COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets:
Dmitri Voronkov has become quite a goal scorer for the Blue Jackets. He's shown soft hands and high-end vision that belie his 6-foot-5 frame. The big man sets one heck of a screen in front of opposing goaltenders, too. Yes, his list of attributes is longer than his in-seam.
But the Voronkov that has emerged is different than the menacing, malevolent power forward he was projected to be when he left Russia for the NHL two seasons ago.
Who can forget Kirill Marchenko's stellar scouting report the spring before Voronkov made the leap: "I am a happy Russian boy," Marchenko said. "(Yegor) Chinakhov is a cute Russian boy. But (Voronkov) ... he is like tough Russian boy."
Nobody questions Voronkov's toughness. But in 25 games this season, Voronkov has just 16 hits. His hits per 60 minutes (2.38) is 18th among Blue Jackets players and 368th among NHL forwards. That's staggering.
Asked if he's been surprised by Voronkov's lack of combativeness, Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason was blunt.
"Yes," he said. "And to be honest with you, we've talked to him about it several times, and we'll continue to do that.
"I'll be honest with you: He has to get into even better shape than he is to arrive (on time for hits). That, to us, is the biggest issue, and he's committed to doing that. He's doing extra work after practice. It's not a desire thing."
Former Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said many times last season that Voronkov's energy would fade toward the end of a normal shift, that he was wearing down as the season moved along and the games piled up.
When Voronkov returned this fall for camp, he was noticeably trimmer, dropping from 240 pounds to his current 227. The Blue Jackets were pleased with his progress, but it might take another summer, or another couple of seasons, before he's trim and fit enough to play at his highest level.
"We've asked him to do that, to get going so that you can be that physical presence," Evason said. "You can see it when he's down low in a battle, a confrontation, a one-on-one ... he's really hard to handle, physically. We want him to get in on the forecheck and start bumping and grinding."
Voronkov has eight goals, nine assists and 17 points in 25 games. He has a plus-4 rating and is playing 16:04 per game, up from 13:27 last season. And two plays in recent games have highlighted his impressive offensive touch.
In a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay last Tuesday, Voronkov made a brilliant touch pass back to Cole Sillinger for a power-play goal in the third period. On Saturday, his pass across the "Royal Road" to Marchenko for a go-ahead third-period goal showed a vision few power forwards possess.
Now, imagine if Voronkov can add a physical edge to his other attributes. That's a rare player, indeed.
"To put that whole package together," Evason said, "it could be dominating."
One week ago today, Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson was stuck in the face by an inadvertent high stick. The stick blade found its way behind Johnson's visor, striking his face and his right eye. It was a scary scene in Raleigh, N.C., as Johnson rushed off the ice and went straight to the dressing room.
"I couldn't open my eye," Johnson said. "The first person I thought about was Chris Pronger."
Pronger, one of the best defensemen of his generation, retired in 2011 after a series of concussions and an eye injury suffered when he, too, was struck in the eye with a stick blade.
Johnson was able to return to last Sunday's game vs. Carolina -- he was back later in the first period, actually -- but after two shifts he pulled himself from the game.
"It was pretty clear I wasn't doing anybody any good," he said.
Johnson missed a game two days later in Tampa Bay but has been in the lineup the past two games. For three days he had to wear a protective contact lens on his right eye to help protect a scratched cornea, but the injury has begun to heal quickly.
There's still a pool of blood on the edge of his sclera.
"It's definitely weird," Johnson said. "It's like half of my eye sees in high-def and the other half is VHS."
Still, Johnson was feeling fortunate.
"It's unlucky that it even happened," he said. "I mean, the stick went up under the visor and it still got me. That's why I wear a visor, and it still happened. But I also know I'm lucky it wasn't worse. It could have been way worse, right?
"The rest of your life flashes in front of you, really. It was a brutal couple of days, the first time I've been through something like this. I asked Nates (Blue Jackets trainer Naoto Goto) to call my wife. I put everybody else on the backburner cause it was painful just to read a text right after it happened."
Take 5 is a quick, breezy sitdown with a Blue Jackets player, coach or front-office staffer. This week's features Mathieu Olivier:
We're up in Dublin. We thought the location was just right, the area was just right ... but especially for my son, Liam, who is on the spectrum. They had a really good preschool program for kids like him, so that was a big reason.
Local Cantina is our casual place. The Nashville chicken tacos. As far as a high-end place, there's a place near us that just opened this summer called Butcher & Rose. We've been there twice. It was fantastic.
Kids, kids, kids. Whatever they want to do. They're starting to skate and do a bunch of different sports, and they're showing an interest in all kinds of things. So we're trying to keep them active. If I get a little time by myself, I'll hop on the PlayStation 5, but that doesn't happen very often.
Hmm. A lot of stuff already from this year comes to mind, personally. I'd say 'Z' (Zach Werenski) breaking the record (for points by a Columbus defenseman) last year vs. Carolina in the last game of the season was pretty cool. There will definitely be more.
