The calendar has reached the heart of the spring season. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are churning along in the second round. News from teams not in the playoffs are fast and forthcoming.
While it’s seemed a little quiet around the Columbus Blue Jackets of late, the team is in the midst of their offseason preparations in order to be ready for the NHL Combine and the NHL Draft. Then they will turn their attention to free agency as they hope to find the right moves this offseason to add to the momentum from the end of last season.
But before we get there, we have a few items to discuss on this week’s News & Rumors. We begin with a new member of Team USA at the World Championships.
Werenski Goes to Worlds
At exit interview day, Zach Werenski was asked if he would be playing for Team USA at the World Championships. He said no citing his upcoming marriage as well as marriages for two of his friends.
But you know hockey players, right? Their job never seems done especially if there is some unfinished business to take care of.
While we haven’t spoken to Werenski since exit day, it’s clear that his decision to join Team USA at the Worlds has a couple of layers to it. Losing to Team Canada and perhaps having another chance to meet them on the big stage had something to do with it.
Perhaps making another impression on the Team USA decision makers for the Olympics had something to do with it. Maybe going to help honor the legacy of Johnny Gaudreau had something to do with it.
No matter what the exact reasons were, Werenski’s decision to go to the Worlds shows one big thing. He is a driven hockey player who wants to be successful in everything he does.
Werenski’s performance at the Four Nations opened the eyes of many who haven’t seen him play as much. He was one of Team USA’s best players.
By playing at the Worlds, Werenski has established himself as one of the leaders of this current iteration of Team USA. He’s given everything to the Blue Jackets and to his country. His commitment stands out.
That’s exactly why the Blue Jackets need to make sure they nail this offseason so that the playoffs become their new reality. Werenski is in the prime of his career playing the best hockey of his career. But he’s not getting any younger.
The Blue Jackets have a young and very talented core that almost made the playoffs last season. As Dean Evason said at exit interviews, they missed their goal. Changes have to be made to ensure they don’t miss in 2025-26. This is why it’s reasonable to expect one or more significant changes as Don Waddell now gets his chance to put his stamp on the team he took over a season ago.
We’ll see what happens down the road. It just feels inevitable that Werenski will eventually replace the ‘A’ on his jersey with a ‘C.’ His rise in play and leadership have been noticed. Going to the Worlds now reinforces everything he’s about.
Monsters Season Over
The Cleveland Monsters season has come to an end. They lost in four games to the Laval Rocket with a 4-1 loss in Game 4. The Rocket showed everything they’re for real. But we should have seen it coming too.
The Rocket were the AHL’s best regular season team. Their commitment to defense helped them in that regard. This series was won because of their aggressive approach.
The Monsters had very little time when they had the puck. That’s the trademark of a Pascal Vincent coached team. The Rocket forechecked all over the ice. They forced mistakes. They also punished the Monsters with big hits throughout the series.
Yet somehow, it was the Monsters who got in penalty trouble. Power play chances were heavily in favor of the Rocket especially on their home ice. Lack of discipline did eventually catch up to the Monsters although there were some questionable calls along the way.
Jet Greaves again showed why he feels he’s ready for a more permanent role on the Blue Jackets. He finished with a .911 save percentage in six postseason games. The games against the Rocket could have been much worse. He was consistently their best player throughout.
Denton Mateychuk was a targeted part of the Rocket’s game plan. They made sure he was shadowed and then hit every chance they got. Logan Mailloux got him in Game 3 and had to leave the game. He wasn’t able to play in Game 4. He was considered day-to-day going into Tuesday.
In the end, the Monsters best offensive players weren’t able to break through. Trey Fix-Wolansky didn’t record a goal in the postseason. With his contract up, there’s a very good chance he’s played his last game for the Blue Jackets & Monsters. What a career it’s been to this point. He’d leave as one of the best players in franchise history.
Fix-Wolansky still wants to crack an NHL lineup. His path on the Blue Jackets appears very limited. But through the years, he gave Monsters fans a lot to cheer for. He will be remembered there for a long time.
It’s also fair to wonder what the future holds for coach Trent Vogelhuber. He reportedly interviewed for a head-coaching opening in college. We’ll see if other opportunities present themselves. He helped lead the Monsters to consecutive playoff appearances. He’s only scratching the surface of what he could become as he progresses along.
With a lot of free-agent decisions for Waddell to make, we could see a much different looking Monsters lineup for 2025-26. As for this season, they enjoyed a lot of positive moments with some players making a case for the NHL. They just couldn’t overcome the AHL’s best team in the playoffs.
Side Dishes
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