It's been a problem for the duration of the season, but the Minnesota Wild's come-from-behind win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in a gritty, hit-filled game Saturday night, it became as clear as ever:
The Blue Jackets desperately need an intimidating player that brings size, strength, and a willingness to drop the gloves.
Minnesota bullied their way through Columbus for the duration of the game Saturday, from Jake Middleton's questionable hit on Zach Werenski that went to a myriad of hard hits in the corner and dust-ups in front of goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. Remember too, that it was just two weeks ago that the Wild's Marcus Foligno went knee-to-knee on Jakub Voracek, resulting in Voracek missing the next game.
Those are two of many examples over the course of the 2021-22 season of the Blue Jackets getting pushed around. Max Domi was around to get his hands dirty for a large chunk of the season and keep at least some of the shenanigans at bay, but the NHL's trade deadline last week sent him packing to Raleigh, North Carolina.
Boone Jenner, Sean Kuraly, and Vladislav Gavrikov bring plenty of grit, but aren't exactly an ideal 1-2 tandem in toughness. Andrew Peeke has shown a new level of grit this season, but he's not making the opposition think twice about taking liberties with those in the union blue.
Late Saturday night, one of the post-game thoughts I shared was that the Blue Jackets need to get tougher next year for more reasons than they do the final month of the season. Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson are likely going to be NHL'ers by the fall, and when you put them beside second-year players (next year) Cole Sillinger and Yegor Chinakhov, Columbus is just asking for trouble if they don't have someone to look out for these young, potentially-ladened scorers.
This influx of scoring forwards meant that players like Domi weren't going to have a spot on the team next season, and it also means that the Blue Jackets will have a limited (or, flat-out zero) number of offensive spots up for grabs next season. But that's okay — scoring goals generally hasn't been a problem for this team.
What this means is that the Blue Jackets are going to need to get their intimidating presence from the blue line, which is really quite perfect. Columbus has struggled in the goals against department and are giving up plenty of quality scoring chances to the opposition, so it's a need that the team needs to address no matter what. With plenty of cap room available and a couple of spots on the blue line likely open, the Jackets are well-positioned to increase both their toughness and their defensive play with just one player.
If general manager Jarmo Kekalainen pursues this option via trade or free agency, he'll have a few options. Some of those include:
-
Connor Murphy: Could another Columbus native come home? Murphy, 29, is from Dublin. He's got the size (6'4", 215lbs) and has been of the Chicago Blackhawks' more stable defensemen this season. Only some guy named Seth Jones averages more time on ice for Chicago this season, and Murphy's 130 hits would put him third on Columbus behind Kuraly and Peeke With the Blackhawks seemingly in a full-on rebuild, Murphy to the Blue Jackets should be something that both parties have an interest in. Murphy recently signed a four-year extension that has him under contract through the 2025-26 season at $4.4 million AAV.
-
Ben Chiarot: Chiarot was traded from Montreal to Florida at the deadline for the exact reason that the Blue Jackets may want to pursue him this summer: he brings an old-school, tough presence to a team that has plenty of scorers and wants to protect them. He'll be 31 in the spring and with the Panthers up against the cap, seems like a rental player for the team with Stanley Cup aspirations. Would Chiarot entertain the idea of joining the Blue Jackets second defensive pairing with a guy like Gavrikov?
(Also, he has "one-punch-drop" ability, as seen below.)
-
Erik Gudbranson: Pat Maroon is not a small guy. But look below and check out what the 6'5", 220+lb Gudbranson did to him. He's a third-pairing defensive player when it comes to sheer talent, but Gudbranson is certainly the type of player that would bring a needed, scary presence to the Blue Jackets.
Are these the only options? Not at all. (Honorable mention: Nikita Zadorov.) Kekalainen may look to improve the blue line (and the toughness) via trade, and those three unrestricted free agents are just a few of many who will hit the market this summer and could have interested in providing a physical presence for a young, up-and-coming team.
No matter who it is, there is no question that it has to be someone. This team is going to have too much going for it to get rolled over by a team that tries to bully their way into two points.
