Calvert vows to be ‘ difference-maker’ in 8th season
Matt Calvert has never been the face of the Blue Jackets, but the left wing has been so familiar to the lineup that only Rick Nash, Rusty Klesla, Jared Boll and Fedor Tyutin have put in more seasons with the team than his seven.
Calvert’s beat-up mug was never more in the public eye than when he valiantly returned after getting 30 stitches to close an ugly gash to score a short-handed, gamewinning goal against the New York Rangers last November.
And no hockey fan in Columbus can forget Calvert scoring the deciding goal in a 4-3 victory in double overtime over Pittsburgh in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2014. It was the team’s first playoff win.
But there was some question whether Calvert, 27, would return for season No. 8 because he was considered to be a prime prospect for the Vegas Golden Knights to poach in the expansion draft. On Wednesday, he made his preseason debut in a 3-2 overtime loss at the St. Louis Blues, playing 20 minutes, 27 seconds. 7 tonight Nationwide Arena WBNS-AM (1460)
“That was a oncein-a-lifetime process, because not too many guys go through an expansion draft,” Calvert said. “When you look at it from a business point of view, it made a whole lot of sense that my name was out there. Our strength is our depth, and you saw the team make a move to protect that depth.
“Then I knew I was coming back to a winning team and a city our family is very comfortable living in.”
Vegas wound up taking center William Karlsson after the Blue Jackets cut a deal to protect players such as wing Josh Anderson and goalkeeper Joonas Korpisalo.
Calvert had 15 points in 65 games last season as the Blue Jackets set a team record most points in a season and made the playoffs for the third time.
What he remembers most, though, is how he performed against Pittsburgh in a 4-1 first-round series loss. He scored a goal in Game 1, had an assist in Game 4 and averaged more than 14 minutes of ice time in the four games he played.
“I want to do what I did in the playoffs last year,” Calvert said. “I want to play at that level all year long. That’s what I’ve been working on all summer. I want to be a difference-maker.”
Calvert is in the final year of a two-year contract that will pay him $2.2 million this season, but playing well enough to get another multiyear deal isn’t the only incentive.
“I’ve been through some ups and down here, but you saw something different last year about the team,” he said. “You didn’t see a change in the guys, but a change in the culture.”
Milano earns praise
Assistant coach Brad Larsen, who ran the team against the Blues while coach John Tortorella observed from the press box, spoke highly of wing Sonny Milano. He assisted on both goals by Zac Dalpe and had two takeaways in almost 22 minutes.
Milano, 21, was the 16th player taken in the first round of the 2014 draft.
“Sonny put himself in great position by coming in here in great shape,” Larsen said. “He is an exciting player. He has NHL speed. You saw the amount of plays he made.”