What Do The Columbus Blue Jackets Have In Cayden Lindstrom?

What Do The Columbus Blue Jackets Have In Cayden Lindstrom?

we should all be even more excited about Kaden lindström than we already are why is that James tub from Medicine Hat News is here to tell us on today’s locked on Blue Jackets your locked on Blue Jacket your daily podcast on the Columbus Blue Jackets part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hello and welcome to lockon Blue Jackets part of the lockon podcast Network your team every day I am as always your host Jay Foster here to give you the Good the Bad and the Ugly about your favorite team and mine the Columbus Blue Jacket we St I want to thank everyone for making this your first listen of the day every single day lock on Blue Jacket is free and available on all podcast platforms and over on YouTube Al have know today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more playoffs have wound down the sports have stopped sporting but this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a booster a bonus every day that’s right there’s something for everyone every single day all summer long visit fanduel.com SL locked on to get started like I said at the top of the show we’re talking about Kaden Lindstrom today and I figured the who better to talk about him than someone who has watched him play all season long so uh I’m talking to James tub a reporter for medicon hat news all about Kad Lindstrom as a player K lrom as a person and what his future looks like for both the medicon Hat tigers and the Columbus Blue Jacket so I’m just going to get right into my conversation with James I figured the best way way to learn a little bit more about Kaden Lindstrom was to uh talk to some people that got to watch him game in game out uh all season long uh so I have got James Tob with me today uh a reporter who covers the Medicine Hat tigers and we’re going to talk a little bit about Kad Lindstrom as a player Kad Lindstrom as a person uh what we’re expecting to see from him next year and uh all that kind of fun stuff so uh thanks for uh thanks for coming to join me uh today James and uh I’m excited to uh get into it about about lindström because I loved this pick for the Blue Jackets yeah it uh first of all thanks for having me Jay much appreciated and yeah it was I knew whatever team took him was going to be very excited to see Kaden Lindstrom and uh yeah it was it was nice to see him get picked Nason higher at four yeah for sure he was honestly he was maybe number two on my on my personal draft board it sounds like he was number two on the Blue Jackets draft board um but let’s kind of get into uh Lindstrom as a player like what is what are we getting when Kaden Lindstrom steps on the ice it’s it’s been amazing to see the growth in Kaden’s game and I guess the easiest way to put it is a Eric lindross light and I know that’s a really high comparison I don’t like doing NHL comparisons but it is he’s a player who’s learned his physicality and how to use it and um maybe the only thing he’s learned to Ty it back or in the NHL probably be right where he fine where he is and he can score he’s got a sneaky playmaking ability that I think we’re going to see a lot more this season and maybe the next uh than we have before but he’s just a natural athlete too a couple times you know just seeing him he’s come out to do media with a shirt on I’m like can you please like you make me look bad K go put a shirt on no he’s a natural athlete he’s determined um confident and uh yeah the the blue Jacket’s got a really good player High Drive and he could put the puck in the back of the net like nobody else one of the best shots I’ve seen awesome well the Blue Jackets definitely need a goal scorer so we love to we love to hear that um obviously he was injured for a a decent part of uh of last season but he still managed to put up 46 points in in 32 games and that feels like that was a down year for him um how how do you see him kind of bouncing back next year I think it it’s so hard jay because I haven’t seen a healthy Kaden Lindstrom play since December right got hurt um coming back from Christmas he that’s when he hurt his hand and then the back kind of came up after that I didn’t really it was kind of secretive and I get that drafts all around that but um he says he’s healthy now he’s on the ice a whole bunch and I think coming back now with the confidence of being drafted he’s going to take whatever he gets from the Blue Jackets however if they gets uh any regular season games before he ultimately does come back which I think we’ve both talked about we believe he’ll be back in medicine at next season and then I think he’s going to keep going up the center of the ice he’s probably might lead the league in face off wins and I think we’re going to see more of that playmaking ability and he might score 50 goals next season plays in all 68 games well probably won’t play in all 68 he’ll probably go play in the world juniors for Canada uh it’s in Ottawa next fall but I think we’re just going to see that next level of Kaden that we’ve the growth that we’ve seen you know from his rookie season to last year in the little bit and then into next year I think it’s just going to be he’s just going to keep getting better and better and Blue Jackets fans are going to Elevate and want him there sooner than later but um yeah it’s just it’s going to be fun to watch from afar for you guys yeah for sure I assume that he will probably be there for most of preseason he might get a couple of of regular season games just to just to see how he does but yeah I am I’m expecting to see him back in in medicon hat and uh I’m expecting him to