It’s a debate as old as time in the National Hockey League.
What’s the best way to bring along a talented young player at the highest level?
It’s a fine line Blue Jackets fans have watched players and coaches contend with over the past few seasons as Columbus – regularly one of the youngest teams in the NHL – has welcomed highly touted draft picks into the fold.
And it’s a story playing out yet again in the person of defenseman Denton Mateychuk.
As we take our annual look at how the Blue Jackets roster might shake out ahead of Monday afternoon’s roster deadline, Columbus will lean into its young players this season, but Mateychuk might be the most intriguing player battling for a spot.
The 2022 first-round draft pick has been excellent during four preseason appearances, doing all he can to state his case for the opening night roster. But the Blue Jackets aren’t short on defensemen, and the team also must consider the long-term plan when it comes to turning the 20-year-old defenseman into the best player he can be.
“It’s not just the coaches, it’s the organization, right?” head coach Dean Evason said this week. “It’s our whole management team. We’re in constant communication with (general manager Don Waddell’s) guys and with our guys downstairs of trying to figure out exactly how much someone can be given – or earned.
“There’s a lot of guys that have earned to maybe be here or be in Cleveland or whatever, but now it’s like, ‘Well, OK, is he ready? Has he just had a phenomenal camp?’ You gotta balance all that kind of stuff. ‘Are we going to try to give him too much, or can he handle it?’”
When it comes to Mateychuk, the evidence on his side has been a preseason in which he’s often looked to be ready. In four games, Mateychuk posted two goals and an assist, and when he was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Blue Jackets outshot teams 42-15 and outscored them 5-2. For a young defenseman, his poise and ability to read the play have been impressive to coaches and fans alike.
The case to keep him boils down to the fact he’s done everything he can to earn a spot this fall, and that’s why you have a training camp, right? On the other hand, would he be better served beginning his pro career earning more playing time and experience at the AHL level, especially given his youth?
“He’s a good player, right?” Evason said. “We'll see what shakes out here, but what he has shown clearly, he’s been that guy for a long time. He’s going to be an NHL player for a long time. If he starts here, wonderful. If he doesn’t, his development is going to be continually steady because of what we’ve seen and how he’s played. He’s gotten better and better.
“This is preseason, and the NHL is a great league – the best league in the world. When the regular season starts, there’s a lot of heat, and there’s a lot of heat on defensemen and there’s of heat on young defensemen, so we have to be careful what we do and not get too far ahead of ourselves. We like his progress, as we do with a lot of players. If it works out that he’s here, great. If it doesn’t, great.”
For his part, Mateychuk has kept his head down and only focused on what he can control during camp.
“I feel like I'm playing good hockey, and I feel good out there,” he said. “I’m just going to go out there and play my game, and whatever happens, happens. ... What I’ve been told is offense can get you here, but your defense is what keeps you in the NHL and it prolongs your career. I’ve tried to focus on that, and that’s what they want to see a bit, too.”
Of course, the decision on Mateychuk is far from the only choice the Blue Jackets have to make before Monday afternoon’s 23-man roster deadline. A number of players have been fighting for spots at the bottom of the forward lineup and on defense, giving Evason and his staff hard decisions to make.
We have two days until rosters are due, but here’s what things look like in our eyes heading into decision day.
Forwards
With Justin Danforth missing the preseason as he rehabs a wrist injury, things looked pretty cut and dry for the Blue Jackets up front, with 11 players with extensive NHL experience returning. Things are a little more complicated now, though, as preseason injuries suffered by Dmitri Voronkov, Gavin Brindley and potentially Boone Jenner have muddied the waters. The Blue Jackets did make one move Saturday, signing veteran Kevin Labanc to add depth.
Locks (11): Yegor Chinakhov, Adam Fantilli, Boone Jenner, Kent Johnson, Sean Kuraly, Kevin Labanc, Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan, Mathieu Olivier, Cole Sillinger, James van Riemsdyk
Battling For Spots
Dylan Gambrell: The 28-year-old Washington native may have come in under the radar, but Gambrell has had a solid camp. A veteran of 233 NHL games with San Jose and Ottawa, Gambrell has posted 17 goals and 40 points over six seasons in the league before spending all of last season with Toronto of the AHL (14-22-36 in 66 games). A more than point-per-game player in college at Denver, he’s reinvented himself as a play-the-right-way bottom-six player in his pro career. Gambrell has largely been a center previously but has played wing in camp.
James Malatesta: The 21-year-old forward taken in the fifth round of the 2021 draft was sent to Cleveland earlier this week but was not part of Saturday’s roster cuts. The MVP of the Memorial Cup in 2023, Malatesta made his pro debut a season ago and was a key piece in Cleveland, scoring 12 goals with 22 points in 56 games. He then made his NHL debut at the end of the season, notching two goals and four points and delivering 41 hits in 11 games. He’s not the biggest player (5-9, 191) but plays with energy and physicality and has some scoring touch.
