What we learned in the early days of Blue Jackets training camp

At the very least, Brad Larsen knows he has options.
The Blue Jackets head coach entered OhioHealth Training Camp last week with no shortage of players who can make the opening night 23-man roster.
Of the 68 players in camp (40 forwards, 21 defensemen and seven goalies), 33 of them (20 forwards, 10 defensemen and three goalies) played NHL hockey a season ago, and that doesn't even include some of the team's top prospects as well as overseas pro players taking a shot at the world's best league.

So as he began the process of putting together his roster when the team hit the ice last Thursday, Larsen acknowledged his job might not be easy heading into the Oct. 12 season opener at Carolina.
"We have some decisions to make," he said. "You see our roster, they can't all play. There's going to be competition. It's different than last year in a way that I think there's lots of guys right now that are going to be scratching and clawing for ice time to get into the lineup.
"The players will decide. We'll pick the best 23 and go from there."
Some decisions will be easier than others -- we suspect Johnny Gaudreau, for example, has an opening night spot secure -- but as Larsen said, there will be plenty of candidates to make the team and contribute for Columbus this year.
We're only four days into on-ice work, but the early days of camp do offer a window into how things might shake out when the season dawns. Here's a few observations and anecdotes from what we've been able to see so far with the Blue Jackets on the ice.
Early lines: Let's start by taking a look at the lines we saw in Saturday's scrimmages and practice sessions. Even if in many/most (perhaps all?) cases they won't end up exactly like this, it's at least worth noting what we have seen so far -- even if things might be different by tomorrow.
Johnny Gaudreau - Kent Johnson - Patrik Laine
Gus Nyquist - Boone Jenner - Kirill Marchenko
Emil Bemstrom - Jack Roslovic - Jakub Voracek
Carson Meyer - Sean Kuraly - Mathieu Olivier
Joona Luoto - Justin Danforth - James Neal
Eric Robinson - Brendan Gaunce - Mikael Pyyhtia
Yegor Chinakhov - Victor Rask - Jordan Dumais
James Malatesta - Josh Dunne - Trey Fix-Wolansky
Zach Werenski - David Jiricek
Jake Bean - Adam Boqvist
Vladislav Gavrikov - Nick Blankenburg
Denton Mateychuk - Erik Gudbranson
Ben Harpur - Andrew Peeke
Jake Christiansen - Gavin Bayreuther
Injured: Cole Sillinger, Liam Foudy
OK, now that we've posted the lines we've seen, let's add a caveat -- they probably mean nothing. Players are split into three groups during practices, and everyone has to end up somewhere. Some players are put into places where an early evaluation can be formed, but the lines in most cases will not end up like they are listed above.
Having said that:Let's start with that top line, which was always going to be the most interesting thing to discuss in CBJ camp. Larsen said at the start that he'd pair Patrik Laine and Gaudreau together after the blockbuster signing of the latter in free agency, if only to get a look at how the two offensively gifted players would click.
It's been two scrimmage days and one exhibition game so far, but it's fair to say Laine and Gaudreau are off to a good start together. They've consistently had the puck on their stick in the offensive zone and threatening, and Laine said he liked how things felt during Sunday night's win over the Penguins in which he had a goal and Gaudreau posted three assists.
"I feel like we were finding each other, but we still have to find the balance of when to shoot it and just remember to have guys in the right spots," Laine said. "But I feel like it was a really good step for us. I had a lot of fun."
Johnson held the center spot for both Saturday's scrimmage and Sunday's game after veteran Boone Jenner started there Thursday and Victor Rask was between the two Friday.
Thought to be one of the most skilled and creative prospects in the entire league, Johnson seems likely to have a roster spot this year, but whether it will be on the wing (where he played the last two seasons at the University of Michigan) or in the middle (where he played in juniors) remains to be seen.
With Sillinger injured on day one of camp and Jenner being held out of contact for the time being after last year's season-ending back injury, Johnson -- the fifth overall pick in the 2021 draft -- has been given the chance to play in some highly regarded real estate and impressed so far.
