John Buccigross has been a fixture on ESPN for almost thirty years. Although he has spent a lot of time at Sportscenter’s anchor desk, fans know him universally for his tremendous hockey coverage over the years.
Since the NHL returned to ESPN in recent years, Buccigross has been one of their primary play-by-play voices. You’ll hear him calling games on ESPN’s networks during the regular season and the early rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Last Thursday, Buccigross and analyst AJ Mleczko attended the ESPN+ call of the game between the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets. It was a rematch from three days earlier, when the Oilers stunned the Blue Jackets in overtime thanks to a late regulation goal scored while short.
The rematch was just as exciting. The Blue Jackets held off the late Oilers’ attempt to win 5-4 in regulation. For Buccigross, being able to call a game in Columbus is special.
Buccigross is from Steubenville, OH, about 40 miles outside of Pittsburgh, PA. With his roots in Ohio, it’s easy to see why he has a soft spot for the Blue Jackets.
Buccigross can be seen on social media posting a lot about the Blue Jackets. He makes no secret of the fact that he believes in the direction they are going. He was kind enough to spend a few minutes with the Hockey Writers on Thursday morning to talk about the state of the Blue Jackets from his national perspective.
The first question we asked him. Are the Blue Jackets really coming to you?
Buccigross thinks about blue jackets
“Definitely, I thought they were in the bubble mix this year,” Buccigross said. “They have an 87-94 point team. Will Adam Fantilli score 35-40 goals? Will Marchenko continue his rise as a legitimate first-line player? Will the new signings come together quickly? Will they get good goaltending? I’ve thought about it myself. I still don’t fully understand what they are as a team. What are they?”
“No real line seems to be coming together yet. I know Fantilli just got moved. Now he’s starting to produce. And the third line, that’s a good line. But now (Boone) Jenner is hurt and then Johnson gets scratched. Where does he fit now? Chinakhov wants to be traded. Where does he fit (fit?) So I still think there are some question marks now that could get in the way of accumulating enough points early on. I’m a little concerned that the line isn’t solidifying yet completely happened. And will it be something they have to contend with all year long?’
The lines had to be adjusted since Jenner’s injury. He was placed on injured reserve by the Blue Jackets. According to a source, it is expected to be a weekly injury. No surgery is necessary at this time.
But without their captain, the Blue Jackets will need to get several players to step up. Who will be able to do this? Here’s Buccigross.
“You want to have that one guy. Like in Boston, it’s Pastrňak now. He’s really taken that over. They don’t have a captain, but you can tell I think he wants to be the captain. And I think at first they tried to anoint McAvoy, but now I think Pastrňak probably is, he likes that, right?”
“It was Marchand before he was traded. And Bergeron was there. So Pastrňak could just kind of stay in the back and be like a Marchenko. I compared Marchenko’s game to Pastrňak. I think he might not be able to score 60 goals, but he could be a 45-goal guy. He has all the weapons to be as good as Pastrňak. Right in that ballpark.”
“Fantilli is 21. But he’s probably the guy you want to name as leader. Every team has one or two guys. If Aho comes into Carolina. Or now it’s likely that Horvat will be that guy for the Islanders and obviously MacKinnon (for the Avalanche) and get great support from Landeskog. Someone has to (step up). You want it to be one of your better players. Marchenko, is that his personality? And is Fantilli too young?”
The impact of Werensky
This is where a player like Zach Werenski will have to step up, as he did last season when the team lost Jenner in training camp. Buccigross had some glowing comments about what Werenski could eventually become with the Blue Jackets.
“Werenski is the best player on the team,” Buccigross said. “And he’s really grown into a good leadership role. It definitely starts with him at the back end. And he’s such a sublime player, just an incredibly great player. As he continues his ascension, he quickly has a chance to be the best Blue Jacket ever. We’re already starting to have that conversation. He could replace Rick Nash as the best Blue Jacket ever, especially if he stays here another seven years.”
Fast hitters
Buccigross is also known for his love of college hockey. When many people today think of him outside of his NHL impact, Cawlidge hockey is what matters.
The last question we asked him was to give his opinion on four players in the organization at different levels. They were two from the NHL and two from college hockey.
Here’s what Buccigross said about Denton Mateychuk, Dmitri Voronkov, Cayden Lindstrom and Jackson Smith.
MATERCUYUK: “Well, I like Mateychuk. He’s one of my favorite players because he’s so smart. I like smart, competitive players. He’s not obviously big and he’s not an elite skater like Zach. That’s why they go at certain spots in the draft. But I think his smarts and his competitiveness are great.”
Voronkov: “Voronkov is just a big, huge body, the classic NHL guy that you win with, especially in the playoffs. Just a lot of space up front. That year where everything goes right and the puck finds his stick, he could have a big 35-goal year one year. He’ll have one of those years if he keeps playing like this.”
Lindstrom: “I love Lindstrom. I did one of his games with BU, Michigan State. I saw him walking around in his shorts and T-shirt. So I can tell he just has those bow-legged hockey legs. He’s going to be a classic number two behind Fantilli. That’s how I see him in a slot. Not big, but fat. He’ll be a little smaller than Charlie Coyle, but built right around the Charlie Coyle type.”
Smith: “I’m looking forward to seeing Jackson. They say he’s just an incredible skater. Just beautiful, right? Maybe he can be that way. Jay Bouwmeester can take down a great skating defender. Maybe not an elite offensive force. Again, he would have been third or fourth. John Tortorella recently compared someone to a guy who reminds him of Bouwmeester, and I thought, ‘That’s a great comparison because you don’t have to score a lot, but you can be as effective as a great defender.’
Buccigross’ final thoughts
While Buccigross likes the overall direction of the Blue Jackets, there are still important questions the team needs to answer. How long does he think it will take before they are an annual playoff contender?
“I think the future is really good, and I know they want that this year. But it could be another two, three years when Fantilli is 24. He should probably be the captain at that point, right? And then hopefully Marchenko signs a long-term contract after this incredible deal they have for him. The best in the league.”
Now they go. Then you bring these young guys in as secondary people, instead of asking some of these guys, like Johnson and Fantilli, to be there now. So overall I would say it’s a bit of a mixed bag that needs to come together quickly here because they’re going to run out of time quickly (this season).”
#ESPNs #John #Buccigross #discusses #State #Blue #Jackets #Hockey #Writers #Latest #news #analysis