Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Zach Werenski for the Hart? Monahan for Masterton?

CLEVELAND A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets : Item No.

1: Hardware hopefuls The NHL will begin announcing the finalists for major awards this week, beginning on Monday with the top three vote-getters for the Vezina Trophy, honoring the leagues top goaltender.

Advertisement The Blue Jackets dont have a candidate for that trophy, but for the first time in five seasons, this news rollout bears watching for Columbus fans.

The Blue Jackets may not bring home any hardware when the award winners are honored on June 27 in Las Vegas, but they have players in the conversation.

Lets get to it.

Honors: Top goaltender Who votes: NHL general managers CBJ candidate: None CBJ award history: This is, historically, the major award for which the Blue Jackets have had the most success.

Sergei Bobrovsky won it twice (2012-13, 2016-17) and Steve Mason finished second (2008-09) during his remarkable rookie season.

Most recently, Elvis Merzlikins finished fifth in the voting in 2019-20.

Honors: Top defensemen Who votes: Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) CBJ candidate: Zach Werenski The argument: Werenski set career highs and finished among the top NHL blueliners with 23-59-82 in 81 games, one of only three defensemen to play at a point-a-game pace this season.

It will be tough for him to overcome the exploits of Colorados Cale Makar 30-62-92 but Werenski drew considerable national attention for the way he carried the Blue Jackets on both ends of the ice.

He will almost certainly be a finalist when the top three are announced.

CBJ award history: If/when Werenski is named a finalist, it will mark a franchise first.

The organization has never had a Norris finalist.

The closest player was Seth Jones, who finished fourth in 2017-18 and ninth in 2018-19.

Honors: Most outstanding player Who votes: NHL players CBJ candidate: Zach Werenski The argument: This is going to be interesting.

Its worth noting that this award, honoring the leagues top player, is different from the one coming on Thursday.

Werenski certainly played like one of the NHLs best players for most of the season, but this award typically goes to the highest scorer or the most dominating goaltender.

The only defenseman to ever win this award is Bobby Orr, and that was 50 years ago.

CBJ award history: None The @NHL will announce finalists for 2025 #NHLAwards beginning Monday, April 28, with the Vezina Trophy.

The full schedule of announcements, which is subject to change, is available here: https://t.co/tpDFGU2Ynz pic.twitter.com/DrGpVMrZgf NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 25, 2025 Honors: Player most valuable to team Who votes: PHWA CBJ candidate: Zach Werenski The argument: Werenski has a strong chance here who was more valuable to his team? but only if voters follow the description of the award and dont make this their league MVP pick.

Anybody who saw Werenski play this season, especially early on when so many players and the team as a whole needed to find their footing, could see that Werenski is deserving of votes.

It will hurt him, however, that the Blue Jackets didnt make the playoffs.

The voting takes place after the regular season, and theres no playoff stipulation in the award, but many voters have a personal policy of considering only playoff-bound players.

Advertisement CBJ award history: The only finalist was Sergei Bobrovsky, who finished third in the voting in 2016-17.

Steve Mason was fourth in 2008-09 and Bobrovsky was fifth in 2012-13.

Honors: Player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication Who votes: PHWA CBJ candidate: Sean Monahan The argument: For many years, this award had turned into the comeback player of the year award, but writers have been urged to look beyond that narrative.

Monahan, who was nominated for the award earlier this month by the Columbus chapter of the PHWA, is a shining example of all three qualities the award seeks to honor.

Not only has his perseverance through the death of his best friend, Johnny Gaudreau, been a source of inspiration within and beyond the Blue Jackets dressing room, but his career has been a triumph over a series of serious injuries.

The guess here is that hell be, at least, a finalist.

CBJ award history: The Blue Jackets have never had a winner, but theyve had finalists on three occasions.

Kevin Dineen finished top three in the first two years of the organization (2000-01 and 2001-02), while Nick Foligno was a finalist in 2018-19.

Honors: Top defensive forward Who votes: PHWA CBJ candidate: Sean Monahan The argument: This is probably a long shot for Monahan, because the Selke is unique among the trophies in the habits of voters.

It typically takes two or three really good defensive seasons to work your way into the argument, and then its hard to get supplanted.

Monahan has not been in the discussion in recent seasons, mostly due to injuries, but centering the NHLs top line for most of this season (until he suffered a wrist injury) is a pretty good argument.

CBJ award history: No finalists Honors: Top coach Advertisement Who votes: NHL Broadcasters Association CBJ candidate: Dean Evason The argument: The Blue Jackets were expected to be a lottery team in 2024-25.

Instead, under Evason in his first season in Columbus, they fell one win short of making the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.

Put another way: they went from being the first club eliminated from the playoffs in 2023-24 to the last club this season.

Beyond the on-ice improvement, Evason also played a key role in helping the Blue Jackets, one of the youngest teams in the league, play through their grief following the death of Johnny Gaudreau just before the start of training camp.