dominate the the WHL you know especially if he manages to stay healthy if he manages to play in all of the games um I don’t I I’m not super up on the competitiveness of of WL teams WHL teams kind of as as relative apart from you know obviously I know that Moose Jaw was dominant this year um Blue Jacket F’s very familiar with that team are we expecting medicon hat to be competitive next year and especially more so if if Lindstrom returns if Lindstrom comes back they are the the best team in the WHL and that’s it’s not an exaggeration uh it’s not homerism covering them every day they just are he’s a fourth overall pick uh teammate and Basha went for First Calgary he’s a good player as well Tomas MK was drafted this year and that’s all kind of glossing over the projected first overall pick in 2026 Gavin McKenna who won Rookie of the Year in the WHL CHL this year could um it was Craig Button that said could have went second overall in this year’s draft and he’s still two years away from being drafted so the offense that they have and the depth they have through the lineup yeah they are going to be the best team or projected to be the best team in the WHL you never know what could happen right uh we saw that this year the SAS blades ultimately the Moa Warriors led by Denton matak won at all but yeah know they are it’s it’s their year to win and they know that and I think that’s that’s all the talks going to be from Lindstrom and the rest of the team is that we got to win while this group’s here yeah exactly and I feel like there’s a lot to be said for because the Blue Jackets are probably going to be better this year than they were last year um it would be hard to be much worse but we’re being we’re being positive you know um but I think there’s something to be said for sending Lindstrom back to Medicine Hat and being like okay you be the guy in the WHL you dominate you win it all with your team because you see guys that learn to win early they come to the NHL and they’re like right already know how to do this and so I think that’s a really valuable learning experience for someone like Lindstrom who you know we’ve heard stories about you know what a great person he is and I want to talk about that in in a little bit here um but like what a what a great leader he is and uh you know all of that and I think him being the guy in Medicine Hat and potentially you know knock on wood leading this guy leading this team to a WHL uh title championship and it is kind of I know just in deci side uh F medicine ad fans were scared seeing lynum going to Columbus only because Cole singer got drafted there two years ago did accidentally didn’t come yeah didn’t come back it worked out in the end I mean Tigers only 11 wins That season it was a tough season but they get Gavin McKenna so I think they’ve they’ve come to terms with it but no it is it’s perfect opportunity here from Lindstrom to come back try to get that Championship here like I said probably gonna go play in the world juniors try to win with Canada it is just that time for him to you know all right you’re drafted Now show us why we drafted you and it’s his perfect opportunity to show why he’s that guy and keep growing it’s been amazing his rookie year uh Jay he came into this league in the WHL he was talented put in put the puck in the back of the net he was making those plays hadn’t really embraced the physicality that we’ve seen in the highlights are obviously blue Jacks fans have come to love and that was kind of learned from an overaging D Molen he learned that you should use your physicality you’re six4 Ken you’re a big guy use it and he found that next level he was a rookie of the year nominee that year and obviously took off last year and there’s a reason he was picked fourth overall but if that’s the growth he can learn in I don’t know 60 games what’s a full season going to look like and I think that’s going to be big for him this season is just where he takes that next step with championship aspirations and I think there’s a lot to be excited about got more of my conversation with James in just a minute but first i’m going to talk to about FanDuel I love sports I love them so much I never want them to stop but as the playoffs wind down we get fewer games and the sports aren’t sporting like I want them to FanDuel let’s make keep the sports going whenever I want all I’ve got to do is open the app dream up bets anytime I’m in the mood and this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or bonus every single day that’s right there’s something for everyone every day all summer long head on over to fanduel.com lockdown start making the most out of your summer FanDuel official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball yeah definitely and that’s something that I think is really enticing to a lot of Blue Jackets specifically is the Blue Jackets over the past little while have kind of drafted smaller skill guys um which I’m which I’m more than okay with I think that’s kind of the way the league is going but drafting someone like Lindstrom who has that size who has that kind of um I always get laughed at when I when I say this show but he has a little bit of like snar to his game um and that’s something that the blue jackers don’t really have like fanelli has it a little bit but not in the way that that Lindstrom has I don’t think and so that’s I’m excited to add like another dimension to like this this young core that the Blue Jackets are uh the Blue Jackets are developing here and by the time Lyn comes in fantelli will have two maybe three years probably just the two ahead of him right and can teach him back in like the center core between uh fentil and then