Blue Jackets Should Test Luca Del Bel Belluz on Sean Monahan’s Line

Columbus has a straightforward way to test whether its forward group can generate more pressure: put Luca Del Bel Belluz in the lineup. He’s the only skater on the active roster who has yet to take a shift this season, and the Blue Jackets’ early results make a trial worth considering.

Through four games, Columbus has scored 12 goals and allowed 14, leaving the club around .500 in the standings. Three goals per game has kept the offense from becoming the immediate concern. The larger issue is that a team built to limit opponents hasn’t consistently controlled play or kept goals off the board. Better puck possession could help on both fronts.

Possession can make the checking work

The Blue Jackets’ third line has shown how effective that approach can be. Against Pittsburgh on Friday, the group was tasked with containing Sidney Crosby’s line and did much of its work in the Penguins’ end. When an opponent’s top players are spending shifts defending, they have fewer chances to drive their own offense.

That formula should be useful beyond one line. Columbus has several forward groups expected to get pucks deep, win battles and create chances around the net. Yet outside the top line and Charlie Coyle, the team hasn’t found many forwards who consistently look dangerous with possession. The Sean Monahan unit, in particular, has room to carry more of the offensive workload.

Valeri Nichushkin and Dmitri Voronkov have played much of the season alongside Monahan. Both bring size and skill, but the line has looked short on pace. Nichushkin has flashed high-end ability, though he has often had to slow down and wait for support. Monahan and Voronkov haven’t matched his speed through those moments, and the trio has combined for five points in four games.

A chance to change the line’s rhythm

Del Bel Belluz could give that unit a different look. The case for inserting him is less about assuming he’ll fix the line immediately and more about testing whether his presence can help the group move through the neutral zone and sustain its attacks. If he can keep plays moving and connect with Nichushkin, Columbus may get a more dangerous version of a line that already has skill.

The practical adjustment would be to replace Voronkov on Monahan’s line and move him elsewhere. One option is a role with Coyle and Mathieu Olivier on the team’s identity line. Another is to use him at center on the fourth line in place of Danton Heinen.

Heinen has a 45 percent Corsi rating, the lowest among Columbus forwards, and has won 44 percent of his faceoffs, according to the figures cited in the source. Those numbers describe a difficult start in possession and at the dot, although they don’t capture everything he brings to a fourth-line role. He has been serviceable defensively, and that work can be demanding. Still, Columbus has other forwards capable of taking defensive shifts, while Del Bel Belluz remains unused.

There’s also a case for placing Voronkov with Conor Garland on the fourth line. That combination could add size and energy while giving the group a chance to hold its own. A lineup change of this kind would let the Blue Jackets assess two questions at once: whether Del Bel Belluz can lift Monahan’s unit, and whether Voronkov can strengthen a different part of the forward group.

A low-cost evaluation

Columbus doesn’t need to treat one lineup move as a verdict on any player. Del Bel Belluz has no NHL shifts this season, so the team would need to see how his game translates in real minutes before drawing conclusions. A single appearance could offer a useful look at his pace, his ability to support skilled linemates and how the line functions with a different mix.

The upside is a spark for a unit that hasn’t yet turned its size and skill into steady production. The risk is that the combination doesn’t click, leaving the coaches with a clear reason to try another arrangement. Voronkov can still contribute in a different role, and Heinen’s defensive work remains a consideration if the fourth line changes.

For a team searching for more consistent play across its lineup, Del Bel Belluz is a reasonable option to evaluate. Columbus has scored enough to stay competitive early, but it needs better control of games to support its defensive identity. Giving the young forward a shift could show whether a different line mix helps the Blue Jackets spend more time attacking and less time defending.