If there's one area Emil Bemstrom isn't concerned about in his new opportunity with the Blue Jackets , it's defensive play.
After spending his first two NHL seasons playing for John Tortorella, the team's hard-driving former coach, the 23-year old Swedish forward feels like he has built a solid foundation on that side of the puck.
"Torts helped me a lot with that part," said Bemstrom, who was recalled from the Cleveland Monsters on Monday after his 14 points on seven goals and seven assists tied him for the scoring lead in the American Hockey League. "Defense is first, then offense. That's not the hard part. I'm always going to have that in my game because of Torts. Now, it's just the offensive plays."
Bemstrom's lack of production was the reason he cleared waivers in the preseason and was assigned to the AHL with the Monsters. That's not a big issue for many forwards his age, but it's a glaring problem for Bemstrom because of his own offensive success at every other place he's played.
Bemstrom averaged more than a point a game throughout his junior career in Sweden. He also advanced to the Swedish Hockey League in 2018-19 after the Blue Jackets selected him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, and scored 23 goals for Djurgardens to become the youngest player to lead his country's top professional division in that stat.
Bemstrom also excelled in Finland's top pro circuit (Liiga) in 2020-21 while on a loan agreement with HIFK in Helsinki. He averaged more than a point per game with 8-9-17 in 16 games, which followed a 10-10-20 campaign as a Blue Jackets rookie in 2019-20. That season was halted with a month left by the COVID-19 pandemic and the pause was poor timing for Bemstrom, whose offensive skill was starting to emerge.
His offensive side was ahead of his defensive skill at that point and he skated mostly with centers Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alexander Wennberg. Dubois now centers the Winnipeg Jets ' second line, after being traded in 2021 for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic , and Wennberg centers a top line for the Seattle Kraken that includes Oliver Bjorkstrand , whom the Blue Jackets traded after signing Johnny Gaudreau and re-signing Laine in July.
Bemstrom hopes to find similar offensive chemistry during this stint with the Blue Jackets.
"That first year, before COVID hit, I felt like I played good hockey," said Bemstrom, whose biggest NHL highlight was a hat trick in May 2021 against the Nashville Predators . "I got to play with some really good players, too, with (Dubois) and Wenny. I think when I play with good playmakers, I'm a pretty good player out there. So, there's nothing more I can do except keep working hard and getting better, and I think I've done a good job of that the first month (in the AHL)."
Now that Joonas Korpisalo is back , the Blue Jackets have quality organizational depth in net.
Korpisalo, who earned an invitation to the NHL's all-star game in 2019-20, is now the backup to Elvis Merzlikins , who is struggling with a 2-5-0 record, 4.82 goals-against average and .863 save percentage. Merzlikins and Korpisalo have shown high-end potential since Sergei Bobrovsky left for the Florida Panthers in July 2019 , and they also have talented rookie Daniil Tarasov in the system.
Tarasov and Korpisalo had hip surgeries in the spring , but both are recovered. Having three goalies with NHL experience gives Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen some valuable options. Trade interest in goaltending is on the rise now, including the salary-cap squeezed Toronto Maple Leafs , and those needs could result in a Columbus goaltender being moved.
Would Kekalainen entertain an offer for Merzlikins, who is in the first year of a five-year, $27 million contract? Or would Korpisalo be a more desirable target on a one-year, $1.3 million deal that's much easier to fit under the NHL's cap ceiling?
Sean Kuraly sustained an upper-body injury in the Blue Jackets' 5-1 loss Saturday to the Colorado Avalanche in Tampere, Finland. The Jackets' fourth-line center is questionable for Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers .
Should Kuraly be sidelined, coach Brad Larsen may need to improvise with a group of wingers.
Normally, Justin Danforth would shift to the middle, but he's out six months after surgery to repair a torn shoulder labrum . The next options are probably rookies Kent Johnson, who saw limited time at center in the preseason , and Liam Foudy , who has barely played center since his draft year (2017-18) with the London Knights. The Jackets also have a trip Saturday to face the New York Islanders , which could require an experienced center, such as Brendan Gaunce, to be recalled from Cleveland.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets need Emil Bemstrom's offensive skill
