Now that it's September, hockey is officially in the air.
Training camp gets underway later this month and that's when we'll begin to get a more concrete idea of how things will look for the 2022-23 Columbus Blue Jackets. Below we ponder five of the early burning questions ahead of the new season.
1. Who Steps up?
We recently learned that Alexandre Texier will not be with the team this season. Prior to that news dropping, the Blue Jackets gave Emil Bemstrom a one-way, two-year contract extension and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen reiterated the confidence the organization has in Bemstrom now, and into the future.
GM Jarmo Kekalainen on Bemstrom and his new deal: "(Bemstrom) is young and still developing but we believe he has a lot of potential to become an important part of our organization over the next few seasons." #CBJ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) August 3, 2022
Dan Dukart wrote about the mix of players who are all roughly in the same boat as Bemstrom, trying to prove themselves and stand out among the crowded forward depth. Not to mention the mix of upcoming players and prospects that only makes things tougher going forward as guys look to gain a spot.
Then there's Thursday's news of the Jackets signing experienced NHL forward James Neal to a PTO.
#CBJ sign veteran forward James Neal to a PTO. https://t.co/ZC4OgyVhyK
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) September 1, 2022
With a plethora of players trying to prove themselves and seemingly few spots to win, the news that Texier won't be around will give players like Bemstrom, Liam Foudy, Trey-Fix Wolansky, and others a chance to earn their shot and make an impact on the roster because it's starting to feel like now or never for some of these players. Yegor Chinakhov is another player looking to break out a little more than he showed last season.
Do coaching and the right line combinations get that potential out of players in camp and the preseason?
With Bemstrom likely a lock for the opening night roster—because of the nature of a one-way contract—he might have little more security but he will need to perform.
2. Center Emergence?
The center spot is likely all but sealed up for the team and it appears that Boone Jenner will be the first-line center between Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine as Dan Greene projected.
Having superstars on either wing can certainly help Jenner, but what if the chemistry just doesn't mesh?
At the press conference introducing Gaudreau to Blue Jackets media and the public in July, head coach Brad Larsen wasn't ready to ruminate over line combinations centered around Gaudreau, or anyone for that matter.
"It's going to take time," Larsen said at 36:00 of the press conference. "Chemistry is a funny thing. What we put down on a piece of paper now, what we expect in camp, or what we think is going to work, sometimes it doesn't. For whatever reason.
"Sometimes the crazy combinations work out you don't even think about."
Could Cole Sillinger take a step and emerge as the top-line center this season?
Probably not right out of camp but him seeing time between both wingers could certainly make sense down the road and also help Sillinger's game. It's probably not likely right now as Sillinger has to prove he can play both ends on a nightly basis against the league's top centers.
What about Jack Roslovic?
His hot play in the second half of last season and in the final month of the season showed how enticing of a player he can be, and when higher in the lineup, as he continues to evolve his two-way game.
3. Did The Defense Improve?
The defense needs to take a step this season after allowing a franchise-high 297 goals last season. Aside from the signing of Erik Gudbranson, the unit will look largely the same.
Add a year of experience to everyone on the blue line and you know what you have in players like Zach Werenski. Andrew Peeke was one of two players—Gus Nyquist being the other—to play all 82 games last season. Aside from Gudbranson, Vladislav Gavrikov is the next most experienced defenseman behind Werenski as he enters his UFA year and has proven steady on the back end.
One name to keep an eye on is 2022 draftee David Jiricek. Could he force the Blue Jackets' hand, similar to Sillinger’s play during last year's training camp?
Jiricek served as Czechia's alternate captain during the just-completed World Juniors, registering four assists in seven games, as Czechia fell in the Bronze medal game.
4. What Can We Expect From Kent Johnson?
Kent Johnson is coming off a pretty good summer after scoring the golden goal to clinch gold for Canada in the World Juniors a few weeks ago.
Kent Johnson with the golden goal in overtime to give Canada GOLD at the 2022 men's world junior hockey championship
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) August 21, 2022
(: @TSN_Sports)pic.twitter.com/vyjOnvF0zU
Now he looks to showcase the flash and potential we’ve seen up to this point, and what made him last year's fifth overall pick, and do it over the full course of an 82-game NHL season.
When talking with The Athletic's Scott Wheeler recently, he answered questions regarding Johnson's positional fit in the NHL and what to expect this upcoming season.
"If they play him with the right linemates...if they play him at the top of the lineup...if they play him on the first power play, he’s going to have a good year," Wheeler said.
"I think (Johnson) is capable of playing with those kinds of linemates. He's not a guy who is built for playing in a third-line role. It does a disservice to a player like Johnson to be playing in 10-11 minutes a night.
"I tend to like players like him at center. Just because he gets more touches, he has a feel for the puck more often, but I fully expect that he's going to be an NHL winger.
"I just think because of how skinny he is, NHL coaches are going to see him walk into the locker room and say that's not the kind of player that we want scrapping and fighting and playing against 210-pound centers in the NHL.
"Most centers in the NHL nowadays are pretty thick guys. And that's just not (Johnson). He's always struggled to put on weight. He's a very sort of wiry guy. And I think that game lends itself to playing on the flanks, less defensive responsibility, that kind of thing. So I expect he’ll be a winger even if he's probably a slightly more productive player down the middle."
Dukart also touched on Johnson's ideal role in the lineup.
5. Is Elvis The Guy?
He will be, for better or worse. For the Blue Jackets, hopefully, better.
Elvis Merzlikins enters his fourth NHL season in Columbus and his second as the undisputed No. 1 in the net. He's also entering year two of his five-year extension signed prior to last season.
Elvis loves an encore.
— NHL (@NHL) August 29, 2022
How about this two-part save sequence from Elvis Merzlikins (@Merzly30) last January? pic.twitter.com/ffeZXDiU9J
We saw success mixed with struggles for the 28-year-old last season and the team looks for consistency this season.
When Larsen had Merzlikins start 12 of 13 games last April, it was to help him get used to shouldering a big load in short stretches. Just like the elite goalies in the Stanley Cup playoffs are doing. For April, he was 5-6-2 with a 2.55 GAA and .926 SV%, his best month since October when he was 4-1-0 with a 1.98 GAA and .939 SV%. He finished the season with a -6.52 GSAx.
Of course, it is hard to know how much of his struggles are tied to the porous defense he had in front of him, and both hope for improvement.
Joonas Korpisalo is back on a one-year deal after severe struggles in the crease before missing the rest of the season due to hip surgery, which likely contributed to his struggles.
Daniil Tarasov showed early promise in four games before he, too, missed the rest of the season due to hip surgery. Even if Korpisalo can return to form as a backup, we'll have to see if he's ready by opening night since his surgery took place towards the end of last season with an expected six-month recovery timetable.
In addition to his own recovery, Tarasov might be the future for Columbus in net, but he probably needs more time to season in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters.
