Blue Jackets Monday Gathering: Werenski, Coyle, Bowness could all collect NHL awards

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets: There's so much right in front of the Blue Jackets that looking this far ahead might seem a little silly. But it's playoff crunch time in the NHL, which means it's also campaign season for postseason awards. The Blue Jackets have three candidates for major awards this season. If goaltender Jet Greaves qualified as a rookie -- he does not, having played too many games the previous two seasons -- he might provide a counterargument to Islanders' defenseman Matthew Schaefer for the Calder Trophy. But this spring, as the arguments take shape, there will be Blue Jackets in the mix. And when the NHL Awards show is staged this summer (nothing has been announced yet), Columbus will have a reason to tune in. Here's what we're thinking: Werenski finished second in the voting to Colorado's Cale Makar last season, but it really wasn't very close. Makar received 176 of the 191 first-place votes, while Werenski totaled 13. But it could be different this season. For many voters, the 2024-25 season was Werenski's coming-out party as a Norris-level defenseman, but the fact that he didn't lead his club into the postseason -- Columbus finished just two points shy -- almost certainly affected a large swath of voters. It also figures that a larger number of players will land at the top of ballots, unlike last season, when it was clearly a three-horse race (along with Quinn Hughes). Edmonton's Evan Bouchard, who leads all defensemen in scoring, will draw some votes, especially out of Western Canada. Montreal's Lane Hutson, who has emerged as a prolific scorer, will draw heavy votes in Eastern Canada. Hughes (Minnesota), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo), Miro Heiskanen (Dallas), Erik Karlsson (Pittsburgh) and Schaefer are all having tremendous seasons and could make the voting much more wide open than it was a year ago. But, more than anything, Werenski has backed up his 2024-25 season (23-59-82 in 81 games) with an even better season. Among NHL defensemen, he's tied for third in goals (20), fourth in assists (55) and second in points (75). He's second in the NHL in ice time (26:20 per game). He's the Blue Jackets' leading point-getter by ... 17 points! Werenski has also started to get recognized as a world-class defender, too. That was a knock earlier in his career, and it's a knock for some of the players listed above, too. Finally, there's this: Werenski played a huge role in the hockey highlight that's been seen more than any other this season, Jack Hughes' "golden goal" for Team USA at the Olympics last month in Italy. The way Werenski battled Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon and set up Hughes with a perfect pass, just outside the reach of Edmonton's Connor McDavid, is now seared into every hockey-watching brain. Is IIHF play supposed to be considered in Norris voting? Nope. But everybody saw it. This trophy, along with the Hart, has been completely reshaped over the years by voter habits. It was designed to recognize the best defensive player, but it typically goes to the best two-way center. In other words, the player has to hang some offensive numbers, too. Well, Coyle is having exactly that kind of season, and he meets all of the criteria most voters start with: he plays against the opponent's top line, he eats a majority of defensive-zone starts, he kills penalties and he's on the ice protecting leads late in games. The Blue Jackets were thrilled to land Coyle in an offseason trade with the Colorado Avalanche, but even they couldn't have predicted he'd make this big of a stamp on the franchise. Only 24 percent of Coyle's five-on-five shifts start with a faceoff in the offensive zone. Mostly, he's the first guy over the boards when shifts begin in the defensive zone (37 percent) or neutral zone (39 percent). That's the life of a third-line center. Despite Coyle's line matching up with the opponent's top line, he's been on the ice for more goals scored (59) than allowed (49) at even strength. And he's turned it on in crunch time, with a 29-13 advantage in that stat since Jan. 12. On the other end of the ice, Coyle is having one of his best seasons, with 17-38-55 and a plus-10 rating in all 70 games. This may be Nick Suzuki's award to lose. But Coyle, who finished 22nd in Selke voting 2023-24, should at least be a finalist. He could also be a candidate for the Lady Byng Trophy, given to the NHL's most gentlemanly player. We know what you're thinking, and, yes, there is precedent. Bowness could win the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL's top coach this season. Through the years, three coaches have been hired during the season and gone on to win the "Jack": Philadelphia's Bill Barber in 2000-01, Washington's Bruce Boudreau in 2007-08 and St. Louis' Ken Hitchcock in 2011-12. None of them stepped behind the bench quite as deep into the season as Bowness, however. Barber joined the Flyers after 28 games, while Boudreau came aboard at game 22 and Hitchcock was hired at game 14. Still, Bowness' hiring has literally saved the Blue Jackets' season. He was hired after 45 games with the Blue Jackets hovering at .500 (19-19-7), but he's had them playing at an .800 clip (18-3-4) ever since. Put another way: if the Blue Jackets win in Philadelphia on Tuesday, they'll have as many wins in 26 games under Bowness as they did in 45 games before he arrived. The Blue Jackets have jumped from 28th to 10th in the NHL's overall standings and from 16th (last) to seventh in the conference under Bowness, who currently has them third in the Metro. The Jackets haven't made the playoffs in five seasons. It's a great story: Bowness says he was chilling on his boat with his wife, Judy, in Florida, when old friend Don Waddell called with a favor. Next thing he knows, he's on his way to Columbus, ready to add to his NHL record for most games behind a bench. One other thought: Bowness has coached with nine different franchises. He knows everybody, and with one of the most affable personalities in the game, he's made lots of friends and built lifelong relationships. This award is voted on by members of the