Columbus has spent the first stretch of the season making noise in more ways than one, and the week’s Blue Jackets coverage reflected that across injuries, hot starts, and plenty of moving parts.
The injury list remains front and center. Dante Fabbro is still on injured reserve with an upper-body issue and has missed four games, after originally being expected to miss a month or more.
Ivan Provorov is also on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and has sat out four games; he was labeled week to week after blocking a shot in the final preseason game on September 26th, and this is the first time in his career he has missed time because of injury. Isac Lundestrom, meanwhile, is on long-term injured reserve after Achilles surgery over the summer.
He has already missed four games, is expected to be out for months, and is walking without a boot while continuing a lengthy rehab.
Even with those absences, the Blue Jackets have been taking control at the faceoff dot in a big way. Through four games, they’ve gone 136-232 in the circle, good for a 58.6% win rate.
That puts Columbus No. 1 in the NHL by 4%, and the gap between second and 17th in the league is 4.4%. The Boston Bruins’ 56.39% faceoff win rate in 2012-13 remains the NHL record.
There’s also been movement off the ice for a former Blue Jackets defenseman. Adam Boqvist, who spent more than three months as an unrestricted free agent, has signed a two-year deal with Geneve-Servette in Switzerland’s National League, according to the club.
Another former Blue Jackets blue-liner is making a very different kind of debut. Kevin Connauton, who recently retired after 16 professional seasons, including nine in the NHL, will work as a referee tonight in an ECHL game between the New Mexico Goatheads and the Idaho Steelheads in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
On the current roster, Damon Severson has pushed himself into the top 10 in Columbus history among defensemen in assists. After a two-assist night against Florida, he now has 65 as a Blue Jacket, moving past Ron Hainsey, who had 64. Ivan Provorov is ninth with 75, and if Severson keeps producing, he could close the gap before Provorov returns.
Zach Werenski also drew attention in a Wednesday radio interview, where he addressed both Rick Bowness and Mathieu Olivier. On Olivier’s play, Werenski said, "It was definitely a lapse in judgment there with the play he made."
He also spoke about the team’s need for more consistency: "Yeah, I think we have a lot of guys in there that really care. It's the consistency we have to get better at.
We're not getting enough from a lot of guys, myself included. Him challenging us is not a bad thing.
I feel like guys are going to come out ready to go this weekend. He (Bowness) should be watching; guys should feel like they have something to prove, because we haven't proved anything yet as a team."
That came after Bowness delivered a sharp public challenge. "You gotta believe that performance will embarrass them enough to stop this, right?"
Bowness said. "Because if they're not embarrassed by that, we don't want them on the team.
It's as simple as that."
There was also a note about Mathieu Olivier, with the view that he should not be suspended and that fans should not turn away from him. The broader case was that his long NHL track record includes 316 games, more than 500 penalty minutes, and a clean record, and that his frustration spilled over in a moment when the Jackets were getting beat, largely by Brady Tkachuk. The play was also framed as a reaction to Balinski being a bit too physical with him.
One story looked at Dmitri Voronkov as a possible trade candidate this season, with the discussion centering on his underwhelming results relative to the promise he showed as a power forward with a combative edge and soft hands. The Blue Jackets, according to the piece, have complained for years about his conditioning.
The game results from the week told the rest of the story. Columbus fell to Florida, with the Tkachuk brothers enjoying a huge night and the Panthers overwhelming the Blue Jackets, dropping the club to 2-3-0.
The Jackets then got a shutout from Jet Greaves against the Rangers, with Kent Johnson scoring the overtime winner to even the record at 3-3-0. But the offense went quiet again in a loss to Minnesota, where Cam Talbot turned in a strong outing and Columbus was held back by its lack of scoring, sending the team to 3-4-0.
The Blue Jackets now return home on Tuesday to welcome back Kirill Marchenko and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In Other News...
Zach Werenski's Future In Columbus May Hinge On One Thing
Zach Werenskis name is back in the rumor mill, even if the path to anything happening is far from simple. On the Spittin Chiclets podcast, Paul Bissonnette suggested the Blue Jackets could eventually explore moving their defenseman if the teams play does not pick up, a reminder of how quickly a struggling season can revive old trade chatter around one of Columbus cornerstone players.
Werenski has made it clear he wants to stay in Columbus and help the club get back to the playoffs, and his leverage is substantial. He also reportedly turned down a trade to Dallas in the offseason, and with a full no-trade clause in place, any future discussion would have to clear a major obstacle before it gets anywhere. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Face An Early Trade Decision That Could Shift The Lineup
With the Blue Jackets still sorting out how aggressively they want to push this season, Dmitri Voronkov has emerged as one of the more interesting names in their early trade conversations. Columbus is reportedly open to moving the forward, who has been a productive piece during his time with the club and remains the kind of player other teams would likely view as a useful addition.
Voronkov is in the final year of his contract, which gives the Blue Jackets a built-in decision point as they weigh short-term gains against the value of keeping him in the lineup. There is no deal on the verge of happening, but the fact that Columbus is even exploring whether he could be part of a trade package suggests the front office is at least considering a move that would bring immediate help back the other way. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Still Havent Been Tested The Way Fans Wanted
The Blue Jackets are only seven games into the season, but the bigger issue has been the lineup churn around them. At 3-4-0, Columbus has had to navigate the early schedule without two important defensemen, which has blurred the picture of what this group really looks like when it is whole. The absence of Ivan Provorov has been especially noticeable, pushing more responsibility onto others and forcing Zach Werenski and the rest of the blue line to soak up heavier minutes.
Dante Fabbros injury has added another layer to that uncertainty, leaving the Jackets without a steady defensive mix long enough to get a fair read on their start. Until the roster settles down and the back end can play together for more than a brief stretch, the early results will remain hard to judge. For a team trying to establish itself, the real test still feels like it is waiting off in the near future. [Read more 🡒]