COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Following the 2024-25 season, Blue Jackets general manager and president Don Waddell sent a clear message to big Russian forward Dmitri Voronkov.
"We had a big meeting at the end of the season," Waddell told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic in June. "We didn't give him a target (weight), but a challenge that he's not going to play (next season) until he's in shape."
There's reason for Waddell to want more out of Voronkov heading into his third season with the Blue Jackets.
Voronkov, who signed a two-year extension worth $4.175 million AAV later in the offseason, is the kind of player who can potentially tip playoff series because of his build at 6-5, 234 pounds.
But there's a pretty clear reason why Waddell wants to see a different Voronkov this season.
In each of his two seasons, Voronkov's production has dipped the deeper into the season he goes.
It's clear there's a trend when it comes to his production. Voronkov starts off seasons very well, although his 2024-25 didn't start until Nov. 1 due to suffering an upper body injury in a preseason game vs. Pittsburgh.
Once the calendar turns, his numbers take a slight dip but nothing that's too concerning.
But the lack of production in March was concerning, particularly last season when he had one goal and three points in a month when the Blue Jackets went just 4-8-1 and had a stretch of eight losses in nine games that ultimately cost them a playoff spot.
March is the time of the year when teams ramp up the intensity in pursuit of the postseason.
The young core of the Blue Jackets got their first taste of being in the mix in March and not only struggled to win, but at times struggled to score.
In a four-game stretch from March 13 to 20, the Blue Jackets scored only one goal.
When games get tight and physical, players with the size of Voronkov need to step up because of just the kind of mismatches they can create.
Size is clearly en vogue in the NHL right now. The Golden Knights and Panthers have combined to win the last three Stanley Cups, and they've all been built on size.
Even though the Blue Jackets have some size at forward in 6-2 Adam Fantilli and 6-3 Kirill Marchenko among others, Voronkov has rare size at 6-5 that makes him a tough player to match up against at his best.
That's likely a reason why Waddell challenged Voronkov this offseason.
Voronkov has better hands and skill than most 6-5, 220-plus-pound forwards should have. The problem in his two seasons, particularly last year, was he wasn't a difference maker in the games that mean the most.
As Waddell told Portzline, conditioning could play a big role in Voronkov reaching his ceiling.
The potential is tantalizing, and getting the best version of Voronkov deep into the season only gives the Blue Jackets a better chance to end a six-year playoff drought.
It's up to how well Voronkov meets his GM's challenge, and we likely won't know that answer for a few months.