Mikael Pyyhtia: A fourth-round draft pick of the Blue Jackets in 2020, Pyythia made his NHL debut two seasons ago and skated in 17 games last year with Columbus, notching two assists. There’s likely more scoring in his game – he had 7-21-28 in 60 games last year in his first AHL season with Cleveland, and he posted 21 goals in 2021-22 with TPS in his native Finland – but coaches mostly love his solid game that includes excellent defensive positioning and a high battle level. Is there a reason the 22-year-old has played in seven of the team’s eight preseason games?
Mystery Player X: The addition of Labanc, the NHL’s preseason leader in goals, came after Waddell made no bones about the fact he spent camp scouring both the waiver wire and other teams’ rosters as cutdown day nears, with the aim of potentially adding a forward to the group both to round out the roster as well as help the team get to the salary cap floor. There are bound to be some tough decisions around the league, and the Blue Jackets have kept their options open to potentially be a home for someone if teams are in a tough spot. He’s also made clear, though, that it has to be the right player to add to the mix. Waddell found that in Labanc; could another addition be on the way?
Notes: The injuries have opened the door here to more potential opportunities for those in the organization. Such names as Trey Fix-Wolansky, Hunter McKown, Luca Del Bel Belluz and Owen Sillinger would be at the top of the list if the Blue Jackets have to go deeper into the farm system.
Defensemen
The Blue Jackets have five veterans in camp, and it seems likely all will make the opening night roster. From there, four players looking to cement themselves at NHLers are in the mix, which leaves open an interesting question – given the injuries up front, would the Blue Jackets begin the season with eight defensemen on the roster? Complicating things is the fact the Blue Jackets have six left-shot blueliners left in the mix but only three on the right after the departures of Adam Boqvist, Nick Blankenburg and Andrew Peeke.
Locks (5): Erik Gudbranson, Jack Johnson, Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson, Zach Werenski
Battling For Spots
Jake Christiansen: Is this the time for Christiansen to stick in the NHL? An AHL All-Star who has reached double digits in goals each of the past three years with Cleveland, Christiansen has played in 44 NHL games, including a career-best 24 two years ago. For a player who is able to create and finish in the minors, though, he’s yet to see much production at the top level, posting one goal and seven points in those 44 contests. The 25-year-old has looked noticeably confident offensively this fall, and he can finish, but is the 6-0, 193-pounder able to hold his own in his own end at the NHL level?
Jordan Harris: Acquired this summer in the deal that sent Patrik Laine to Montreal, Harris comes to Columbus as a two-way defender who has carved out an NHL role the past two seasons. The 24-year-old Massachusetts native has skated in 121 games the past two years with the Habs, totaling seven goals and 31 points in that span. The 5-11, 189-pounder spoke about taking the next step in his career upon arrival in Columbus, but he’s on the crowded left side; Harris has switched to the right for much of camp in a bid to earn a spot there.
David Jiricek: There’s no doubt Jiricek has talent, as the 20-year-old right-shot D was taken sixth overall in the 2022 draft. He’s big (6-4, 207), has excellent length to break up plays, boasts a booming shot from the point and can stop plays before they get started when he makes the right read. But coaches continue to work with Jiricek on when the right time is to go and when he needs to pull off the gas, and that part of his game remains a work in progress. Evason has talked about Jiricek’s need to simplify things, and the coach also has acknowledged the Jackets are trying some lefties on the right side as they figure out how the lineup might look. Jiricek has played 47 NHL games the past two years since being drafted, posting a goal and 10 points.
Denton Mateychuk: We discussed the 5-11, 188-pounder in depth at the start of this article, and he might just be hard to keep off the roster given his strong preseason camp. Mateychuk also nearly made the team a year ago in camp as well before going back to Moose Jaw (WHL) and winning league defenseman of the year honors while leading the Warriors to the Memorial Cup. A smooth skater with poise, Mateychuk piled up the points a year ago with Moose Jaw, posting a combined 28 goals and 105 points in 72 regular-season and playoff games.
Notes: The Blue Jackets have a promising pipeline of young defensemen, with such names as 2021 draft picks Corson Ceulemans (first round) and Stanislav Svozil (third round) worth watching in addition to those named above.
Goaltenders
There isn’t much debate as to what will happen here. Jet Greaves was sent to Cleveland on Saturday, leaving Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov as the two goalies on the roster to start the campaign. Greaves, 23, is expected to split the job in Cleveland with veteran Zach Sawchenko, while Pavel Cajan is a 21-year-old goalie who will be on call to earn time should any injuries come up.
