Calvert cool as a cucumber

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This article was published 27/10/2017 (2877 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

COLUMBUS — Matt Calvert heard the talk. Left unprotected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the run-up to the NHL’s expansion draft in June, many believed the 27-year-old left-winger had a one-way ticket out of Ohio.

Reality was a little different.

The expansion Vegas Golden Knights plucked centre William Karlsson away from the Blue Jackets instead and Calvert was suddenly returning to Columbus for his eighth season in the NHL.

“I don’t know if it affected me really,” said Calvert prior to Friday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets at Nationwide Arena. “I looked at it from a business point of view. It made sense why I wasn’t protected and all that. Obviously, it’s another chip on my shoulder. I’ve been living off that my whole career.”

Calvert, a Brandon product who honed his game while starring with his hometown Wheat Kings, has made a career of adapting his skill set to the demands of coaches.

This season, he has already played in various combinations on Columbus’s second, third and fourth lines as head coach John Tortorella searches for a better mix.

Friday night, the speedy 5-11, 175-pound forward started the game on a No. 2 unit with centre Alexander Wennberg and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Calvert had two goals and four points in Columbus’ first nine games.

“He could be one of our most consistent forwards,” Tortorella said. “He does great things, but he has to score. He wants to be in the top six, wants more ice time. He wants a lot of things, which I love about him. He has to produce, too. He is a very important player for us. Right now, I don’t know what I have as far as top lines. I think I have three lines I’m very comfortable with. Matty’s in that role.

“I started him last game on the fourth line. I couldn’t keep him there, in good conscience. I couldn’t keep him there because I wasn’t giving him the ice time he deserved. He’s been a really good player for us. He needs to continue to produce if he wants to stay in that role.”

Calvert has learned to roll with Tortorella’s constant juggling.

“It’s been good. I’ve kinda been a utility guy my whole career,” Calvert said. “Bounced around, definitely a little more with Torts, but no, it’s fun. You try to worry about your game. You’ve gotta bring what you can every night because you never know, you could be playing on the first or fourth line.” 

The Calvert-Wennberg-Bjorkstrand combo was assembled during Wednesday’s 5-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

“I’ve had two periods with them,” Calvert said. “That was probably my first time playing with (Wennberg) in over a year. When he first broke into the league, I played with him quite a bit. I just try to build chemistry when I can. But like I said before, you’ve gotta bring what you bring. Get pucks low and get to the net. Those guys are two pretty skilled guys — they’ll make some plays.”

Calvert’s value to the franchise will be tested at the end of the season. He’s in the final year of a three-year deal worth US$6.6 million.

Does he want to stay in Columbus long term?

“You know what, that’ll take care of itself,” Calvert said. “Honestly, right now, I’m just focused on one game at a time and having fun with it. I’m having a lot more fun playing. My little boy’s almost two now, and he comes to every game. That’s all I’m focused on.”

 

WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE? Jets head coach Paul Maurice appreciates the competitive fire he’s seeing from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

“He’s got a legitimate confidence in his game now,” said Maurice of Hellebuyck, who has a shiny 4-0-1 record, 2.25 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage in his first five starts. “He’s got a real good understanding of what’s happening around him… Overall, he’s played the same now every time he’s been in the net. He’s made big saves. He made a real good save that doesn’t seem like much, off (Pittsburgh’s Sidney) Crosby on a 2-on-1 (Thursday). That’s all being in the right spot. That guy is such a great shooter and he’s picking a corner.”

Hellebuyck’s off-season work has refined his game.

“That’s the technical difference in his game from a year ago,” Maurice said. “His angles have been great, his precision in the net has been really good and he looks so calm, rebound control, those kinds of things from just being square, solid.”

 

CHANGING HIS TUNE: after further video review, Maurice revised his opinion on sophomore right-winger Patrik Laine’s ill-fated pass that led directly to Phil Kessel’s overtime winner. On Thursday, Maurice suggested it wasn’t a wise choice. By Friday afternoon, he had changed his mind.

“We didn’t like the 3-on-3 (in overtime), but I’ll tell you what, Patty Laine’s going to try to make that pass all day long and so is every other player in the National Hockey League,” Maurice said. “He makes that pass and (defenceman) Tyler Myers is coming right down the pipe with (Blake) Wheeler back door. I’ve got no problem with the decision. It was kind of the theme of our offensive game. We didn’t get passes on the tape.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14