Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Friends Luke Kunin, Christian Fischer join 'special group'

COLUMBUS, 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: Fitting in Don Waddell is beginning to let his true feelings show about whats happening with the Blue Jackets.

Last week, Waddell, who has spent 40 years in the NHL, said this group of players and coaches has made him by far the proudest Ive ever been of a team.

Advertisement The Blue Jackets are still mourning Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed before the start of training camp.

They have also been hit with a wave of significant injuries.

That they remain in the playoff race with a little more than a month remaining in the season makes this a special group, Waddell said.

The last thing he wanted to do at the NHL trade deadline was to mess with that.

Waddell made it clear that he wasnt going to trade away veteran players even those with expiring contracts because he didnt want to subtract from the roster.

That was especially notable with defenseman Ivan Provorov, who could have drawn a big return.

He also didnt want to acquire players who would block any of the Blue Jackets precocious young talents Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, Denton Mateychuk, Cole Sillinger, Dmitry Voronkov, etc.

from getting a full taste of pressure-packed regular-season games and possibly the playoffs.

Further, that meant that he was going to be careful about the personalities and attitudes he was bringing into the room with any possible trades.

On-ice measurables are important, of course.

But so are off-ice immeasurables.

On Thursday, Waddell claimed forward Christian Fischer off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings.

On Friday, he traded a fourth-round draft pick for this summer to the San Jose Sharks to acquire center Luke Kunin.

Not only have Fischer and Kunin been close friends for more than half of their lives, but they have extensive histories with Waddell, other players in the room, and, in Kunins case, coach Dean Evason.

They didnt have to look far for character references.

It goes back to what we talked about months ago with the guys we brought in here during the year or at the beginning of the year, Waddell said, referring to (without naming) Sean Monahan, James van Riemsdyk, Zach Aston-Reese, Dante Fabbro, etc.

Advertisement Its whether they were good players, but (also) good people, and we had to continue that here.

I want to continue that forever, but this years an exceptionally (important year) to make sure we get the right people.

Kunin, Fischer and Zach Werenski, all 27 years old, grew up playing against each other in regional and national youth tournaments.

Kunin is from St.

Louis, Fischer from Chicago and Werenski from Detroit.

Eventually, they made their way to the U.S.

National Team Development Program.

Waddell was a consultant for USA Hockey, helping to hire coaches and selecting players for the annual World Junior Championship roster.

He knew everything that went on with the players and the program.

In the NHL, Kunin played for Minnesota and Nashville before making his way to San Jose.

With the Wild, he played one season with Evason as an assistant and another with him as head coach.

In Nashville, he played with defensemen Fabbro and Erik Gudbranson and winger Mathieu Olivier.

Kunin said he had the Blue Jackets circled as a place hed like to go if the Sharks traded him by the deadline.

Why? Just their style of play, their identity, Kunin said.

What theyve got going right now is something you want to be a part of, and its awesome to see.

When you play against them you can see how theyre doing it.

Very structured.

They have that identity, that hard work, a simple style of hockey, guys doing their jobs.

Its cool when youre watching it from afar, but then to step into it ...

very exciting.

GO DEEPER 'This group is special': Blue Jackets add Luke Kunin but leave roster intact at deadline After they each were acquired, Fischer and Kunin said they heard immediately from Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner and Werenski via text.

Within a few minutes, theyd heard from almost every player on the roster, Fischer said.

The Blue Jackets have been one of the best stories in sports this year.

Its a story that actually transcends sports; its about humanity and perseverance.

Advertisement Waddell didnt want to mess with the magic.

Now, Kunin and Fischer are thrilled to be stepping into it at a highly charged point in the season.

The season this team is having ...

to be able to go through what they had to go through as a team, losing (Johnny Gaudreau) one of their precious teammates ...

to see how theyve responded to that is remarkable, Fischer said.

These guys have rallied around that.

Theyre always playing for and thinking about Johnny.

You can sense that, just how close this group is.

I heard from Boone right away.

I think Luke and I got a text from every guy in the group right after we came aboard.

That stuff goes such a long way.

It makes you want to compete harder on the ice for each other.

Theyve grown close and they rely on each other.

To be able to join a room like that, with that much camaraderie and that kind of bond ...

man, thats super exciting.

Item No.

2: Bettman Q&A The NHL has staged 43 outdoor games, and commissioner Gary Bettman has attended 42 of them.

He was in Columbus last weekend when the Blue Jackets and Red Wings played a Stadium Series game in venerable Ohio Stadium, one of the more unique and memorable nights in the citys sporting history.

The Athletic caught up with Bettman this week, after he returned to New York and the Blue Jackets resumed their schedule, wanting to get his thoughts on an event that drew 94,751, the second-largest crowd ever for an NHL game.

Here was the conversation: Youve seen so many of these outdoor games.

What made this unique? Theyre all unique.