I've heard about this (question). Everybody's telling me I've been the answer. Or (Erik) Gudbranson. Or Jack Johnson. JJ would have a good "What's grinding my gears?" podcast. But I'd say Guddy. He's pretty knowledgeable on a lot of topics and he loves to talk. He can do it all.
* Defensemen Zach Werenski returned to Saturday's game after suffering a left leg injury when he slammed into the boards early in the third period. He returned to play but was clearly hobbled. The Philadelphia Flyers scored all five goals with him on the ice. Evason had an alarming quote after the game, saying Werenski's injury "seized up" in the third period and overtime. As of Sunday morning, the Blue Jackets did not have an update on Werenski. They aren't scheduled to practice, either.
* If goaltender Elvis Merzlikins starts, as expected, on Monday vs. Montreal, it'll mark the 10th straight game Daniil Tarasov has watched either from the bench or the press box. The most obvious target for his return is the back-to-back, home-and-home vs. Boston on the Friday-Saturday following Christmas, but Evason said that wasn't etched in stone. "We're trying to get him to a place where he can have success with the team," Evason said. "And that means watching video, taking extra practice, trying to find where he's most comfortable to play and help us win. There's no question about his desire, his drive, his attention to detail ... his work ethic is fantastic. He'll get back in there and he'll find his way."
* One might think that Tarasov, with one start since Nov. 16 and an .857 save percentage, would be on the verge of hitting the waiver wire. Not so, said Waddell. "There's too much there, too much talent. He's shown some good signs in the past, obviously. It hasn't started well for him this year. He's gotta work his way back. He's working his ass off in practice, and he's gotta keep doing that. Eventually, he's going to play a game and we'll see where he's at."
* If anybody can empathize with Johnson and his eye scare, it's Waddell. In the summer of 1984, Waddell was injured in a pickup game in Ann Arbor, Mich., when a disgruntled opponent slammed the butt end of his stick into Waddell's face. "I spent 28 days in the hospital," Waddell said. "They call it a blowout fracture of the orbital bone." Waddell, who still has a "plastic plate" around his eye, said he had an eye patch over both eyes for 15 days -- effectively blinding him -- so that the eye with a detached retina could remain still and allow it to reattach and heal. "It was a long process for sure," Waddell said. "I'd hear people come in the room and I'd have no idea who it was until they spoke." Waddell was planning to return to Switzerland to resume a career in Europe, but he didn't get cleared to play until October, after the season in Europe had started. He spent that season split between Flint and Toledo in the now-defunct International Hockey League. "I still have blind spots in that eye," Waddell said.
* Sunday Gathering Trivia question: Adam Fantilli played in his 82nd game with the Blue Jackets on Thursday, the equivalent of a full NHL season. He had 18-23-41 in that span, only four points fewer than franchise icon Rick Nash (22-23-45) in his first 82 games with Columbus. Which player has had the most goals and which player has had the most points in their first 82 games with the Jackets?
* Over the last two games, there have been even more signs of Olivier's growing influence. On Thursday, in a 4-2 win over New Jersey, he played a career-high 20:23, more than any other Blue Jackets forward. On Saturday, in the loss to Philadelphia, he was on the ice with Fantilli and Ivan Provorov during three-on-three overtime.
* Marchenko had two assists on Thursday vs. New Jersey, giving him 100 career points (55-45-100) in what was his 170th NHL game. That made him the fourth-fastest player in Columbus franchise history to reach the century mark. Pierre-Luc Dubois (142 games) reached 100 points the fastest, followed by Nikolay Zherdev (150) and Nash (164).
* Word around Nationwide Arena this week was that Blue Jackets players had a chance to look at the sweaters they'll wear on March 1 in the NHL's Stadium Series game against the Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium.
* The Blue Jackets will have two prospects competing in the World Junior Championship beginning Dec. 26 in Ottawa. Forward Luca Pinelli, a fourth-round pick (No. 114) in 2023, will play for Team Canada, while goaltender Melvin Strahl, a fifth-round pick (No. 156) in that same draft, will represent Team Sweden. Strahl currently plays for Youngstown of the USHL.
* Trivia answer: Marchenko scored 28 goals in his first 82 games with the Blue Jackets, more than Nash (22), Cam Atkinson (21) and Dubois and Voronkov (20). Werenski had 50 points in his first 82 games, leading a list that includes Dubois (48), Oliver Bjorkstrand (47) and Nash, Zherdev and Derick Brassard (45).
* The Blue Jackets announced plans this week to simulcast five of FanDuel Sports Network's broadcasts on local channels ABC 6 and CW Columbus (Ch. 53). That makes the games available via antenna, but also on some streaming networks that don't currently carry FanDuel Sports Network, formerly known as Bally's. The games are Jan. 2 vs. Detroit (CW), Jan. 11 at St. Louis (ABC 6), Jan. 23 at Carolina (CW), Feb. 27 at Detroit (CW) and March 17 vs. New Jersey (CW).