Elsewhere in the Metro:

  • Sheldon Keefe’s move to the Devils after being fired by the Maple Leafs has him primed to win his first Jack Adams Award for coach of the year, as voted by NHL.com writers. He walks into a pretty favorable situation with New Jersey primed to rebound to a playoff-caliber record with No. 1 defender Dougie Hamilton at full health and their goaltending situation hopefully addressed with the offseason pickup of 2022 Vezina finalist Jacob Markström from the Flames.
  • The Hurricanes have promoted Peter Harrold to their director of player development, the team announced. The 41-year-old had been with Carolina since 2020 as a development and skills coach, working with the team’s defenders. Harrold was a defenseman himself, skating in 274 NHL games in parts of nine seasons for the Devils and Kings from 2006 to 2015.
  • Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov is still being evaluated after leaving last night’s loss to the Penguins with an upper-body injury, relays The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. For now, his availability for the start of the regular season appears to be thrust into doubt. The 24-year-old finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting last year after coming over from his native Russia, finishing fifth on the Jackets in scoring with 34 points (18 G, 16 A) in 75 games.

East Notes: Raymond, Berggren, Voronkov, Capitals

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The Red Wings still have three restricted free agents to re-sign, defenseman Moritz Seider along with wingers Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren.  In a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link), David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period relayed that while there’s no concern on either side yet, talks don’t appear to be progressing between Detroit and Raymond’s camp.  The 22-year-old is coming off his entry-level deal and had a breakout showing last season, recording 31 points and 41 assists in 82 games, leading some to suggest that a long-term agreement between the two sides is likely to push past the $7MM mark per season.

Berggren, meanwhile, was largely a regular for the Red Wings in 2022-23 but spent most of last season with AHL Grand Rapids, tallying 24 goals and 32 assists in 53 games.  The 24-year-old also collected six points in 13 games with Detroit.  Pagnotta reports that a deal between the two sides is expected before training camp and it’s likely to be a short-term agreement.  With a little over $17MM in cap space per PuckPedia, it’s possible that the eventual contracts with Seider and Raymond could dictate how short of a deal Berggren ultimately receives.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Dating back to last season, there was speculation that Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov might want to return to the KHL. In an interview with Championat’s Dmitry Storozhev, Ak Bars GM Marat Valiullin acknowledged that he spoke with Voronkov after last season, presumably to gauge his interest in returning to the KHL but no discussions have taken place since then.  The 23-year-old had a solid rookie season last year, notching 18 goals and 16 assists in 75 games and is someone that Columbus will undoubtedly be looking to keep beyond the upcoming season when his current contract expires.
  • While the Capitals have already inked a PTO agreement with Jakub Vrana, don’t expect them to be signing any others. GM Chris Patrick recently told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that he doesn’t envision bringing in any more players on tryouts for training camp.  Washington has shaken up their roster a fair bit this summer, bringing in Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun, Matt Roy, and Logan Thompson (and others) so allowing the newcomers to get some early chemistry may be the focal point at camp.  If that’s the case, bringing in other players with an outside shot of making the team would run counter to that objective.

Dmitri Voronkov Considering Return To Russia

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Columbus Blue Jackets rookie forward Dmitri Voronkov has been one of the team’s better stories so far this season, as the 23-year-old has jumped out to a strong start to his North American pro career. According to the Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, his time with Columbus, at least for this season, could be coming to an end. (subscription link)

Portzline wrote today that Russian media outlets have reported that “Voronkov is homesick and has considered returning to Russia,” adding that Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen has confirmed those reports.

Kekäläinen told Portzline that the Blue Jackets are “dealing with it internally,” adding “It’s normal for a young player to feel homesick at times. And so we’re dealing with it.”

If Voronkov does indeed decide he wants to return to Russia, his current contract status dictates that the Blue Jackets would have to send him there via a loan to his KHL team, Ak Bars Kazan.

According to Portzline, “the biggest hurdle” for Voronkov and his adjustment to life in North America has been that the forward “speaks almost no English.”The hope was that the presence of a few other Russians on the Blue Jackets’ roster, namely Ivan Provorov, Kirill Marchenko, and Yegor Chinakhov, would smooth out his adjustment. Portzline added, “The Blue Jackets took steps to help Voronkov acclimate when he first arrived, but those efforts will be redoubled in the coming days.” Former Blue Jacket Fedor Tyutin, who helped Marchenko acclimate to life in Columbus, could be enlisted to help.

