Birth date: May 12, 1994 (age 28)
Birthplace: Canaan, N.H.
Stats: 43 GP, 0-8-8
Contract: Signed through 2022-23 season (One year remaining until UFA status)
Gavin Bayreuther came to Columbus on a mission a season ago.
The St. Lawrence University product and AHL veteran got the chance to skate in nine games with the Blue Jackets at the end of the 2021 season, then returned to the team after Seattle chose him in the expansion draft but the two sides could not complete a deal.
Bayreuther was comfortable with the Blue Jackets and on top of that thought he had a chance to stick with a team looking for defensemen.
"I thought I finished the season very well last year, and I don't think I've ever wanted anything as bad as to make this team," he said in training camp last September. "I feel like I belong here. I said this last year, but I think I'm a hell of a better player than I was with Dallas (when he debuted in 2018-19). I've learned a lot and cleaned up my game a lot and gotten a lot better."
In the end, he was proven correct. Though Bayreuther was an early cut in training camp, a bevy of injuries led to him making his debut in early November at highly powered Colorado. He skated 19:29 in the game and was plus-2 in a CBJ overtime win, and from that point on, he was in and out of the lineup.
He ended up with both career highs in games played and points, and head coach Brad Larsen came to appreciate the no-nonsense way Bayreuther approached the game.
"He's just a simple player," Larsen said. "I think when he stays within himself, he's real effective. He's willing to block shots. He's willing to play physical. He moves the puck fairly quickly on most nights. The way we need him to play is a very simple brand and play hard, play assertive, play on his toes. He's got pretty good poise with the puck, too. Nobody really talks about that, but I feel like a lot of times he's very patient with the puck and makes the right play."
Tweet from @Gavinbay7: Stay on your feet #5 https://t.co/YqWg3ZbDyu
Bayreuther isn't quite a heavyweight, but he did show a willingness to stand up for his teammates last year. Bayreuther was in a pair of fights, including a scrap with Nashville's Tanner Jeannot in the Jackets' loss on the road to the Preds in November. With Columbus down 5-0 in the third period, a scrum near the team benches eventually led to Bayreuther tangling with Jeannot, who led the league a year ago with 14 scrums. It wasn't a long fight, but it did show Bayreuther's teammates something about the defenseman.
Tweet from @BlueJacketsNHL: Baby Bayreuther in the house 😍@Gavinbay7 | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/7eL2gj2BK2
Bayreuther scored twice in his debut season with Dallas in 2018-19 and once in his first season with the CBJ in 2021. But last year, he went 43 games without scoring a goal, the most of any CBJ player on the season to come up empty. In fact, it was just the 11th time in team history a Blue Jacket played in at least 41 games in a season and finished without a goal. All of them are defensemen, and it previously last happened when David Savard went scoreless in 68 games in 2019-20.
Tweet from @NHL: "Hey do 🫵 want a puck?" ��� Gavin Bayreuther (@Gavinbay7), probably 🥰 pic.twitter.com/WkHmtnXFf6
We'll never discount a player's ability to make strides as their career goes, especially on the defensive end, but it seems reasonable to see Bayreuther mostly as defensive depth for the Blue Jackets. A dependable, team-first player who can step into the lineup at a moment's notice, Bayreuther has gained NHL experience the past two seasons in Columbus and showed promise in his limited roles. On a one-way deal, he seems ticketed to begin the year as a seventh defenseman who can fill in as the need arises.
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