- The Blue Jackets have made a very deep preliminary list of candidates for their vacant GM position. In the latest TSN Insider Trading segment, Pierre LeBrun indicated that the team has between 30 and 40 candidates on their initial list and more could be added depending on how things go early in the playoffs. Columbus has been without a GM since Jarmo Kekalainen was fired five weeks ago with John Davidson serving in an interim capacity since then.
Blue Jackets Rumors
Blue Jackets Recall David Jiricek
4:16 p.m.: Columbus has recalled Jiříček under emergency conditions, per a team release. The move does not count toward their three remaining post-trade deadline standard recalls.
3:26 p.m.: The Blue Jackets plan to recall top defense prospect David Jiříček from AHL Cleveland, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. The move is in response to an injury plaguing top blue-liner Zach Werenski, who Portzline reports was absent from practice on Thursday. Head coach Pascal Vincent said he’s “hopeful” Werenski will be available for Friday’s game against the Avalanche after blocking a shot late in Columbus’ prior game against Detroit, but the team is still waiting on the results of his evaluation (via the team’s Jeff Svoboda).
Jiříček, the sixth overall pick of the 2022 draft, has been buried on the depth chart this season and has even been the subject of a few trade rumors. The 20-year-old had a banner year in 2022-23 as one of the best rookie defensemen in the AHL, earning an All-Star Game nod while also taking home the silver medal, Best Defenseman, and All-Star Team honors at the World Junior Championship with Czechia. He logged his first four NHL games as well but was held without a point in two early-season and two late-season showings. Regardless, most expected him to crack the Blue Jackets out of camp this season, but he ended up as one of their last cuts and started out the campaign in Cleveland.
With continued strong play, Jiříček has forced his way back into the majors multiple times this season with injuries plaguing Columbus’ blue line. His usage has been controversially minimal, averaging 14:47 per game, limiting him to a goal and nine points in 36 contests despite boasting a passable 48.1 CF% at even strength on a defensively challenged team. He’s since been passed over for multiple recalls, with Vincent recently saying the organization preferred to keep him playing heavy, important minutes with Cleveland down the stretch. As such, Jiříček hasn’t played an NHL game in over two months, last suiting up on Jan. 9.
He’s still been quite strong in the minors, boasting seven goals and 17 points in 24 games, although a -15 rating in such a short span is somewhat concerning – it’s already the worst on the team. Cleveland’s other major offensive threat on the blue line, Jake Christiansen, has 40 points in 54 games with a +8 rating. Christiansen was a recent emergency call-up to Columbus with Adam Boqvist sidelined due to an upper-body injury.
Still, Jiříček remains undoubtedly the organization’s best and brightest defense prospect. The right-shot blue-liner would also even out Columbus’ current shot discrepancy, allowing Jake Bean to move back to his natural left side against Colorado if Werenski is absent.
Rick Nash Named GM Of Canada’s World Championship Roster
Team Canada has announced that former Rocket Richard winner Rick Nash will serve as the team’s general manager at the World Championship (Twitter link). Nash served as an assistant general manager on Canada’s 2022 World Championship roster that would go on to earn a silver medal.
This will be Nash’s first foray into general managing, though he’s been in the Columbus Blue Jackets front office since the 2019-20 season – serving as a special assistant to the general manager for two years before taking on the Director of Player Development title that he holds today.
Nash, 39, is pursuing a managerial career after a very successful 15 years in the NHL. He was one of the league’s most potent goal-scorers through the mid-2000’s, managing three different 40-goal seasons between 2003 and 2015. Nash remains Columbus’ franchise leader in goals (289), assists (258), and points (547) – carrying a 145-point lead over Cam Atkinson in second place. He has achieved plenty on the top stage, including winning the Rocket Richard for his 41-goal season in 2003-04, winning two Olympic gold medals, and even winning a championship and MVP title in Switzerland’s National League during the 2004-05 lockout.
Nash has also been highly acclaimed at the World Championship, winning a gold medal and MVP award at the 2007 World Championship and serving as Team Canada’s captain in 2011, his last appearance at the tourney. He’ll now return 13 years later, as Canada looks to build on their gold medal win last season.