In terms of how the loss of Voronkov would impact the Blue Jackets on the ice, it would be a significant blow. Voronkov is currently playing on the team’s second line next to two of the franchise’s most important players: Patrik Laine and Adam Fantilli.

A big power forward with a goal-scoring touch, Voronkov’s solid KHL numbers have translated to the NHL thus far. He’s currently scoring at a 16-goal, 49-point 82-game pace, and his physicality is well-appreciated as well.

With Columbus desperate to revive their playoff hopes early in this 2023-24 campaign, the status of Voronkov and his potential return to Russia will be a key storyline to monitor for Blue Jackets fans.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Blue Jackets Place Patrik Laine On IR, Recall Dmitri Voronkov

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According to a team release, the Blue Jackets have recalled forward Dmitri Voronkov from AHL Cleveland. To make room for Voronkov on the active roster, the team placed forward Patrik Laine on injured reserve with an upper-body injury retroactive to last Friday, sidelining him for the team’s next two games at the least.

Voronkov, 23, had a breakout pro season for the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan in 2022-23, potting 18 goals and 13 assists for 31 points in 54 games while playing a heavy, imposing style of game. He was expected to contend for a roster spot with the Blue Jackets out of training camp but ultimately did not make the cut and began the season on assignment to Cleveland, where he has just one assist through four games. A fourth-round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2019, Voronkov could make his NHL debut Tuesday against the Ducks.

As for Laine, this news is expected after taking a hard, late hit from Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson with just seconds left in Friday’s 3-1 win. Andersson, who has an appeal scheduled for today with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, was suspended four games for the hit. Laine will miss at least three games because of the play, also sitting out of Saturday’s overtime victory over the Wild. It’s a tough break for the 25-year-old, who remains day-to-day after recording two points through four contests, continuing to experiment playing at center after sticking on the wing for most of his 466-game NHL career.

After being acquired from the Jets in exchange for center Pierre-Luc Dubois early in the shortened 2020-21 season, Laine has been an effective goal-scorer for a struggling Columbus team but failed to stay healthy. Just over the last two seasons, Laine notched close to a point-per-game but missed a combined 53 games, keeping him from hitting the 30-goal plateau for the first time since 2018-19. He’s been on pace for well over 30 markers in each of the past two years (38 in 2021-22, 33 in 2022-23), signaling that he can still be the star sniper the Jets thought they were getting with the second-overall pick in 2016.

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.

Metro Notes: Wahlstrom, Voronkov, Othmann

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2023-24 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for Oliver Wahlstrom and his future with the New York Islanders. The 2018 11th overall pick has a one-year, $874k contract in place and is coming off of a season where he had some real momentum, only for injuries to keep his campaign to just 35 games played. The start of the season will be important for the 23-year-old, as The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz writes that if Wahlstrom “can’t stay in the lineup, it will probably be time for the Islanders to give him a fresh start somewhere else” via a trade. (subscription link)

A change-of-scenery trade for Wahlstrom could end up being the best course of action for his future, as he has struggled for years to put together a productive season in the Islanders organization. In Wahlstrom’s lone season as a full-time AHLer, he managed 10 goals and 22 points in 45 games, decent numbers but not the overwhelming production expected of a top prospect. In the NHL, Wahlstrom’s best offensive season saw him score 12 goals and 21 points in 44 games, a 22-goal, 39-point 82-game pace. He clearly has the offensive talent to accomplish more in the NHL than he’s shown so far, so tracking how he’s doing for the Islanders early in the season will likely be one of the more intriguing storylines to watch on Long Island.

Some other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Although the Columbus Blue Jackets rookie drawing the most attention is rightfully 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli, Russian import Dmitri Voronkov could end up a quietly effective first-year player in Ohio. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline names Voronkov as one of three Blue Jackets prospects standing a decent chance to make the team’s opening-night roster. (subscription link) Voronkov, 23, is a big six-foot-three pivot who hasn’t yet played in North America, but impressed with 18 goals and 31 points in the KHL last season. He could be in play to make new head coach Pascal Vincent’s opening-night roster.
  • As one of the New York Rangers’ top prospects, Brennan Othmann is expected by many to make an impact on the Rangers’ NHL roster sooner rather than later. But according to USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano, Othmann may have to wait. Mercogliano writes that the “expectation is that” Othmann will begin the season in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, although a strong training camp could obviously change things. But since New York signed several veteran bottom-six forwards such as Alex Belzile and Tyler Pitlick, Othmann may begin his pro career off Broadway.

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