Gabriel Carlsson has been demoted to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL, the Blue Jackets announced Sunday.
Carlsson, who has averaged just 11:08 TOI in eight games played this year, has seen his role diminished with the impressive play of Markus Nutivaara. He was simply the odd man out on a crowded Blue Jackets blue line, which was eight players deep before the 20-year-old Carlsson was assigned.
#CBJ have assigned defenseman Gabriel Carlsson to @monstershockey.
— CBJ Public Relations (@BlueJacketsPR) November 19, 2017
Carlsson started the year in John Tortorella's lineup and saw a decent amount of ice handed to him. In the team's first three games of the season, the young Swede played 17:00, 16:50, and 12:00, before being injured in a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers on Oct. 13. Since that game, Nutivaara has occupied Carlsson's vacant spot and has done nothing to give it up.
After missing nearly a month, Carlsson returned to the ice last week but in a lesser capacity. Due to injuries mounting at the center position, Tortorella opted for an 11 forwards and seven defensemen lineup with Carlsson serving as the seventh defenseman. Without a true pairing, his role and ice time declined significantly. In the three games after returning from injury, he averaged just 6:08.
In the Blue Jackets' 2-0 win over the New York Rangers, Carlsson was the beneficiary of a surprising coaching decision to make veteran David Savard a healthy scratch. Savard and Jack Johnson formed one of the best shutdown pairs in the NHL a year ago, but have struggled at times this year. Tortorella has admitted that Nutivaara and Ryan Murray have surpassed Johnson and Savard in recent games; even so, Carlsson played just 14:16 in the win.
Aside from Seth Jones and Zach Werenski, the bottom two pairings appear to be a fluid situation.
It's hard to argue with this decision. Carlsson doesn't require waivers, and only broke into the NHL last April. It's hard to believe that he's played just 15 NHL games, and five of them were in last season's Stanley Cup playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The other benefit of a move like this? It can be as temporary as the team desires. With Cleveland just up the road, Carlsson could be recalled on short notice should the big club have a need. As long as he needs, he can play in all situations for the Monsters and earn his way back to Columbus.
Carlsson has just one assist on the season and is still looking for his first NHL goal, but has shown himself capable at the NHL level. His 51.14 CF% ranks ahead of Johnson and Savard, and shows that he's an NHL-quality defenseman. His on-ice scoring chances (SCF%) rate of 54.76% is slightly ahead of Jones' percentage, and ranks fourth on the team among defensemen.
As a young defensemen, the organization's priority should be Carlsson's long-term development. There is no substitute for playing games, and Calrsson will be better off playing a large role in Cleveland. He's clearly seen as a key piece in the team's future, but is better served playing a large role in Cleveland and not minimal minutes in Columbus.
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