Laine joked Johnson could be in the running for both the Calder Trophy (NHL's top rookie) and Selke Trophy (top defensive forward) with the way he played Sunday night, and associate head coach Pascal Vincent also seemed impressed.
"I liked it," Vincent said. "Today we talked not so much about offensive zone plays, we talked about D-zone coverage and neutral zone forecheck. That's where my eyes were. That's what I was watching, especially with a young player like him, and I thought he did really well."
Power play thoughts: Things are a bit incomplete early on because of the precautions around Jenner during contact drills, and that's true both at 5-on-5 and on the power play. In Sunday night's game, which featured most of the Jackets' big guns, the top power play unit included Zach Werenski on the blue line, Laine and Gaudreau on the wings, Justin Danforth in the bumper spot, and Jakub Voracek at the net front.
Vincent, who runs the power play, said Werenski, Laine and Gaudreau will likely hold those spots on the No. 1 power play when the season begins, which would necessitate a move for Voracek. The veteran was on the right half wall on the power play last year and picked up 23 of his 56 assists on the man advantage.
With Jenner out, Voracek was at the net front on Sunday and scored a goal on a rebound, and the 15th-year NHLer said he has played that spot before in Philadelphia. Vincent noted Voracek is a big body with excellent distribution skills, but that's also not the easiest place from which to make plays, either.
For his part, Voracek said he knew coming in that Gaudreau would inherit his spot on the half wall on the power play given his production in recent seasons. If he ends up at the net front, there might even end up being a bonus for a player who scored just six goals a season ago.
"I don't mind it," Voracek said. "It's good. You get a lot of garbage. I might score 30 (goals) this year."
Laine's ready: No Blue Jacket has ever scored more than 41 goals in a season, with Rick Nash doing so in 2004 when he tied for the NHL lead at age 19 and Cam Atkinson matching that total in 2019.
Laine, meanwhile, had 44 in 2017-18 and hasn't been able to reach that number since, though he was on a 38-goal pace a year ago had he played in all 82 games. So with Gaudreau in the cards, could he get back into the 40s or perhaps even into the 50s?
Time will tell, but it does seem as though there's a palpable buzz around Laine this fall, starting when Werenski described him as "dominating" in the team's summer skates when he spoke at the NHL media tour. Team president of hockey operations John Davidson also said last week he was impressed with how Laine looked, noting that the acquisition of Gaudreau seemed to put a notable pep in the Finn's step this summer.
"I think the one that really hit me a little bit was when (general manager Jarmo Kekalainen) told me that Patrik Laine from talked to him from Finland right after the (Gaudreau) signing and he said he had goose pimples," Davidson said. "That tells you this is exciting. Players might train a little harder. It's human nature."
So, was that the case for Laine?
"Yeah and no," he siad. "I think it doesn't matter what kind of moves does a team make, you still have to prepare yourself for the season the same way. Well, I'm not gonna lie if I would say it didn't give me an extra boost for the remainder of the summer, those moves that we made, so I'm extremely happy about that and the way the summer went overall."
Either way, he scored in the team's exhibition game Sunday and had a pair of goals in Saturday's scrimmage, so one has to like the direction this is trending. After a tremendous season a year ago, Laine looks like he might be even better to start things off this year.
Rookie watch: Ten players made NHL debuts a season ago for the Blue Jackets, a number that tied a franchise record, while five others made their CBJ debuts to give the squad 15 newbies a season ago.
Things will likely be a little different this time around with Columbus returning 12 of its top 14 scorers from a season ago, plus such youngsters as Johnson and Nick Blankenburg debuting at the end of last year.
In fact, it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see zero players making their NHL debuts on opening night.
The player with the best chance, in my eyes, is Kirll Marchenko, the 22-year-old Russian who has been playing in the KHL for the bulk of the past three seasons. The Blue Jackets have awaited his arrival for a while now, and there's a lot to like, from an engaging personality to scoring touch highlighted by an NHL-ready shot. He's far from a finished product, but there are enough tools there to see how he can help the team now.
