Latest news with #Jackets
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Two Blue Jackets Stars Chosen To Represent Team Canada In IIHF World Championships Per Report
Columbus Blue Jackets forwards Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson have been chosen to represent Canada in the upcoming IIHF World Championship's according to Aaron Portzline. He also says that Jackets assistant coach Steve McCarthy will join Evason's staff. Just last week, the CBJ's Head Coach Dean Evason was picked to be the bench boss for Canada, leading many to believe that Fantilli and Johnson would be picked to play for Canada as well. Report: Dean Evason Chosen To Coach Team Canada Darren Dreger has said today that Columbus Blue Jackets Head Coach Dean Evason will be chosen to coach Team Canada at the Men's World Hockey Championships in Sweden and Denmark next month. Evason's Blue Jackets team just barely missed the playoffs last week. Fantilli and Johnson both set career highs in goals, assists, and points. Fantilli led the Jackets with 31 goals, and Johnson finished second on the team with 24 goals. Fantilli was an extra player for Canada last season for the IIHF Worlds, but was sent home when they got some guys back with more experience. Congrats to Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson for being chosen to represent Team Canada. Let us know what you think below. Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story. Will 2025-26 Be Yegor Chinakhov's Final Season In Columbus? On June 21, 2024, new GM Don Waddell took care of a piece of business that many considered vital. Almost a year later, people wonder if that business will ever pan out. Jet Greaves Stays Perfect Against The Toronto Marlies It took 19 minutes and 5 seconds into the second OT, but the Cleveland Monsters defeated the Toronto Marlies and will move on to play the Pascal Vincent-led Laval Rocket in the next round of the AHL Playoffs. Former Blue Jacket Josh Anderson & Tom Wilson Clash In Canadiens' Bench Last night in the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals game, there was a very interesting moment. A moment that was both intense and hilarious at the same time.
New York Times
19-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blue Jackets head into offseason with a mixture of frustration and optimism
COLUMBUS, Ohio — One message, but two different perspectives, because Don Waddell and Dean Evason have two different jobs. On Friday, the day after the Columbus Blue Jackets ended a memorable and unique season with a 6-1 win over the New York Islanders in Nationwide Arena, Waddell, the general manager, and Evason, the coach, met with the media to discuss what happened and what's ahead. Advertisement Evason knows full well that the Blue Jackets, which came one win short of making the playoffs, have a strong foundation and a bright future, but the frustration and anger of falling short were making all of that cloudy. Asked if the Jackets were 'further ahead' than he could have expected when he was hired by Columbus last summer, Evason said: 'Well, we're not far enough, because we're not (still) playing. We're not preparing to play (in the Stanley Cup playoffs), so I want to make that clear. I know we're going to get some accolades and all that kind of stuff. But at the end of the day, we're not in the playoffs. That was our first step, and we didn't get there. 'Are we happy with the foundation we're continuing to build? Sure. We're extremely positive. But there's negativity, too, because we're not playing tomorrow.' Meanwhile, Waddell is required to have a bigger-picture view. He was as grumpy as anybody last Wednesday when the Montreal Canadiens' win over his previous club, the Carolina Hurricanes, eliminated the Blue Jackets from the postseason after 81 games. The Blue Jackets were expected to spend the final months of the season tracking the NHL draft lottery odds, not doing playoff math. He highlighted the character of the veterans and other players in the room, saying, 'This was one of the strongest teams I've ever been involved with.' He also noted that so many of the Blue Jackets' blue-chip young players bloomed this season, driving the offensive outburst that kept the Jackets in the hunt. 'Our goal is always to make the playoffs,' Waddell said. 'When you make the playoffs, you don't want it to be a one-and-done situation. You want to make the playoffs, and then in a few years, we'll stop talking about making the playoffs and it'll be about winning the Cup. 