Foligno, Kekalainen discuss NHL's return to play plan

After months of uncertainty, the Blue Jackets at least now know one thing -- what their on-ice situation will look like as the NHL attempts to return to play this year.

There are still myriad details to work out from dates and places to specifics regarding travel parties and coronavirus testing, but the NHL and its players association have agreed to a 24-team battle royale for the best trophy in all of sports.

And with his Blue Jackets rested, ready and -- perhaps most importantly -- healthy, captain Nick Foligno is looking forward to that chance, which for the team will begin with a best-of-five series with the Toronto Maple Leafs at a to-be-determined date.

"I just think any year you play, you want a chance to win the Stanley Cup," Foligno said on a teleconference Wednesday. "For me, it's another opportunity. I'm 13 years in the league, and it's a chance to win the Stanley Cup. I don't care if you're a young player or an old player, they don't come around very often so when you get a chance for the dance, you want to make the most of it.

"That's really my mentality on this. All the work you put in, everything that's gone on, if there is a reasonable and safe way to play the game, then why would you not want to give yourself an opportunity to chase the ultimate dream, which is the Stanley Cup championship?"

Speaking from the team executive standpoint on the same teleconference, Blue Jackets general manager and alternate governor Jarmo Kekalainen said he believes the NHL and the NHLPA came to an equitable and exciting solution when it came to agreeing on a format to get things restarted when the time comes.

"It's a good job by the league," Kekalainen said. "I think there are going to be some interesting matchups. The Leafs, we certainly know that they're a very talented team and we'll prepare accordingly. I think it will be a great matchup. There's plenty of them around the league, even in the first play-in round, so it's going to make it very interesting. The closer we get to it, I think everybody in the hockey world will get an itch to study those matchups and watch closely what is going to happen."

Tuesday's announcement of the return to play plan -- 12 teams from each conference are set to return, with the top four in each playing a round-robin for playoff seeding while the other eight battle in the best-of-five qualifying round -- has certainly drummed up excitement in the hockey community and sports in general given how major pro and college leagues all halted in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The NHL is the first of the four major pro leagues in the United States to announce a firm plan for future action, creating optimism it could restart without fans in the stands this summer as leagues like the Korean Baseball Organization and German soccer's Bundesliga already have done overseas.

The NHL's timeline announced Tuesday included the reopening of club facilities for on- and off-ice training in early June, the potential to begin training camps in early July and the return to competition after that.

Yet there are still plenty of hurdles that have to be cleared, including setting official dates and sites for each of those landmarks. The NHL's plan calls for each conference to be grouped together in "hub" cities for the games, and Columbus is one of 10 cities still under consideration to host.

"We know we're among the candidates and we think we should have a pretty good chance considering all the criteria that are required to become a hub city," said Kekalainen, who pointed to Nationwide Arena, Ohio State's facilities as well as the OhioHealth Chiller ice rinks as potential sheets of ice that can be used by teams. "I think we meet all of them and we're hoping we will be one of (the hub cities)."

There will be other issues that must be handled along the way as well, including what team traveling parties will look like, whether families will be able to travel with teams, what media coverage will look like and the details of the protocols to keep players sheltered from the potential spread of the virus.

Of course, there's also the issue of how society at large will continue to handle the pandemic, and both Foligno and Kekalainen echoed calls by the NHL that player and staff testing should not take away from those who need it.

The CBJ captain also said players were concerned about making sure they and their families stay healthy while also giving credit to the NHL and NHLPA for taking those issues seriously.

"I think there's still a lot of questions that have to be answered going forward," Foligno said. "It's nice we have a format … but this is a very serious virus and pandemic we're going through, so we're not just going to step on the ice lightly and pretend nothing is going on.

"It's nice to see that they're taking it as seriously as we all realize it is, but we trust what they're telling us and we feel comfortable in that environment to come back and play if that is the case."

When the NHL paused its season March 12, the Blue Jackets had points in 33 of 41 games to get to 33-22-15 on the season and pull into the heart of the playoff race with 81 points, good for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The league has chosen to rank teams by points percentage since squads had played between 68 and 71 games; the Blue Jackets and Maple Leafs tied at .579, with the Leafs receiving the No. 8 seed and Columbus the ninth seed in the qualifying bracket.

It was an injury-plagued season but one the Blue Jackets were able to survive thanks to a strong defensive game, an inner belief in how to play, and numerous players stepping up when called upon.

The good news, Kelalainen confirmed Wednesday, is that the team's injury situation looks much improved going into the restart with Cam Atkinson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Seth Jones, Dean Kukan and Alexandre Texier ready to return. There is a possibility Josh Anderson, who had shoulder surgery in March, also could come back over the summer, while Brandon Dubinsky (wrist) remains out as he has all season.

There's still a lot to sort out, but the good news is there's a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to hockey heading back to the ice. Foligno just wants to make sure it's a responsible road traveled by the league to get to the point where the Stanley Cup is awarded, hopefully in Columbus at the end of the season.

"I am thrilled that we're moving forward to try to play, but I also have a lot of questions and concerns like anyone else," Foligno. "I go back to like, 'This is bigger than us.' We have to be respectful of that. If it ever comes to a point where it doesn't make sense and safety is not at the forefront, then we can't play."