April 16, 2025 • 9 mins
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic looks at what has to happen for the Jackets to get into the playoffs
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So they get to win yesterday and everyone at this
point is a must win. They beat Philly three to nothing,
and you can't have that conversation without talking about Jet Graves.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Unbelievable effort. This young man.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Three goals. He's allowed three goals in the last four starts.
His second shutout in the past three games. I mean,
he was in Cleveland a few days ago.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
He was in Cleveland until let's see, is this tomorrow
will be Thursday? Until tomorrow at about eleven am. Wow,
he got the phone call and threw his stuff in
the bag. I got to ask him today how much
stuff he was able to bring with him because he
may have had to buy some extra clay, and he
hopped on seventy one South and probably broke some laws
(00:45):
getting here and started that night and has not let
the net go sense. Incredible story in a season of
so many superlative individual individual performances, but a collective, really
powerful group of inspirational stories. Boy, here's a big morn
at the end of the season to push it over
(01:06):
the finish line, they hope.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
I mean, do you even talk to him though, Aaron?
I mean, it's kind of like a pitcher in baseball.
Who's in the process of throwing a no hitter. You know,
it's the six or seventh inningc You don't talk to him,
You don't look at him, you don't talk to him.
No one says the words no hitter. You just let
him be. You just let him stay in his own head.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
I don't know. I would leave Jet Greeves alone for
the next couple of days, is what I would do.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Well. Yeah, there are goalies who are certainly wired that way.
Jet is not one of them. Not to get too
into the weeds here inside baseball stuff, but he is
one of the most engaging conversational A little bit different
honestly as a professional athlete, where if you frame a
(01:50):
question that is wrapped around to some sort of a compliment,
even if it's with this pass point that you've really
been playing well, he'll cut into the mid the questions,
thank you, and then you finish your question, and a
whole interview session he says to everybody around him, thank you,
thanks guys for the questions, Like it is refreshing for one.
(02:12):
But he's just a very down to earth guy. Is
he has two dressing rooms full of players who really
loved him. And love playing with him, and it's great
to see it come to this point for him.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yeah, both the players in Cleveland and Columbus love him
and for good reason too, the kids playing lights out.
He was the best player in the NHL last week,
and he is showing no signs of slowing down. So
let's get to brass tacks and what needs to happen.
It's actually very simple. Montreal needs to lose tonight to Carolina,
and the Blue Jackets need to win tomorrow night as
(02:46):
they host the Islanders at Nationwide for the season finale.
And this all needs to happen in regulation. No overtimes,
no shootouts or that doesn't that doesn't work. It all
needs to happen in regulation. So let's start with Montreal
Caroline tonight. Carolina has already clinched a playoff spot.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Correct, that is correct.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
They know exactly where they're finishing.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Yeah, so that that's probably doesn't bode well because they've
got a bunch of young kids, including head coach Rod
Brindemore's son, who's been called up to play in the
game tonight. I don't know, can can we get Dean
Everison or or Don Woddell to maybe give a phone
call down to Rod In in Carolina to say, hey,
can you guys, can you give the boys a little
(03:28):
extra gator Rade or something tonight and get to win
over Montreal.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Right, Donaldell's former team, I made notes right with them
just last year. Also, former blue jacket colored, former Columbus
resident Jeck Ross the next place for Carolina. Now he
could help. I'll see that. There's a couple of different
ways to look at this. Carolina already knows where it's finished.
So if those veteran players are all in the lineup,
(03:52):
sure this is a let's play hard. Let's but let's
stay healthy going into the playoffs game to bring up
four young guys, and he's got a lot of really
good young players and they're looking to prove something. The
other thing is Rod Brindamore behind the bench can still
put the fear of God into even established NHL players.
(04:13):
That team is going to play hard. To me, the
pressure in Montreal is really what's going to be interesting
to watch that team. That market can absolutely eat itself alive.
