The Blue Jackets don’t look like a team building around one splashy addition. Don Waddell has gone the other direction, stockpiling depth around a young core and trusting that the support pieces will help the kids take over. That approach got another boost this summer when Columbus brought in Valeri Nichushkin from the Colorado Avalanche.
Nichushkin fits the mold Waddell has been chasing. He’s big, he can skate, he plays both ways, and he comes with term on his contract.
He also creates a real puzzle for how Columbus wants to arrange its forward group when the season opens. There are enough useful pieces here that the Jackets may have to get a little creative.
That’s not a bad thing.
The easiest place to start is at the top.
Assuming Adam Fantilli is signed and at training camp next week, he should center the first line. He’s the centerpiece of what Columbus is trying to build, and the Jackets are clearly counting on him to drive things from the middle.
Kirill Marchenko feels like the natural fit on one wing. Summer drama or not, the smart play is to keep him around as long as possible. If the team starts turning a corner and shows him he can win there, maybe that becomes enough to keep him in Columbus next summer.
On the other side, Nichushkin makes a lot of sense. His speed, size, skill and experience could be exactly what Fantilli and Marchenko need beside them. It’s the cleanest-looking trio on the roster.
There’s one other line that feels locked in for opening night: the returning identity line. Cole Sillinger and Charlie Coyle both signed new contracts over the summer, and they’ll be back with Mathieu Olivier. That group gives the Blue Jackets a hard, dependable line that can handle pretty much anything.
After that, things get less defined.
It’s entirely possible Columbus opens the season without a clear second line at all. If Fantilli doesn’t take a massive leap right away, the first line may not even look like a classic first line. The more likely plan is to spread offense around and lean into committee scoring.
The names are there. With Isac Lundestrom starting the year on IR, Sean Monahan, Kent Johnson, Conor Garland, Miles Wood, Dmitri Voronkov, Luca Del Bel Belluz, Ryan Lomberg and Danton Heinen are all in the mix for the other two lines.
One way to think about it: if the Blue Jackets want to maximize Del Bel Belluz, he probably belongs on a line that can actually score. A Garland-Johnson-Del Bel Belluz group would give him that chance, while the Coyle line and a Monahan line could help cover for them.
Monahan could then be paired with two of Voronkov, Wood, Heinen or Lomberg, depending on the matchup. That kind of setup has the feel of a strong two-way line, no matter which combination gets the nod on a given night.
So there may not be a true second line here. And there may not be a true fourth line, either. Columbus looks more like a team that can roll its forwards in a bunch of different ways, with perhaps a slightly softer touch for the Del Bel Belluz line by giving them more offensive-zone starts.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Give Fans A Meaningful Way To Help And Get Rewarded
As the Blue Jackets get ready for the fall calendar to turn, they are once again turning Nationwide Arena into a place where fans can do more than just check a sports box off their list. The clubs annual September blood drive with the American Red Cross is set for Sept. 10 at the arena, offering a simple way for supporters in the region to help meet a national need while spending part of a day inside one of Columbus most familiar sports buildings.
There is a little added incentive this month, too, beyond the good feeling that comes with donating. Fans who give blood in September can qualify for special ticket offers and prize entries, and there are additional rewards available for donations made by Sept. 20. The Red Cross will have its usual safety protocols in place, including mask requirements and a recommendation that donors make appointments in advance, which should help keep the process smooth for anyone planning to stop by. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Fans Will Recognize More No. 23 Names Than Expected
Jersey No. 23 has had an unusually busy life in Columbus, cycling through a long list of Blue Jackets over the years as the franchise sorted through early roster-building, depth moves and short-term fits. The number has been around since 2000, and the collection of names attached to it tells a tidy little history of the team itself, with players from different eras and roles each leaving a brief mark before moving on.
Among the more familiar faces are Kevin Dahl, Nikolai Selivanov, Derrick Walser, Dick Trnstrm and Milan Jurina, along with a few others whose Columbus stops were smaller but still part of the teams evolving identity. For fans, it is the kind of jersey-number trip down memory lane that can surface a few pleasant surprises, and it also hints at how often this particular number has been passed along before the next name arrives. [Read more 🡒]