The Columbus Blue Jackets had a rough opening night. Not only did they fall to the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2, but they also lost star defenseman Zach Werenski to injury once again. He missed most of last season with a torn labrum, luckily this time it’s a much less severe injury. He was diagnosed with a quadriceps contusion and is expected to be out for one or two weeks. In response to the injury, the Blue Jackets called up top defensive prospect David Jiricek, who was expected to start the season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Cleveland Monsters. Although it’s under less-than-ideal circumstances, Jiricek has a golden opportunity to prove that he deserves to stay in the NHL going forward. We saw Kirill Marchenko do it last season, and it’s expected that Dimitri Voronkov will do it later in the season. Yet, now it’s time for Jiricek to show that he’s a legitimate NHL player.
Quick Call-Up
It would be very surprising and simply poor asset management if Jarmo Kekalainen called up Jiricek for him to be a healthy scratch. Considering they went with him over a player like Nick Blankenburg, it seems clear that he’s going to jump a few people in the lineup and play. If that weren’t the case, it would be more logical for his development for him to play in the Monsters’ opening contest against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Oct. 14.
The only issue that arises as a result of Jiricek getting the nod rather than Blankenburg is that now the team will have to play with an uneven number of right-handed and left-handed defensemen. With that being said, the talent difference should more than make up for that imbalance.
The Golden Opportunity
With Jiricek on the NHL roster, he’s likely going to be receiving quite a bit of ice time. He may not jump on the first pairing, as Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson will likely take that role with Werenski out, but he could certainly play alongside Jake Bean on the second pairing. Bean, who scored one of the Blue Jackets’ goals during their opening contest, has a strong offensive side to his game much like Jiricek. The latter seems to be a bit more well-rounded, and of course, there is always some risk when playing two offensive-minded defensemen together, but it’s a pairing that could bring success despite that.
Jiricek’s goal needs to be earning a spot on the team and not only while Werenski is sidelined. It’s going to take quite a bit for him to jump a player who would need waivers to be sent to the AHL like Adam Boqvist or Andrew Peeke, but it’s certainly possible. If he plays well enough, he can force management’s hand in this situation. It’s no secret that the Blue Jackets need to make a move to clear up their defensive logjam and if Jiricek makes himself too valuable to send down, it can make that move come sooner rather than later. He’ll likely get power-play time and possibly penalty-kill time as well, which likely wouldn’t be the case if Werenski were healthy. He has a perfect opportunity to become a full-time NHL player, but it’s not going to be easy whatsoever.
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Losing Zach Werenski to injury is certainly not how the Blue Jackets wanted the season to start. However, there is some good that could come out of it in the long run. Many feel that Jiricek should’ve been on the roster to start, especially if waivers weren’t a factor in the decision. Now, we truly get to see if that’s the reality, and if he performs at a high level, it would be surprising to see him sent back to Cleveland.