'I truly believe, after what I witnessed this year, that we have most of the pieces in that locker room. There are going to be changes (this summer). There are unrestricted free agents and needs that we need to address. We'll do everything in our power to address those needs.' From GM Don Waddell and all of us to you, THANK YOU for showing up and cheering us on all season long ❤️ The countdown to our 25th anniversary season starts now! — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 18, 2025 This was an educational season for Waddell. He was impressed with the Blue Jackets' stable of young players — especially the dynamic forwards — but a full season and ground level, closely observing this group of players on the ice and off the ice, will inform the moves he makes this summer. And there figures to be lots of moves, especially from the red line back. Advertisement The Blue Jackets set a franchise record with 267 goals this season, finishing eighth in the NHL. Most of the foundation up front is veterans in their prime or young players on the rise, so expect Waddell to, as he's said, 'fill in around the edges' up front. It's the defense and goaltending that could see the most changes. The Blue Jackets also allowed 267 goals, the eighth most in the league this season. Of the 16 clubs that qualified for the postseason, only one (Montreal, 261) allowed more than 240 goals. The Blue Jackets have six prominent unrestricted free agents: forwards Justin Danforth, Sean Kuraly and James van Riemsdyk, and defensemen Dante Fabbro, Jack Johnson and Ivan Provorov. Waddell said contract talks with the players they want to keep were put on hold during the season's stretch drive. 'I'll sit with the coaches in the next couple of days,' Waddell said. 'There are a few obvious ones we'd like to have back. We've talked about Provorov and Fabbro. There are some other guys we'd like to have back, but we haven't made those determinations yet. 'Not making the playoffs, we have some time here. We can study the market and say, 'If we don't sign this player, we can replace him with player X or Z. All of that will happen over the next 4 to 6 weeks.' Among defensemen, Fabbro and Provorov played top-four roles for the Blue Jackets this season, so losing either would be a big loss. Up front, Danforth and Kuraly played significant roles on the third and fourth lines and as penalty killers, while van Riemsdyk moved all over the line and finished with 16 goals. The roster spot that probably demands the most attention is goaltending. Elvis Merzlikins showed improvement for much of the season, but his game dipped dramatically in the final month of the season, just as the Blue Jackets were hanging in the race. In his final eight outings, including seven starts, he had an .865 save percentage and 4.24 goals-against average. Worse, there were on-ice temper tantrums that NHL goaltenders cannot exude. Advertisement Meanwhile, backup Daniil Tarasov earned no confidence with the coaching staff, going long stretches without games. It wasn't until the final week of the season, when Jet Greaves was recalled from AHL Cleveland, that goaltending became a position of strength. Greaves has a one-way NHL contract for next season, and his run of play would almost certainly give him a solid shot as the Blue Jackets' backup next season. But there is much to sort out here. Merzlikins has two years remaining on a contract that pays him $5.4 million per season. Tarasov is a restricted free agent, meaning the Blue Jackets would need to extend a qualifying offer this summer to maintain his rights. 'If we don't examine every position and dissect everything that we've done this year, we're not doing our jobs,' Waddell said. 'The goaltending numbers are not as good as we hoped they'd be. I said a while ago that I thought Elvis won us a lot more games than he lost us. We know there's a lot of talent there, but we're looking for more of a consistency factor. 'To say we're just staying with the status quo … maybe that's the way it ends up, but we have to examine this position like all of the positions and make decisions.' Waddell has all of the tools necessary to make significant upgrades via trades and free-agent signings. According to PuckPedia, the Blue Jackets will have a projected $41 million in salary cap space heading into the summer. The Blue Jackets also have two first-round draft picks, including the Minnesota Wild's first-round pick acquired last November in the deal that sent David Jiricek to the Wild. As of today, those two picks are 13th and 20th heading into the June draft. Waddell has shown a willingness to pursue other teams' restricted free agents via offer sheets, but they'd be slightly limited in what type of offer they could extend. Advertisement A restricted free agent lifted from another team's roster with an offer sheet requires draft-pick compensation, and the Blue Jackets do not own their second-round pick this coming draft. That was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers two summers ago for Provorov. Waddell was asked if he had the flexibility to buy out contracts of highly paid, underperforming players. Two leap to mind: Merzlikins ($5.4 million per season through 2026-27) and defenseman Damon Severson ($6.25 million per season through 2030-31), who was a healthy scratch 10 times this season. 