‘What would Johnny want us to do?’ How the Blue Jackets are approaching this season
-
Emily Kaplan, ESPN
WHEN SIDNEY CROSBY remembers Johnny Gaudreau, he thinks of the 2023 All-Star Game in Florida, sitting in gridlock traffic heading from their hotel in Fort Lauderdale.
“It was myself, Johnny and [Kevin Hayes] in the back of the bus,” Crosby said. “Haysey was basically running the back of the bus there. I think he talked for 40 minutes. I don’t think Johnny said anything, but he laughed for the entire 40 minutes.”
For Nathan MacKinnon, it’s one of his personal hockey highlights, scoring the overtime winner for Team North America against Sweden at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. MacKinnon still rewatches the clip on YouTube “quite a bit.”
“Johnny was the one that passed it to me,” MacKinnon said. “We became pretty tight at that tournament and had great chemistry on the ice. He was also such a great person. He was never that serious. Just an easygoing guy, gentle with a big heart.”
Jack Eichel loved being in Europe at the World Championships with Gaudreau, laughing as he struggled to read a non-English menu.
“He’d be trying to explain to the waiter or waitress that he just wanted a steak, a filet with potatoes. He didn’t want anything else on it,” Eichel said. “John was just a really pure human. He didn’t care about nice things. The things that mattered to him were his family, his friends.”
Connor McDavid’s mind goes to epic matchups in the Battles of Alberta.
“He went at everybody and had such a big heart and played hard, despite his size,” McDavid said. “I think he was an inspiration to a lot of guys that feel like they’re undersized. But he was so fun to watch too, so skilled, and so good on his edges.”
Auston Matthews thinks of the way everyone spoke about Gaudreau.
“He’s so beloved by all of his friends, his teammates, his family and the people that knew him,” Matthews said. “It’s kind of hard to just comprehend that Johnny and his brother are no longer with us.”
IT’S BEEN LESS than a month since Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their native New Jersey. The tragedy’s impact is both personal and far-reaching. The Gaudreaus value family above anything else, but they’ve shared their grief with the hockey community, which also defines itself as a family.
“Being in hockey for a long time, I think that’s one thing that we’re proud of,” Crosby said. “Our ability to rally around people and help each other in situations like this.”
That support was visible at the funeral in Pennsylvania, where hundreds of NHL players, coaches and executives showed up.
As NHL training camps opened this week, emotions were still raw, especially in Columbus. The Blue Jackets, NHL and NHLPA have stayed in touch with the Gaudreau family, monitoring their needs while also seeking input on memorial plans.
“We’re not doing anything with Johnny or Matty’s name without the family signing off on it,” GM Don Waddell said. The team will wear helmet decals all season featuring two doves; the idea for the doves came directly from pins handed out at the funeral.
Players have been reminded that free counseling is available. There are resources all around them, provided by the team, the players association and the league. But when Blue Jackets players arrived for medical testing on Wednesday, there was still an uneasiness of how exactly to go forward.
“To say we know exactly what to do, I don’t think that’s fair,” captain Boone Jenner said. “I don’t think there’s a playbook out there for this situation and what has happened. And that’s OK. I think we’re going to learn and lean on each other as we go on.”
As a guiding principle, the Blue Jackets adopted a mantra: “What would Johnny want us to do?” Columbus coach Dean Evason asked that the night before the funeral, as his leadership group was just sitting around. They decided Gaudreau would have wanted them to watch football and have a couple of beers. Gaudreau was known for his simplicity. He loved his Eagles so much, he often signed texts with “Go Birds.”
The players agreed early on that it would be a disservice to Gaudreau if they spent an entire season dwelling.
“He’d want us to enjoy coming to the rink,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “Being around our teammates and being together.”
ABOVE THE FAN entrance of Nationwide Arena, there’s a large mural of four Blue Jackets players. Featured prominently is Gaudreau, shooting the puck. That’s going to stay. Other logistical questions followed. As the staff prepared video for training camp, one of the coaches asked, is it appropriate to include Gaudreau in the clips? Should we edit him out? Evason was absolute. “Johnny is going to teach,” Evason said. “Good and bad. If he didn’t backcheck, we’ll show it. He’s going to be with us. He’s going to be a presence.”
