Fansided

After just two preseason games, a team identity for the Blue Jackets is becoming clearer

As surprising as this may be, the Columbus Blue Jackets still have two weeks of preseason work to complete and 47 players still at camp. Despite it still being early, the club has already shown clear signs of the type of game that head coach Dean Evason will have them play in 2024-2025.

By Mike Stump |
Feb 23, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Kent Johnson (91) avoids the check of Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) during the third period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
Feb 23, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Kent Johnson (91) avoids the check of Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) during the third period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images / Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
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So far this week, I have felt very blessed to live in Central Ohio. Why? For some reason, the NHL has decided to limit the live streams of preseason games on franchise websites to just the local geographical markets of the two clubs playing in that respective game. Meaning, I have been able to watch (or attend) both of the Jackets' two initial 2024-2025 NHL preseason games so far. Other members of the Union Blue team were not as lucky:

This decision makes no sense, but alas, what can we, as fans, do? Hopefully, we will see some movement on this as the Bally Sports bankruptcy proceedings move forward.

In the meantime, I had the chance to watch both games with intent and could observe some trends that the Jackets have shown so far this preseason. Let's discuss those observations.

Kent Johnson looks like a changed player.

Vancouver Canucks v Columbus Blue Jackets
Vancouver Canucks v Columbus Blue Jackets / Jason Mowry/GettyImages

Boy, did the CBJ community on X, formerly Twitter, have a ton to say about Kent Johnson after the St. Louis Blues game on the 24th.

KJ played on the top line with Sean Kuraly and Yegor Chinakhov that night and looked like a completely different player than we last saw him before his season-ending injury in 2023-2024. While I don't have his official measurements from camp weigh-in day just yet, he looks as if he added on some muscle over the offseason and was playing like he did.

He was around the puck in all three zones every shift and used his stick more effectively, both with the puck on and off of it, than I've seen him do so far in his career in the NHL. Kent is at his best when he utilizes his high-level stickhandling abilities effectively and creates for teammates. What I didn't expect, however, is him using his stick at an equally high level in the neutral zone and in the defensive end.

As we discussed in our coverage of the Jackets' open practice, Johnson continued to get time on the Penalty Kill during the Jackets' parade of penalties on Wednesday. As a unit, they posted a shutout while not allowing any goals on the PK, including when he was the only forward on the ice for the CBJ during an extended 5-on-3 man-advantage situation. KJ was involved in this work for the entire evening, and he impressed me with his engagement level.

If this is a preview of what we will be seeing of Kent Johnson for the rest of the 2024-2025 season, this could be the breakout year we've been waiting for from the former fifth overall pick.

Denton Mateychuk is legit.

Pittsburgh Penguins v Columbus Blue Jackets
Pittsburgh Penguins v Columbus Blue Jackets / Jason Mowry/GettyImages

We here at Union and Blue are big Denton Mateychuk fans, and Denton only reinforced that position during the game against St. Louis.

The former twelfth-overall pick showed out on Wednesday for the first time this season in front of a Nationwide Arena crowd as he scored a goal just seconds after ripping one off the post, both of which came off brilliant feeds from the aforementioned Kent Johnson.

Mateychuk has spent the last two seasons in the WHL honing his two-way game to the point where I doubt his slightly undersized frame will impact him at all at the NHL level, and he showed that against the Blues. Going up against NHL regulars like Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, Mateychuk was poised, calm, and effective in all three zones. He distributed the puck well, kept the puck to the end boards in the defensive zone, and was effective with his plays in the neutral zone.

He is a Defenseman who impacts all areas of the game. As members of the club have said over the last few training camps, he seems mature and experienced beyond what his age of twenty would suggest. He is a prospect those unaware of him before now should keep an eye on, and I feel that he has the highest upside of any prospect in the organization not named Adamo.

Dean Evason's changes to aggressiveness and D-Zone pressure are seeing good initial initial returns.

Columbus Blue Jackets Media Day Luncheon
Columbus Blue Jackets Media Day Luncheon / Jason Mowry/GettyImages

Per Natural Stat Trick, the Jackets expected goals against last night were around 2.50. Per MoneyPuck.com, the Jackets' average xGA in the 2023-2024 season was 3.53, which was second to last in the NHL (San Jose).

What I saw personally was that the CBJ did a much better job of eliminating shots from the slot and circles and instead kept much of the Blues' offensive possessions around the boards. When St. Louis attempted to bring the puck into high-danger zones, there was either a man in the way of the pass or a skater attempting to cover up the shooting lane with a shot block or screen of the shooter.

Dean Evason speaks much about his goals to see the team be tough to play against and play smartly and aggressively. As a casual observer, I see that his system looks to have a night and day difference from the one the Jackets have played under their two most recent head coaches.

I'm confident in saying at this point that we will most likely not see the CBJ among the bottom two teams in shots against in this upcoming campaign.

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