The Blue Jackets' annual public open practice and scrimmage went well for an organization in transition
Whether they were ready for it or not, the Blue Jackets were confronted by the beginning of the hockey season. Training camp is well underway, and the annual public open practice has come and gone once more. Here are some of my observations from it.
On a bright Sunday morning and early afternoon, Columbus Blue Jackets supporters came out in the hundreds, if not thousands, to support the franchise as it moves through what has likely been the most challenging summer in the club's history.
Columbus, Ohio is a hockey town.
After a precious few weeks since losing star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, the Jackets invited the general public to their annual open-house team scrimmage on Sunday, which marked the return to on-ice activities for the Jackets in front of their hometown large crowds. I was among them, and this wasn't my first time attending one of the Jackets' open houses, but this one was different from the start.
I saw several Johnny Gaudreau jerseys and overheard a few fans talking about how it was surreal not to see Johnny Hockey running the top power play line, with his spot now occupied by Kent Johnson. Johnny's absence lingers over the club and will for a long time to come. Still, Jackets supporters gathered regardless to honor Johnny and Matthew's memories and support the club in the best way possible: by cheering the club on.
The morning began with powerplay and penalty kill drills for the first hour with many of the NHL club regulars; it was the first real-time the public had seen faces like Sean Monahan and James van Riemsdyk. The powerplay units mainly were expected, with Mark Scheig (The Hockey Writers) putting them succinctly:
Unit breakdown
— Mark Scheig (@mark_scheig) September 22, 2024
1- Point: Werenski
Left wall: Chinakhov
Bumper: Monahan
Right wall: Johnson
Net front: Jenner
2- Point: Severson/Provorov
Left wall: Marchenko
Bumper: JVR/Sillinger
Right wall: Fantilli
Net front: Voronkov #CBJ https://t.co/gf0emQZJ6M
Seeing Yegor Chinakhov on the top line instead of Kirill Marchenko speaks much to the growth and maturity of his game that we saw over the tail end of the 2023-2024 season. With some of the work Yegor did over the summer in the Russian Media Hockey League skating with friend and teammate Dima Voronkov, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if the top line on opening night looks like Boone Jenner—Sean Monahan—Yegor Chinakhov.
I was surprised that Johnson got some time in the top penalty kill unit with Jenner, Chinakhov, and Zach Werenski. The three latter players all saw time on the PK last year, but to my knowledge, KJ did not. I doubt we'll see a three-forward look on the five-on-four PK, but it's good to see KJ trying to flesh out his game. He looked more immense, confident, and faster than I remember him being last season. Time will tell if this will be his breakout season after a rough sophomore campaign.
There were standout players all over the ice yesterday. On the next page, we share some more notes from a busy day at the Ice Haus.