The Blue Jackets released their opening night lineup on Monday. There were no real surprises with the roster. However, there are currently three forwards on injured reserve: Boone Jenner, Justin Danforth, and Dmitri Voronkov. All three of these players are NHL players and would be in the opening night lineup if healthy.
When these players do return, how does the Blue Jackets lineup change from the roster released on Monday? If all the players are healthy, then a total of three moves need to be made to make room for Jenner, Danforth, and Voronkov. There are a few interesting possibilities.
This is the lineup based on Monday’s roster release:
Forwards (13):
Chinakhov – Monahan – Marchenko
van Riemsdyk – Fantilli – Labanc
Pyyhtia – Sillinger – K. Johnson
Aston-Reese – Kuraly – Olivier
Gambrell
Defense (8):
Werenski – Provorov
Christiansen – Severson
J. Johnson – Gudbranson
Harris – Jiricek
Goalies (2):
Merzlikins
Tarasov
The first move would likely see Mikael Pyyhtia sent down to Cleveland. He is the only rookie forward to make the Blue Jackets roster. While he is not as highly touted as other prospects, he has been a solid prospect for the team. In his limited NHL action over the past two seasons, he has not looked out of place.
The team seems high on Pyyhtia, having played him in 7 of the 8 preseason games. If he struggles, sending him to Cleveland should be no issue for the team. But what if he plays well and surprises a lot of people? Like Voronkov last season, it could be difficult for the team to part with him due to his great play. Nonetheless, based on numbers, I think Pyyhtia would be the first roster casualty when one of the injured players returns.
The second move would likely see Dylan Gambrell sent down to Cleveland. Gambrell does require waivers to get to Cleveland. So, it is possible that another team could claim him. However, with many teams tight up against the cap and the likely minimal playing time that he would see, it wouldn’t surprise me if he made it through waivers. The Gambrell signing always seemed to be a depth signing for Cleveland, so having him sent to Cleveland does not seem like a big loss for Columbus.
The final move could be one of many:
1. Put Zach Aston-Reese on waivers with the hope of him clearing and going to Cleveland.
This is how Columbus claimed Aston-Reese in the first place from Vegas. I think this move is unlikely, as Aston-Reese seems like a player that many teams would put in a waiver claim for.
2. Trade a player.
The player that’s traded is TBD. It would likely be a player making a low salary and someone whom the Jackets think wouldn’t make it through the waiver wire. This could be anyone from Aston-Reese to Jack Johnson. It’s definitely a possibility, but not a likely outcome.
3. Send David Jiricek to Cleveland.
This seems like the least likely move, but is still a possibility. The team is high on Jiricek, and he should be playing in the NHL. However, he does not require waivers to be sent to Cleveland. If he gets off to a rough start, would it be in his best interest to be sent to Cleveland to regain confidence and play meaningful minutes? It is not out of the realm of possibility.
While it is unlikely that the roster will be fully healthy and all these moves would have to be made, it does pose a challenge to GM Don Waddell on how he wants to manage his roster.
Based on recent injury history, the team likely won’t have to make three moves. Injuries happen over the course of a season, and it is more than likely that another player (at any position) will be out when one (or all three) of the currently injured forward’s return. At most, I think two of the aforementioned moves will need to be made. But the more likely scenario is that only one would be needed.