Something we’ve learned about Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason is that he does have a proverbial doghouse for wayward players.
Once they’re inside, well, let’s just say it ain’t easy getting out. Ask Yegor Chinakhov.
His howls from the bowels of Dean’s Doghouse are to no avail thus far, so he remains a disgruntled forward with top-six skills mired in a fourth-line role. Worse yet is that Chinakhov’s publicly stated hope to be rescued via trade might be fading, at least until the trade deadline in March.
Chinakhov, however, is not alone.
Consider the plight of defenseman Dante Fabbro, who went from re-signing with the Blue Jackets on a four-year extension to remain Zach Werenski’s partner to his current spot on the third defensive pairing.
That took all of three games to happen, and that’s not to mention captain Boone Jenner’s early struggles before his exit Nov. 11 in Seattle with an upper-body injury. Prior to exiting, Jenner was bumped down the lineup after holding top-six and top power play roles since 2021.
As a universally beloved captain, Jenner won’t ever take up residence in any coach’s doghouse, per se, but he might’ve been sniffing around the outside of Evason’s for a hot minute.
Going back to last season, defenseman Damon Severson got stuck in the doghouse for the final nine games. He watched the Jackets rip through a season-long six-game winning streak as a healthy scratch, and his even healthier contract with six years and $37.5 million remaining stood out for the wrong reasons.
Severson has impressively worked his way out of the doghouse this season, so there is an exit. That’s good news for Kent Johnson, the fifth overall pick of the 2021 NHL draft and a highly skilled forward.
Is Kent Johnson nearing a stay in Columbus Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason’s doghouse?
Going into a matchup on Nov. 15 against the New York Rangers, Johnson has only tallied five points on two goals and three assists in 17 games. He has also played mostly right wing on the second line and with the top power play unit, but he’s saddled with a team-low -8 rating.
The first sign Johnson might be tiptoeing to Evason’s doghouse was a demotion to the fourth line in the Blue Jackets’ 5-1 loss Nov. 5 at the Calgary Flames. Three games later, he sat out a 2-1 shootout win at the Seattle Kraken as a healthy scratch.
Evason was blunt when asked about it Nov. 13 at Nationwide Arena, prior to the Blue Jackets’ 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Asked if Johnson sat due to illness, Evason replied, “He was NOT sick.”
He was also asked what Johnson needed to show against the Oilers.
“Just some compete, some bite,” Evason said. “Just, uh, sticking his nose in there.”
Johnson isn’t exactly the first guy who comes to mind when looking for a Blue Jackets nose to be stuck “in there,” but Evason’s message was clear.
“We’ve had enough chats,” Evason said. “We talk and give the player an opportunity to do the things that we believe he needs to do … in order to help us win hockey games, and if it consistently doesn’t happen, then (not playing) is the end result.”
Welcome to the doghouse entrance, kid. Tread carefully and follow your nose.
“I don’t think it’s been an ideal start to the year, obviously,” Johnson said Nov. 14. “For me, like, the numbers are part of it, but I want to earn more minutes and more trust. I want to score too. I feel like I haven’t been burying my (scoring) chances enough. Some of it’s luck, and it’ll change, but I definitely feel like I need to be better.”
At what, though?
“I think I can create more,” Johnson said. “I think, too … I’ve got to win more battles, earn the trust of the coaches back more, and get on the ice more, too. I think any player feels good when they’re out there a lot, so I’ve got to earn more ice time.”
Staying out of the you-know-what helps, as well, and Johnson may have taken a stride in the right direction against the Oilers. Skating on a line with rookie Luca Del Bel Belluz at left wing and veteran Sean Monahan at center, Johnson was more noticeable in chasing after loose pucks.
As a line, they impressed in 9:37 together at 5-on-5.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Blue Jackets had advantages over the Oilers in shot attempts (11-3), unblocked attempts (7-2), shots on goal (5-1), scoring chances (4-2) and high-danger chances (2-0) with those three on the ice
It’s a tiny sample size, one game, but still a good start to Johnson’s latest lineup placement. He’s already skated on all four lines, with four different centers, and the season is only 17 games old.
That can’t be easy in a sport that heavily values chemistry between linemates and defensive pairs, but Johnson isn’t even thinking that way.
“I’m not going to point the finger at any of that stuff,” he said. “Hockey’s an interesting sport with (line chemistry), but I feel like it’s on me. It’s definitely not on linemates. I don’t feel like there’s excuses for me there at all, but I feel like it can turn around quick here, hopefully … but it sucks right now.”
Woof.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social