If there is one thing going right for the Columbus Blue Jackets this season, it’s that their AHL affiliate sits in first place in their division as we approach the end of February. This means there will be some important games down the stretch within the organization.
Welcome to Part 3 of our Blue Jackets mini-series on what we want to see for the rest of the season. There will not be playoff hockey in Columbus in 2023-24. Barring a major collapse, there will be playoff hockey up I-71 in Cleveland.
The Monsters entered Thursday night with a record of 29-15-2-2. They’re in a close battle with the Syracuse Crunch for the top of the North Division. While the math works in the Monsters’ favor for making the AHL playoffs, they ideally want to win their division.
This is where the Blue Jackets have an important role to play in making that happen.
A Quick Refresher
You don’t need to go too far back in history to see the Monsters winning the Calder Cup. Oliver Bjorkstrand scored in overtime to send Lake Erie to an AHL title in 2016.
It wasn’t long after that when key members of that team came to the Blue Jackets and made an impact. The 2016-17 season became the franchise’s best season with 50 wins and 108 points. Besides Bjorkstrand, Zach Werenski, Josh Anderson and others first helped the Monsters win a championship then went to the Blue Jackets and helped make history by defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in a sweep.
The 2015-16 Blue Jackets are similar to this season’s team in the sense that the NHL playoffs were never a reality. However it gave the Blue Jackets an opportunity to have their young players play meaningful games.
The same thing can happen in 2023-24. Some of the team’s best prospects have a chance to play playoff games while gaining valuable pro experience.
Where Blue Jackets Come In
Here’s where things get vitally important from a Blue Jackets’ perspective. They have an opportunity to make decisions that will boost the Monsters’ chances of playoff success and a longer run.
What can the Blue Jackets do? They can ensure certain players are eligible to join the Monsters for the playoffs. That starts with the upcoming March 8 NHL Trade Deadline and a practice that most every team utilizes.
In the AHL, a players must be on a team’s active roster by the NHL’s Trade Deadline in order to be eligible for postseason. This comes in the form of a paper move in most cases. Players that don’t require waivers can be papered to the AHL so they land on the active roster. From there, once their NHL season is over, they can then go to the AHL and participate in the playoffs.
Now there is a catch here. The Blue Jackets won’t be able to do this with every player. There is a rule post trade deadline that says a team is allowed four regular recalls to the NHL roster. If a team papers someone to the AHL and then calls them back to the NHL, that counts as one regular recall for each player. With only four on hand, teams have to decide who would benefit from such a move.
Will Blue Jackets Utilize This?
In one sense, they already are utilizing this situation. Top prospect David Jiricek is currently with the Monsters. So long as he stays through the trade deadline, he’ll be eligible to play in the playoffs.
The question to consider here is which players, if any, on the Blue Jackets should be papered to the AHL by the trade deadline. There are three players that could find themselves in this position although it’s unknown if anyone of them will get papered.
Those players are Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli and Dmitri Voronkov.
In the cases of Johnson and Fantilli, each will finish the 2023-24 season with waivers-exempt status. In Voronkov’s case, he needs just 11 more games before waivers is required. Considering his role of late on the Blue Jackets, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where he’ll be papered to the AHL.
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As for Johnson and Fantilli, it’s an interesting decision. Johnson has already spent time with the Monsters this season and enjoyed success. He would provide a massive boost to the team given his skill set. Fantilli is still recovering from injury. Should he be ready to go, could we see him get playoff games? I don’t think they do this but it’s not impossible either.
The decision will ultimately come down to what the team thinks of the situation and if it would be beneficial for the player’s development. The thing we want to see is the Blue Jackets exploring every possible avenue to make the Monsters better. It could be in the form of papering Johnson or Fantilli. It could be in the form of a deadline deal (such as the Alex Nylander trade) where a player comes back to the Blue Jackets. No matter the approach, the Monsters need to be given every opportunity to make a deep run in these playoffs so that their young players get to experience these kind of games.
The Monsters have been the bright spot in an otherwise dark season. It’s now up to the Blue Jackets to maximize their chances of winning a championship. Stay tuned for Part 4 as we’ll tee up the trade deadline for the Blue Jackets and what moves they need to make.