Cayden Lindstrom had a momentous day late last week in Nationwide Arena, putting on hockey gear and skating for the first time since he
had back surgery in late November.
It wasn’t a rigorous workout — “It’s what they’d call a hot chocolate skate,” agent Daren Hermiston said — but any measurable progress is good news these days for Lindstrom, the Blue Jackets’ No. 4 pick in the NHL Draft last June.
Lindstrom was Don Waddell’s first draft pick as the Columbus Blue Jackets’ GM, and the organization remains optimistic he will bloom into an elite-level power forward, perhaps even at center, when he’s fully recovered from surgery and fully up to speed.
But while some aspects of Lindstrom’s situation are coming into focus, others may be more muddled than previously understood.
First, to the question that’s confronted Lindstrom since he was pulled off the ice at the Blue Jackets’ summer development camp in July, and two months later when he was ruled out of his first NHL training camp: Will he play a hockey game at any level this season?
Waddell hasn’t completely ruled it out, but he acknowledged it’s becoming increasingly unlikely.
“His recovery program was broken down into five sections,” Waddell told
The Athletic. “He’s in the third section. He sees a doctor next week, and if everything is good, he’ll start skating again.”
By
skating, Waddell isn’t referring to the leisurely jaunt Lindstrom enjoyed last week. He means a strictly regimented routine that will slowly get his legs and lungs up to speed, provided there are no setbacks. That’s the fourth stage.
“That would be three weeks with pretty much no contact,” Waddell said. “That puts us in the middle of March before he’s cleared (for the final stage).”
This is why Waddell made a phone call last week to Lindstrom’s coach with Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League. Waddell has known coach Willie Desjardins, one of the most respected coaches in the Canadian major junior ranks, for many years.
If you think Blue Jackets fans have been waiting for good news on Lindstrom, imagine how fans in Medicine Hat, Alberta, have been feeling. They’ve been hoping Lindstrom could return late this season to help the already-strong Tigers become a beast down the stretch and in the playoffs.
“I didn’t want (Desjardins) to have expectations that (Lindstrom) was for sure coming back,” Waddell said. “I don’t want to say it’s 100 percent (that he’s not returning), but we’ve gone this far (into the season) that it might be better to let him continue to work out and train in Columbus.”
Lindstrom, through the Blue Jackets’ public relations staff, has declined multiple interview requests from media outlets. But you can imagine the frustration of being drafted so highly only to have your final year of junior put on hold.
It’s rare for a player selected so high in the draft to miss the following season, but it’s not unprecedented. Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi, the No. 9 selection in the 2020 draft, was forced to miss almost the entire 2020-21 season — he played one game with a club in Switzerland — due to the effects of long COVID-19.
“Like any injured player, it’s tough,” Hermiston said. “Cayden’s 18 years old. You want to be on the ice competing every day. He’s a competitive kid, but he’s finding ways every week to improve beyond traditional development.
“He’s looking at cognitive ways to improve. I know we’ve spoken about (Washington Commanders rookie quarterback)
Jayden Daniels and the (virtual reality) work he notably has been doing. So he’s been finding ways to improve, even if he’s not full-go on the ice.”
Lindstrom’s return to health is right on track according to the timeline surgeons provided following his microdiscectomy on Nov. 20 in Los Angeles. But what Lindstrom’s short-term future holds — his path toward playing his way to the pros — will be fascinating to watch.
In late November, barely a week after Lindstrom’s surgery, the NCAA changed its longstanding policy that blocked major junior players in Canada from transferring to U.S. college programs. As of Aug. 1, U.S. college programs can begin signing players, some of whom have already committed.
Lindstrom seemed likely to head back to Medicine Hat for another season before turning pro, but that’s no longer set in stone.
Multiple sources involved in the discussions confirmed to
The Athletic last week that several college programs, including Ohio State, have made overtures to Lindstrom about making a move from the WHL to college hockey.
Neither Waddell nor Hermiston would comment, but there are multiple reasons both the Blue Jackets and Lindstrom’s camp might find college hockey a beneficial option, especially for a player returning to play following back surgery.
NCAA teams play exactly half as many regular-season games (34) as players in the WHL (68). That allows for less wear and tear on a healing body, but also more time for practice, workouts, etc. Further, many U.S. colleges have massive sports science and physical training staffs, well beyond the budget of most junior programs.
Put another way: Lindstrom would be in good hands.
It’s worth noting that the Blue Jackets have not signed Lindstrom to an entry-level contract. Waddell has made it clear he doesn’t want to sign the player until he’s ready to play, but there may end up being an added benefit to waiting.
If Lindstrom had signed an entry-level contract, he would not be allowed to play for a U.S. college. It’s unclear if this was an unspoken reason Waddell wanted to hold off on extending a contract, or a beneficial coincidence.
Another matter: When NHL teams draw a player out of major junior, they own their rights for two years; when they draft a college-bound player, they own their rights for four years, or until they graduate.
But, because it’s never been possible, no language in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement settles how long an NHL club owns rights to a player who starts in Canadian juniors and switches to a U.S. college. This will almost certainly be addressed in the league’s upcoming CBA talks.
When
The Athletic inquired this week about how such a matter might be handled, a league executive, who wished not to be identified, was pretty succinct: “It’s pretty black and white. The team gets four years.”
Hermiston said he and Lindstrom have tried to remain optimistic. This should be an exciting time in a young player’s career, but the “pause” button has been pushed. Lindstrom has spent most of this season in Columbus, watching games from the Nationwide Arena press box with some of his future Blue Jackets teammates.
“I know one of the benefits of all of this — we try to focus on the positives, right? — has been the opportunity to be around these guys, especially with the type of season they’re having,” Hermiston said. “He’s building connections with some of the players, and that’s been really good for him.
“He’s had a relationship with Kent Johnson, as (British Columbia) guys. James van Riemsdyk is somebody he’s talked to quite a bit. He’s been over to Erik Gudbranson’s for dinner. Stuff like that means everything to a young guy. (Director of hockey operations) Rick Nash and the staff have done a great job integrating him.”
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