Win some, lose some.
In a nutshell, that was the preseason for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
They went 4-4-0.
For every young player that exceeded expectations (Denton Mateychuk), there was one who came up short (David Jiricek).
For every triumphant return from injury (Adam Fantilli, come on down), there was the inevitable-yet-still-demoralizing new injury (how long before we see Dmitri Voronkov again?).
For every top-line question answered (yes, Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko have great chemistry), a new one was asked (who will take Boone Jenner's spot on the top line while he's out with an injury?).
And so, with the regular season to begin Thursday in Minnesota, here we are: what moves will be made to finalize the opening night roster, where will those players slot into the lineup, and what are the ramifications of the late-preseason injury bug that bit the Blue Jackets hard?
Here's a look at where things stand as of early Saturday afternoon:
The Injury Bug:
Aside from the news that forward Justin Danforth would not be ready to start the season as a result of offseason surgery, the Blue Jackets were managing exceptionally well throughout camp and the preseason when it came to the injury bug.
But that changed quickly and suddenly over the final few days. First, it was announced that Gavin Brindley broke his finger and would miss between four and six weeks. Whether he was heading for Cleveland or staying in Columbus was unknown, but he was having a strong showing in the preseason and regardless of which club he was heading for, that's on hold.
Then Vornokov left Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on his first shift. He's since been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and all indications are that his injury is not a short-term one.
Friday's practice took a turn for the worse when captain Boone Jenner went awkwardly into the boards. He's still on the active roster as of Saturday morning, but according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Jenner is likely heading for injured reserve and will miss the start of the season.
Saturday's Roster Moves:
The picture began to get a bit clearer Saturday morning, when the club announced that seven players were being assigned to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL.
The #CBJ assigned seven players to Cleveland on Saturday morning:
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) October 5, 2024
Forwards: Luca Del Bel Belluz, Trey Fix-Wolansky, Hunter McKown, & Owen Sillinger.
Defensemen: Cole Clayton & Stanislav Svozil.
Goalie: Jet Greaves.
Most of those were expected, however with recent injuries to Dmitri Vornkov and Boone Jenner, it seemed that there was a chance one or two of those forwards (most likely Owen Sillinger) would start the season in Columbus on the fourth line. That no longer appears to be the case.
Things changed even more Saturday, when the club announced the signing of winger Kevin Labanc to a one-year deal. President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell said he was looking close at the market, and Labanc is the fruit of that labor.
Defensemen & Goaltenders:
A quick mention of the goaltending situation: with Greaves heading to Cleveland as expected, the Blue Jackets will start the season with Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov. No surprise there. Merzlikins had the better preseason, and Tarasov giving up seven goals in Friday night's preseason finale. It feels like Merzlikins will get the opening night nod.
On the blueline, here's what we know:
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Zach Werenski is on the top pairing with either Damon Severson or Ivan Provorov. It looked like it was Severson's spot, but a wrinkle was added Thursday night when head coach Dean Evason put Provorov on the right side and top pairing as opposed to his assumed spot of left side, second pairing.
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Whoever doesn't pair up with Werenski will be on the second pairing, where the candidates to join that player will be (and likely ebb and flow between) Erik Gudbranson, Jordan Harris, Jake Christiansen, and Jack Johnson.
That's seven defenseman for six spots, and that doesn't include the two best prospects on defense in the system: Jiricek and Mateychuk. They are the only two players mentioned here (and still part of the active roster as of Saturday morning) who do not need to clear waivers to head to Cleveland. Jiricek has struggled throughout the preseason, but Mateychuk has consistently been one of the best players (on either side of the puck) in every game he's played in. It will be an incredibly hard decision to make and not one based on merit alone, but unless the Blue Jackets make a surprising move, it seems like Jiricek and Mateychuk will be the top defensive pairing in Cleveland to start the 2024-25 campaign.
Forwards (For Now...)
Before the injuries, this was a relatively clean picture, with just a couple of decisions to be made. But with a spot opening up long-term with Voronkov's injury and another spot for an undetermined amount of time with Jenner's injury, there's a little bit of chaos for the organization to handle. Here's what we know:
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In alphabetical order, there are nine absolute locks for opening night are: Yegor Chinakhov, Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, Sean Kuraly, Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan, Mathieu Olivier, Cole Sillinger, and James van Riemsdyk. Pending any last-second, unexpected hiccups, Labanc will be ten.
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That leaves two spots for three players: Dylan Gambrell, James Malatesta, and Mikael Pyyhtia. Gambrell is signed to a two-way contract but would still need to clear waivers to be sent to Cleveland (one-way and two-way contracts have no bearing on whether a player needs to clear waivers or not), while Malatesta and Pyyhtia would not need to clear waivers to go to Cleveland. Gambrell is probably in the opening night lineup for that reason.
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It feels like Malatesta may be the "odd man out" in this situation, because the Blue Jackets played Pyyhtia in all but one preseason game. That's rare, and a sign that the club was liking what they were seeing out of him. He was the first goal-scorer in Friday's preseason finale, his second of the seven games. More than that, he's just looked solid throughout the entire camp. The signing of Labanc has ramifications here, too: it allows the club to give Malatesta (assuming it's him) a larger role in Cleveland to continue his development, rather than a limited role in Columbus.
So, what are the lineups opening night?
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Monahan and Marchenko are written in stone for the top line on opening night. Jenner was there too, but with it being unlikely he is ready to go to start the season, that's up for grabs. Johnson has been incredible throughout camp, so he may have the inside track to hold Jenner's spot to start.
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Fantilli will anchor the second line, likely flanked by van Riemsdyk to his left and Chinakhov on his right. Chinakhov seemed destined for the third line behind Voronkov, but, injuries.
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Sillinger centers the third line. Who plays around him? This seems like an ideal spot for Labanc, with either Gambrell or Pyythia playing the other side. If the Blue Jackets like Pyythia as much as they seem to, he may have the inside track to start.
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Process of elimination leaves us with Kuraly centering the fourth line, alongside Olivier and Gambrell/Pyythia.
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Combine that with the defensive pairings, and here's the best guess at Thursday's lineup:
Johnson Monahan Marchenko van Riemsdyk Fantilli Chinakhov Labanc Sillinger Pyythia Gambrell Kuraly Olivier Werenski - Severson Provorov - Gudbranson Harris - Johnson Merzlikins