Vincent: Blue Jackets Prioritizing Giving Jiricek Big Minutes In AHL Over Recalling Him
- With the Blue Jackets playing out the stretch and their back end being a bit thinned out due to injuries and the Andrew Peeke trade, the fact they haven’t recalled David Jiricek has been a surprise to some. Head coach Pascal Vincent told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link) that they’re prioritizing him playing big minutes with AHL Cleveland, a team that has been hit hard as of late due to recalls. Jiricek has played in 36 NHL games this season; he’d accrue a season toward UFA eligibility if he gets to 40. Speculatively, that could be playing a role in them holding him down there as well.
Blue Jackets Recall Jake Christiansen On Emergency Basis
The Blue Jackets summoned defenseman Jake Christiansen on an emergency basis from AHL Cleveland on Friday, per a team release. The recall is on response to an injury blue-liner Adam Boqvist sustained in last night’s 3-2 loss to the Senators, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
Christiansen is expected to draw into the lineup for the fourth time this season when Columbus faces the Sharks on Saturday. The Blue Jackets were only carrying six defensemen on the NHL roster after dealing Andrew Peeke to the Bruins at last week’s trade deadline, so they’re eligible to use an emergency recall to ensure they have six healthy defenders for their next game. As such, Christiansen does not count toward Columbus’ four post-deadline standard recalls, of which they’ve already used one.
Boqvist is still being evaluated for an upper-body injury. The Blue Jackets have not issued a timeline for his return to the lineup.
The 24-year-old Vancouver native is in his fourth season with the Blue Jackets organization after signing as an undrafted free agent in March 2020. The former Everett Silvertips star has consistently put up solid offensive numbers in the minors, solidifying a top-four role in Cleveland but never earning a spot on Columbus’ opening night rosters over the years. He signed a one-year, two-way extension ($775K NHL/$275K AHL/$350K gt’d) to remain with the Jackets before his entry-level deal expired last summer.
After leading all AHL defensemen in goals two seasons ago, Christiansen is now on pace for career-highs across the board with 13 goals, 27 assists and 40 points in 54 minor-league games this season. His +8 rating leads Monsters defenders, his 40 points are second on the team, and only Colorado’s Brad Hunt and Manitoba’s Kyle Capobianco have more points among defenders league-wide.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t shown the ability to replicate that success in the majors. He’s suited up for 35 NHL games since his debut in 2022, three of which came this season, logging one goal and five assists with a -5 rating while averaging 14:02 per game. His possession numbers have been middling in a sheltered offensive role, posting a career 43.9 CF% at even strength, suggesting he’s not ready to take on more minutes, either.
He remains an intriguing call-up option for Columbus, though, who are still getting bang for their buck based on his minor-league contributions. If they opt to issue him a qualifying offer, Christiansen will be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer.
Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Mikael Pyyhtia
Now with six regular forwards due to injury, the Columbus Blue Jackets have had to grab multiple players from their AHL affiliate to fill in the gaps on their roster. Continuing with this theme, the Blue Jackets have recalled forward Mikael Pyyhtia from their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, on an emergency loan.
There should be some excitement building in Columbus for Pyyhtia, who has now become the sixth-leading scorer on a very solid Monsters team in his first full season of professional hockey in North America. After being selected by the Blue Jackets with the 114th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Pyyhtia spent the last two seasons in his native Finland to play for TPS of the Finnish Liiga.
In those last two years spent with TPS, Pyyhtia became one of the better offensive players throughout the league. In his 103 regular season games in the Liiga since being drafted by Columbus, Pyyhtia scored a total of 28 goals and 55 points; which is notably solid production from a player in his early 20s.
Now having fully transitioned to North American hockey, Pyyhtia has scored seven goals and 27 points already this season. Helping lead Cleveland to a 34-18-3-3 start in their first 58 games, there is every reason to believe that Pyyhtia will suit up in the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time this year.
Sean Kuraly Out Week-To-Week
Absent from the team’s practice this morning, the Columbus Blue Jackets will not be expecting back Sean Kuraly any time soon. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that Kuraly is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
It is more of the same for Kuraly, who has seemingly dealt with multiple injuries during his tenure in Columbus. Since signing a four-year, $10MM contract with the Blue Jackets back in 2021, Kuraly has suited up in 205 games for Columbus, missing 11% of the time with injury.
When healthy, Kuraly has been good for double-digit totals in both goals and assists, which has provided the Blue Jackets with solid bottom-six scoring. Unfortunately, Columbus has not gotten the most out of their top six over the last two years, as the Blue Jackets have only averaged 2.89 goals per game over the last three years.
