On Monday, September 18, the Columbus Blue Jackets held a press conference to discuss the upcoming 2024-25 NHL Season. Don Waddell and Dean Evason were the first to speak, followed by Captain Boone Jenner, Alternate Captain Zach Werenski, and Sean Monahan. The players’ statements will be covered in Part Two.
Johnny Gaudreau
The first topic of discussion was how the team would honor the late Johnny Gaudreau and how they would balance that while focusing on hockey. Waddell started the conversation by saying,
“Johnny will be with us all year long. We’ve kept his stall down in the locker room, we’re going to hang his jersey every game. He’ll travel with us. And the guys know, Johnny would want us to go play hockey. Meredith said it at the funeral that ‘Johnny would want you guys to play hockey’. Obviously, we’re going to honor him. We’re going to do our first home regular season game is going to be a tribute to him, and I think the players are going to respond to it very well.”
Evason was next to speak and he had some insight into what some of the players have been thinking about,
“I met with the captains … the night they went to the viewing in Jersey. They were sitting around afterwards and they said ‘What would Johnny want us to do?’ and said he’d probably want us to go watch football and have a couple beers. And so that’s what I’m going to try and the coaching staff is going to try to emphasize to our group is that, as Don said, his stall is there, tell stories, remember, laugh.”
Evason went on to talk about how Gaudreau will still be in all of the video footage that they will use for training,
“Johnny’s going to teach.”
Training Camp
Evason was asked about the Blue Jacket’s upcoming training camp and how he was going to approach it. His answer was a little surprising but he seemed to have a well-thought-out plan.
“I’ve asked the coaching staff to not tell me about the players, and their personalities, or what happened last year, how they played, or conducted themselves. I don’t care. I don’t care what happened last year, I just care what’s going to happen tomorrow in practice and moving forward.”
He mentioned that some members of staff know the players’ past, but besides past lines and a ‘ghost roster’, he doesn’t want to utilize that knowledge.
“Just because something worked last year doesn’t mean it’s necessarily going to work right away.”
James van Riemsdyk
When asked about James van Riemsdyk, Waddell said he thought it was a good fit,
“It takes goals to win hockey games, and we think he can add that to us.”
Waddell also spoke on future additions to the team,
“We’re talking to a lot of teams, just checking the box to see who’s left out there or who may be available through trades.”
Evason mentioned JVR’s experience and how it would be a nice addition to the room.
Changing The Culture
Both Evason and Waddell have said they would like to see the culture change for Columbus hockey. When asked about how they will do that, Evason was the first to speak,
“What we want to do is create a better, more positive atmosphere in the dressing room than what’s already in there. I have no idea what happened last year like I said before, or what’s happened in years past, but for me walking into that dressing room it seems like it’s got an incredible atmosphere in there.”
“Do we have to change it? No. Do we have to enhance it? Sure. I try to do that with any team I’ve been involved with.”
Waddell spoke about a meeting he and Evason had a few weeks prior where Evason had detailed some of the things he planned on doing in the locker room to help enhance the culture. Some of those details included putting some younger players next to those with more experience, reducing the segregation of friend groups in the locker room, and changing the photos above a player’s locker to one where they’re with other players instead of a solo shot.
Veteran Players
A question about the addition of some veteran players over the summer came up and how that might affect some of the younger players who have already had a lot of time in the NHL. About the younger players, Waddell said,
“We’re looking for these players to take that next step. We’re not going to force them into that. They’re going to be provided opportunity and they gotta take advantage of it.”
Evason expanded on what Waddell said,
“We are going to create an earned culture. It’s a clean slate, right? Dons new, I’m new, as I just stated I don’t care what happened last year, I don’t care how many goals you scored last year. It’ll help you obviously to start but after that you’re going to earn your ice time, you’re going to earn your position, you’re going to earn where you play and how much you play and that will be dictated by the player.”
Justin Danforth
Waddell said he recently got the news that Justin Danforth is 100% healthy and has been cleared to do things like puck handling and shooting but that he won’t be brought into practice just yet.
Player’s Mental Health
The question of what will be available to players and how they will handle the players’ mental health came up a few times. Both Waddell and Evason said that they’ll be available to talk to and so will other staff. They seemed positive and firm on that any help a player needs will be addressed.
Goaltending
There are several players available for the goalie position. Both Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov have one-way NHL contracts. Jet Greaves was brought up and it was asked if he outplays the other two, could he see a chance at starting? Don Waddell did not mince words when he answered,
“We’re here to win games. If he’s our best guy in camp here, and he’s going to get a chance to play games for sure. Contracts are contracts, I’ve never had a problem if someone beats out a player that’s on a one-way contract, that’s our business. So, we want to keep the best players.”
Evason brought up that there will be eight pre-season games and that every player is going to get a “fair chance”.
Waddell finished the question by saying,
“We wanna have to make tough decisions.”
The Wrap Up
Both Don Waddell and Dean Evason seem positive about the direction of the team and the culture they want to create. The passing of Johnny Gaudreau is an extreme tragedy that the team had to experience. Waddell and Evason are intent on getting the team through it while honoring Gaudreau the best that they can.
The word “accountability” has been thrown around a lot in years past. This year the pathway to accountability has been defined by both men and a solid plan is in place. They’re looking to amplify the positivity in the locker room and focus on a team effort, not just an individual effort. With one of the youngest teams in the NHL, the added veterans could help guide the younger players into the next steps of their careers.
Everyone will have a “clean slate” to start the season and each will get their fair chance. How the lines and positions develop will be all on the players.
Part Two of the press conference will include statements from Captain Boone Jenner, Alternate Captain Zach Werenski, and Sean Monahan.
ITR 35: Round One – Inside The Rink
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