The team here at Union and Blue has not kept quiet about our admiration for Cleveland Monsters defenseman Guillaume Richard as a defensive prospect since the Columbus Blue Jackets signed him to his entry-level contract (to our great surprise and joy) on March 31 this past year.
But now, with a pivotal two games coming at home that will decide the fate of the CBJ’s postseason hopes, with the 3rd-pairing left-shot defenseman role next to Erik Gudbranson seemingly in flux, I think it’s time that one of our favorite prospects here at U&B gets his NHL shot in a pivotal moment for his hockey club.
In the past several games, the two claimants for the third-pairing LHD spot on the depth chart-Egor Zamula and Jake Christiansen-have seemingly not impressed Head Coach Rick Bowness enough to warrant either man locking it down. Zamula played just over ten minutes against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night, while Christiansen, despite receiving the team’s donkey hat for player of the game from his best friend Jet Greaves, played in just over four minutes and only had seven shifts during the entire game.
Regardless of whether we, as fans, feel that short shifts and brief playing time are justified by their recent play, the fact remains that the decision to set the lineup is Rick Bowness's, with the players given to him by General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Don Waddell. If I were Don Waddell, I would hear the message loud and clear, and my first thought would be to consider the possible call-ups to supplement the Blue Jackets’ lineup during this critical two-game stretch.
In my opinion, there’s a name that would shoot to the top of the list immediately for reinforcements for the Union Blue defensive corps: Richard.
Richard has been nothing short of stellar in his rookie season in the American Hockey League for AHL affiliate Cleveland. As soon as he stepped “on campus” in Cleveland, Guillaume almost immediately took over the first-pairing LHD role from a regretfully fading Stanislav Svozil, and really hasn’t given it up from Head Coach Trent Voglehuber since.
The former four-year Providence Friar has rewarded his faith since, posting an impressive 7-11-18 line in 67 games with a +21 rating this season, the third highest among AHL Rookie Defensemen, which is also a team high for the playoff-bound Monsters.
Richard will likely never be a Zach Werenski-type scoring machine on the blueline. He is an intensely intelligent, mostly defensive-first LHD that uses his above-average frame and sneaky-good skating ability to almost always be in the right place at the right time. He distributes well, positions effectively on both ends, and has strong leadership despite his young age of 23.
He’s exactly the kind of player I think Rick Bowness would love to deploy. It’s time to give him a shot.