Blue Jackets need supporting cast to carry early success into regular season
Stunning the NHL by landing “Johnny Hockey” and re-signing Patrik Laine were great strides.
And while Johnny Gaudreau and Laine have juiced Blue Jackets’ ticket sales for this season, it’s going to take more than a dynamic duo for a roster “reset” that began in 2020-21 to yield a playoff return. The Jackets’ supporting cast also needs significant improvement.
“We can’t stay where we were at,” said coach Brad Larsen “And if guys don’t take that next step, then we go backward.”
Entering the Jackets’ preseason finale Saturday at the Washington Capitals, there were many encouraging signs.
Yegor Chinakhov, a second-year forward and the 21st overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft, led the league with five goals. His six points were tied for the team lead with second-year forward Justin Danforth (three goals, three assists) and defenseman Andrew Peeke (six assists), who’s going into his second full season.
Columbus has gotten impressive outings from goalies Elvis Merzlikins, the Jackets’ top net-minder, and Daniil Tarasov, the likely backup until Joonas Korpisalo returns from hip surgery. Jakub Voracek, who led Columbus with 62 points in 2021-22, scored three goals in his first three preseason games — half the number he netted in 79 games last season.
Should those successes carry into the regular season, combined with production from Gaudreau, Laine and others, the Blue Jackets will have a chance to surprise NHL analysts, who again are predicting gloom and doom for Columbus.
It won’t be easy in the Metropolitan Division, with the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals making offseason improvements, but internal growth can be a powerful force.
Columbus also got tougher by adding “bite” with defenseman Erik Gudbranson and forward Mathieu Olivier, a quality that has already shown up in the preseason.
Putting it all together for a legitimate playoff bid is next.
“Our division got harder,” Larsen said. “We signed Gaudreau, but if you look around our division, every team got better, and they’re growing from within also, so that’s what I’m talking about at the beginning of camp. The standard. We can’t drop lower than where we were at, so this has been a hard camp. I’ve been thrilled with how the guys prepared.”
Patrik Laine looks great for Blue Jackets despite feeling ‘horrible’
Another encouraging sign for the Blue Jackets is how Laine has played.
The 6-foot-5, 216-pound winger scored two goals, 11 shots and dominated play during a number of shifts in his first three preseason games while still getting used to linemate Gaudreau. Laine arrived leaner and stronger than recent seasons, showing bursts of speed that have overwhelmed defenders.
Imagine what he’ll look like when his legs recover from a taxing camp.
“It still feels kind of horrible, but guys are saying I look better, so I’ll take that,” Laine said. “I had a really good summer and it’s good to see it’s paying off, but it’s a long season.”
Clicking with Gaudreau is the main priority.
“I’m still trying to work some things out, and it’s the same for him,” Laine said. “He probably wants to know how I’m playing, and sometimes I don’t even know how I’m playing. But we talk a lot. We’ll talk about it on the bench, and that’s how we build chemistry and make a better play next time.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets need boost from Chinakhov and Danforth
