The Columbus Blue Jackets have seen plenty of modifications over the previous a number of seasons. 4 completely different head coaches, two common managers, and plenty of shuffling by means of their roster gamers as they proceed to rebuild within the wake of their final playoff look in 2020. The staff has been a perennial bottom-quartile staff, offloading present expertise and buying future picks and prospects. One may argue that they’ve bottomed out during the last 4 seasons. Over that point, they’ve chosen within the prime six in every NHL Entry Draft. With these picks, they’ve added the gamers they hope to be cornerstone items to their future.
Expert ahead Kent Johnson was fifth total in 2021; big-bodied defender David Jiricek was sixth total in 2022; future primary middle Adam Fantilli was third total in 2023; and energy ahead Cayden Lindstrom was fourth in 2024. There may be actually potential for all of these gamers to make a giant distinction in the most effective hockey league on the planet. Nonetheless, there appears to be hassle within the developmental pathway for Jiricek. It could possibly be sufficient to power a divorce between the 22-year-old and the group.
How Jiricek and Columbus Have Gotten To This Level
Jiricek was lauded as one of many two finest defenders out there within the 2022 NHL Draft. He was a standout at that 12 months’s World Junior Hockey Championship imposing his will on others together with his 6-foot-4 body. He fell to the Blue Jackets at sixth total and so they introduced him over to North America immediately. He transitioned to the continent’s professional sport nicely, as nearly a point-per-game participant in his first American Hockey League (AHL) season. It appeared like he was on observe to grow to be a key a part of the Blue Jackets’ blue line the following season, however that didn’t find yourself turning into the case.
Jiricek spent the following season within the proverbial doghouse of head coach Pascal Vincent, who was teaching for leads to an try and hold his job. He was often scratched, and when he was within the lineup solely averaged 14 minutes an evening by means of 43 video games. Not the form of setting a participant can develop in. He was once more despatched right down to the AHL and there was some rumbling that he had grow to be sad together with his alternative in Columbus. Rumor has it that his aggravation was spurred on as a result of he was despatched again to Cleveland after being instructed by administration that he may get an condo in Columbus – implying he can be a full-time NHLer.
Then, after the firing of common supervisor Jarmo Kekalainen and Vincent, got here the hiring of Don Waddell and Dean Evason and plenty of thought this could possibly be the start of a more healthy relationship between the 2 sides. There was plenty of optimism across the group that Jiricek would get the runway he wanted to grow to be the participant he’s been projected as.
Whereas Waddell had unclogged the logjam that was the best protection place during the last a number of seasons, Jiricek was nonetheless scratched for a majority of the staff’s first 20 video games and solely averaged 11 minutes throughout his six video games performed. To make issues worse, Waddell claimed right-shot defender Dante Fabbro from the Nashville Predators to take the roster spot that seemingly had been reserved for the younger Czech. Following that declare, Jiricek has once more been despatched to the minors and issues appear to have come to a head quite imminently with the group – based mostly on some reporting from Each day Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
Though the primary knock on Jiricek is his skating, that’s a neater ability to be labored on with specialty coaches and the potential for him to blossom right into a official prime pairing defender continues to be inside attain. There isn’t any scarcity of groups on the lookout for a current top-ten draft decide who’s a big-bodied and right-shot defender, particularly one which appears to be prepared to interrupt into the NHL proper now. You possibly can make a listing 31 groups lengthy of potential suitors for the Blue Jackets’ Jiricek, ought to they decide to maneuver on from him.
