David Jiricek could play big role for Blue Jackets in Zach Werenski’s absence

As if the Columbus Blue Jackets needed more insult to injury.

The club – currently last in the NHL with four wins in 13 games – finds itself in injury hell. Zach Werenski, currently in the first season of a six-year deal worth $9.583 million per, is expected to miss the rest of 2022-23 with a shoulder injury after just 13 games. Add in injuries to Nick Blankenberg, Adam Boqvist and Erik Gudbranson – essentially, the team’s top four – and forward Jakub Voracek, and the Blue Jackets are in disaster territory right now.

Now, it’s David Jiricek’s turn to step up.

The team’s depleted blueline means Jiricek – called back up to Columbus on Friday – will have an opportunity handed to him on a golden platter. He’s one of the game’s top prospects and already has a few NHL games to his credit – but this is his first true chance to prove what he’s capable of.

The Blue Jackets selected Jiricek with the sixth overall pick in 2022, instantly making him one of the team’s key players moving forward. There was a season-long debate about who’d go first between him and Slovakian blueliner Simon Nemec – Nemec ultimately went second to the Devils.

Jiricek had already spent the past two sessions playing full-time with HC Plzen in the top Czechian league and had a sizeable role with the national team at the World Championship. He suffered a leg injury during the shortened World Junior Championship in December, but he battled back and earned his spot near the top of the draft class. Jiricek started the year with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, recording five points in six games. The Blue Jackets didn’t need to rush him up, but he was an injury to the main club away from getting a full-time call-up.

That time is now – but it couldn’t have happened for a worse reason.

With Werenski, Boqvist and Blankenberg on the IR, and Gudbranson still day-to-day, we’re looking at a top defensive pairing in Columbus of… Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrew Peeke. That’s, uh, ugly. So with Jiricek up for the near future, this is a perfect opportunity for the young defenseman to cement himself into the lineup and never play a game in Cleveland again. He averaged 15:30 in his first two games and should see a boost in ice time. Jiricek was demotable before since he doesn’t require waivers and is still quite young, but based on the nightly lineup, he deserved a spot from Day 1.

At 6-foot-3, Jiricek has the frame teams crave at the NHL level. He has a cannon of a shot that he frequently uses, and his two-way play is already quite refined for his age. He’s strong, sturdy and can make life miserable for you around the crease if you allow him to do so.

The Blue Jackets don’t exactly lack size – Peeke, Gavrikov, and new call-up Marcus Bjork are 6-foot-3. Gudbranson is 6-foot-5. But none are as mobile, quick or effective with the puck as Jiricek. He showed all of that in spurts in his stint with the club last month. He isn’t an intimidating player by any means, but he can give you a false sense of security when going 1-on-1 – giving you space and then quickly closing in and taking everything away.

Jiricek has a completely clean slate here. The Blue Jackets don’t have any other real game-changers on the blueline, but Jiricek can do exactly that. If he doesn’t succeed, it doesn’t really matter, either. Expectations are low across the board in Ohio. It’s not like a couple of bad games will change anything. With less competition, Jiricek will have a longer leash to try things, make mistakes and continue his development with the big club.

The key here – for however long Jiricek sticks with the Blue Jackets – is to ensure he’s comfortable. It’s somewhat of a perfect storm for a young prospect: he’ll be around NHLers, the team isn’t in a spot where they need to depend on him, and he’ll have every chance to get significant ice time.

Now let’s see what he does with it.