NHL's broadcasters' association. Bowness was a finalist with the Winnipeg Jets in 2023-24, earning five first-place votes. He'll draw numbers again this season, but only if the Blue Jackets make the playoffs. Penn State and Michigan State both open NCAA Tournament play this week, so there are big games to be played and conversations to be had when the season is finished. But team sources have told The Athletic that the Blue Jackets' top prospects -- Penn State defenseman Jackson Smith and Michigan State center Cayden Lindstrom -- are both expected to return to college for their sophomore seasons. Smith, who has had an excellent freshman season for the Nittany Lions, is the bigger bit of news there. He had 11-15-26 in 34 games this season, landing on the All-Big Ten second team and the All-Big Ten freshman team. He's 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, but he doesn't skate like a big-body defenseman. The Blue Jackets have been delighted to see his game improve defensively over the course of this season, but that's the part of his game that needs more work. Smith's on-ice production is such that he could easily justify a one-and-done approach, but Smith is said to be thriving in the classroom and the ice and thoroughly enjoying the lifestyle of a college hockey player. At this point, him signing an entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets -- or even a player-tryout agreement with AHL Cleveland -- would represent a change in plans. Either one would make him ineligible to return to college. He has been challenged by NCAA-level hockey, perhaps more than most expected. In 29 games, he had three goals and seven assists, and it took a strong finish to the season for him to get there. He also had 90 penalty minutes. The best news for Lindstrom and the Blue Jackets, who used the No. 4 pick on Lindstrom in 2024, is that he's now back to playing hockey regularly on the other side of back surgery, and he's thrown his body around physically without limitation. The dramatic improvements to the talent pool in college hockey over the last five to 10 years has made NHL clubs, including the Blue Jackets, more comfortable with leaving their players in the college ranks for development. Michigan State, a No. 3 seed, opens the tournament on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. ET against Connecticut. Penn State plays Minnesota-Duluth at 9 p.m. ET on Friday. * It'll be interesting to see if Bowness makes lineup changes now that the Blue Jackets have lost a game and had their point streak snapped with Sunday's 1-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Long Island. How deep are the Blue Jackets right now? Winger Dmitri Voronkov has been a healthy scratch in eight of the last nine games despite having scored 17 goals this season, still tied for fourth-most on the club. Don't be surprised if he draws in Tuesday vs. Philadelphia. * Here's Waddell on Voronkov's situation: "Good players are sitting out right now because we're healthy. I'd like to see him get more opportunity, but the way things are going, it's been hard to make changes. He'll get a chance. This isn't going to continue where we're healthy every night. A guy like (Danton) Heinen, who we picked up as a depth guy, has done an unbelievable job for us." * In the three games after Bowness complained publicly that a "lack of respect" for the Blue Jackets is behind the lack of power plays, it sure seemed like the veteran coach had gotten his point across. The Jackets had 13 power plays (compared to only eight for their opponents) during their three-game homestand sweep of Carolina, the New York Rangers and Seattle. But then... * The Blue Jackets went without a power play in Sunday's loss to the Islanders. It's the third time this season they've played a game without a power play, and the 16th time in 70 games that they've had one or fewer power plays in a game. Two of the games without a man advantage have been the last two games vs. the Islanders. In fact, even though New York is one of the most physical teams in the league, they've played the last 137 minutes against the Blue Jackets without being shorthanded. * The Blue Jackets welcomed back five former players for Saturday's game vs. Seattle: Lyle Odelein, Jack Johnson, Andrew Cassells, Fedor Tyutin and Rick Nash. Maybe "welcomed back" is a bit of a misnomer, as the last four all live in Columbus. It was the last in a series of 25th anniversary celebrations this season, but it had a different spin. Instead of dropping the ceremonial first puck, the five gathered near Nationwide Arena's cannon, waved to the crowd, and watched Odelein light the cannon before the game. * Odelein's presence was particularly meaningful, given all he's been through in recent years. Eight years ago, Odelein nearly died after settling into a coma following a blood infection. He had three organ transplants and awoke from the coma with temporary paralysis from the neck down. "You look at life in a different way," Odelein said. "You get up every morning ... I've always been a happy guy, who likes to have fun, but you don't take life for granted. I've got a great wife (Laurel). It's good." * Blue Jackets Monday Gathering Trivia: Kirill Marchenko has set a personal high and leads the Blue Jackets with 21 power-play points (six goals, 15 assists) this season. Who holds the club record for most power-play points in a single season? * Here's a name you should know: Hayden Stavroff, the Dublin, Ohio, native who led all of NCAA men's hockey this season with 29 goals in only 34 games with Dartmouth. Stavroff, only a sophomore, was named ECAC player of the year and was announced last week as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the best player in college hockey. Stavroff came up through the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets program before heading off to Culver Military Academy prep school as a 16-year-old. * Trivia answer: Ray Whitney, aka The Wizard, had a whopping 42 points on the power play during the 2002-03 season, totaling 8-34-42 with the man advantage. He was third in the NHL that season behind Vancouver's Markus Naslund (24-30-54) and Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux (14-31-45).