And you better believe these last twenty four now it
will be forty eight hours. That's where they're nervous as hell,
if this is going to fall apart at the.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
End, Montreal at home feeling the pressure. Yeah, and boy,
if Carolina got a first goal tonight and now the
news is really tightening on them, the pressure would be
just just unsustainable. But your point is a good one
that the youngsters that are playing for Carolina tonight, I mean,
they want to play in the NHL. They want a
(04:54):
roster spot. So they've got they've got some things to
prove to the coaching staff.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Not only do they want rockster spot in the future,
they see an opportunity to be what is called the
black Ace in the playoffs. It's one of those extra
players that is with the team, may or may not play,
but there are always always injuries in the playoffs. Teams
usually end up if they make a long run, using
(05:19):
close to thirty players. So this is a battle. Hey,
they want to look good, of course, but an opportunity
for playing time. It doesn't stop when the regular season doesn't.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
So assuming Carolina wins tonight, let's all hope and pray
that that happens, then the Jackets host the Islanders, and
that's a very winnable game at home Nationwide Arena.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
The Jackets at that point control their own destiny.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Yes, and you want to talk about nerves. Right now,
it's back on Montreal, so the Blue Jackets can practice today.
They're going to watch the game tonight. Of course, they're
probably not going to get together. They're funding back in
town after a road trip. But you can imagine the
cell phones will be burning up with text messages. If
(06:05):
Montreal does lose, and again they have to lose in regulation,
they can't get any points tonight, then the pressure shifts
back to this team. And let's just say this, I
don't want to back out of anything here, just going
through this experience. Of course, they want to win. Going
through this experience with those young players on the roster.
(06:27):
Easy to forget a thirty goal scorer at him until
he is twenty years old. Thirty one goal scorer Adam
or Darrell Marchenko is twenty four years old. The driving
members of this team what's really pushed the team up.
The leadership has been incredible yet, but these young players
blooming to experience this, all of this, the pressure, the
(06:52):
late season game, how the game is played this time
of year, is incredible experience that they're going to be
better for in the very very near future.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Well, and so you mentioned those players that you know
skating out. You know, let's bring it full circle. No
matter what happens tonight or tomorrow, is Jeed Greeves the
future in goal for the Blue Jackets.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
He is part of the future and goal for sure.
We don't know where this is going with Elvismers League,
but let's be honest. He's got two years left on
his contract. It's hard for me to imagine him being
back next year. But I said that last year at
this time, and it's different now. Certainly this GM and
this coach have seen what it looks like at ground level.
(07:38):
I can't imagine that either he or Tarasov one way
or the other may be back. Not a lot of
faith in Tarasov from coachtin Eedson, so Grieves. My sense
is that Greeves is absolutely going to be part of this.
I would suspect they tap into the free agent market
or the trade market to bring in a veteran goalie
to play with him, either as a time him share
(08:01):
or as a one two in one direction or the other.
But he has a one way contract in the NHL
next season. So this jet, if I may is just
taking off.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Very well done. Hey, you know what, you may have
a future in sports runing. There are in portsline from
the athletic I'll leave with you this. A couple of
weeks ago, I said the Jackets were cooked. I said
they were done. They lose six straight after the outdoor
game at Ohio Stadium, and I just didn't see it.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I just didn't see the math wasn't working out of
my head.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
And boy, I would love nothing more than to be
wrong and eat my words on the air. If everything
works out and Carolina beats Montreal tonight and the Jackets
take care of business tomorrow night, I.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Would love to be wrong.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
I would love to see this team make it into
the playoffs under any circumstance, and then we you and
I can have another conversation.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Yeah, and you know what, I'll try to make you
feel a little bit better here. Nobody paying attention to
this team could have imagined that it would have gone
this way, Like you can't go four eleven and one
in the month of March and still expect to be
hovering around them. Montreal got hot a little while ago.
They've cooled off now, but before that they didn't want
(09:13):
it either the Rangers didn't want it, the Islanders didn't
want to Detroit I'd say they didn't want it. Nobody
really made a big move. So despite Columbus really scuffling
and then a sixteen games span, they won two games
in regulation and they were shut out six times. Nobody's
served by that, And yet here they are right on
(09:35):
the doorstep of pulling off the impossible.
