COLUMBUS, Ohio — It has not been the kind of season the Columbus Blue Jackets hoped for, but it has been an incredibly informative season at several points.
Cole Sillinger, still only 20 years old, looks like an emerging two-way center. Dmitry Voronkov, as big as advertised, is tied for second among NHL rookies with 17 goals. Yegor Chinakhov, who has 16 goals, has shown sporadic dynamism in his second (mostly) full NHL season.
And now, with the league’s trade deadline in the rearview mirror and the stretch drive upon us, the Blue Jackets are going to get a prolonged look at two depth forwards who were stuck in AHL Cleveland most of this season due to the roster glut that only recently has been thinned.
Trey Fix-Wolansky (23-31-54 in 51 games) and Carson Meyer (22-15-37 in 55 games) have put up numbers in the AHL that, in most any other season with this organization, would have led to a recall long before the middle of March.
Fix-Wolansky’s opportunity arose late last week when veteran forward Jack Roslovic was traded to the New York Rangers. Meyer was recalled on Sunday after Blue Jackets winger Justin Danforth was diagnosed with a concussion.
“It’s good for the organization to see where they’re at,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said after Monday’s practice. “We’re looking for people who are part of the solution. They’re going to be given a chance. This is the time to do it.”
Fix-Wolansky has been recalled several times over the last few seasons, but the opportunity is different this time. As long as rookie Adam Fantilli (lacerated calf) remains sidelined, Fix-Wolansky may get a prolonged look among the top nine forwards.
In Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Nashville, he played on a line with Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko, two players he’s skated with at times the past two seasons in Cleveland. That line will be intact tonight when the Blue Jackets play the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
It’s no longer the “Russian” line — Chinakhov is on the top line now that Roslovic is gone — but Fix-Wolansky will try to make it work.
“I heard a few fans calling me ‘Wolanskov,’” he said.
Make it 6 straight games with a goal for Trey Fix-Wolansky. @monstershockey pic.twitter.com/uanteZuWLO
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) March 5, 2024
Fix-Wolansky was in the middle of his pregame nap Friday when Roslovic’s trade was made official. Blue Jackets assistant GM Chris Clark, who handles the AHL Cleveland roster, attempted to call Fix-Wolansky repeatedly to give him the news.
“My roommate (Justin Pearson) woke me up,” Fix-Wolansky said. “I wasn’t sure if I was getting called up or traded. I was breathing easier when I learned it was a call-up. I packed my back pretty quick and headed to the airport.”
In the past, he’s barely needed to unpack. The longest look he’s ever had with the Blue Jackets was five consecutive games during the 2021-22 season. Vincent and the coaching staff haven’t promised him anything but a fair evaluation, but the opportunity is obvious.
Fix-Wolansky is tied for third in the AHL in scoring. He also has a plus-16 rating and is five-of-seven in shootout attempts. He is a proven AHL producer, but at 24 years old the clock is ticking on his status as an actual NHL prospect.
“The way I’ve been playing in Cleveland, it’s more of an all-around game (than earlier in his career),” Fix-Wolansky said. “Still producing, but my defensive-zone play and my decision-making — making the right play at the right time — has gotten better.
“The confidence I play with (in Cleveland), I’m going to try to carry over up here.”
It was a mixed bag on Sunday, a rough outing for just about every player on the roster except for goaltender Daniil Tarasov. Fix-Wolansky played just 12:08 but had two shots on goal, three hits and two blocked shots. He’s used to playing significantly more in Cleveland.
“It depends on him,” Vincent said. “The last game (vs. Nashville), he got better as the game went on. He had some chances, a few shots.
“We want to see what he’s got, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be up to him to perform.”
Meyer, 26, got the call over the weekend when the Blue Jackets determined Danforth had suffered a concussion in Thursday’s game vs. Edmonton, likely when he crashed into the end boards along with Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly and Oilers veteran Corey Perry.
Danforth finished the game, but woke up feeling ill on Saturday and was scratched from the game vs. Nashville, leaving the Jackets to play with only 11 forwards and 17 skaters.
“It’s not day to day,” Vincent said of Danforth’s projected absence. “We don’t know how long it’s going to be. With those things (concussions), we don’t ever know.”
Meyer has had a tremendous season with Cleveland. He’s scored a career-high 22 goals, but also leads the Monsters in power-play goals (six), shots on goal (158) and penalty minutes (65).
He shouldn’t expect to see much power-play time with the Blue Jackets. In Monday’s practice, he took Danforth’s spot on the fourth line with center Sean Kuraly and right winger Mathieu Olivier. But that role suits him well, too, Meyer said.
“I can use my engine more up here (in the NHL),” Meyer said. “In Cleveland, on that top line, I probably play 20 minutes a night. I have to kind of pick and choose when to go after a guy. Here I can focus on the physicality, but I still want to provide some offensive-zone time, too.”
The smile says it all. 😄
Congrats on your first @NHL goal, Carson Meyer! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/pm8tdONq48
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 5, 2022
Meyer grew up in one Columbus suburb (Powell) and has an offseason home in another (Hilliard). The recall over the weekend meant his wife, Samantha, and nine-week-old son Charlie, could leave their Cleveland apartment for a bigger living space during his recall.
Another reason to hope this NHL opportunity is a lengthy one.
“It’s been awesome (being a father),” Meyer said. “My wife’s been amazing. It just kind of puts everything in perspective. If you have a bad game or a long day at the rink, when you come home it’s impossible to be mad or upset about it.
“Good game, bad game, just move on. Go home and hold the baby.”
(Photo of Trey Fix-Wolansky: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