On defense, first-round picks David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk have been paired early on with NHL veterans in Werenski and Gudbranson, respectively. With both just 18 years old, my guess is that neither breaks camp with the Jackets; while you can see the skill each has, the speed of the game still requires some adjusting, which is normal for defensemen of that age. It might not be long, though, for either to make it to the NHL level.
Boqvist impresses:The message from the Blue Jackets has been consistent regarding Adam Boqvist. First, the 22-year-old defenseman is immensely talented. Secondly, he has a long way to go to be a finished product.
While Boqvist put in 11 goals a season ago, tied for sixth in a season in CBJ history among defensemen, the team felt he also needed to spend the summer hitting the weight room in order to better compete in the defensive zone. Larsen said early returns are that Boqvist did just that, reporting leaner but much stronger.
"I think in the four months that he was gone, he improved in a lot of those areas," Larsen said. "It was a huge step for him. … It's OK to be lighter if you're stronger. I'd like for him to gain more weight the right way and make him even more powerful in the battles and the confrontation stuff. You can't correct everything in one summer, but if you see a guy willing to put the work in and make the strides, that's what I wanted to see -- and you saw."
A logjam? The Blue Jackets entered last year with just two right-shot defensemen in the mix in Boqvist and Andrew Peeke. Now, there are plenty of candidates to fill that side of the ice with those two returning as well as Jiricek, summer free-agent signing Gudbranson and Blankenburg, who signed at the end of last year.
It would seem the top three candidates to play on the right side are easy. Peeke spent the most time on the right side with Werenski last year and asserted himself as an NHL defender; Boqvist has that tremendous offensive upside and could be a core player for the team; and Gudbranson was signed to fill a need for a big, physical defender.
But, man, it's hard to see how Blankenburg is an odd man out. He has just seven games of NHL experience to his credit and there simply aren't many NHL defensemen his size, but he can help the team now.
A forward growing up -- and now fully healthy after offseason knee surgery -- Blankenburg hasn't been afraid to active in the offensive zone this camp, while his poise, smarts and even his physical nature have stood out. He was a force on both ends of the ice in Sunday's game at Pittsburgh, finishing with four shot attempts, three blocked shots and two hits.
"He's establishing himself as an NHL player," said Cleveland assistant Mark Letestu, who was on the CBJ bench for the game. "He looked like an NHL player tonight."
Blankenburg finished with 14 goals a season ago at Michigan, so it's easy to see how he can add some offensive punch. It might even be easier at the NHL level to join the rush because the game is so structured, he knows he can trust his teammates to cover when he does join the attack.
The Blankenburg that scored 70 goals in 60 games over his last two seasons as a forward at Romeo High School in Michigan is excited to see how can impact a game this year.
"I think I always pride myself on both ends of the ice," he said. "I want to be a good defenseman and want to contribute offensively, too, being the forward that I was, so I think that's definitely something I pride myself on."
The Blue Jackets have often said that handedness isn't a deal breaker on the blue line, but it will be interesting to see how this all works out.
Gudbranson arrives:Two things stand out when you see Gudbranson for the first time.
One, he's tall (6-foot-6 on dry land is even more impressive on skates).
Two, he might have the longest stick in the NHL.
But in talking to those around the team, what impresses them the most is his skating ability for such a big man. Brought in to clear net fronts, stick up for teammates and keep goals out of the CBJ net, Gudbranson takes up a lot of space but also has the wheels to keep up in a game that's getting faster every day.
"I have a long wingspan," he said. "I take a huge amount of pride in my skating, and trying to beat me somewhere, it's hard to do. I try to make it as hard as possible to do. It's not about big hits. Sometimes I might not get a big hit for 10 games, but it's just trying to constantly lean on guys and put my weight on top of them whenever I get the chance that wears them down. That's kind of my play."