Blue Jackets preseason: Chinakhov stands out in loss to St. Louis Blues

After getting two goals by Yegor Chinakhov, the Blue Jackets allowed four unanswered goals in a 4-2 loss Thursday at the St. Louis Blues.

Chinakhov scored in the first and second period to give Columbus a 2-0 lead, but St. Louis stormed back to win on goals by Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Bortuzzo, Hugh McGing and Niko Mikkola.

Here’s what we learned Thursday about the Blue Jackets:

Chinakhov bolsters bid for NHL role in Blue Jackets roster battle

Cole Sillinger, Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko draw the most attention when the spotlight shines on the Blue Jackets’ best young forwards.

Don’t sleep on Chinakhov, whose two goals were a reminder that he’s also got a lot of potential as the 21^st overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft. Chinakhov, 21, finished with 14 points on seven goals and seven assists in 62 games as a rookie last season and is looking to break out even more in his second NHL spin.

First, he needs to earn a roster spot amid a crowded field of talented forwards. Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen says that all roster spots are earned, but the reality is some players must do more than others to make the cut.

Chinakhov is probably one of them. Sillinger is one of the Blue Jackets’ top four centers and Johnson (2021 fifth overall pick) has impressed in his first NHL training camp. That leaves Chinakhov to compete with Marchenko, Emil Bemstrom, Mathieu Olivier, Carson Meyer, Trey Fix-Wolansky, Liam Foudy and others vying to start with Columbus instead of the Cleveland Monsters.

Bemstrom, Mathieu, Fix-Wolanky and Foudy must clear waivers to be assigned to the Monsters. Chinakhov, Meyer and Marchenko do not, which could become a factor they can't set themselves apart before the final cut down.

Chinakhov took a stride in the right direction Thursday, netting his first two goals of the preseason against an NHL goalie.

The first put the Blue Jackets up 1-0 in the first period and was partly due to luck, changing direction after Chinakhov’s shot hit a Blues player in the slot. His second finished a breakaway in the second period, beating Thomas Greiss over the pad to the far side from close range.

Chinakhov’s biggest challenge as a rookie was converting scoring chances against NHL goalies. Both of his tallies against the Blues were against Greiss, who will split the net in St. Louis with Jordan Binnington.

That’s a good sign from Chinakhov, who has the raw talent to add offensive punch to a Blue Jackets lineup led by Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine.

Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth continues strong preseason

Another forward who gets overlooked a lot is Justin Danforth, the Blue Jackets’ speedy, skilled 30-year old forward who’s starting his second NHL season.

Danforth likely had a roster spot locked up after scoring 10 goals for the Blue Jackets last season in just 41 games. He’s playing and practicing like his job is at stake, which is exactly what Larsen wanted to see from the undersized spark plug coming off a long offseason.

Danforth almost scored his third goal of the preseason in just two games late in the second, but a review for offside wiped out what would’ve been a tying goal. After picking off an exit pass at the St. Louis blue line, Danforth walked down the slot and beat goalie Colten Ellis clean with a wrist shot that made it 3-3 before the Blues’ bench requested a coach’s challenge.

Unlike his first game, a two-goal, three-point effort Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Danforth didn’t play center this time. He skated at right wing on a line with Josh Dunne in the middle and prospect James Malatesta on the left. Danforth will likely get most of his time at right wing again, but Larsen has steadily gained trust in using him as a viable fill-in center.

Danforth may also get a look at playing the “bumper” spot for one of the power-play units in the Blue Jackets’ 1-3-1 setup, a spot where he thrived in European leagues before last season.

Who is Blue Jackets goalie Nolan Lalonde?

One of the best stories in this camp is Nolan Lalonde, an undrafted 18-year old goalie from the OHL’s Erie Otters. Lalonde didn’t hear his name called in this year’s draft, so he accepted an invitation to play for the Blue Jackets at the Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament prior to the start of camp.

That turned into an amateur tryout offer to start camp in Columbus, which led to a pair of impressive preseason outings this week.

After stopping 19 of 21 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss Sunday in Pittsburgh, including a sprawling pad save to nix a 2-on-0 for a pair of NHL forwards, Lalonde went 9 for 9 in St. Louis before handing the net over to Pavel Cajan. The Blue Jackets could sign Lalonde to an entry-level contract and then return him to Erie or they could simply release him from the ATO and put him back into the pond for the 2023 draft class.

The Jackets chose the second option with forward Egor Sokolov in 2019 and watched him get drafted in 2020 by the Ottawa Senators in the second round. Could Lalonde be another Sokolov situation?

Size and position are the biggest differences between the two. Sokolovg’s biggest challenge was skating, which he worked hard to improve. Lalonde’s biggest drawback is height, which can’t be improved through practice. He’s listed at 6-1, 185 pounds, which is on the small side for modern goalies.

The Blue Jackets already have a promising undersized netminder with Jet Greaves (6-0, 179), who’s slated to backup Daniil Tarasov in Cleveland and has also impressed. Either way, it will be interesting to follow Lalonde’s career and see how it pans out.

Denton Mateychuk, Luca Del Bel Belluz among first Blue Jackets cuts

Two of the Blue Jackets’ first three picks in this summer’s draft were assigned to their respective Canadian junior teams Thursday.

Denton Mateychuk, a puck-moving defenseman selected 12^th overall, was assigned to Moosejaw of the Western Hockey League and center Luca Del Bel Belluz (second round, No. 44 overall) was assigned to Mississauga of the Ontario Hockey League.

They were among nine players included in the Jackets’ first roster cutdown of a training camp that started with 68 players.

Defenseman Stanislav Svozil (2021, third round, No. 69) was assigned to Regina in the WHL, forward Martin Rysavy (2021, seventh round, No. 197) will join Mateychuk in Moose Jaw, forward Mikael Pyyhtia (2020, fourth round, No. 114) is heading back to TPS in Finland’s top league (Liiga) and forward Ben Boyd (2021, sixth round, No. 165) will head to Saint Mary’s University to play in Canada’s USports collegiate division.

Additional cuts included forwards Liam Hawel, Samuel Huo and Evan Vierling being released from their amateur tryout offers.

Last year, Sillinger went from the 12^th overall pick in 2021 straight to the NHL and kept his spot all season as the league’s youngest player. Mateychuk is also young for his draft year, turning 18 in July, and Del Bel Belluz won’t turn 19 until November.

Neither was expected to make the NHL roster, so their early removal isn’t an indication that either performed poorly. Each had impressive moments and will now look to have breakout years for their junior teams.

Svozil and Pyyhtia also impressed at times in scrimmages and during a victory Wednesday against the Buffalo Sabres.

Blue Jackets’ Chris Clark named GM for U.S. national team

The United States roster for the 2023 men’s world championship next May in Tampere, Finland will be led by Chris Clark, the Blue Jackets’ director of player personnel.

Clark, who’s also general manager of the Cleveland Monsters, was named Wednesday as USA Hockey’s GM for the 2023 worlds tournament, which will be held in the same arena where the Blue Jackets will face the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in November as part of the NHL’s “global” series.

Clark, a former NHL player, joined the Blue Jackets’ front office in 2011 and has steadily worked his way up the ranks to his current spot. He played for the U.S. at world championships in 2002 and 2007 and could now use this opportunity as a springboard into an NHL general manager role at some point – which Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito did in 2018 while serving as the Blue Jackets’ assistant GM.

Zito is one of nine NHL GMs who will assist Clark in his new role.

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Chinakhov leads Blue Jackets against St. Louis Blues