So they get to win yesterday and everyone at this
point is a must win. They beat Philly three to nothing,
and you can't have that conversation without talking about Jet Graves.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Unbelievable effort. This young man.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Three goals. He's allowed three goals in the last four starts.
His second shutout in the past three games. I mean,
he was in Cleveland a few days ago.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
He was in Cleveland until let's see, is this tomorrow
will be Thursday? Until tomorrow at about eleven am. Wow,
he got the phone call and threw his stuff in
the bag. I got to ask him today how much
stuff he was able to bring with him because he
may have had to buy some extra clay, and he
hopped on seventy one South and probably broke some laws
(00:45):
getting here and started that night and has not let
the net go sense. Incredible story in a season of
so many superlative individual individual performances, but a collective, really
powerful group of inspirational stories. Boy, here's a big morn
at the end of the season to push it over
(01:06):
the finish line, they hope.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
I mean, do you even talk to him though, Aaron?
I mean, it's kind of like a pitcher in baseball.
Who's in the process of throwing a no hitter. You know,
it's the six or seventh inningc You don't talk to him,
You don't look at him, you don't talk to him.
No one says the words no hitter. You just let
him be. You just let him stay in his own head.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
I don't know. I would leave Jet Greeves alone for
the next couple of days, is what I would do.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Well. Yeah, there are goalies who are certainly wired that way.
Jet is not one of them. Not to get too
into the weeds here inside baseball stuff, but he is
one of the most engaging conversational A little bit different
honestly as a professional athlete, where if you frame a
(01:50):
question that is wrapped around to some sort of a compliment,
even if it's with this pass point that you've really
been playing well, he'll cut into the mid the questions,
thank you, and then you finish your question, and a
whole interview session he says to everybody around him, thank you,
thanks guys for the questions, Like it is refreshing for one.
(02:12):
But he's just a very down to earth guy. Is
he has two dressing rooms full of players who really
loved him. And love playing with him, and it's great
to see it come to this point for him.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yeah, both the players in Cleveland and Columbus love him
and for good reason too, the kids playing lights out.
He was the best player in the NHL last week,
and he is showing no signs of slowing down. So
let's get to brass tacks and what needs to happen.
It's actually very simple. Montreal needs to lose tonight to Carolina,
and the Blue Jackets need to win tomorrow night as
(02:46):
they host the Islanders at Nationwide for the season finale.
And this all needs to happen in regulation. No overtimes,
no shootouts or that doesn't that doesn't work. It all
needs to happen in regulation. So let's start with Montreal
Caroline tonight. Carolina has already clinched a playoff spot.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Correct, that is correct.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
They know exactly where they're finishing.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Yeah, so that that's probably doesn't bode well because they've
got a bunch of young kids, including head coach Rod
Brindemore's son, who's been called up to play in the
game tonight. I don't know, can can we get Dean
Everison or or Don Woddell to maybe give a phone
call down to Rod In in Carolina to say, hey,
can you guys, can you give the boys a little
(03:28):
extra gator Rade or something tonight and get to win
over Montreal.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Right, Donaldell's former team, I made notes right with them
just last year. Also, former blue jacket colored, former Columbus
resident Jeck Ross the next place for Carolina. Now he
could help. I'll see that. There's a couple of different
ways to look at this. Carolina already knows where it's finished.
So if those veteran players are all in the lineup,
(03:52):
sure this is a let's play hard. Let's but let's
stay healthy going into the playoffs game to bring up
four young guys, and he's got a lot of really
good young players and they're looking to prove something. The
other thing is Rod Brindamore behind the bench can still
put the fear of God into even established NHL players.
(04:13):
That team is going to play hard. To me, the
pressure in Montreal is really what's going to be interesting
to watch that team. That market can absolutely eat itself alive.