'That's not something we're looking at,' Waddell said. 'I can't say how the summer is going to play out, but, as of now, we haven't talked about it.' However, one thing is clear. Waddell says he didn't come to Columbus to oversee a roster rebuild. He wants to win immediately. The Blue Jackets don't need sweeping changes to become competitive. Expect Waddell to be aggressive in helping them take another big step forward. 'There will be some challenges, but every summer there are deals to be made. It's just a matter of what pieces you're willing to give up for it,' he said. (Photo of Ivan Provorov: Ben Jackson / Getty Images)
New York Times
09-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blue Jackets awaken offensively, stave off playoff elimination by beating Ottawa
COLUMBUS, Ohio — It doesn't look good, and everybody knows it. The Columbus Blue Jackets would need a miracle over the final five games and nine days of the regular season to jump four teams and claim the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But 'doesn't look good' is not the same as 'mathematically eliminated.' Advertisement The Blue Jackets awakened offensively and snapped an ill-timed three-game losing streak by beating the Ottawa Senators 5-2 on Tuesday before 15,188 in Nationwide Arena. If the Jackets had lost in regulation, they would have been playing out the string the rest of the way. 'We used different words in the locker room, but, basically, (we wanted) to play with great confidence,' Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. 'Have some bite. Play with an edge. We're good, too. I think we've lost that a little bit. 'We've gone over our last couple of games and while we didn't play poorly, we didn't play with that bite, that extra edge that we had tonight. We have to play like that the rest of the way. We have a chance. You guys know the numbers better than I do, and we'll talk about it tomorrow. But we're not mathematically eliminated, so we're going to play freakin' hard every night.' Dmitri Voronkov, Justin Danforth, Mathieu Olivier, Sean Monahan and Adam Fantilli scored for the Blue Jackets, who had been shut out in their previous two games, including once by these Senators. Kent Johnson added two assists while goaltender Elvis Merzlikins had 33 saves. A BIG SHOT FROM BIG BOSS GETS US STARTED💥@FanaticsBook | #CBJ — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 8, 2025 Voronkov's goal was big on two fronts. It was the big Russian's first goal in 16 games — his longest scoring drought of the season — and it put the Blue Jackets ahead 1-0 only 7:00 into the game. Voronkov's last goal came on March 1, when the Jackets beat the Detroit Red Wings in the outdoor game at Ohio Stadium for the high-water mark of the season. The goal ended a run for 14 consecutive goals against the Blue Jackets (dating back to an April 3 game vs. Colorado), and snapped their scoring drought at 159 minutes, 4 seconds. Advertisement 'We're a desperate team right now and it showed early on,' Danforth said. 'For us, getting first goals is big for our confidence. We played a bit mean, played with a bit of swagger. Everybody played great up and down the lineup. We got one and we got rolling.' While the Blue Jackets were pulling away from Ottawa — a goal late in the second (Olivier) and a power-play goal early in the third (Monahan) made it 4-1 — the Montreal Canadiens were taking care of business at home against the Detroit Red Wings. For weeks now, the battle for the final wild-card spot has been more like a potato-sack race than a sprint to the postseason. But the Canadiens, who have won six straight, have taken charge to put their grip on the final playoff spot. A regulation loss by the Blue Jackets on Tuesday would have ended it. But any combination of a Blue Jackets regulation loss or a Canadiens win — Columbus hosts Buffalo on Thursday, while Montreal plays at Ottawa on Friday — would pull the plug. That's just their situation with Montreal. The Jackets would also need to pass the Red Wings, the New York Rangers, and the New York Islanders in the standings. 