CBJ award history: John Tortorella won the award, the second of his career, after steering the Blue Jackets to a club-record 108 points in 2016-17.

He also finished third in the voting in 2019-20.

It remains criminal that Ken Hitchcock wasnt at least a finalist after coaching the Blue Jackets to their first playoff berth in 2008-09.

Honors: The player who exemplifies sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct, combined with a high standard of playing ability Who votes: PHWA CBJ candidates: Sean Monahan, Zach Werenski The argument: For many, this becomes a best player with the fewest penalty minutes award, which isnt the worst criterion.

It would be interesting to see how the players would vote for this one, as opposed to the writers.

Monahan and Werenski are both very accomplished players, but they play the game hard and firm within the confines of the rules.

You could say the same of Boone Jenner, but he missed two-thirds of the season.

CBJ award history: The Jackets have never had a finalist, but theyve had scores of players receive votes through the years.

Werenski finished sixth in 2019-20.

Honors: Top rookie Who votes: PHWA CBJ candidate: Denton Mateychuk The argument: You can expect Mateychuk to get votes, and he may land a spot on the NHLs all-rookie team.

But this is a tough field this season, with Matvei Michkov, Macklin Celebrini, Dustin Wolf and others.

If you watched Columbus closely this season, you would have been impressed with Mateychuk during his 45 NHL games.

But his numbers dont pop like the others.

Jet Greaves could have worked his way into this discussion, perhaps, if hed been recalled earlier in the season.

Advertisement CBJ award history: You might think, with the number of top-10 picks the Blue Jackets have had through the year, that the list of Calder winners and finalists would be dotted with Columbus players.

But, not so much.

Steve Mason won the award in 2008-09, but only two others have been finalists.

Rick Nash was third in 2002-03, and Werenski was 3rd in 2016-17.

Merzlikins finished fifth in 2019-20.

Item No.

2: Take on the Worlds Expect an official announcement as soon as Monday that Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason has been named head coach of Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships next month in Sweden and Denmark.

He was an assistant coach last year when Canada finished fourth.

Its hard to say how much that experience helped Evason land the job in Columbus Rick Nash, the Blue Jackets director of hockey operations, was GM of Team Canada in the tournament but it certainly helped build a relationship between Evason and one of the Jackets top decision-makers.

Evason was a finalist for vacancies with the Seattle Kraken, Ottawa Senators, and perhaps others before landing the Blue Jackets job in late July, and Nash played a significant part in GM Don Waddells coaching search.

Who might be joining Evason? Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli, who had 31 goals in his second NHL season, has signed on with Team Canada for a second straight year, but will likely be a prominent player this time around.

Last spring, Fantilli joined Canada as an extra player once he recovered from the sliced Achilles tendon that prematurely ended his rookie season.

But he returned home once the lineup was settled and it was clear he was an extra player.

So far, two Blue Jackets have made it clear that they wont be participating: defenseman Zach Werenski (Team USA) and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (Latvia).

Item No.

3: Snacks All four of the Blue Jackets support staffers who were let go last week equipment manager Jamie Healy, video coach Dan Singleton, strength and conditioning coach Kevin Collins, and assistant trainer Naoto Nates Goto were in the final year of their contracts.

But the terminations of Healy and Singleton, who had been with the organization since it came into the league via expansion in 2000, were a surprise to many.

Healy, a fixture on the Blue Jackets bench, and Singleton, whose quick eye helped overturn scores of goals on replay, both worked under 11 different head coaches in Columbus and almost all of the Blue Jackets 1,896 games.

Both are well over 2,300 games when you factor in previous stops, games with Team USA, etc.

They were fired on Saturday, two days after the season ended.

Advertisement Singleton started the Metro Columbus Hockey League three seasons ago and has served as its commissioner.

The league, which gave local kids a competitive environment in which to play without having to travel around the Midwest for games, has been a huge help to single parents, families where both parents work, or families that cant afford to pay for travel hockey.

AHL Cleveland completed a two-game sweep of the Toronto Marlies in the first round of the AHL playoffs on Saturday, winning 4-3 on James Malatestas goal at 19:05 of the second overtime.

Cleveland also won Game 1 by a 4-3 score, but the win on Thursday in Cleveland was capped by Luca Pinellis goal at 9:42 of the first overtime.

The Monsters move on to play the Laval Rocket in a best-of-five second-round series beginning either Wednesday or Thursday.

lets fill @RocketArena !! are on sale now at https://t.co/iacXhB2e7x The exact date for Game 1 will be finalized Monday evening based on the outcome of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs.

Miami Heat series in which a potential Game 5 may be played at Rocket Arena on April 30.

pic.twitter.com/aVYsRYUMov x Cleveland Monsters (@monstershockey) April 27, 2025 Obvious second-round storyline: Laval is coached by Pascal Vincent, who spent three years on the Columbus coaching staff, including 2023-24 as head coach, and knows several of the Blue Jackets farmhands from previous callups to the NHL.

