As the 2024 season approaches, the Blue Jackets have a glaring hole on the right side of their defense. With only two right-hand shots (Damon Severson and Erik Gudbranson) slated to play in the NHL this season, David Jiricek needs to take the next step and prove he's worthy of a full-time job with the big club.
The sixth overall pick at the 2022 NHL Draft, Jiricek has spent the last two years mostly developing in the AHL. Which is completely fine - defensemen typically develop at wildly different paces. But, now is his opportunity to take command of his path.
This past season, he was eased into 43 games with the Blue Jackets, with mixed results. He wound up scoring 1 goal, 9 assists (10 points), while carrying a -4 rating. In 29 AHL games spent with the Cleveland Monsters, he went for 7-12-19; but had a concerning -16 rating. He was better in the playoffs, which is encouraging; but 11 games is a small sample size.
Clearly, there is still some work to do here. But, I feel like he's proven himself enough in the AHL. He'll be 21 this season, and as a top prospect, he should be playing in the NHL this year.
This season, David certainly doesn't have an NHL job guaranteed, but he needs to take a step and prove that he's ready. There are two full-time spots open on defense, and the need for a 7th man as well. With four players competing for jobs, there is definitely opportunity here.
We'll assume that Jack Johnson will get handed that 7th man spot. This means that Jiricek will have to compete with two left-hand shots - Jake Christiansen and newly-acquired Jordan Harris - for one of the last two NHL jobs. As the only right-hand shot, he has an advantage, but he stands out in a lot of other regards also.
At 6'3" and 210-or-so pounds, Jiricek is vastly bigger than both of the other options competing for jobs here. He's also a first-round draft pick, which gives him an edge whether the team will admit it or not.
Foot speed continues to be a concern, but it's something he's worked hard to correct; and under the proper tutelage, I don't think it will be exposed as much as it was last year. He should get much better coaching in the NHL this season.
Aside from that, he's a good all-around player, with just some rough edges to round out. Jiricek has the big shot, can lay the big hit, and be a transitional nightmare for opposing teams. If he shows out early on, he's easily the most talented defenseman on the right side of this defense corps, and could earn top pairing time alongside Zach Werenski.
One bold prediction: David Jiricek will establish himself as a top-4 defenseman for the Blue Jackets before Christmas.
This one is pretty bold, I'll admit it. But, Jiricek has shown flashes of brilliance, surrounded by stretches of inconsistency. Those mistakes will fix themselves if he's in better position to begin with, so I'm hedging this bet on the coaches improving the team's defensive zone coverage. If that happens, there's no reason Jiricek can't play 16+ minutes per night in the NHL.