The Columbus Blue Jackets have hit the reset button midseason - and with it, the trajectory of several key players is already shifting. The firing of Dean Evason and the arrival of veteran bench boss Rick Bowness has brought a new tone to the room, and perhaps no player embodies that shift more than Dmitri Voronkov.
Now in his third full season in North America, Voronkov - affectionately dubbed “Big Boss” - is starting to get a clearer picture of what it takes to be more than just a contributor in the NHL. He’s learning what it means to be a difference-maker.
Let’s be clear: Voronkov hasn’t been a disappointment. Quite the opposite.
Since crossing the pond, he’s racked up 41 goals and 81 points in 148 games - a solid return for a fourth-round pick from the 2019 draft. He’s brought size, skill, and a steady two-way presence to a lineup that has needed all three.
But for a guy who stands 6-foot-5 and tips the scales around 235 pounds, there’s always going to be a bit more expected. That nickname - Big Boss - doesn’t just come from his frame. It carries the weight of potential, of dominance that goes beyond the box score.
And that’s where the intrigue lies. Because while Voronkov has shown flashes of physicality - the odd post-whistle scrum, the occasional fight (and when he does drop the gloves, it’s usually not pretty for the other guy) - that punishing, game-changing presence hasn’t been a consistent part of his toolkit. Not yet.
Instead, what Columbus has gotten is a reliable, versatile forward who can slot up and down the lineup, chip in secondary scoring, and play responsibly without the puck. That’s valuable.
But if the Blue Jackets want to take the next step - not just competing, but contending - they need more than consistency. They need impact.
And that’s where Rick Bowness comes in.
Bowness’ Blueprint: More Than Just Minutes
One of Bowness’ first challenges since taking over has been to unlock more from Voronkov. That process hasn’t been linear.
In the first two games under the new coach, Voronkov’s ice time hovered around his usual 14 minutes. But then came a shift. Against the Dallas Stars last Thursday, he was bumped down to the fourth line and logged just 6:43 of ice time - a season low.
That might sound like a demotion, and in some ways it was. But this wasn’t a case of a player being buried.
Bowness has been deliberate in his approach - continuing to give Voronkov power-play reps and keeping communication open behind the scenes. He hasn’t shut the door; he’s cracked it open and challenged the big man to walk through.
And on Saturday night, Voronkov responded.
He looked like a different player - more physical, more engaged, more assertive. He threw a season-high five hits, registered three shots on goal, and capped it off with a breakaway goal that started with a heads-up takeaway at the Tampa Bay blue line.
It was the kind of sequence that makes you sit up and say, “There it is. That’s the guy.”
Why This Matters - For Voronkov and the Jackets
This is exactly the kind of response Bowness was looking for. The Blue Jackets didn’t make a coaching change just to shake things up - they made it because development had stalled. Young talents like Voronkov, Adam Fantilli, and Kent Johnson weren’t taking the next step, and in today’s NHL, internal growth is everything.
Evason did admirable work last season, nearly dragging the team into the playoffs despite a mountain of adversity. But this year, the results weren’t there - not in the standings, and more importantly, not in the individual progress of the players who are supposed to form the core of the franchise.
That’s why Bowness is here. He’s not just managing games - he’s molding players. And getting Voronkov to elevate his game is a critical part of that mission.
If Saturday’s performance is a sign of what’s to come, then Columbus might be on the verge of unlocking something special. Because when a player with Voronkov’s size, skill, and hockey IQ starts playing with that kind of fire? That’s not just a useful piece - that’s a game-changer.
The Blue Jackets are still a work in progress. But if “Big Boss” is ready to start living up to the name, then the rest of the league might want to take notice.