Even though Kuraly is rather mediocre in the faceoff dot, he does bring solid defensive awareness to the table, regularly collecting more takeaways than giveaways throughout his career. Furthermore, Kuraly is far and away the most physical player on Columbus’ roster, as he’s led the team in hits in each year he has suited up for the Blue Jackets.
With Kuraly now out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, it will be an opportunity for veteran forward Brendan Gaunce to receive more playing time at the NHL level. In nine games for the Blue Jackets already this season, Gaunce has scored one goal and three points overall, averaging over 10 minutes of ice time per night.
Blue Jackets Recall Brendan Gaunce On Emergency Loan
11:00 AM: Kirill Marchenko is under the weather, and may not be ready for the team’s Tuesday matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, per Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispact (Twitter Link). Gaunce will fill-in for Marchenko if he can’t go, while Meyer fills in for Danforth.
10:00 AM: The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled forward Brendan Gaunce from the AHL under emergency conditions. This move comes after Columbus played without Justin Danforth on Saturday, losing the forward to what was initially believed to be an illness but has now been revealed as a concussion.
Gaunce will provide additional depth to a Blue Jackets club marred by injuries, with promising youngsters Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson both missing extended time, while top winger Patrik Laine is away from the team for personal reasons. Gaunce is in his third season with the Columbus organization and has already appeared in eight NHL games this season, recording one goal and three points. Much of his remaining year has come with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, where he ranks second in scoring with 19 goals and 39 points in 46 games. Gaunce is once again serving as a routine injury fill-in – sticking to the role he carved out early in his career. The former first-round pick has totaled just 161 NHL games since making his debut in the 2015-16 season, scoring 27 points. He’s also managed 343 career AHL games, netting 233 points.
Gaunce will join Carson Meyer in the Blue Jackets’ extras room. Meyer was recalled on Sunday and is expected to fill in for Danforth on Tuesday. He has served in a largely similar role to Gaunce, serving as a de facto call-up for Columbus over the last three seasons – although Meyer has yet to play in the NHL this year, instead totaling 22 goals and 37 points in 55 AHL games. He appeared in 14 NHL games last year, netting just one assist and bringing his career totals up to 27 NHL games and four points. The 26-year-old made his debut with the Cleveland Monsters in 2020-21, after four seasons in the NCAA. He and Gaunce will likely rotate in with each other, as Columbus looks to address their long list of missing forwards.
Concussion For Danforth, Out Longer Than Day-To-Day
- Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth is dealing with a concussion and will be out longer than day-to-day, team reporter Jeff Svoboda relays (Twitter link). The 30-year-old missed Saturday’s game against Nashville with what was called an illness at the time. Danforth is in the middle of a career year, notching 10 goals and 11 assists through 63 games so far. Danforth inked a one-year, $1.1MM contract extension back in October meaning he won’t be eligible for unrestricted free agency until the 2025 offseason.
Blue Jackets Recall Carson Meyer Under Emergency Conditions
The Blue Jackets summoned forward Carson Meyer from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on an emergency loan Sunday, per a team release. As such, his recall does not count toward Columbus’ four permitted post-deadline recalls.
Justin Danforth’s illness-related absence forced Columbus to play a skater short against the Predators yesterday in a 2-1 loss. Despite the roster limit no longer being in place and having ample cap space, the Blue Jackets have opted to carry a trim roster and leave as many players with their AHL club as possible as they approach the postseason.
Meyer, 26, will slot into the lineup on Tuesday against the Canadiens if Danforth isn’t ready to return, which seems likely given they’ve recalled him multiple days in advance of the contest. It’s his first recall of the season after being waived and assigned to Cleveland during training camp.
A 2017 sixth-round pick of the Blue Jackets, the Ohio native is in his fourth season of pro hockey after two seasons with Miami University and two more with Ohio State. He’s second on the Monsters in goals, scoring 22 times and adding 15 assists for 37 points in 55 games with a -1 rating. He has a goal and four points in 27 NHL games since debuting in the 2021-22 campaign.
Meyer’s possession numbers have been okay in his major-league time, recording a 49.2 CF% and a 42.0 xGF% in his limited even-strength minutes. He’s been used exclusively in a fourth-line role, averaging nine minutes per game throughout his NHL action.
Columbus signed Meyer to a third straight one-year deal last summer, paying him $775K in the NHL and $190K in the minors with a $210K guarantee. He’ll remain under team control this summer as an RFA with arbitration rights.