How could Jackets roster shuffle once injured players are ready to return?
There will be games where the team, for whatever the reason, chases the score from the drop of the puck. Such was the case Tuesday evening at Nationwide Arena. Despite the 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars that brings their record to 2-1-0, the Blue Jackets are playing better and more together as a team than they were just twelve short months ago.
The list of the injured has been widely reported, with some saying that Columbus became a bubble team to make the playoffs because of the long injury list. To reiterate, forwards Nathan Horton (back), Brandon Dubinsky (abdominal surgery), Boone Jenner (broken hand) and defenseman Ryan Murray (knee) are on that list.
One would have thought that by losing two-thirds of the top line, a gritty, skilled center and an up-and-coming young defenseman to start the season, there would have been a somewhat precipitous drop-off in what the team could accomplish. Au contraire, mon frere.
While the additions of rookies Michael Chaput, Marko Dano and Alex Wennberg have indeed helped the team, they are by no means a panacea for the above-mentioned injured. They are merely three more pieces in the puzzle with which Todd Richards has to ice a competitive team.
Richards said on Tuesday that Murray is getting close and could draw back into the lineup as early as this weekend. The most likely scenario at that time is that recently acquired (via waiver claim) forward Adam Cracknell is once again put on waivers to be sent to the Springfield Falcons.
In the short-term, that would mean carrying eight defensemen on the roster, as they really don't want to expose defenseman Cody Goloubef to waivers. He is almost assuredly going to be claimed off waivers, with the Detroit Red Wings the likely candidate. This would then mean having 13 instead of the normal 14 forwards on the roster.
Or, they could look at the situation and decide that it is inevitable that Goloubef will get claimed and put him on waivers when Murray returns to the roster. That is a more long-term solution to the issue, of course.
But, those decisions will have to be repeated shortly after Murray's return. Boone Jenner would be the next one to be taken off Injured Reserve and a roster spot would need to be made available. It's likely that Brandon Dubinsky would draw back into the lineup soon after that.
What happens then? One option is to send Michael Chaput back to Springfield. The benefit of sending him down is that he has yet to reach the threshold when waivers kick in for the young center.
Unless Marko Dano and Alex Wennberg stagnate or regress, it's doubtful that they will get sent to Springfield. The organization is especially hot on the young center from Sweden, although he's been playing on the wing. His poise and maturity have already earned him a spot on both the power play and penalty kill units. He is fitting right in on the line with Artem Anisimov and Scott Hartnell.
Marko Dano is a deceptively fast skater with a nose for the net. Having scored his first NHL goal in just his second game, he's a fireplug of a player that isn't afraid to get in the dirty area in front of the goal.
Forward Jack Skille is playing well enough that others will likely be scratched instead of him. He's taken the opportunity afforded him and run with it, renewing the trust that Richards has in him. Tuesday against the Stars, Skille was on the ice for 13:59, all of it even-strength. Spread across 20 shifts, he had 4 shots, 2 takeaways and 1 hit.
The scenarios are seemingly endless and rife with twists and turns. Could a trade be made to open up roster space? While nothing is imminent, this is also a route they could explore. They have $7.1 million in available cap space, as of Wednesday.
Both Todd Richards and the front office have said these are good problems to have. The depth of the organization is such that these types of decisions are hopefully becoming a part of the fabric of a team on the rise.
The armchair general managers will get a bit more vocal in the coming weeks, for sure, as fans question who stays and who goes. But the stated purpose of the organization is to make the team better. And the moves they've made to date have borne that out.
