The Columbus Blue Jackets have a great problem of having too many NHL-caliber defensemen - so, why not convolute the situation even more?
Andrew Peeke, a rookie blue-liner for the club has played in just three games at the professional level but is slipping into the discussion to be in the regular rotation for Columbus as the year progresses.
A rotation of defenseman that has been incredibly banged up - which gave the 21-year-old from Notre Dame his chance in the first place. Peeke made his NHL debut against the New York Rangers on Dec. 5 and has been in the lineup since, in favor of veteran Scott Harrington.
Peeke hasn't recorded a point yet but has put up a +3 rating in those three games, which is, somehow, the best on the entire team. He also has accumulated 0.3 defensive point shares, which is the same amount as Markus Nutivaara (who has played in ten games) and more than Harrington at -0.1 (who has played in eight games).
Peeke is also leading the club - not just defensemen - in CF% at 61.2. Worth noting, yes?
The sample size is absolutely a factor here, let's not forget that. Three games compared to the 30 that most players on the roster have dressed in leaves a lot of room for continued questioning of Peeke's potential, but it's hard to have a better start through three games without recording a point, that's for sure.
It also helps Peeke's case that he is a right-handed defenseman, which makes the first, second and third pairings having Seth Jones, David Savard and Peeke (the only right-handed defensemen on the team) on the left side of the ice make a lot of sense.
When Markus Nutivaara and Zach Werenski return from injury, the Blue Jackets will have a tough decision to make with who gets sent to the AHL. Could Nutivaara, a staple of the past two seasons ride the pine? Dean Kukan is the most likely candidate to be taken out, but could Peeke slide in front of Vladislav Gavrikov or Nutivaara for a spot in the bottom pair?
