The Columbus Blue Jackets begin their 25th season this Thursday in Nashville.
Last season brought many challenges with the loss of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, who were killed by an accused drunk driver in New Jersey, before the season started. The Blue Jackets rallied to come within two points of getting to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. What's going to happen this year?
WOSU’s Debbie Holmes spoke with Aaron Portzline, senior writer for the Athletic NHL in Columbus.
Debbie Holmes: Who are you looking at to lead the team this year?
Aaron Portzline: Well, that's a great question. I think there are several candidates. The first name that comes to mind has to be Zach Werenski who had just an incredible season last year (and) was second in the (James) Norris (Memorial) Trophy voting for the best defenseman in the league. That's quite an honor. Sean Monahan jumps to mind, their first line center, who was such an inspirational figure, a very talented player, and they've got a bevy of young stars. Kirill Marchenko had 31 goals last year. He's only 24 years old. Adam Fantilli had 31 goals last year, he's just 20 years old. So, this is a very young team with a lot of young talent and a lot of really solid veteran players that they can lean on and do lean on.
Debbie Holmes: What about the goaltending position? Where do we stand with that?
Aaron Portzline: Yeah, so there's a new name to keep in mind here, Jet Greaves, a great first name Jet. You don't find too many Jets in the hockey world. He came up last season at the end of the season, became their guy for the last two weeks when they when they made a huge push, won six in a row, almost made the playoffs. He's been up for the last couple of years sporadically. He's a full-time NHL player now and is given by many a really good chance to unseat Elvis Merzlikins as the starting goaltender. I think it's probably safe to assume right now they're going to share the net, but if one of them emerges, that's the player that will be leaned on more by head coach Dean Evason. And it very well could be Jet Greaves who really provides the biggest challenge for Elvis Merzlikins that he's had in at least three years.
Debbie Holmes: What are some of the challenges overall for the team?
Aaron Portzline: Well I think we feel pretty confident in watching the team that they're going to be able to score. They finished tied for seventh in the league in goals last year scoring more than they've ever scored in the season before. And again, some of those young players you assume are only going to get better. The challenge is defending and can they keep the puck out of their net. As many as they scored last year, they gave up. They were exactly even, 267 goals scored, 267 against. That second number has to come down if they're going to be a threat, not just to make the playoffs, but to do something in the playoffs.
Debbie Holmes: Last year, the emotional charge of losing Johnny Gaudreau seemed to spur the team on. How are they doing now?
Aaron Portzline: The Gaudreau legacy is still very much with them. Johnny's sweater, number 13, still hangs in the dressing room. It's still right there in plain sight. There are still players that, whenever they do interviews on camera, will drift over nearby so that that name, that number, that jersey continues to be put out there as a memory of this great player and their great teammate. There has not been the pall over this training camp certainly that there was last year. There are a lot of guys who just had sort of a foggy look about them last year. It was grief. It was overwhelming grief for many players. For a lot of guys, I mentioned how young this team is. For a lot of guys, it was their first experience losing somebody close to them. Certainly, he is still in their memories. His widow, Meredith, is still around, still very much a part of the team.
Debbie Holmes: Who do you think will be the toughest competitors for the CBJ?
Aaron Portzline: Yeah, that's a great question. They're in a division, the Metropolitan Division, that is pretty hard to predict. I think most people would assume that Carolina is the class of the division. They've made the playoffs, I believe seven years in a row now.
Debbie Holmes: Why do you believe the franchise has struggled to consistently win during its quarter century of existence?
Aaron Portzline: In the early years, they had draft picks that did not pan out. They had leadership issues. They did not build the team the right way.
Debbie Holmes: Any prediction about the playoffs then?
Aaron Portzline: I'm not a betting type, Debbie, but I would say that if I were, that this team does qualify, does make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
The Columbus Blue Jackets play their first home game on Oct. 13 at Nationwide Arena at 7 p.m. against the New Jersey Devils.
