By Aaron Portzline (The Athletic)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Pascal Vincent has barely raised his voice since becoming Blue Jackets coach four days before the start of training camp. He hasn’t slammed his fist on the lectern after hard-to-swallow losses or blown a fuse during practices.
But, only three games into the season, there already are numerous examples of Vincent trying to heighten the level of competitive spirit within the group by demanding accountability.
Winger Kent Johnson, one of the franchise’s bright young players, was made a healthy scratch for the season opener. Defenseman Andrew Peeke, who played on the top pair in the opener and has played more games than any other player the past two seasons, has been a healthy scratch for the past two games.
Winger Eric Robinson, who has played 259 games for Columbus over the past four seasons, was a healthy scratch for Saturday’s win over the New York Rangers, then landed on waivers and eventually was sent to AHL Cleveland on Monday.
The boldest move came late during Monday’s underwhelming 4-0 loss to Detroit, when defenseman Damon Severson was stapled to the bench for the entire third period after committing a garish turnover that led to the Red Wings’ 2-0 lead in the second.
Severson was one of the Blue Jackets’ big-ticket acquisitions this summer, signing an eight-year, $50 million contract.
Vincent has kept an even tone through all of this, assuring that his moves are strictly business — nothing personal — and that the Blue Jackets eventually will reach that desired competitive spirit, though nobody can say how long it will take or how many more messages will need to be sent from the coaching staff.
Asked about the difficulty of benching a player of Severson’s stature, Vincent was unmoved.
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