Youve seen enough of these to know that what we do to a stadium and to the environment, it tries to reflect the community were in and make it special for those fans.

The context that I was focused on, and youve probably heard me say this enough, if 20 years ago, I would have told you that wed have 94,000 people at a hockey game in Columbus, people would have thought I was nuts.

In taking on the essential attributes of Ohio State the Ohio State University they did a great job with it.

But, to me, seeing the fan reaction and seeing the sheer magnitude of what has been built by the Blue Jackets in Columbus is what made this extraordinary.

Advertisement The league has had its eyes on Ohio Stadium for quite a while now, correct? That is fair to say.

The question was, when did we think we could fill it? And we filled it.

Every one of our (outdoor) games has been sold out.

Again, 94,000 people at a hockey game in Columbus.

You have to love it.

You were around most of the day on Saturday.

Did fans approach you? Absolutely.

Everywhere I went, people were saying, This was fantastic.

They were grateful to see the support, not just for the Blue Jackets but for Columbus.

People were excited, which is really what happens when you bring people into the elements and they brave the elements and come to something thats unique and special.

Ohio Stadium has probably never seen something like this.

Meredith, Jane, Noa and Johnny Gaudreau Jr.

lead the Columbus Blue Jackets out at Ohio Stadium #StadiumSeries : @espn https://t.co/S5tPrXCygm : FX & @TVASports pic.twitter.com/g5SDRJCcWp NHL (@NHL) March 1, 2025 I can confirm.

Football games, soccer games, concerts ...

but never a hockey rink.

There was a unique aspect to this game: bringing people together and again honoring the legacy and the memory of the Gaudreaus.

To see Meredith there, leading the team out ...

I got to spend some time with her during the game.

It was an extraordinary day and a wonderful tribute.

We had a really good conversation.

She had a good day.

Shes incredible.

When this game was announced more than a year ago, the Blue Jackets were near the bottom of the NHL.

The Red Wings were not a playoff team.

Were you worried about this matchup? It turned out to be a compelling matchup, but ...

Oh, I dont know.

We could speculate all we want.

At the end of the day, we decided this was the right time, the right place, and the right teams.

And I guess we were right.

This turned out to be ...

not only a meaningful game, it was a terrific game! Columbus media and fans have been hounding you for years about an outdoor game.

So now let me ask ...

when do the Blue Jackets get to host another one? Very funny.

There are a couple of places weve been back to, but you have to let a few years pass.

Weve done 43 of these, but we havent overdone them yet.

Thats a function of how we do them, when we do them, and who is in them.

Were going to the world beyond next season by doing two games in Florida.

Maybe people will call us crazy for that.

The proof is always in the pudding.

At the end of the day, we know its important to make these special.

We try to make this a lifetime memory for people, and I think we did that.

Item No.

3: The stretch The Blue Jackets have 20 games remaining in the season.

For Blue Jackets fans who havent seen the playoffs in four straight seasons, thats six weeks of chewing fingernails, pacing in front of the TV and making strange deals with the hockey gods.

Let the angst begin today.

The Blue Jackets play the New York Rangers twice and the New Jersey Devils twice in the next five games, with a matchup against mighty Vegas tucked into the middle of that.

The first of those meetings with the Rangers is tonight in Madison Square Garden.

Advertisement The Blue Jackets and Rangers are tied with 68 points, but the Jackets for now hold the second wild card over New York because theyve played one fewer game.

They meet again this coming Saturday in Nationwide Arena.

Now look up: The Blue Jackets are only four points back of the Devils, who have lost three straight and learned last week that top player Jack Hughes is out for the remainder of the season following shoulder surgery.

The Blue Jackets play the Devils on Tuesday in Newark, N.J., then host them at Nationwide on March 17.

The Blue Jackets are just 7-6-3 against Metropolitan Division opponents this season, but theyd better get that corrected quickly.

Six of Columbus next eight games are against Metro opponents, the two exceptions being Vegas (gulp) on Thursday and Florida (oof) on March 20, both at Nationwide.

The good news for Columbus is that after this road trip ends in New Jersey on Tuesday, the Blue Jackets will have 11 of their final 18 games in Nationwide, where they are 20-6-4 this season.

Item No.

4: Snacks The Blue Jackets, according to PuckPedia , are $18.4 million under the NHLs salary cap, more than any other team.

That space will come in handy this summer, of course, when GM Don Waddell starts re-signing and extending players, signing free agents and acquiring players in trade.

But he tried to put it to use at the trade deadline, too, making it clear to cap-strapped teams around the league that the Blue Jackets were willing to serve as third-party brokers to help facilitate trades.

Typically teams get draft picks in return.

The Jackets had two such deals in place on Thursday, Waddell said, and another on Friday.

But all three deals fell through.

A lot of times, the team will line it up ahead of time, knowing that if they get the player, theyve got to move fast, Waddell said.

