CLEVELAND, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets:
Item No. 1: Jiricek’s handling
The Blue Jackets’ handling (mishandling?) of rookie defenseman David Jiricek has raised eyebrows all season, and it reached a boiling point this week.
Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen and coach Pascal Vincent don’t believe that Jiricek is, at present, one of the club’s top six defensemen, which is why the 20-year-old has been sent back to AHL Cleveland for the fourth time this season.
But Jiricek, the No. 6 pick in the 2022 NHL draft, believes he’s NHL-ready after spending last season in the AHL. That’s why the relationship has become strained, and it’s why Jiricek bears watching over the next few days and weeks.
“I played good hockey in the NHL,” Jiricek told The Athletic Friday. “I’m an NHL player right now. That’s my opinion, that I should be in the NHL right now.
“I see guys from the same draft, like Simon Nemec (in New Jersey) and (Kevin) Korchinski (in Chicago) … they get a chance on the power play. They play a ton of minutes in the NHL. Those are different teams, so different situations, but I can compare with them. I just want a chance to play like that.”
Jiricek last played an NHL game on Jan. 9 when the Blue Jackets lost 5-0 in Winnipeg. He played only 15:45 in that game, with two shots on goal, no points and an even rating. After that, he was scratched in three straight games before being sent back to Cleveland.
“They told me the last game was not good enough for me,” Jiricek said. “I told them I don’t think so, but that’s your opinion. I was out of the lineup after that. A whole month now, it feels like I haven’t played.”
Jiricek was recalled to Columbus last Sunday before the Jackets left on a five-game road trip, but he was a healthy scratch against Edmonton on Tuesday and sent back to Cleveland before Thursday’s game in Calgary.
There was concern that Jiricek might consider not reporting to Cleveland, but he arrived on Friday and played for the Monsters on Saturday. What’s next, however, is unclear.
“It’s been most of the month without hockey, so I will play (Saturday),” Jiricek said after sitting out Friday’s game. “After that, we’ll see.”
The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, say they’re handling Jiricek as they would (and have) handled any other prospect, by making decisions that will benefit him in the long run.
“Our feeling has been that even if he doesn’t play in all of the roles he’s likely to play in the future, it’s best for his development to play against NHL players and practice against NHL players,” Kekäläinen said. “He’s already proved that he’s a very good player in that league.
“He does a lot of good things with the puck, but he’s got to learn to defend better. He needs to learn that on an NHL level, but if he’s not playing here, he needs to play in the American League because he needs to play.”
Jiricek’s skating is fine in straight lines and predictable bursts, but he doesn’t get his feet tangled when the play changes abruptly. That’s an issue in the defensive zone, especially against the NHL’s quicker and more agile players.
But it’s absolutely correctable, through repetition and experience.
Vincent, the first-year head coach, has opted to play Andrew Peeke ahead of Jiricek in recent games. And even when Jiricek has played, Vincent has sheltered him severely. He’s averaged only 14:47 per game. That’s 19th among NHL rookie defensemen who’ve played in 10 or more games this season.
In 36 games, Jiricek has 1-8-9 and a minus-1 rating.
“We see huge potential,” Vincent said. “This young man has to play minutes. He has to be put on the ice. He has to be on the power play. He has to play at the end of each period. He’s got tremendous skills, just skills that are hard to teach.
“Having said that,…
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