The team is keeping Gaudreau’s locker stall intact. They will travel with his No. 13 jersey on the road. Sean Monahan, one of Gaudreau’s best friends, will get dressed next to the empty stall all season. Monahan was the Blue Jacket’s biggest free agent addition this summer, signing a five-year deal on July 1.
“We all know,” Waddell said. “The reason Sean decided to come here was because of Johnny.”
Gaudreau shocked the NHL when he chose to sign with Columbus in 2022. He was the league’s top free agent, having played his first nine years in Calgary and coming off a 115-point season. Then he signed a long-term deal in Columbus at a time not many other players would. But Gaudreau was considering where he and his wife, Meredith, wanted to start a family. Gaudreau often told people, “Columbus is just my cup of tea.”
Two years later, Monahan followed him from Calgary. At the funeral, Meredith said her husband copied everything Monahan did. Now, it was the other way around. Monahan bought a house three doors down from the Gaudreaus.
Monahan wasn’t yet ready to speak when the team held a candlelight vigil for Gaudreau earlier this month. And when training camp opened on Wednesday, he wasn’t quite ready either, but knew he wanted to say something. Wearing a shirt with a picture of Gaudreau and the No. 13, Monahan told the media: “I still don’t know the exact words to even say.”
“There’s a lot of weight on our shoulders right now,” Monahan said. “There’s a huge loss, a special person who’s not here. Like I said, it’s on my mind every day, every second. We want to obviously put our best foot forward and put our best effort out there for Johnny.”
The first on-ice session on Thursday ended with players shooting the length of the ice on an empty net. Monahan went first and made it. Hugs and stick taps followed. Monahan signed to reunite with Gaudreau, but also to be a mentor to young Blue Jackets centers like Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger — while shielding them from tougher first-line minutes. It’s a role Monahan said he’s excited to embrace.
“[Monahan] walked into a tough situation, meeting the guys for the first time after this happened,” Werenski said. “I give him a lot of credit. Obviously, we know John is a big reason why he signed here. It goes back to that point of being together. We’re there for him and I think it speeds things up a little bit, the relationships. It’s one of the worst times in his life, and he’s been awesome to be around. So that speaks volumes to what type of person he is. As a group, we’re here for him. We’re going to get through this thing together.”
MOST PLAYERS RETURNED to Columbus over the past several weeks, gathering for informal skates before training camp. Every morning, Waddell made a point to walk around the locker room. He became encouraged when he witnessed some normal conversations, laughs, even chirps.
“The guys are handling it much better than I thought they would,” Waddell said. “But we know there are going to be some tough nights throughout the year. Some dark times. And we’re going to have to get through them as a group.”
Waddell has already had to tackle uncomfortable tasks. He’s still communicating with the league and players association on how the Blue Jackets will manage the salary cap; they’re below the cap floor. Last week, Columbus signed veteran James van Riemsdyk to a one-year deal. Van Riemsdyk had other opportunities, but his reputation over 1,000-plus games in the league is as a good person and good teammate. For Columbus, this season is about making progress on the ice, but it’s also about developing the right culture.
So the team continues to try to strike the right tone. It is remembering Gaudreau, but also understanding the importance of moving forward. Evason was already preaching a clean slate before the tragedy. He was hired as coach this summer, and one of his big focuses was to let players earn their spots. He told his staff not to tell him anything about the players — their personalities, how they played last year, how they conducted themselves. Everyone is getting a fresh start on the ice.
The team postponed traditional festivities for their home opener, including player blue carpet arrivals and a fan festival, to the second game. “It just didn’t feel right,” Waddell said.
The Oct. 15 opener at Nationwide Arena will be focused on honoring the Gaudreau brothers. Everyone is prepared for another wave of emotions and know it’s another step in the grieving process.
Said Monahan: “I’ll miss him the rest of my life.”
-
Buster Olney
Gerrit Cole‘s season is over, now that he is headed for Tommy John surgery, and the New York Yankees will have to find a way to replicate the production of a Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, someone who is likely to one day make a speech on induction day in Cooperstown.
But this is not a case of a team being blindsided by an injury. Past injuries are the most predictive indicators for future injuries, and after Cole missed nearly the first three months of last season with nerve inflammation in his right elbow, the Yankees knew the chances of losing him were heightened. Their handling of his contract situation last fall was a strong indicator of the uncertainty around Cole.
