The Columbus Blue Jackets enter the 2024-25 season with many questions surrounding their team. Perhaps at the top of the list is how the goaltending situation will develop.
The Blue Jackets appear ready to compete again in 2023-24. Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov are ready to fill the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in some order. Training camp will determine who gets the first shot.
In Part 1 of our 2024 Blue Jackets Summer Series, we talked at length about how new head coach Dean Evason and his structure could revitalize the position. Both Merzlikins and Tarasov could benefit from a low-event hockey structure where fewer quality shots are taken against them.
In just over a month, when training camp begins, we’ll have some questions answered. On Saturday, we caught up with Tarasov, who attended the grand opening ceremony at Chiller North to unveil the sporting goods collection bins. He talked about his offseason and why he’s so excited for 2024-25. Here’s part 3 of our Blue Jackets Summer Series.
Tarasov completely healthy
Perhaps the best news for all Blue Jackets fans is that Tarasov is fully healthy heading into his third training camp. He came into the league after a serious knee injury and had to overcome some obstacles along the way. But when he was there and available, he showed what kind of goalie he can be.
“I am completely healthy and am really looking forward to the new season,” said Tarasov. “Above all, I want to start the training camp healthy and enjoy the season in good health.”
Before returning to Columbus recently, Tarasov spent a few months in Russia. He took time to rest before stepping up his training this offseason. One of his biggest priorities this offseason was how he treated his body.
“I just try to be smart with my body,” Tarasov said. “I’ve learned a lot in the last two seasons, especially with the many injuries. I think I’ve found a good balance between rest and workload and I feel really good shape now.”
“I started, I got a month off. I really tried to calm down, give my body some rest and started working on July 1st. Every day I trained, did a few sessions in the gym and worked with our strength coach Kevin Collins. And now I feel really, really good and wanted to get on the ice next week.”
Impact of new leadership
Reactions to the Blue Jackets’ new leadership were initially overwhelmingly positive, and this trend seems to be extending to the players as well.
Tarasov said he had a few brief conversations with Evason and GM Don Waddell, and while the talks didn’t last long, the goalie is already convinced the team is in good shape from a leadership perspective.
“We talked briefly when they hired Dean,” Tarasov said. “He was in the locker room for a few minutes just checking out how everything was. He was really impressed with this really good locker room. We just talked briefly and they’re really good guys. They’re really good and straight-forward (to the point) guys. I think we’re in good hands.”
Tarasov is looking forward to the 2024/25 season
Tarasov had a smile on his face the whole time at Chiller North on Saturday. He was really excited to be part of the sports merchandise initiative where he met fans and signed autographs.
However, Tarasov was also beaming because he was so excited about the 2024/25 season. Aside from being able to start the new season with a clean bill of health, this is an opportunity for him and the team to put a few bad seasons behind them and look forward.
“We’ve had some struggles the last two seasons and everyone knows how tough it is, especially for the players and even more so for the fans,” Tarasov said. “We have a huge fan base here and we love that. They really supported us even when we didn’t play that well and we just wanted to show them that we’re here to play for them. And we just want to play really hard and show our passion on the ice. And yeah, we just want to be respectful to the fans.”
Tarasov had an eventful offseason. In addition to preparing for the 2024-25 season, he became a father for the first time. His entire daily routine changed, but he wouldn’t change it for the world.
“It’s amazing, it’s unbelievable,” Tarasov said of fatherhood. He hopes to carry that energy into the new season to help the Blue Jackets get back on track.
Tarasov is happy, healthy and motivated. Given the past few seasons, a fresh start and a clean start is exactly what he wants to achieve.
