The regular season is mere days away and the Blue Jackets are looking for some separation among the players that are trying their best to earn a roster spot on the club for the home opener. With the roster at thirty-three players, further cuts will have to be made to get it down to the league-mandated 23 players. Head coach Todd Richards said that those cuts will most likely come after the final preseason game versus the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
At this point of camp, two rookies have stood out: forward Boone Jenner and defenseman Ryan Murray. Jenner has fit in nicely with the top line of Marian Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky, while Murray is playing like a veteran, as he’s been paired with James Wisniewski a majority of the time.
Through six preseason games (both have played four of six), Jenner is 3-1-4, +4 and Murray is 1-2-3, +5.
Being rookies, both players have made mistakes. That is to be expected of young players. Yet, these two have minimized their mistakes and are learning from them. “I haven’t been 100% satisfied”, said Murray, “every time that I’m on the ice. It’s right there. It’s right on the edge. My game is definitely coming back to where it should be.”
“Hopefully, these next few games go better than the first few games and it just keeps getting better and better throughout the preseason. I try not to worry about (getting sent down). I try and worry about just going out there and playing hockey. My game has come a long way from my first game, I think. I’m able to see things and to read and react quicker.”
Head coach Todd Richards is still noncommittal about whether Murray is a “lock” to dress in Union Blue for the home opener against the Calgary Flames on October 4th. “Right now”, Richards said, “Ryan is still a young player making youthful mistakes. But, there is a way that he plays the game, a style that is under control and calming. There are no desperate plays where he’s diving or sliding. He just seems to be, positionally, really sound. But, there’s still a lot to learn.”
“He’s a young kid playing against men, now. Having missed a good portion of last season and that can hurt the growth of a player. Right now, it’s just trying to see where he’s at (developmentally).He’s been paired with Wiz (James Wisniewski) and Wiz has had an impact on his game, too.”
Todd Richards has used Murray in many situations throughout the preseason, from power play to penalty kill, and even in overtime. He’s shown that he can handle being thrust into these scenarios without getting flustered. “That’s how he ‘thinks’ the game”, said Richards. “There’s a reason why he was picked 2nd overall (2012 NHL Entry Draft). He’s a pretty talented player. What we have to make a decision on is, is he ready for it?”
“There’s going to be a time, I don’t know if it’s now. I don’t know if it’s two weeks, two months or two years (from now), when he’s going to become an NHL player. But, it will happen because he’s a good player.”
On the offensive end of the ice, Boone Jenner has positively meshed with Marian Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky on the top line. He has an innate sense of where his line-mates are going to be. “I just want to get better, every game”, Jenner said. “Each game, I’m feeling more comfortable and making more plays.”
Beyond the fact that he can make plays, he’s shown an ability to be a power forward with crunching checks on opposing players. Not to mention, he not afraid to drop the gloves when the time comes. “That’s just my game. I want to be a physical player.”
“He goes out there and works hard, every shift”, said Brandon Dubinsky. “There’s no doubt about that. Not only are his teammates, and myself, noticing it, I think that the management and the coaching staff is noticing it, as well. He’s been rewarded with opportunities and special team situations and ice time. He’s earning what he’s getting, for sure.”
“I don’t think it’s anything special. It’s just him putting his head down and outworking whoever he’s battling with, one on one. He’s outworking guys and he’s out-skating guys. He’s creating a lot of opportunities for Gabby (Marian Gaborik) and me.”
The open forward slot is Boone Jenner’s to lose. On the defensive side, Ryan Murray needs to create more separation between him and the other defensemen to claim one of those open slots as his own.
• Defenseman Dalton Prout played his first preseason game on Monday night after rehabbing from offseason surgery. “I didn’t hold back anything”, said Prout. “My injury didn’t hold me back, at all. I wouldn’t have played unless I was 100%. I was a little bit sloppy, but it will come. I need to be patient and diligent with working at my game.”
• Head Coach Todd Richards has a worry that the team might not be looking at the preseason games as the building blocks that they need to build momentum to start the regular season. He seemed especially concerned about the power play. “We talked about getting our level of play up. I think that the Carolina and Pittsburgh games, the players had done that. I don’t think it was nearly what should be expected from our group (on Monday).
“I’m talking the intensity level, the battle level and the execution part of it, too. If our power play was a little bit better (last year) that’s probably one or two more points. It probably would have gotten us in the playoffs. (Last year) we were in the bottom 25% (NHL), power play-wise, and (Monday) we did a lot of the same things. To me, it was lack of intensity and lack of focus. We’re approaching it like we’re not getting better at it. That’s the disappointing thing.”
“It’s a privilege to get out on the power play. At least, that’s the way it should be. That might be some of my fault, as a coach. If the guys aren’t going to work (on the power play) I can’t continue to reward them by putting them out there. We’ve got to work on our power play.”
• Forward Derek MacKenzie is now out with an upper-body injury. “The doctors looked at him and he’ll be re-evaluated on Tuesday morning”, said Todd Richards. No time-frame was given for his return.
• Forward Jared Boll is still out with an injury. “He’s got an upper-body issue”, Richards said. “He’s going to be sidelined for a little bit. I don’t know exactly (how long he’ll be out). It could be a few days, it could be a week or more.” Not quite day-to-day, at this point.