The pitcher and his agent, Scott Boras, opted out of the last four years of his contract, while asking that the Yankees exercise a $36 million option for the 2029 season, effectively adding a fifth year to his four-year, $144 million deal. Owner Hal Steinbrenner and GM Brian Cashman declined to do so, firmly holding the line, and days later, Cole returned to the Yankees without any augmentation of his contract. While the Yankees hoped Cole’s elbow would remain functional, as Masahiro Tanaka’s elbow did following a diagnosis of a partially torn ligament in 2014, they weren’t willing to bet another $36 million on it.
But that doesn’t help them very much right now, when they have lost two starting pitchers to significant arm injuries: Before Cole went down, Luis Gil — the American League Rookie of the Year last season — suffered a lat strain this spring that will keep him sidelined for much of the 2025 season. Max Fried, signed to a $218 million contract over the winter to improve a good rotation, will now be the de facto ace, in front of right-handers Clarke Schmidt and left-hander Carlos Rodon. A month ago, there was a lot of speculation about whether Marcus Stroman would be traded, given his standing as the sixth starter behind a five-man rotation, and now Stroman is needed as the No. 4 starter.
Cashman’s habit is to be patient — to weigh internal solutions before diving into another free agent signing or trade. When Cole was sidelined last spring, the Yankees thought Will Warren might step into his spot in the rotation, and instead, Gil surprisingly emerged to fill in for Cole and was one of the league’s best starting pitchers in the first half.
This year, Warren is having a very good spring, having allowed just two hits and a run in eight innings of work, with two walks and 11 strikeouts. Warren, an eighth-round pick out of Southeast Louisiana in 2021, is the front-runner to move into the Yankees’ rotation.
Just as the Yankees continue to weigh market options for hitting help while Giancarlo Stanton is attempting to work his way back from elbow trouble, they will consider free agent possibilities such as veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson. The Yankees paid for insurance on Cole’s contract, and so they will recoup some portion of the salary they owe him; typically, that rate is about 75%. His contract still counts against their competitive balance tax total, but the insurance money will significantly offset the luxury tax they will have to pay for the addition of any replacement: The Yankees are taxed dollar for dollar, 100%, for any additional player salaries they take on. A new $5 million player costs the Yankees $10 million.
Eventually, their best alternatives, if needed, could be through the trade market, and maybe that turns out to be the Miami Marlins‘ Sandy Alcantara, the 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner who is back after an elbow reconstruction. Under the terms of a deal he signed with the Marlins early in his career, Alcantara is making $17.3 million this year and $17.3 million next season, and there is a $21 million option in his deal for 2027.
The Marlins are not expected to contend this year and have been in a cost-cutting mode since Peter Bendix took over the team’s baseball operations after the 2023 season. Last year, the Marlins demonstrated a willingness to deal very early in the season, when they swapped batting champion Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres in the first week of May.
But the price of a trade in April or May is usually set by the team dealing away a star, and the Yankees would have to pay a big price in prospects in the spring after a rough year for their farm system, which is generally regarded as thin by other teams and ranked No. 21 in Kiley McDaniel’s preseason system rankings. Additionally, the Yankees would presumably compete against other teams if and when the Marlins look to trade Alcantara, leaving them at the same disadvantage they faced when trying to pry Garrett Crochet away from the Chicago White Sox — before Chicago dealt him to the Boston Red Sox.
Over the course of the summer, Gil could return from the injured list, and other pitchers could emerge on the trade market as some teams drift out of contention. If the Toronto Blue Jays struggle in the first half, they could be a key source for all kinds of needs, including starting pitchers. Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer might all draw interest if Toronto ever looks to rebuild and, in the Yankees’ case, is willing to deal within the division.
One or more National League West teams could end up feeding the trade market. The Padres enter this season with high expectations after nearly knocking out the Los Angeles Dodgers last summer, but if San Diego drifts behind in the playoff race, it holds two of the best impending free agents, Dylan Cease and former Yankee Michael King. Similarly, the San Francisco Giants have veteran Robbie Ray, who is under contract for $25 million this year and next, and the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ Zac Gallen will become eligible for free agency in the fall.
Likewise, in the AL West, the Mariners have so far clung to their starting pitchers, like Luis Castillo, but that could change if Seattle sinks in the standings. The Astros demonstrated their willingness to be aggressive with players nearing free agency with their trade of outfielder Kyle Tucker, and if Houston hovers around .500, it could flip Framber Valdez into the market — with his years of postseason experience attractive to contenders.
