Columbus Blue Jackets v San Jose Sharks — Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine's benching deemed a learning lesson for No. 2 pick Adam Fantilli per former NHLer

Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine's benching deemed a learning lesson for No. 2 pick Adam Fantilli per former NHLer

Modified Nov 18, 2023 06:40 GMT

During the Columbus Blue Jackets' 3-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday, star players Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine were on the bench.

The Blue Jackets head coach, Pascal Vincent, benched the duo in the third period and went with a second line. Laine missed 9:53 minutes, while Gaudreau sat on the bench for 6:15 minutes of the third period.

Following Thursday's loss to the Coyotes, the benching of stars Laine and Gaudreau was one of the biggest talking points in the NHL community, with many questioning whether coach Pascal Vincent made the right choice to go without two of the most talented players on the team.

Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff and former NHL star Colby Cohen recently discussed whether benching Jonathan Gaudreau and Patrik Laine was the ideal way to handle the situation via (Daily Faceoff):

"What I would say is I agree, and normally I wouldn’t be in this position but here’s why I agree. A guy named Adam Fantilli. When you have a player like him, he’s going to be the face of your franchise for a very long time, he has come in and shown that he is a player and that he is the real deal, he’s mature, and plays in all three zones. "

Colby Cohen acknowledged Pascal Vincent's decision as a learning experience for rookie Adam Fantilli, who will lead the team from the front in the coming years.

For Cohen, it was a message Fantilli that no matter how much money a player makes on the team, if he fails to live up to the expectations, there will be standards that everyone must adhere to:

"He’s a year or two away from taking the mantle from Gaudreau and Laine as the face of the Blue Jackets so you need to show him it doesn’t matter who you are. You have an opportunity to tell Fantilli this is the NHL, it doesn’t matter if you’re making millions and on an eight-year contract or on the fourth line, there will be a standard that everyone will be held to."

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Also Read: Johnny Gaudreau's decision to not extend with Flames was settled during a car ride with his wife

Johnny Gaudreau couldn't get the start everyone expected in Columbus

On the opening day of free agency, July 1, last year, Johnny Gaudreau surprised everyone when he signed with the Blue Jackets on a seven-year, $68.25 million contract.

Columbus Blue Jackets v New York Rangers

Before joining the Columbus Blue Jackets, Johnny Gaudreau played only for the Calgary Flames and was coming off a career-high 115 points. The expectations were the same for the 30-year-old when he arrived in Columbus last season.

Gaudreau had a decent start to his career with the Blue Jackets. He had 74 points on 21 goals and 53 points in 80 games. In his second year with the Blue Jackets, though, the 30-year-old has not been able to live up to the hype he brought in with him.

This season, Johnny Gaudreau has only scored one goal and assisted on five, taking his tally to six points in 17 games so far this season. With a cap hit of $9.75 million, Gaudreau is the highest-paid player on the Blue Jackets' roster.

Given this, he's not been able to deliver the results that many expected of him. It was the second time that he ended up being on the bench this season. The pressure is building on Johnny Gaudreau to deliver, and it's high time for him to get the most out of himself before things start to fall apart in Columbus.