Blue Jackets leaning on youth again

The Blue Jackets opened the 2014-15 campaign on the road in Buffalo with a 3-1 victory over the Sabres on Thursday without Nathan Horton, Brandon Dubinsky, Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray, all of whom are out with injury. Their top-line center, Ryan Johansen, had only one practice with the team after protracted contract negotiations but suited up for the game.

But they came together and played as a cohesive unit. While there was uncertainty prior to the puck dropping, the team executed its game plan in a rather efficient manner culminating with the win. Both by necessity and because they earned the position, three rookies were in the lineup that night.

Last year it was two rookies, Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray, making the team out of training camp. This year Alex Wennberg, Marko Dano and Michael Chaput earned the privilege of donning the star-and-flag-emblazoned uniform of their teammates for opening night.

Johansen, newly dubbed "Flowhansen" for the coif he's sporting, saw this game as a continuation of where the team left off last season.

"I definitely didn't think we were far off from the way we wanted to play," he said. "I'm really impressed with the new group of guys that we have and the way we played the game at both ends of the rink. It was a great start for our team, but now it's about building off of that."

Building off that victory with a group that is for the second year in a row the youngest team in the National Hockey League would seem to be a challenging process for a team. Not so with this group, as they are hungry and ready to play.

"I think that we're aware that we're young," said forward Mark Letestu. "If you go around the room, there are a few guys in their teens here. The youth is obviously here.

"Quite honestly, it's a product of us being bad for a while. When you get some high picks, you get some really talented kids. But by no means do we sit here and think, 'We're the youngest team in the league,' or, 'We're underdogs,' anything like that."

That youth, and especially the rookies, stepped up and showed they belong. Wennberg had the third-most time on ice of any forwards with 17:44 and 3:59 on the power play, trailing only Artem Anisimov and Scott Hartnell. He won his one faceoff, had three shots and went 0-1-1 in his first game.

"Now days, the kids are ready to play," Letestu said. "If you're in the league, you've got to be ready to play, just like everybody else, no matter what age you are. It's a credit to the young guys. A lot of them are pretty mature. They've been playing with men for a few years and it knocks off that teenage rust."

Wennberg and Dano played last year in the Swedish Elite League (SEL) and the Continental Hockey League (KHL), respectively. They have played the game with men and are now playing in the best league in the world. This is the culmination of their hard work and skill. They have grasped the systems that head coach Todd Richards has in place in a very short amount of time, showing they belong.

"I think they're smart players," said Letestu. "You have to make adjustments at this level. I don't think you can play the same way you have through junior hockey. The guys that don't make the adjustments, kind of get left behind.

"Obviously they've been able to integrate it into their games and that's what makes them successful. But there's still a lot of learning left to be done. I'm sure there will be growing pains, but they've got teammates to pick them up."

For as young as this team is, they are a very tight group with their shared experiences of last year forming a familial bond. The rookies are slotting into the jigsaw puzzle in an almost seamless way.

"It's a credit to them," Letestu continued, "that they've been able to make the adjustments and adding it to their game. They're fitting in, being a part of the group as quickly as possible."

As "feel-good" as that victory was on Thursday, they face a stronger test Saturday evening for their home opener. The Eastern Conference Champion New York Rangers are on their own path, hoping to return to the Stanley Cup Finals again this year.

The series between these two teams was split 2-2 last year, their first as divisional opponents. With former players of each team on both sides, this could very well be a rivalry in the making. But, don't let the age of the Blue Jackets fool you. They may be young, but they are hungry. They proved pundits wrong last year and look to do the same this year.

"It's more of a compliment than anything," Johansen said, "that we have as many young players as we do and are competing at the level we are. I really think that we can play with any team in the league. I think more than anything, it's a compliment to our young players and the job they've been doing."

These players believe in themselves and in the fact that they can do anything they set out to do. And if they have to drag everyone along on the ride until they also believe, they will do that. Don't count them out just because a few players are injured. Is this challenging? In a word, yes. And they thrive on the challenge.