I’m gonna start with a warning: I’m about to write something that, frankly, I don’t know how much I know about it.
That’s why you come here, right?
Anyway, this might be a misinformed and/or stupid take, but in this space I promised I’d give my unfettered thoughts on whatever interests me about the Columbus Blue Jackets at any point in time, and this very, very much interests me.
So, here goes.
What the hell is going on with Sonny Milano?
And, relatedly, what’s the best way to bring along a young, skilled player who doesn’t seem to quite understand how to produce what is being asked of him?
This has intrigued me for quite a while in the sport of hockey. There have been a number of times over the past few years where such Jackets as Milano, Ryan Johansen and Cam Atkinson were held out of games or not given the opportunity fans seemed to think they deserved.
And after all, fans love offense, not just because it’s fun but because it’s the easiest thing to understand. Hockey is a weird sport – a billion little decisions by 12 constantly moving players at a time make up how each game turns out, and it’s hard to come up with statistical measures for how all of them perform at their jobs (though God bless those who are trying these days).
But the most simple stat to comprehend – goals – is also the most important one at the end of the day.
So no wonder fans like goals, and someone like Milano looks like someone who can put goals on the board for a team that can frankly use them right now. Sure, he doesn’t have a tally in his last 20 NHL games, but he’s also averaged less than 10 minutes per game on the ice in that time, some of which has been on the team’s simply dreadful No. 2 power play unit.
Milano was a first-round draft pick. We know he can bury the puck. We’ve seen him make some pretty unreal passes. We know his hands … they’re not normal hands, even in a league in which everyone plays at a world-class level that's easy to take for granted. It’s tempting to say, just get out of his way and let him create some dang offense.
John Tortorella, of course, is paid handsomely to not think this way.
It’s his job to create a team that plays as a unit, which means 18 players skaters pulling in the same direction at all points on the ice. It's also his job to develop Milano as best he can, and here's where I double down on reminding you I'm no coach and haven't been privy to the discussions and teachable moments between player and coach.
Looking at past comments, Tortorella has made no bones about the fact throughout the year that Milano needs to get better playing away from the puck and not making the types of decisions that end up in the back of his own net.
“Quite honestly, it’s respect the league. Respect the league,” Tortorella said about what he wanted out of Milano in early November. “There are some really good players with good sticks and good positioning. Sometimes you just can’t make a play threading it through someone or trying to force a play. That’s all part of the process with this guy. We’re going to continue to help him out until it becomes part of his game, the patience of it.”
At that time, Tortorella said there would be ups and downs. Tortorella is a smart man. After a handful of games in which his impact was minimal and his confidence seemed flagging, Milano was sent down to the AHL earlier this month, but at the time the head coach did what he could to make it seem like Milano was the victim of a numbers crunch and didn’t do anyone any good playing in a fourth-line situation.
“This isn’t because of his play,” Tortorella said that time around. "Sonny will be back. He's going to be part of this team. I think his game has dipped a little bit. He agreed with me. I'm not so sure these decisions are fair, but they're decisions we have to make.”
Which brings us to the present. With three integral forwards on the shelf because of injuries, including generally high-scoring winger Atkinson, it seems like it would be the perfect time for Milano to get a chance to shine in something approaching a top-six role.
And Milano has returned to Columbus as part of an emergency recall. Yet if Aaron Portzline’s reporting is to be believed – and he’s not the kind of guy to make stuff up, in case you haven’t noticed – there appeared to be some reticence among the CBJ brass to return him to Columbus.
Milano is here, so that’s a bit moot, and I guess you can’t blame the team if the player's game isn't where it needs to be, or he isn’t truly ready to be a part of a top six or top nine. There’s a lot of responsibility with those roles, and if Milano is a liability playing 15 minutes per night, then you have to consider just how he can help the team.
At the same time, there's a bit of a feeling that, if now isn't the time to turn Milano loose, when will be? Sure, Milano is just 21, and none of us are our fully formed selves at that age, but he’s also in his third full professional season and is a year and a half away from reaching RFA status. There’s still time for him to grow, but at some point, when does this become a self-fulfilling narrative in which the player finally needs a change of scenery if he’s going to blossom into his full self?
It all goes back to a simple question with a lot of complicated answers – what's the best way to develop a young hockey player, especially when things aren't going smoothly? You can cut his playing time. You can send him down. You can put him on the ice and see what happens.
The Blue Jackets have tried almost all of it with Milano. Now begins one of the most fascinating stretches of his career. Where it goes from here is anyone's guess.
