Pascal Vincent has been head coach of the Blue Jackets for less than a week, but the coaching lifer is eager to put his stamp on the squad.
He ran his first practice as an NHL head coach today as the Jackets opened training camp, presented by OhioHealth, and already has a vision of what he’d like his team to be.
“Our plan is to be a highly competitive team, and we’ll be working extremely hard, but also we want make sure that our fans are proud to be Columbus Blue Jackets fans,” Vincent said. “And that’s it. We are going to stick to the process, and we are going to move forward.”
Columbus has eight preseason games, starting with a home-and-home vs. Pittsburgh on Sunday, over the next 21 days to get ready for the season opener Oct. 12 at Nationwide Arena vs. Philadelphia. Here’s what Blue Jackets fans can expect over the next three weeks.
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What’s New
Columbus comes into the season with Vincent at the helm, with the coach taking over on Sunday. It’s a bit of a whirlwind transition, but Vincent said things continue to run seamlessly according to the plan the coaching staff built in the offseason, and he’s no stranger to his team after spending the past two seasons as the Jackets’ associate head coach.
So far, the reaction from CBJ players has been overwhelmingly positive, as Vincent – who has more than 20 years of experience as a major junior head coach, minor league head coach and NHL assistant – has earned respect from the squad over the past two years as the leader of the team’s forward group and power play.
"It's awesome,” Kent Johnson said. “I'm so excited for him. He's obviously a great person and a really smart coach. I'm just really happy for him."
Columbus also made two big splashes in the offseason as it shored up its blue line in early June. The Blue Jackets traded for Philadelphia defenseman Ivan Provorov and worked a sign-and-trade deal to get New Jersey blueliner Damon Severson before he hit the free agent market. The hope is the additions of those consistent, dependable veterans will help a squad that gave up the most goals in team history a season ago.
There is also a lot of excitement for the arrival of Adam Fantilli, the team’s top draft pick. Chosen third overall in this summer’s draft out of the Univeristy of Michigan, Fantilli is coming off being chosen as the best player in college hockey and is ranked by most observers as the No. 2 prospect in the entire league thanks to an impressive combination of size, skill and snarl.
Two other notable additions are forwards Alexandre Texier and Dmitri Voronkov. Texier is a familiar face, as the productive, versatile Frenchman returns after spending last year in Europe, while the massive Voronkov, a 2019 fourth-round pick, has made his first voyage to North America after a strong career in his native Russia.
“We’ve had some great additions, with seeing the younger guys coming in, and we have Severson and Provorov,” captain Boone Jenner said. “It’s a good mix of guys.”
What’s Old
Because of injuries in a whatever could go wrong did go wrong season, the Blue Jackets skated a franchise-record 47 players a season ago. A full 37 of them return among the 73 players in Columbus for the start of training camp, so there are plenty of familiar faces to CBJ fans.
The good news as well is that the Blue Jackets see some key players return to health, including forwards Yegor Chinakhov and Justin Danforth as well as defenseman Jake Bean. But no return is bigger than that of alternate captain Zach Werenski, the All-Star defenseman who played only 13 games a season ago before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
“I was talking with family and friends this summer, it kind of feels like my rookie year again almost because I’ve been away from it for so long,” Werenski said. "There’s that kind of excitement again. I’m excited to get back on the road, excited to play in buildings and close games again. It’s one the things I’ve missed the last few months.”
In all, the Blue Jackets return their top eight scorers from a season ago, a list that is headed by seven-time All-Star Johnny Gaudreau. Veterans Jenner, Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic and Sean Kuraly are key parts of the forward group, while the Blue Jackets would love to see more steps taken by youngsters Johnson and Kirill Marchenko after each had excellent rookie seasons a year ago.
Young defensemen like Adam Boqvist, Andrew Peeke and Nick Blankenburg will also try to take steps forward as they gain experience, while Elvis Merzlikins is the leader in net.
What To Watch
The biggest question for the Blue Jackets will be paring down the roster, as a number of players got extensive experience a year ago because of all the injuries. There will likely be some painful cuts for some, but having NHL-quality depth is a good problem to have.
The development of the team’s youth will also be a key storyline. Fantilli headlines a group of prospects that is generally agreed to be in the top five in the NHL, and such youngsters as Fantilli, Voronkov and defensemen David Jiricek and Stanislav Svozil could factor into the team’s plans as early as this season. Jiricek is regarded as a top-10 prospect in the game as well, while Svozil, defenseman Denton Mateychuk and forward Jordan Dumais also have been tabbed as top-50 prospects by various outlets before the season.
Health will also be a key issue, as the Blue Jackets had a team-record 563 man-games lost a season ago. Early injuries have Marchenko and goalie Daniil Tarasov out day-to-day, while forward Mathieu Olivier and defenseman Jake Bean are considered week-to-week at the moment.
What’s At Stake
Columbus is coming off the second-worst season in team history as far as winning percentage, with the team’s 25-48-9 record placing 31st of 32 teams in the NHL.
There were numerous factors, led by the injuries, and the Blue Jackets believe better luck in the health department and the influx of new players will help the squad have a bounce-back campaign.
“I think guys are looking forward to getting this thing going,” Werenski said. “Obviously it was a tough year last year, so we’re all looking to bounce back and start playing some games again.”
The Blue Jackets are looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
What’s Happening
Fans are invited to Nationwide Arena on Saturday for the team’s annual open practice, with the Front Street doors to the arena opening at 11 a.m. and scrimmages starting at 11:45.
The first 1,000 fans will receive free T-shirts, while concessions, the Blue Line team store and the Fan Zone will be open. In addition, two sessions of the Get Out And Learn program are open for kids ages 5-9 to try hockey for free.
After that, the Blue Jackets will open the preseason Sunday at 1 p.m. with a split-squad game at Pittsburgh, then host the Penguins that night at 7 p.m. in Nationwide Arena. Future home preseason games will be held Oct. 2 (St. Louis), Oct. 4 (Buffalo) and Oct. 5 (Washington).
In additions, scheduled practices tomorrow, Sept. 26 and Oct. 6 in the OhioHealth Ice Haus will be open to the public.