Lindstrom what he can learn from him and cylinder as well and that’s going to play big for the Blue Jackets and if Lindstrom moves to the win Wing as we’ve seen talked about I maybe to start he would go to the wing and then go to Center but yeah he’s going to be great for the depth there in Columbus and eventually going to be that number two guy uh you know hopefully for a long time yeah 100% that’s what I I wanted to talk about next actually is um lots of conversation about well even if he doesn’t pan out as a center like his ceiling is top six Winger how do you kind of see that is that like you mentioned there a little bit of like starts at the wing and moves to Center do you think that his his end game is SEC second or potentially even first line Center I feel like the the him and fan are going to be real kind of 1 a 1B situation if they both pan out as well as everyone is kind of expecting them to do you see him as a a center in the NHL long term I do only because the way the kid wins face offs it’s he was one of the top in the League last year as a like as a 17year old it was it was crazy the way he would win faceoffs against 20 year olds and I think he’ll just further develop that with a healthy back I mean how many more faceoffs can he win now right and that was that’s what I think will keep him at Center he’s you know he’s got maybe learn a little bit more defensively the center role which is I I’d love to see a prospect that hasn’t had to learn that right learn the defensive part of the game more but I could see him them moving to the wing him to the wing only because he’s a young guy but I think he will end up as a centerman and I think he will be that one a one B with fenly maybe one year Lindstrom will lead the team and then fentil will take it the next kind of thing and yeah I think they the Blue Jackets got their one two up the middle now yeah it feels very much and I I’ve been saying this a lot and I don’t want to compare them to these players specifically because I think they are very different players but it feels very much like the early days of in Pittsburgh where it was Crosby and then Crosby got off the ice and EV Malin got on the ice you know and you’re like oh well now I have to deal with this guy it’s kind of similar of oh well now fantell is gone great Lindstrom gets on the ice now that’s a whole different different set of problems it’s just I don’t know I I am so excited about this I know everyone was kind of like well what if they take demidov like that kind of talent is hard to pass up but the the it’s so tyy to have this kind of the Blue Jackets have maybe never had two centers as good as fantell and Lindstrom are right now and they are 18 and 19 years old you know which I think tells you a lot it tells you more about the Blue Jackets as a franchise about these two players but like I don’t know Center depth is just something that the BL have never had and they’re so close to getting it right now and it’s really really exciting um I thought of the sorry I thought of the same comparison with the uh the Crosby malan I didn’t want to make it I’m glad you made it now it’s on you fine they’ll yell at me in the comments I don’t care yeah no I thought of the same thing and it is kind of that you want to be able to roll out those ones twos and when Lindstrom gets there and takes in that role that can only help Cole cyer right he it’s a little less responsibility on him and we can see him flourish as we saw with those winning teams in Pittsburgh where obviously lines one and two did their job but it was that third line that HBK line now I’m sure Blue Jackets fans aren’t a big fan of that hpg line but right they they needed that line and that’s kind of how they one so if that’s the role cylinder could play then it is it’s it’s that Center depth Columbus has long needed and it’s it’s exciting it’s a project with Lindstrom right he’s not going to be in right away and year his year one he might not be the most dominant but he’s going to be at some time yeah and that’s kind of what I’ve been trying to preach to kind of just anyone who will listen really is that you know we’re we’re being patient we’re not we’re tempering our expectations we’re not expecting him to walk into the leag in October and immediately become like the next Patrice beron or the next city crossby or whoever you know yeah he’s probably going to do he’s going to do another year in medicon hat I can see him coming over um at the end of medicon hat season depending on how far they go in in the playoffs and the memorial C Etc and then maybe starting in the AHL the year after that and kind of going from there but you know this is a player that I think you don’t want to rush because if you you let him Advance at his own pace you let him develop like that he’s going to walk into the league in what 2026 Maybe and Just tear it into pieces you know yeah and I think Don wadell is gonna play a big role in that right I don’t know I’ve never really interacted either with either of them either him or yarm moin in but wadell I feel like slow rolls prospects a little bit more and the Blue Jackets are in that spot where you know it’s been a painful couple years and you know what’s what’s another couple right but let their let the young guys grow and to try to become you know that next Tampa Bay lightning or a team like that right slow roll your guys and uh reap the benefits later yeah and it helps as well I think um and I’ll talk about this in in a later episode but a couple hours before sitting down to record this B had signed uh Shawn Monahan to a uh deal he’s probably going to be it’s a little longer than I would like a little bit more expensive