Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau spoke to 97.1 FM The Fan's Rothman & Ice on Thursday about the team's coaching change, upcoming season, and more.
Following the resignation of Mike Babcock, Gaudreau said the team is in a good spot.
"It was pretty hectic for a week or so there," Gaudreau said. "And then we got past it, and as a team, I think [it] maybe brought us together as a bonding experience. Obviously, no one wants to go through that, but we tried to take the best out of it. And [I] like where our guys are at right now."
While he and the team endured a tough season on the ice in 2022-23, Gaudreau said he enjoyed his first year living in Columbus, adding that he got to know most of the players in the organization last season due to all the call-ups because of injuries.
"It [was] still a special year," Gaudreau said. "[I] love playing here. The fans are great to us all year long, and me and my wife loved our time in Columbus throughout the whole year."
Following a 74-point season in 2022-23 on the heels of a 115-point campaign in 2021-22, Gaudreau said he doesn't set a specific goal for how many points he wants to score, rather he wants to figure out what the team's identity is early on in the season and put them in a good spot in the standings.
"That's what I'm focused on most right now is trying to help these older guys in our locker room kind of bring our team together and get a winning atmosphere in our locker room," Gaudreau said. "And then, once we kind of set those ground [feet], I can try to start putting up more and more points. I know obviously a lot of people like point stuff but hopefully, I can get back to one of those seasons, 100-point seasons. It's a hard league to play in, but there's some pretty skilled players in our locker room and I'm playing with some pretty good players so it won't be a problem."
Gaudreau said he's motivated by his love for playing hockey, his love for the fans, and his family.
"I always have a lot of family here coming to games and watching," Gaudreau said. "My dad always says, 'Don't waste my time. If I'm gonna come watch you play, you better play hard,' and always gives me a hard time but they supported me my whole life. So when they come to watch me, I try to give back a little bit, have some good games. But, it's just the excitement, getting up in the morning. It's game day, go to the rink and see all the guys in the locker room and get excited and go through your meetings, get on the ice for morning skate like guys are right now. It's just a great time to be an athlete on the ice and around the rink and you're just excited."
So far this preseason, Gaudreau has been on a line with Patrik Laine at center and Kirill Marchenko on the right wing, and they've produced at a high level.
"Obviously I love playing with Patty," Gaudreau said. "I think he's been doing a great job filling that center role and it's a hard position to play. You gotta be so responsible in your own zone."
"And I'm sure he's used to having 40-goal seasons," Gaudreau continued. "And he's had a few of them and as a center, you're not the first guy jumping up in the play, and maybe it does take away a few of his goals. But, he's been working so hard in camp and throughout our games, and I just love seeing him there. He's done a great job, and he's done a good job in the face-off circle, too, winning draws. So I'm really happy to see how he's handled that situation and hopefully, it keeps getting better every single day. And if it's working for our team, it works for me."
When speaking about rookie and 2023 No. 3 overall pick Adam Fantilli, Gaudreau said he could become a top-line center pretty quickly.
"He's a fast player," Gaudreau said. "He's very skilled. He sees the ice really well. He's got a great shot. He's a strong kid too. So you put all those pieces together, it's hard not to be a top player in this league. Obviously, there's gonna be some learning experiences for him and whatnot. But he just keeps chipping away and getting better every single day. He's going to be just fine and [I] loved watching him slip down to three to us. I was excited there. You just hear so many great things about him as a person and as a player and he's going to help our team out a lot."
If the Blue Jackets are to be competitive this season, they'll need big contributions from their stars like Gaudreau.
