RD David Jiricek (2022, 6th, CBJ)

[stevo61]

Healthy scratched in the season opener. Jake Christiansen and Jack Johnson dressed instead. What is going on?

Christiansen 1000% earned a spot over Jiricek. Johnson gets some vet privilege but Jiricek didn't do himself a any favors in the preseason. He's got some work to do and he'll get his chance

 

[majormajor]

Healthy scratched in the season opener. Jake Christiansen and Jack Johnson dressed instead. What is going on?

The controversy is why is he on the NHL roster right now when Jiricek at no point in pre-season looked NHL ready.

 

[squashmaple]

Healthy scratched in the season opener. Jake Christiansen and Jack Johnson dressed instead. What is going on?

Jiricek had a terrible pre-season. I can't explain playing Jack Johnson, but Jiricek didn't earn a spot in the three pairs with his own performance. It was Jake Christiansen that beat him out, which precipitated Provorov moving to the right side as well. Christiansen legitimately earned the starting spot.

Jiricek will get games, as he should. Maybe even as soon as tomorrow in Colorado.

 

[Czechboy]

Normally I'd bitch and grumble but jiricek was given good opportunity in preseason.. top 4 minutes at times. He shit the bed. Disappointing. Hope he learns from this but I thought his offseason would be all about skating and bulking up. Not sure it looked like that in preseason.

 

[BKarchitect]

Disappointing but really, another year of slow integration or AHL isn't the worst thing, if Jiricek is willing to accept it for what it is.

There will be a certain percentage of prospect fans who will or have already downgraded him and point to others from his draft class already becoming regulars, or being like "well he's another Czech kid doomed to failure" or simply assume that because its Columbus and he was a #6 overall pick and because a "no-name" like Christianson essentially took his top six starting spot - that this means the trajectory is all wrong.

But if you go back and look at the scouting reports - I would think this track and a slower burn to his development seems pretty much what should have been more or less expected.

Simon Edvinsson was drafted #6 overall as well, one year earlier, and spent most of last year (equivalent to Jiricek's current season) in the AHL. For whatever reason - maybe just trust in Detroit with Swedish prospects, it didn't seem to hurt Edvinsson's standing as a top 10 prospect league wide. There was more an atmosphere of "he's still growing into his body and his tools, he may need some time, but the upside is big".

The same should still apply to Jiricek, IMO. I think the downside here is not "it's taking Jiricek a bit longer to find his legs" - rather I'd be more concerned about a yo-yo effect of spot starting with low usage in the NHL mixed with demotions and call-ups over the year. I think he needs some stability - and maybe that should be "go to the AHL and dominate for a few months".

 

[FlyguyOX]

I think he needs to be ok with and acknowledge his shortcomings. His attitude towards the AHL last season doesn't bode well for him understanding how much better he needs to be.

 

[Boxscore]

There are certainly red flags here, be it with the player, organization, or both. But, let's face it, in a cap league where cultivating "cheap talent" to play increased roles is en vogue... it needs to be questioned why a kid like Jiricek still cannot make the Jackets full-time.

Karlsson exploded as a puppy. Baby Makar debuted in the NHL playoffs, excelled, and never looked back. Hughes broke onto the scene as a pup and already has a Norris. Dahlin, Seider, Heiskanen, and others have made an impact as youngsters.

This season, Hutson already looks dominant, and he's a squirt compared to a monster like Jiricek. And, let's be honest, it's not like the Jackets are the 76 Habs with the greatest D core in history.

Jiricek might just be one of those bullish kids who has his mind set on the NHL and the yo-yoing and slow-walking has had a horrific impact on his psyche. The Jackets may feel like rushing him is a bad idea while they are ruining him completely by not letting him learn on the job.

Put the kid in the Top-4 and let him scrape his knees and grow. The same with Mateychuk... these kids need to play and play a lot, imho.

 

[Czechboy]

There are certainly red flags here, be it with the player, organization, or both. But, let's face it, in a cap league where cultivating "cheap talent" to play increased roles is en vogue... it needs to be questioned why a kid like Jiricek still cannot make the Jackets full-time.

Karlsson exploded as a puppy. Baby Makar debuted in the NHL playoffs, excelled, and never looked back. Hughes broke onto the scene as a pup and already has a Norris. Dahlin, Seider, Heiskanen, and others have made an impact as youngsters.

This season, Hutson already looks dominant, and he's a squirt compared to a monster like Jiricek. And, let's be honest, it's not like the Jackets are the 76 Habs with the greatest D core in history.

Jiricek might just be one of those bullish kids who has his mind set on the NHL and the yo-yoing and slow-walking has had a horrific impact on his psyche. The Jackets may feel like rushing him is a bad idea while they are ruining him completely by not letting him learn on the job.

Put the kid in the Top-4 and let him scrape his knees and grow. The same with Mateychuk... these kids need to play and play a lot, imho.

I strongly agree with this but I will say.. I cannot find a single sole to justify his preseason.lol It sounds like he was given top 4 minutes and he absolutely shit the bed with them. I could be wrong. And I have a huge bias for Czech guys. I'm not worried as he's young. I hope this ends in a trade to my Oilers to be honest. Got a 2RD spot just waiting.lol

 

[Boxscore]

I strongly agree with this but I will say.. I cannot find a single sole to justify his preseason.lol It sounds like he was given top 4 minutes and he absolutely shit the bed with them. I could be wrong. And I have a huge bias for Czech guys. I'm not worried as he's young. I hope this ends in a trade to my Oilers to be honest. Got a 2RD spot just waiting.lol

I hear you, re: preseason. But something tells me that Jiricek is extremely uptight about getting the chance to be an NHL mainstay. I know you generally don't want young players taking anything for granted and being gifted jobs. But something with this Jiricek situation seems "different" and it's felt odd since last season.

The Jackets are puzzling. They committed to solid but not great defensemen in Provorov and Severson last season and now have Johnson and Christensen taking minutes away from kids like Jiricek and Mateychuk.

No matter what, the Jackets are going to struggle. Hand the keys to the kids, and let them man up and grow together. Draft Top-3 again next year and add another ace to the cupboard. If not, the next shoe to drop will be their agents demanding trades. Columbus doesn't need those headaches.

 

[StreetHawk]

CBJ should have invested in someone that they trust to play with Jiricek. Jack Johnson isn’t it. Provorov has til the tdl before he is shipped out. Could go with him. Christianson is inexperienced with 44 nhl games going into this season. Then there is Harris and his 131 nhl games.
Not pairing him with Gudbranson.

Werenski and Severson handle the big minutes.

Even if they play him who would they pair him with? That’s also important.

 

[Boxscore]

CBJ should have invested in someone that they trust to play with Jiricek. Jack Johnson isn’t it. Provorov has til the tdl before he is shipped out. Could go with him. Christianson is inexperienced with 44 nhl games going into this season. Then there is Harris and his 131 nhl games.
Not pairing him with Gudbranson.

Werenski and Severson handle the big minutes.

Even if they play him who would they pair him with? That’s also important.

Imho, he should be 2nd pairing until he gets very comfortable... then he gets top pairing minutes with Werenski. Chara struggled a bit early on, and so did Hedman. But they played and were able to grow and make mistakes. Jiricek is a top pick and prospect, not some late-round project. They need to show faith in him before his morale is shot.