'We know the situation we're in,' Fantilli said. 'We see the standings. We still have to give ourselves the best chance to get in. We've put ourselves in a tough position, but our goal is to win out the rest of the season.' TAP TAP TAP TAP AROO 🚨@FanaticsBook | #CBJ — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 9, 2025 Evason said he and the coaching staff have noticed a tendency in recent weeks, and not a good one. The Blue Jackets, he noted, have been wading into games physically. That is, they've been responding to physical play, but not dictating it themselves. That was not the case on Tuesday. There were greasy hits, hard checks and post-whistle scrums for most of the final two periods, with Sean Kuraly, Olivier, Monahan, Erik Gudbranson and others providing much of the spark. Advertisement 'It was a bit of a chippy game, and that got us engaged,' Evason said. 'We talked to the team after the game that we need to do that on a consistent basis, not have something happen in order for us to get (there). I think we started that way (tonight). We had some bite in our game right from the start.' After Tuesday's slate of games, the Sabres were eliminated from the playoffs despite a shutout win over Carolina. The team directly above Buffalo in the standings is the Blue Jackets, but they're not looking over their shoulder, the players said. 'We can't lose. We just have to play like we can't lose,' Olivier said. 'Until there's an 'E' or an 'X' next to our name … as soon as that's decided, we have to play like we have a chance. Tonight was a good first step.' (Photo of Elvis Merzlikins and Tim Stützle: Russell LaBounty / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ottawa Senators headed back to playoffs for first time since 2017 despite loss to Jackets
Eight is enough. The Ottawa Senators headed back to the National Hockey League playoffs for the first time since 2017. They couldn't have done it without a little help from their friends. The Senators weren't very good and looked a little jittery in a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena as the club's three-game winning streak came to halt. Only winger Fabian Zetterlund and Thomas Chabot were able to score for the Senators. Goaltender Anton Forsberg wasn't at his best. As a result of the loss in Game No. 78, the Senators were forced to keep an eye on the out-of-town scoreboard. A loss by the Detroit Red Wings in any fashion to the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Tuesday would also clinch a spot for Ottawa. Thankfully for the Senators, the Habs pulled off a 4-1 victory over the Wings, which will allow Ottawa to participate in the playoffs for the first time since the club advanced to Game 7 of the East final in 2017. 'You're not going to see me smile a whole lot after a loss, but man it feels great,' Chabot told TSN 1200's Gord Wilson. 'It definitely does. Everybody, the whole group from top-to-bottom, took a huge step this year. 'Everybody did whatever they could every single night to get into the playoffs, and now that it's confirmed, we've still got some games to play, but the whole group is fired up. We can't wait to go at it.' This was the final road game for the Senators, with the club closing out the regular season with four straight at home. The Senators came into this game with an 18-18-4 road record and were trying to finish with a mark above .500 for the first time since 2017. The Jackets were a different team than the one we saw on Sunday in Ottawa with top goalie Elvis Merzlikins in net. Ottawa came into this game with a 13-4-2 record since March 1, but they just didn't look good. The Jackets were ahead 3-1 through 40 minutes and the Senators weren't able to find their game. 'I feel good for our team, our players and our fans,' said coach Travis Green. 'I am proud of our players. They deserve to be in the playoffs this year. This is something we talked about all summer, heading into training camp about where we wanted to be at this time of year. 'It's not easy to make the playoffs, as Ottawa feels, but every year every team goes into the season wanting to make it and only half the league does.' Mathieu Olivier restored the two-goal lead heading to the third when the puck took a fortunate bounce off his skate and by Forsberg with only 22 seconds left in the period. Zetterlund's first with the Senators in 16 games came on the powerplay at 16:18 of the second to pull Ottawa to within a goal. He was on the doorstep to beat Merzlikins. 