than I would like but having him on the team as a legitimate Veteran Center who knows how to win faceoffs which again is something bu jackers haven’t had in a while um having him there to help guys like fanly guys like Lindstrom grow I think is going to be uh is going to be really fun um and I want to talk about kind of uh lindstrom’s growth and in a little bit more detail um you know I every time I got to watch him play and I didn’t get to watch him play a lot because time zones are are weird I spend most of my time uh back in the back in the UK as as my listeners know and so medicine that game start at like 2 am for me so it’s not super feasible so I watch when I can but every time I watched Lindstrom I was like just blown away Way by his skill his like knowledge of the game um what do you think is like his biggest thing that he needs to work on like this summer and then maybe going into next J in medicon hat what would you want him to improve on to take that next step forward um I think it would be you know he’s got a good he’s he’s got a wonky skate stride so I think continuing to work with that and that’s I mean he gets up the ice and down uh up and back pretty quick that’s not an issue um maybe the defense and just adding that to his game right uh we’re going to see more of the playmaking that has kind of gone underrated with his shot and the physicality so but I think it would be you know just the all aspects of the game kind of rounding out his game a little bit more he really didn’t play that like a high level of hockey until he went to the Delta Academy at I believe it was 14 right so he was he’s still learning on maybe some of the stuff that other guys got to learn early but I mean just keep getting better I guess it’s easy I don’t have one thing to pinpoint here Jay I apologize for that but I think it is just rounding out his game and just frankly playing a full season here and seeing what he can do with that playmaking and just adding a little bit more defense as well to his game yeah definitely and I feel like that’s that’s a really good sign if you’re like well I can’t spot anything in his game that like needs a ton of work and a lot of it does sound to me like it’s just oh okay this is something that’s just going to get better with reps you know I know there’s um I did a little bit of of like Prospect uh research while I was doing my draft prep because I was thought oh blue ja are getting a lottery pick again guess I’ll look at the some of the top guys and some of them you know you look at some of these first- round picks and you can kind of pinpoint oh you need to work on your skating you need to work on your like off Puck awareness blah blah blah but Lindstrom it feels like he just needs to keep playing and keep doing what he’s doing and getting those reps in it’s not anything that he’s going to have to like specifically go away and learn how to do it’s just continuing to take those steps that makes sense yeah the only like he’s got great work and great coaches here with Willie jardan obviously a veteran of the NHL and Associate Coach Joe Fraser who I believe we’re going to see in the NHL someday uh behind the bench and they’ve been working with him a lot and you know just in practice going okay you did the drill right but let’s do it better kind of thing right just finding that that next level and maybe the only thing I didn’t mention was just the emotional maturity and that’s it’s nothing against Kaden but he’s with the physicality that he’s learned there’s a sometimes a Red Mist comes up and he gets a little you know he takes a penalty when he didn’t need to have to so maybe it’s that and it’s just learning you know when you can push and when you can’t and that would maybe be if I had to circle one thing that’d be the biggest thing I’d want to see him grow on is just that uh you know when to hold back on a a retaliatory hit or something like that just uh you know hurt them the other way go put the in the back of the net for sure which I like he’s he’s is he 18 now yeah like I I remember what I was like at 18 you know so he that is defin that’s something that I am not worried about at all I agree it needs to to work but I think as he gets older he’s GNA you know get a little bit a better hold of of that emotional maturity um and I want to kind of finish off by talking a little bit about um you know I feel like we’ve got a pretty good look at Lindstrom as a player and I know when I was talking to you as we were kind of setting this up you said he’s a great player and an even better person and I want to talk about that a little bit because um I wasn’t present at the draft but one of my colleagues here at locked on was he sent me the um post draft press conference with Lindstrom and I was just kind of Blown Away by like how well spoken he is and how like he just seems like a really great kid so could you kind of speak to to that a little bit kind of that side of it of the the office um part of of Lindstrom he is a he’s a great kid and he’s believe it or not he’s kind of shy I’ll be honest he’s coming out of vichelle a little bit more but he is shy and he’s learning kind of where he fits into things and how to handle things and just he’s really nice and he scored the Tigers teddy bear toss this goal so with that tigers go take the teddy bears to the hospital here in Medicine Hat and they deliver some teddy bears and it’s usually a thing for the assistant captains and the captains to go and this was the first year that they took the teddy bear goal score and lrom wenton was a little bit shy and timid but then he you know he kind of embraced it and was giving teddy bears out and there was an older gentleman