With the Cleveland Monsters being eliminated in the Division Finals last Sunday, now is a good time to talk about arguably their best player this season, Luca Del Bel Belluz.
Before the season started, hopes were high that Luca would be able to secure a spot with the Blue Jackets sometime during the season, if not right out of training camp.
Unfortunately, due to a combination of his individual performance and the NHL club's success and competitive direction, that never came to fruition and Del Bel Belluz ended the season back in Cleveland.
Despite another great year, including a career-high 58 points in 55 regular season games and another seven in nine playoff matches, the Blue Jackets needed grit and physicality rather than a playmaker, and the team opted for players like Brendan Gaunce and Zach Aston-Reese instead.
Del Bel Belluz did earn an extended call-up again this year, playing 13 games between November and December (plus another in April due to team injuries). However, Luca only managed one assist in these 14 games, with a -2 rating and an average of nine minutes of ice time.
While playing under ten minutes every night isn't exactly the glamorous opportunity you would hope for, it was enough time for Del Bel Belluz to be able to prove himself, but he wasn't able to do so.
He ranked in the bottom four of the team's forwards in shot attempt percent, expected goals percent, and expected goals for per 60 minutes, according to MoneyPuck. For a player scoring at above a point-per-game pace in the AHL, these results were disappointing.
He has shown maturity and growth in his defensive game over the past couple of seasons, as he allowed the least expected goals against per 60 minutes out of any Blue Jackets forward, and his defense has been solid with the Monsters as well.
And while that's a nice development that suggests he will be able to hold his own as a center in the NHL one day, he needs to make the jump offensively if he wants to hang with the Blue Jackets.
These questionable results have led to Del Bel Belluz being involved in trade rumors, as he would certainly be a pretty valuable asset if Columbus looks to land a big fish in a trade this offseason.
Although he has been a player that I've loved to watch on the Monsters over the past three years, it's hard to deny the value he can bring despite not having a clear role on the Blue Jackets at the moment.
Regardless, this next season will be a monumental one for the 22-year-old, as one solid NHL season could pave the way for a potential top-six role, but another year of question marks could cast doubt on his future in the organization.
Add us as a preferred source on Google