Jackets’ needs altering Tarasov’s progression

This was supposed to be a developmental season for Daniil Tarasov.

Coming off hip surgery, the Blue Jackets rookie was supposed to get a full season as the Cleveland Monsters’ No. 1 goalie while Elvis Merzlikins handled the starter’s role in Columbus. Joonas Korpisalo, also coming off hip surgery, was ticketed for the NHL backup role for the Blue Jackets in a spot that Tarasov would get next season in a flow of progression

Tarasov turns 24 later this month and must clear waivers for AHL assignments next season. Barring in injury or a trade, that locks him into Columbus in 2023-24 as a tandem with Merzlikins. Korpisalo was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings before the March 3 trade deadline, so it would’ve been nice to give Tarasov a full AHL season before climbing the next rung.

That was a logical a plan. That was a solid plan. It was also foiled from the start after Merzlikins couldn’t start in the season opener at Carolina because of illness and Korpisalo wasn’t ready.

Tarasov started that game and the next against Tampa Bay, taking two NHL losses off the hop, and thus began a stilted season of shuttling between the Monsters and Blue Jackets.

That’s the abridged version of how Tarasov got the net Thursday in the Blue Jackets’ 4-1 loss to the Kings. The longer version includes a seven-game injury stint in early January (concussion) plus three recalls from the AHL, including an emergency recall a week ago when Merzlikins returned to Latvia to be with his grandmother during a serious illness.

So much for Tarasov’s linear development curve.

He hasn’t gotten consistent ice time at either level this season and has struggled at both, including a 3-10-1 record, 3.56 goals-against average and .900 save percentage for the Blue Jackets. He also started Tuesday in a 6-5 overtime win at San Jose and looked shaky after not playing for a week.

It was a different story starting out against the Kings, who couldn’t get a shot past Tarasov on 15 shots in the first period, but further offensive pressure in the second led to his replacement after allowing four goals on nine shots. Tarasov allowed four straight goals to Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Viktor Arvidsson and Carl Grundstrom, and he didn’t have a good chance to stop three of them.

“I don’t fault him for either of the first two,” said Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen. “The fourth one, I think it actually hits a stick when it goes up. So, we put him in bad positions. I felt bad for him because he deserved better.”

KINGS 4, BLUE JACKETS 1

Columbus 0 0 1 - 1

Los Angeles 0 4 0 - 4

FIRST PERIOD: Penalties - Kempe, LA (elbowing), 0:15; Sillinger, CBJ (delay of game), 7:53.

SECOND: 1. Los Angeles, Doughty 5 (Grundstrom, Kupari), 4:44; 2. Los Angeles, Kopitar 26 (Byfield, Anderson), 7:42; 3. Los Angeles, Arvidsson 19 (Danault, Moore), 12:36; 4. Los Angeles, Grundstrom 8, 13:48.

THIRD: 5. Columbus, Marchenko 17 (Bayreuther), 4:31. Penalties Lizotte, LA (tripping), 5:46; Columbus bench, served by Marchenko (too many men on the ice), 10:44; Sillinger, CBJ (delay of game), 19:12.

Shots on goal: Columbus 9-10-12 - 31; Los Angeles 15-13-8 - 36. Power plays: Columbus 0 of 2; Los Angeles 0 of 3. Goalies: Columbus, Hutchinson 0-1-1 (9 shots-9 saves), Tarasov 3-10-1 (27-23); Los Angeles, Copley 21-4-3 (31-30). A: 15,460. T: 2:18.