Unfortunately, the teams we were working with didnt get the players they were hoping to get.

But we were definitely interested in trying to gain some assets if that was a way to do it.

Fischer had a great line in his first chat with the media in Columbus.

Just last weekend, he was playing for the Red Wings when they faced the Jackets in the outdoor game.

While the Blue Jackets came away elated with the 5-3 win, Detroit was furious that Justin Danforth wasnt called for highsticking when he plowed through two defensemen to score the go-ahead goal late in the third period.

The trade gave Fischer a different, um, perspective on Danforths play.

Im on the right side of it now, Fischer said, smiling.

That was not a penalty at the end.

All was good there.

Then he paused.

God, the Detroit friends are going to hate me for saying that.

But, yeah, just a clean play there.

Another Fischer anecdote: Hes played 522 games and scored 62 goals.

Does he remember what happened on Oct.

23, 2018? I had a hat trick against the Blue Jackets.

Yep, the only one of his career.

When it became known that the Blue Jackets claimed him on Thursday, Fischer said his close friends all peppered him with text messages, including clips of his three goals.

(The Blue Jackets) must not have forgotten, he joked.

Advertisement As of last week, the Blue Jackets were still of the mind that Gudbransons return from shoulder surgery would most likely occur in early April, with just a few games remaining in the season.

That timeline has changed as of Saturday, when the Jackets announced that Gudbranson, who has been skating the past few weeks apart from the club, has now been cleared to practice with the team.

He wont play Sunday against the Rangers, but hes now expected back within the next couple weeks.

When Gudbranson was injured four games into the season, the Blue Jackets hadnt yet claimed Dante Fabbro off waivers from Nashville and hadnt recalled Denton Mateychuk from AHL Cleveland.

Theyre both top-four fixtures now.

The Blue Jackets have carried eight defensemen for much of the season, but something will have to give when Gudbranson is activated.

Jack Johnson and Jordan Harris, who have been frequent healthy scratches the last two months including the last six games each would both require waivers to be sent to the minors.

The Blue Jackets on Friday sent Mateychuk, 20, to the AHL by the 3 p.m.

trade deadline so that hed be eligible to play for Cleveland in the postseason.

He was recalled after the deadline had passed and will be in the lineup tonight against the Rangers.

Its not a certainty Mateychuk will play in the AHL postseason, however.

Hopefully well be playing playoff hockey here in Columbus, Waddell said.

And if not, and if Cleveland is still going on down in the AHL, I think its a great experience.

Ive always said, playoff hockey, I dont care what level youre playing, its hard hockey and its a great experience.

We wanted to keep that open as an option.

Im not saying its going to happen for sure, but we definitely wanted to keep it as an option.

With his next goal, Werenski will have 21 on the season, breaking his own record for goals in a season by a blueliner.

He scored his 19th and 20th last Tuesday in Tampa Bay, matching his total from 2019-20.

According to the NHL, Werenski is only the third American defenseman in the last 30 years to have two 20-goal seasons, joining Dustin Byfuglien (Atlanta, Winnipeg) and Brian Leetch (New York Rangers).

With his next assist, Werenski will surpass Rick Nash for the most assists (258) in franchise history.

We may be getting ahead of ourselves here, but you have to wonder if Werenskis No.

8 will someday hang beside Nashs No.

61 in the rafters of Nationwide Arena.

This weeks Sunday Gathering trivia question: On Thursday, Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky shut out his former club for the third time in 15 career starts, making 16 saves in a 3-0 win over the Blue Jackets.

Bobrovsky is tied with nine others for the second-most shutouts against Columbus.

There are three goaltenders with four shutouts vs.

the Blue Jackets in their careers.

Name one of them.

Former Blue Jacket and Columbus native Jack Roslovic, now playing for the Carolina Hurricanes, was rather oddly connected to the drama in Raleigh surrounding forward Mikko Rantanen, who was acquired by Carolina on Jan.

24 and then traded by the Hurricanes on Friday.

When Rantanen arrived, his preferred sweater number 96 was occupied by Roslovic, who has worn 96 with both the Blue Jackets and Rangers.

Rantanen coerced Roslovic into giving up the number a $10,000 Rolex was part of the deal and so Roslovic started wearing No.

98.

Rantanen played only 13 games with the Hurricanes before they traded him when it became apparent he wouldnt sign a contract extension with them by the deadline.

On Saturday, Roslovic was back to wearing No.

96 again.

And he gets to keep the watch.

Advertisement Trivia answer: The three goaltenders who have four shutouts vs.

the Blue Jackets are Evgeni Nabokov (San Jose 3, New York Islanders 1), Roberto Luongo (Florida 2, Vancouver 2), and Semyon Varlamov (Colorado 3, New York Islanders 1).

(Photo of Sean Kuraly and Christian Fischer: Jason Mowry / Getty Images).

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