'I've been shooting a lot and working hard. Finally, the puck is in the net,' Zetterlund told TSN's Matt Cullen after the second period. The Senators didn't get off to a good start and dug themselves a hole. They were trailing 2-0 after 20 minutes, and both were the result of turnovers. A 2-on-1 allowed the Jackets to extend their lead at 16:38 of the first when Justin Danfort beat Forsberg on the glove side. The Jackets ended the club's shutout string at 160 minutes. A turnover and a bad start allowed Dmitri Voronkov to open the scoring seven minutes into the first period with a blast from the slot. The Senators swore they weren't nervous heading into the game. 'It doesn't feel as good after a game like that, but we've been through some s— here and some tough years,' Tim Stutzle said. 'I'm just really proud of the guys, and how we all hung in here. 'I don't think there is a team who deserves it more than us. We worked really hard this year, and we've just got to keep going.' The Senators went back to Forsberg after Linus Ullmark posted a shutout against Columbus on Sunday. Forsberg made 39 stops in a 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday. He came into this game with a 6-3-1 record in his last 10 starts with a 1.92 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. Ullmark has had a heavy workload, and this gives him a chance to have a good break before the Habs come to town on Friday. The club was without captain Brady Tkachuk for the fifth straight game. He didn't make the trip to Columbus, and continues to be hampered by an upper-body injury he suffered 10 days ago. 'To find out we're in the dance we're pretty excited,' said Drake Batherson. 'Some of us have been at it seven or eight years, we're really proud of the group and everybody in the organization is really excited.' Batherson said he expected to hear from Tkachuk in the group chat. The club announced that single game playoff tickets will on sale sometime between April 15-to-April 18. bgarrioch@
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Maple Leafs subs and stars gang up on Blue Jackets
The Maple Leafs got the depth charge they desired on Saturday and a whole lot more as they kept their divisional lead. In place of fourth-line centre/penalty killer David Kampf, Nick Robertson re-entered the lineup and started Toronto's 5-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets with a two-goal outing. Philippe Myers stepped up on the blueline as well in Jake McCabe's absence. Meanwhile, coach Craig Berube's decision to use netminder Anthony Stolarz a second straight game paid off with 27 stops, his fifth straight victory and Toronto's 25th this season at Scotiabank Arena. The next two matches, back-to- back on the road against closest pursuers Tampa Bay and Florida, will be vital if the Leafs can get to 100 points and more to keep top spot for the four games remaining after. William Nylander's 43rd and 44th goals of the season in the third period dashed any comeback attempt by the Jackets, whose wild-card playoff hopes took another hit. Auston Matthews added one later, his 30th. Yet the night began with the precise scenario the Leafs spoke of, preventing the Jackets' top defenceman Zach Werenski getting deep in their zone — all the way behind the net — and feeding Kirill Marchenko in front. But Stolarz stopped him and 16 through the first half of the game. Robertson, Myers glad to get back in Maple Leafs lineup on Saturday The lone goal until then was a gaffe that nearly duplicated Joseph Woll's clearing error in San Jose last month. Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins hit Werenski trying to fire the puck up ice and Robertson's goal was the reward after three games in the stands. The first period also saw Matthew Knies attempt 'The Michigan' while sweeping around the Columbus net, but couldn't maintain control on the cradle move. He started the second with a partial breakaway on Merzlikins, but was turned aside, then intercepted a Columbus clear at the top of the slot that led to a scoring chance. Chris Tanev's first shot block of the game was his 177th, setting a new single-season Leafs record set by Carl Gunnarsson more than a decade ago, though only in the era in which the NHL recorded the stat. Nylander's fourth shot of the night made him the eighth Leaf to reach 2,000. Werenski was unlucky as well on Robertson's second goal in the middle frame, foiled on a breakout that became a 2-on-1. Robertson waited for Merzlikins to open the five-hole. Toronto's two top lines took care of business in the third, Nylander getting two in short order, the second at 4-on-4 after Knies and Dante Fabbro tussled in the Columbus crease. As the Leafs and Jackets grappled, the out-of-town scoreboard had some good news for the Leafs, a 3-0 win by Ottawa over Florida. lhornby@ X: @sunhornby