And you better believe these last twenty four now it
will be forty eight hours. That's where they're nervous as hell,
if this is going to fall apart at the.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
End, Montreal at home feeling the pressure. Yeah, and boy,
if Carolina got a first goal tonight and now the
news is really tightening on them, the pressure would be
just just unsustainable. But your point is a good one
that the youngsters that are playing for Carolina tonight, I mean,
they want to play in the NHL. They want a
(04:54):
roster spot. So they've got they've got some things to
prove to the coaching staff.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Not only do they want rockster spot in the future,
they see an opportunity to be what is called the
black Ace in the playoffs. It's one of those extra
players that is with the team, may or may not play,
but there are always always injuries in the playoffs. Teams
usually end up if they make a long run, using
(05:19):
close to thirty players. So this is a battle. Hey,
they want to look good, of course, but an opportunity
for playing time. It doesn't stop when the regular season doesn't.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
So assuming Carolina wins tonight, let's all hope and pray
that that happens, then the Jackets host the Islanders, and
that's a very winnable game at home Nationwide Arena.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
The Jackets at that point control their own destiny.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Yes, and you want to talk about nerves. Right now,
it's back on Montreal, so the Blue Jackets can practice today.
They're going to watch the game tonight. Of course, they're
probably not going to get together. They're funding back in
town after a road trip. But you can imagine the
cell phones will be burning up with text messages. If
(06:05):
Montreal does lose, and again they have to lose in regulation,
they can't get any points tonight, then the pressure shifts
back to this team. And let's just say this, I
don't want to back out of anything here, just going
through this experience. Of course, they want to win. Going
through this experience with those young players on the roster.
(06:27):
Easy to forget a thirty goal scorer at him until
he is twenty years old. Thirty one goal scorer Adam
or Darrell Marchenko is twenty four years old. The driving
members of this team what's really pushed the team up.
The leadership has been incredible yet, but these young players
blooming to experience this, all of this, the pressure, the
(06:52):
late season game, how the game is played this time
of year, is incredible experience that they're going to be
better for in the very very near future.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Well, and so you mentioned those players that you know
skating out. You know, let's bring it full circle. No
matter what happens tonight or tomorrow, is Jeed Greeves the
future in goal for the Blue Jackets.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
He is part of the future and goal for sure.
We don't know where this is going with Elvismers League,
but let's be honest. He's got two years left on
his contract. It's hard for me to imagine him being
back next year. But I said that last year at
this time, and it's different now. Certainly this GM and
this coach have seen what it looks like at ground level.
(07:38):
I can't imagine that either he or Tarasov one way
or the other may be back. Not a lot of
faith in Tarasov from coachtin Eedson, so Grieves. My sense
is that Greeves is absolutely going to be part of this.
I would suspect they tap into the free agent market
or the trade market to bring in a veteran goalie
to play with him, either as a time him share
(08:01):
or as a one two in one direction or the other.
But he has a one way contract in the NHL
next season. So this jet, if I may is just
taking off.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Very well done. Hey, you know what, you may have
a future in sports runing. There are in portsline from
the athletic I'll leave with you this. A couple of
weeks ago, I said the Jackets were cooked. I said
they were done. They lose six straight after the outdoor
game at Ohio Stadium, and I just didn't see it.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I just didn't see the math wasn't working out of
my head.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
And boy, I would love nothing more than to be
wrong and eat my words on the air. If everything
works out and Carolina beats Montreal tonight and the Jackets
take care of business tomorrow night, I.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Would love to be wrong.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
I would love to see this team make it into
the playoffs under any circumstance, and then we you and
I can have another conversation.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Yeah, and you know what, I'll try to make you
feel a little bit better here. Nobody paying attention to
this team could have imagined that it would have gone
this way, Like you can't go four eleven and one
in the month of March and still expect to be
hovering around them. Montreal got hot a little while ago.
They've cooled off now, but before that they didn't want
(09:13):
it either the Rangers didn't want it, the Islanders didn't
want to Detroit I'd say they didn't want it. Nobody
really made a big move. So despite Columbus really scuffling
and then a sixteen games span, they won two games
in regulation and they were shut out six times. Nobody's
served by that, And yet here they are right on
(09:35):
the doorstep of pulling off the impossible.
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