Vincent, fired shortly after GM Don Waddell took the Columbus job last spring, was named the AHLs coach of the year last week after guiding the Rocket to an AHL-leading 48-19-3-2 record this season.

Coaches and players in Cleveland were, of course, delighted by the success Mateychuk and goaltender Jet Greaves had with the Blue Jackets, especially Greaves hot streak at the end of the season that nearly pushed Columbus into the postseason.

But you cant blame Cleveland coaches for welcoming those two, both AHL All-Star caliber players, back into their lineup for the playoffs.

We were cheering hard for the Jackets, Cleveland coach Trent Vogelhuber said.

Those guys were outstanding.

Obviously, Jet ...

everybodys been talking about it.

But, yeah, weve had those two in our lineup, our record is pretty good.

Advertisement Mateychuk said he wasnt told implicitly that hed be sent to Cleveland when the NHL season ended, but he expected it, he said, if the Jackets missed the playoffs.

Blue Jackets assistant GM Chris Clark, who handles the Cleveland roster, said both Mateychuk and Greaves were eager to get back to Cleveland, even though theyd tasted success in the major leagues.

Both of those guys are true professionals, Clark said.

They love hockey.

They love playing, and they love playing for the guys here, too.

That makes a huge difference.

Pinelli scored his first two professional goals in Thursdays Game 1 win.

Not bad, considering he missed about two weeks with an upper-body injury.

Pinelli is not new to Cleveland.

He was recalled last season, too, after his junior club the Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League ended their season, but he didnt get into any games.

The club wanted him around to see what pro hockey is like up close, much like goaltender Evan Gardner and defenseman Charlie Elick are doing this season.

But, Clark said, Pinelli, a fourth-round pick (No.

114) in 2023, nearly practiced his way into the playoff lineup last spring.

We had our playoff (lineup), but we got to the point where, if we needed him, he could play.

(The coaches) loved what they saw.

They would have thrown him in with no hesitation.

Heres Vogelhuber, one year later, on Pinelli, who will likely be a full-time AHLer next season: He has an elite shot, which is the first thing that pops off.

Hes an undersized guy (5-9, 170), but hell go to the hard areas and hes got that kind of dog in him, where hes a competitor.

As a coach, I love that hes got that me vs.

you and Im coming out on top mentality.

Those are the guys you win with this time of year.

heres that game winner courtesy of Luca Pinelli : Bowey & Mateychuk pic.twitter.com/sOP9uwxGl4 x Cleveland Monsters (@monstershockey) April 25, 2025 Pinelli had a great start to the playoffs.

Not so much for the Monsters other Luca.

Just after the opening faceoff, while seated on the bench, Luca Del Bel Belluz was struck by the puck on the right side of his head, opening a nasty cut on his right ear.

Del Bel Belluz, who had 27 goals for Cleveland during the regular season, said the cut, which left his lobe dangling, required 14 or 16 stitches.

Del Bel Belluz, who was centering Clevelands top line with wingers Mikael Pyyhtia and Trey Fix-Wolansky, returned late in the first period and finished the game.

Late in the regular season, he needed stitches on his upper and bottom lip after taking an elbow and a high stick.

The modeling career is over, Del Bel Belluz said.

Actually, it never really started.

Luca Del Bel Belluz.

Luca Pinelli.

Asked if he was having trouble keeping his Lucas straight, Vogelhuber said: Theres another one coming here down the road, too.

Thats a reference to defenseman Luca Marrelli, who was a third-round pick (No.

86) in 2024.

(More on him in a moment.) Vogelhuber said hes sticking to last names only so he doesnt send Del Bel Belluz over the boards when its Pinellis turn, or vice versa.

Ive got some Italian in me, so Im happy to have as many Lucas as you want, especially if they play like that.

Advertisement Coming soon: Luca Marrelli, who has had a breakout season with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, totaling 19-55-74 in 67 regular-season games.

Marrelli has 4-16-20 in 13 playoff games for Oshawa, which is ahead 1-0 on Barrie heading into Sundays Game 2 of their conference final.

Forward Jordan Dumais is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, but Clark said its not related to the abdominal/hernia issues that hampered Dumais in recent seasons.

In 21 games with Cleveland, Dumais has 4-7-11.

Not bad for a player who missed more than a year following surgery and other health issues.

Its a big loss for us having him out of the lineup, Clark said.

Hes a dynamite player.

Knock on wood, the (previous injury) has been great.

An incredible stat: Greaves made 39 saves and was the games first star on Saturday in the series-clinching win over Toronto.

Impressive, sure, but not a surprise.

The Toronto native is now 16-0-0 with a .937 save percentage against the Marlies in three-plus seasons with Cleveland.

The AHL told The Athletic that the league does not keep records for goaltenders vs.

a specific opponent, but Greaves mark is believed to be an AHL record for consecutive wins against a single opponent.

Blue Jackets fans are clamoring for Greaves to have a full-time NHL job next season.

The Marlies probably are, too.

(Photo of Zach Werenski: Steph Chambers / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.