he was talking to and he was like L I recognize you because they all listen to uh the games on the radio and he’s like you’re really good and Kaden was just like well thanks and then they talked a little bit more and no he is a great kid and I I I’ll be honest I don’t know a lot about um his mom and his uh Grandma obviously Kaden talked a lot about draft how that was a big part of for him and coming up just a single parent home and leaving home at a young age to go far away and then even further away in Medicine Hat he’s he’s had to grow a lot mature like emotionally away from his mom and that hasn’t been easy for him but he’s kind of accepted it and he’s flourished frankly and he’s starting to find his own and I think the confidence is just going to grow more and more off the ice and that can only help on the ice and no he is a great kid they got a good person in Columbus and an even better player yeah which is it’s always great to hear you know like that I know people are like I don’t care about the locker room just win games but something that you know I work with a a hockey team um back home and something that’s always really important when we’re building the team at the start of the season is good locker room because good locker room means good results on the ice and bringing in good people as well as good players and so it’s something that you know Columbus has started to build I think a really good core of young players that are also like like lindström they are you know good people M they’re maturing well and they’re kind of all going to grow up and and grow into themselves together which is uh which is always really great to see and so having to you know adding someone like Lindstrom into that mix is is really it’s really great to see um I think I was gonna say I don’t know if like the blue dragons must love the WHL right with M now and then they added like Brandon Charlie ell um who else did they uh Evan Gardner Evan Gardner right yeah the three like three dub guys there it doesn’t that doesn’t hurt either right for lrom or matuk they know these guys they played against them battled with them and it does help when you have those little pockets of players that know each other before they get to the Blue Jackets then it it makes things easier as they get there and start growing and you know trying to win that ultimate goal in the NHL yeah 100% And I know that lindström is friends with um current Blue Jackets Kent Johnson uh J Christian as well which helps um and yeah it’s the Blue Jackets love to draft from from the dub like d matuk for example the year before that I believe was stus fosil who was in um Regina Regina yeah so they have uh they do love to to go from the WHL which I like because I think it’s it’s I don’t know that I’m supposed to have favorites of the leagues but I like the WHL the most out of the out of the three CHL leagues I think it’s not maybe not the best one but it’s the one that I find the most um entertaining to watch and I think it um you get I mean The Bu had some really great players come out of uh come out of the WHL and just kind of out of western Canada in uh in general so you love yeah I grew up watching the OHL and now I work covering the WHL and I think the WHL is it it is the the better League I think and yeah as you mentioned they’ve produced a lot of uh a lot of top talents and here’s another one in Ken Lindstrom yeah 100% we’re gonna have to get you back on the show when uh lindstrom’s uh done the preseason in Columbus maybe done a couple of games and we’ll we’ll we’ll talk to you then about again about you know what you expect from from Lindstrom but uh I I appreciate you hopping on today giving me giving everyone to a little bit more uh inside information on a guy like Kaden LST and I know that I am I didn’t think it was possible I’m even more excited for what we have potentially got in a player like Lindstrom um so uh where can people if people want more information on on Kaden Lindstrom or if they want to follow the medic hat Tigers a little bit more closely next year where can people find you and your work online for sure uh the medicine at news it’s uh as spelled as it sounds on Google or on my uh Twitter it’s it’s still Twitter to me or X whatever you want to call it reporter yeah it’s Twitter okay reporter tub 2bs and yeah well uh we’re obviously going to have a lot on Kaden this year uh with a full season and uh with the Tigers it should be an exciting year and lots of fun stories to come awesome well thanks for uh coming to chat yeah thanks for having me J and that’s all I’ve got for today uh tomorrow we will uh catch up on free agency uh maybe look at if the Blue Jackets have made any more signings uh development campus started we’ll talk a little bit about that as well that’s going up on tomorrow’s episode of lock on blue thank you for listening to this episode for making it your first listen of the day every single day locked on Blue Jackets is free and available on all podcast platforms we are over on YouTube and on SiriusXM you can find me on Twitter _ Jacob Foster j a k o b f o r s d e r you can find the show at lore blue jacket on Twitter and uh if you have comments questions criticisms you can email me at lockon Bluejacket gmail.com thank you once again for listening and until tomorrow make sure you stay locked on

Cayden Lindstrom is big, skilled and physical. But what else does he bring to the table? Today we talk to James Tubb of the Medicine Hat News, about what Blue Jackets fans can expect from Lindstrom, who he is as a player and a person, and what his development path should and could look like!

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