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Blue Jackets send Daniil Tarasov to AHL Cleveland for conditioning assignment
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- Blue Jackets send Daniil Tarasov to AHL Cleveland for conditioning assignment
Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov is headed to AHL Cleveland for a conditioning assignment.
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Previously resistant to the move, Tarasov has backed down after not getting enough usage in Columbus to work through a prolonged slump. Entering Friday holding the second wildcard in the Eastern Conference, the Blue Jackets (19-17-6) couldn't afford to play Tarasov, 25, who has struggled mightily with a 3-6-1 record and .857 save percentage (SV%) in 10 appearances.
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"We're trying to do the right thing to get a player ready to play games," Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. "Hockey players need to play hockey, and he hasn't played a lot of hockey. So, that's what we talked about with him, is that 'You need to play hockey,' and he's going to get a chance to play, hopefully tonight and (Saturday), and then we'll see from there."
Dec 16, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) prepares to block a goal during the second period of their game against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023 at Nationwide Arena.
Tarasov started the season playing in five of the Blue Jackets' first seven games. After taking a 4-3 overtime loss Oct. 26 in Nashville , he allowed seven goals in a Nov. 2 road loss to the Washington Capitals in his next outing and played just four more times in the next 30 games. Sitting for long stretches behind starter Elvis Merzlikins , including a 19-day stretch between losses in Montreal and Edmonton , Tarasov's slump continued to worsen.
"This is kind of like a new role for me," Tarasov recently told the Dispatch. "I've never been, like, the full backup and not playing that much. Nineteen days without a game, it was kind of a tough night in Edmonton. Now, again, I'm benched and there is some reason for it. I was not that good in my last four starts, but this is the new part of the process for me to manage it, all of these things."
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves (73) turns away a shot during the third period of the NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Dec. 12, 2024. The Capitals won 2-1 in overtime.
Merzlikins has handled the Jackets' No. 1 starter workload most of the way, but not having a backup the coaching staff is comfortable playing was an issue. That's why Tarasov is headed to the Cleveland Monsters and rookie Jet Greaves was recalled in the same batch of transactions.
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Greaves, 23, is 1-1-2 with an .890 SV% in four earlier NHL appearances, and he's 4-8-2 with a .907 SV% in 14 career outings with the Blue Jackets since his debut April 4, 2023 in Toronto . He's also posting an excellent developmental season for the Monsters, going 11-5-3 with a .914 SV% in 20 appearances to boost his AHL career numbers with Cleveland to 72-45-14 with a .906 SV% and six shutouts in 138 games.
Greaves has an excellent glove and reaction skills, but he's small by goaltending standards at a listed size of 6 feet, 190 pounds. Tarasov, meanwhile, is 6 feet 5, 203 pounds and has shown elite hand/eye and mobility while putting up impressive statistics in previous seasons.
Nov 20, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, United States; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) spits out water after the Florida Panthers made their second goal of the game during the second period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Scheller-The Columbus Dispatch
That's why the Blue Jackets are using a conditioning stint to get him AHL action rather than exposing him to the NHL's other 31 teams via waivers for a traditional assignment. They're not willing to risk losing a goalie who's still in the early stages of his NHL career and has No. 1 starter potential .
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"It's no different than a (skater) coming back from injury or who's struggling a bit," Evason said. "Players have to play hockey. You don't just practice hockey, either. You play hockey. So, you need to play hockey in order to get into game shape. The NHL is the best league in the world, so if you're behind it a little bit, it's difficult to play. I don't care if you're a goalie, a winger, a center, defenseman ... it's difficult. So, are we excited he gets a chance to play hockey? For sure."
Along with Tarasov, the Blue Jackets returned rookie forward Owen Sillinger, 27, to Cleveland after making his NHL debut as a replacement for his younger brother, Cole Sillinger , in the Blue Jackets' 6-2 rout of the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets struggling goalie Daniil Tarasov joins Cleveland Monsters