The pitching market could be flush with options in a few months. And the Yankees might wait until then to make a move to cover for Cole’s absence.
-
Jorge Castillo
New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole will undergo Tommy John surgery, the team announced Monday, ending his 2025 season before it began and leaving the club staggering from another blow as it prepares to defend its American League pennant.
The decision to have the surgery, which will sideline Cole for the 2025 season and at least part of the 2026 season, was made after seeking a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday. Cole will undergo the procedure Tuesday at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. In a statement, the club said that “further updates will occur post surgery.”
Cole started two games this spring, giving up seven runs across six innings. On Thursday, he gave up six runs on five hits, including two home runs, over 2⅔ innings to the Minnesota Twins. He said he felt an “alarming” amount of pain that night into Friday morning, prompting him to notify the team and undergo imaging tests, which revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
Cole, 34, went through the same series of stressful events a year ago: Elbow pain in mid-March, tests and opinions from doctors. But the result was different. Cole was diagnosed with nerve irritation and edema and, instead of surgery, he rested and rehabbed. He made his season debut on June 19 and pitched through the World Series without a setback.
In a statement he posted on Instagram later Monday, Cole said the surgery was a “necessary next step for my career,” adding that he has “a lot left to give, and I’m fully committed to the work ahead. I’ll attack my rehab every day and support the 2025 Yankees each step of the way. I love this game, I love competing, and I can’t wait to be back on the mound — stronger than ever.”
The ace logged 124 innings over 22 starts between the regular season and playoffs, tossing at least six innings in three of his five postseason outings. He then opted to alter his offseason throwing program by starting it earlier to continue his positive momentum. He said he was “in a really good spot” compared to other years at the start of camp.
But less than a month later, his season has been declared over.
Cole’s injury is the second major blow to the Yankees’ starting rotation this spring after Luis Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, sustained a lat strain that was expected to sideline him for at least three months.
Without the two right-handers, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt will top the Yankees’ starting rotation. Marcus Stroman, who was notably not expected to make the Opening Day rotation, is projected to slide into the No. 4 spot with Will Warren, a rookie who made his debut last season, and Carlos Carrasco, a soon-to-be-38-year-old veteran in camp as a non-roster invite, as the leading internal candidates to round out the quintet.
Other options in camp include right-hander Allan Winans, who has eight career starts on his résumé, and left-hander Brent Headrick, a starter in the minors who has never started a game in the majors.
The Yankees could also opt to sign a free agent — veterans Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn are among those available — or swing a trade for an established starter.
Cole, a six-time All-Star, won the 2023 AL Cy Young Award and was the runner-up two other seasons. He has tallied at least 200 innings in six of his 10 full seasons (not including last year and the COVID-shortened 2020 season). He is as close to an old-school frontline workhorse in his prime that exists in baseball. It’s why the Yankees chose to sign Cole, a lifelong Yankees fan, to a nine-year, $324 million deal with a no-trade clause in December 2019 — the largest contract given to a pitcher at the time.
The agreement included a player opt-out after last season that the Yankees could’ve voided by attaching another year and $36 million to the four years and $144 million remaining on his contract. Cole exercised the opt out, but he never became a free agent and didn’t receive the extra year. Instead, the two sides agreed to continue as if Cole didn’t opt out two days later, keeping him under contract through the 2028 season at $36 million per year.
The Yankees have insurance on Cole’s contract, which will allow them to recoup some money for the time he’s out.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out seven over five impressive innings and Shohei Ohtani ripped a 118.5 mph double during the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ penultimate game of the spring schedule on Monday.
Yamamoto threw 75 pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Camelback Ranch. His fastball touched 97 mph and four of the seven strikeouts came on his splitter. The Japanese right-hander gave up one run on four hits in his final spring training start, walking one as the Dodgers went on to win 6-2.
Yamamoto is scheduled to start the Dodgers’ regular-season opener against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18. Ohtani is expected to be the designated hitter.
Ohtani’s third extra-base hit of the spring came in the first inning and the reigning National League MVP jogged into second base for the easy double. He grounded out in the second and struck out in the fourth.
Ohtani is 6 of 17 this spring (.353) with two doubles and a homer. The 30-year-old is trying to bounce back from offseason shoulder surgery.
Rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki is scheduled to start the final spring training game for the Dodgers on Tuesday. He’s expected to start the second Dodgers-Cubs game in Japan on March 19.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports11 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway