What are expectations for Adam Fantilli? Playoff timeline?: Blue Jackets mailbag, Part 1:

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Blue Jackets didn’t wait for the July 4 for their offseason fireworks display.

It was safe to assume that major changes were coming after they finished with the second-worst record in the NHL last season, but GM Jarmo Kekalainen has pushed the pedal to the floor this summer. Two top-four defensemen (Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson), a future No 1 center (Adam Fantilli) and a new coach (Mike Babcock) have all joined the organization in the last month.

So what better time for a mailbag? We asked for questions, and, as always, you delivered. So much, in fact, that we’re publishing the answers in two parts.

Here’s the first batch, with questions about Fantilli, Cole Sillinger, Denton Mateychuk, Alexandre Texier and, of course, Babcock, along with expectations for the Blue Jackets this season.

Enjoy!

How long do you think it takes for Adam Fantilli to take over as top-line center? Do you think it happens this season? — Jon M.

I don’t know if I’d term it “taking over,” but I could definitely see some nights and some matchups where he plays significant minutes, in line with what a 1C would play. He will be fed all the minutes he’s able to handle, is how I’d put it. But I would also predict that with a new coach prevailing over this roster, and so much youth in the lineup — especially at center, with Fantilli, Sillinger and Voronkov — the ice time could fluctuate significantly from game to game. I wouldn’t expect him to be declared a bona fide No. 1 center until that settles into some kind of rhythm.

Does Columbus expect Fantilli to make an immediate offensive impact, similar to Jack Eichel and Nathan MacKinnon? — Brian F.

Great question. In MacKinnon’s rookie season (2013-14), he had 24-39-63 with a plus-20 rating, finishing fourth on the club behind Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan O’Reilly. In Eichel’s rookie season (2015-16), he had 24-32-56 and a minus-16 rating in 81 games, finishing second on the team in scoring behind (once again) O’Reilly. We can’t say, at this date, what Fantilli’s usage will be like or whom he’ll play with as linemates, but he’s going to get an opportunity to produce and play with some pretty talented offensive players. To me, a 20-30-50 season is a reasonable expectation if he plays top-six minutes, and a 15-20-35 season is low-end if he’s sheltered in the bottom six.

What are appropriate expectations? Contend for the playoffs this year, be in the playoffs next year, be a contender the following year? Or has the timeline accelerated? — Nick J.

The Babcock comment I liked the best was when he was asked this (essentially) in his introductory press conference. When that question was asked last summer, the response was: “We want to win the Stanley Cup.” Now, I understand unfettered optimism. I get the whole “aim high” approach to life. But those words shouldn’t be said so cavalierly by an organization that’s never made it out of the second round. It bugged me. It’s the Cleveland Browns all last summer talking Super Bowl. There’s just so much work to be done to earn back some level of respect as a franchise in this league.

To me, Babcock’s comment that it’s going to be daily hard work, from the middle of summer, through training camp, into the regular season and beyond, that’s going to take them where they can go, was the right message. They had 59 points last season. They have a huge gap to fill. My sense is there’s a lot of promise on this roster, but there are veteran players and young players with an enormous capacity for growth.

First and foremost, I’d want to see a team commit to hard, sound defensive play and allow the goaltender (if he’s up for it) to get back into a comfort level that’s been missing for a while now. There are a lot of “ifs” with this club. There’s potential for good answers to those questions, but a lot has to fall into place and grow now. Be competitive nightly. Learn tough lessons. Learn to compete at an NHL level in every game. If they do that, they can hang around the middle of the Metro and in contention for a playoff spot well into spring. That, in itself, would be a great experience for several players on the roster.

Will we see any trades to ease the surplus of players we have? — Bryan C.

They’re trying, and they’ll keep trying. Now that free agency has mostly been picked clean, it could compel some teams to investigate trades that seemed less than ideal just a few weeks ago. The Blue Jackets are open for business in this respect, but it’s tough out there. Most teams are so tight against the salary cap that any trade needs to match dollar for dollar, which presents a challenge.

I’m kind of intrigued, actually, to see the Blue Jackets come to camp with 27 or 28 guys who see themselves as roster players. Training camp could have a “Hunger Games” feel to it. Players are smart enough to recognize the situation, too, so the drive to stand out is probably already underway in summer training. There is flexibility there with players who can go to AHL Cleveland without waivers, too. It’s not the end of the world if Cole Sillinger, Yegor Chinakhov, Dmitry Voronkov, Nick Blankenburg and David Jiricek start in Cleveland. That’s five guys right there who don’t need waivers. It’s not the end of the world if Emil Bemstrom or Liam Foudy are exposed to waivers on their way to Cleveland. But it’ll be an issue if those seven guys are clearly deserving of roster spots. Then it could get tricky.

Does Jarmo expect a second wave of trading closer to camp, and how willing is he to part with any futures to land a vet? — Shawn H.

Don’t know if “expect” is the right word, but you could see a situation in which that’s possible, for two reasons. Around the NHL, you’ll have a couple of teams that will realize they have a lineup deficiency that they weren’t expecting, a player not ready to play, a key player injured, etc. So, needs can develop that are not now readily apparent. On the flip side, the Blue Jackets will get answers to some of their questions once they get into camp and the preseason. Is Jiricek ready for a full-time NHL gig? Is Voronkov able to be a third-line center? These are questions you can’t possibly know at this juncture, and if you get the right answers to them in the fall, you’ll have decisions to make.

Do the Blue Jackets believe Sillinger can be a solid contributor to this team next season, or does he need more time in the AHL? — Brooks H.

Honestly, that’s up to Sillinger. I will say this: he’s got more competition for ice time now than he’s had at any point in his early career. The Blue Jackets have added Fantilli and Voronkov. Fantilli would certainly be in competition for top-six minutes with Sillinger, but Voronkov’s arrival crowds the bottom six, too. If he plays like he did last season, the AHL is very much a reality, and it won’t take them until March to make the call, either. If I’m the Blue Jackets, I’m betting on Sillinger, though. The skating has to improve, but I think he plays in the league, at a very high level, for a long time. And, as he said last season, the 2022-23 season may just be the wake-up call he needed.

Everyone has opinions about the first two lines. What are your thoughts on combinations? — Diana J.

Jotting lines is a wonderful summer pastime, isn’t it? I’m of the mind that Boone Jenner needs to remain at center for at least the start of the season, so put him there. And obviously, Johnny Gaudreau is on the top line. Now, this is where it gets tricky. I’m not ready to give up on Laine and Gaudreau playing opposite wings, but it never really clicked last season. So I’d put Kirill Marchenko there at the start. So, we’re Gaudreau-Jenner-Marchenko across the top line.

I want a similar mix of playmaking and shooting on the second line, so Kent Johnson starts at left wing. If Fantilli looks up to it with his preseason play, and unless somebody definitely outplays him, I’d put him on the second line to start the season. Laine has to go in on the right side. Let me say: I don’t love this line. It actually scares the hell out of me defensively, but there’s not (to me) an obvious option to play on the wing who would alleviate some of the pressure on the center for that line. Call me crazy, but Justin Danforth could be a strange-but-effective remedy, but that puts Johnson or Laine on a third line … seems unlikely. Very interested to see what impact Babcock has on Laine. If Laine becomes all that he can be, it works. Otherwise, Johnson or Fantilli will have to grow up in a hurry.

Are they still pursuing a veteran goaltender? — Cory

Yes, an organization No. 3. They’ll get one, even if they have to go into training camp and wait for the transaction wire to free up a player. You’d want a player who can split time with Jet Greaves in AHL Cleveland, but be ready for an NHL workload should Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov run aground with injuries or ineffectiveness again.

What is the assessment of Manny Legace as a goalie coach? — Louis H.

This is such a difficult topic, even two years after the tragedy that took young Matiss Kivlenieks’ life. But there’s no way that going through something like that — witnessing it — doesn’t make a tragic impact on all involved. I’m not going to play amateur psychologist, but you can hear in the comments coming from Kekalainen and others that they want a level of professionalism in that role that was missing. The relationship between Merzlikins and Legace changed. What was teacher-student became close friends. Merzlikins, by his nature, needs guardrails. His former coaches will tell you that, too. It may have become difficult for Legace to get tough with him when it was needed. And maybe we can all understand that.

The Blue Jackets now have a much different personality in that role with Niklas Backstrom. He is quiet, cerebral and incredibly, tediously organized. The feeling is that Merzlikins needs some of that.

I’m getting John Tortorella vibes from Babcock. How much difference to you think having an established NHL coach will make? — Andy J.

While I absolutely believe that coaches matter and can make a huge difference, there could be several factors at play this season if the Blue Jackets are dramatically improved. If they stay relatively healthy, that’s a huge plus. They are still incredibly young, so if players like Johnson, Marchenko and Sillinger (I could list six other names here) follow an upward trajectory, that’s a huge push from within. The defensive upgrades (Provorov and Severson), the addition of Fantilli and Voronkov at center, and the return of Texier … all of this will help if it goes to plan.

But, yes, Babcock’s coaching can shove this all even higher. They are going to defend much better this season, mark it down. I won’t be surprised if they allow 80 fewer goals, which is an incredible improvement year over year. Babcock is wired like Ken Hitchcock and Tortorella in that respect, where it’s really simple: you don’t check, you don’t play. Baseline standard. We haven’t even mentioned the goaltenders, but they’re probably going to see different shots this season, a much more controlled landscape in front of them.

How convinced should we be that Babcock really is a changed man? Do we necessarily want him to be? The old version won a lot of games. — Thomas D.

Being honest, we have no way of really knowing if Babcock is a “changed man,” and, really, nothing he or anyone can say at this juncture would be proof of that. I do think it’s a good sign that he’s acknowledged a need to change — that’s obviously the first step, right? — but whether or not he’s truly able to do it remains to be seen. And, yes, clearly you want him to have changed. Not the aspect of his coaching, which is regarded as one of the best in terms of game preparation and in-game management, but in how he deals with players and underlings. That has to change, or this isn’t going to work and it won’t last long.

What are reasonable expectations for Alexandre Texier this year after being away from the NHL a while? — Robert G.

A lot of variables are at play here. I really like the player. I’m really intrigued by his skill set. I think he’s a winger, and I think he could end up playing on any of the top three lines at some point in his career. The top line might seem a stretch, but there are so many interesting elements in his game that he could fit with a variety of players.

The expectations adjust, obviously, depending on how he’s deployed. On paper, you’d assume he starts as a bottom-six guy. But one thing I think is extremely beneficial in hiring a coach from outside the organization — and I’m writing more on this for Sunday’s column — is how so many players will be evaluated with a new set of eyes. Confident eyes, too, in that Babcock will use players as he sees fit, not how they’ve been pegged heretofore in their careers. That could lead to some fascinating lineup looks and new opportunities for guys. Texier, to me, is one of those guys with the widest range of possibilities in front of him.

Where does Denton Mateychuk fall in terms of an NHL prospect and what’s his timeline? — Moose G.

Mateychuk looked thicker and stronger at development camp than he did last winter, when I went into Moose Jaw for a visit with him and Martin Rysavy. He’s a very promising player, but he’s back to Moose Jaw this season as he’s too young to play in the AHL. He had 8-57-65 in 63 games last season, but I’m not sure he’s going to be an offensive force in the NHL. I see him as a very solid second-pair defenseman. He should have a shot to represent Canada at world juniors this winter, too. He’s on track to turn pro in 2024-25 and could start to see NHL games later that season or the next.