The Columbus Blue Jackets have struggled to keep the puck out of their net, but, for the most part, scoring has not been an issue in recent games.
Mostly, this is due to a regression to the mean, coupled with consistent lines that have had time to gel. The Russian line of Dimitri Voronkov, Yegor Chinakhov, and Kirill Marchenko has proved valuable in a middle-six capacity. A third line with Kent Johnson, Emil Bemstrom, and Cole Sillinger has seen all three players, who have struggled at times to find a consistent role, flourish together. And in the wake of an injury to Boone Jenner, Adam Fantilli has been thrust into the 1C role, and has played his best hockey alongside Johnny Gaudreau, who is unsurprisingly excelling next to the rookie.
New lines for #CBJ:
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) January 3, 2024
Gaudreau - Fantilli - Roslovic
Texier - Danforth - Olivier
Looks like Johnson - Sillinger - Bemstrom, and the Russian line are intact. Although, Cameron Gaunce was a placeholder for Chinakhov, who missed practice, along w D Ivan Provorov, with an illness.
At practice on Wednesday, Pascal Vincent wisely opted to keep the second and third lines together. He demoted Justin Danforth, who filled in admirably but is clearly not a top-line player, on the fourth line, where he'll center Alexandre Texier and Mathieu Olivier (or Brendan Gaunce (not Cameron, above)), promoting Jack Roslovic, who has skated well since his recent return.
It begs the question: where does Patrik Laine, who is expected to miss another month, fit into this lineup?
My immediate instinct is that there's likely to be more lineup attrition by the time he returns. Jenner will have returned by then, and so too will Sean Kuraly, but it's certainly possible that injuries to other players will force the coaching staff to continue to juggle the lineup.
But let's play through this as though the lineup will be fully healthy.
I would be shocked if Vincent separated the Russian trio, who seem to have a chemistry that works best when all three are plugged in together. The same could be said for the third line, where Sillinger, Johnson, and Bemstrom all are playing with confidence that has been lacking in their game at times over this season (and last season). On the other hand, I think it would be difficult to argue that Bemstrom is an upgrade over Laine, even if chemistry can be fickle. Putting him on the fourth line seems like a non-starter, even though he's produced just 6-3-9 in 18 games.
So, what about the first line? It's always bewildered me that he and Gaudreau haven't worked well together, but the coaching staff has not tried a Laine-Fantilli-Gaudreau line for much time at all. Per NaturalStatTrick, the trio has only played 5:24 together at 5v5. Small sample size, obviously, but the line did out-chance, out-shoot, and out-score their opponents in this time.
Vincent said recently that he doesn't "think it's ideal to put (Fantilli) in a position like this", citing that he could be overwhelmed against opposing top players, who will surely be line-matched against Gaudreau (and Laine, theoretically). But if we've learned anything in December, it's that Fantilli, who is nearly a point-a-game player since the absence of Jenner and Laine, won't back down from the challenge.
I also have reason to believe that Fantilli is the exact type of play-driving, puck-winning forward that would benefit both Gaudreau and Laine. Fantilli's speed off the puck represents a challenge not presented by Jenner, and he has the confidence to hold onto pucks in a way that players like Sillinger and Danforth, both who have played alongside Gaudreau/Laine this year, do not.
Early returns on the Patrik Laine center experiment have been positive. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/00p0Ip6A0L
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) October 4, 2023
Of course, Roslovic may find a home on the top line alongside Fantilli and Gaudreau, which could further complicate things. On the other hand, it would be a good problem for the coaching staff to have to solve.
Ultimately, the slots for Laine are dwindling, as his play has underwhelmed. The optimist in me thinks he could rekindle his game by playing alongside the club's (arguably) two best offensive players. The pessimist in me says to relegate him to a third line in place of Bemstrom, and hope that Johnson and Sillinger can continue their development.
