Columbus Blue Jackets fans pack Ice Haus to watch Gaudreau, Laine scrimmage

Johnny Gaudreau wasn’t prepared for what he and the Blue Jackets experienced Saturday.

The second day of training camp scrimmages were held at OhioHealth Ice Haus, which was packed with a standing-room only crowd that filled every available seat and lined around the rink at ice level.

“I didn’t know there (were) going to be fans, but I know they have great fans here,” Gaudreau said. “So, when I found out fans were going to be here, I wasn’t surprised to see that many people. It’s a lot of great support and the guys were excited to play in front of some fans finally. It’s been a long summer.”

Gaudreau, who was cheered the second he stepped on the ice, is used to high-intensity fan interest after playing nine years for the Calgary Flames. Columbus won’t be as much of a fishbowl as Calgary, but the interest in the Blue Jackets has skyrocketed since Gaudreau signed a seven-year, $68.25 million deal in July.

Excitement for this season is reminiscent of the Blue Jackets fever that swept through central Ohio in 2019 during a stunning first-round sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“I’m very fortunate,” said Gaudreau, who finished third in the NHL with 115 points last season and left Calgary with 609 points (210 goals, 399 assists) in 602 games. “In Calgary, the fans were awesome to me and they loved the Flames because that was their team. Columbus, this is probably their big team. You know, they don’t have (an NFL) football team or MLB or anything like that, so it’s nice. I already got recognized a few times in the city, so I don’t mind it. I like taking pictures with fans and chatting with them when I’m around town. I don’t mind it.”

Johnny Gaudreau focused on Blue Jackets, ‘couldn’t care less’ about Calgary Flames

Gaudreau’s departure from Calgary left Flames general manager Brad Treliving scrambling for a solution to replace a huge chunk of offense.

Treliving responded by trading Gaudreau’s former linemate, Matthew Tkachuk, to the Florida Panthers in exchange for star forward Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar ― one of the NHL’s most unheralded defensemen. He also signed Huberdeau to an eight-year contract extension and traded center Sean Monahan to the Montreal Canadians to free up enough salary-cap space to sign UFA center Nazem Kadri, who won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in June and was the biggest prize left unsigned.

Asked about the Flames staying competitive, Gaudreau drew a clear distinction between his professed love for Calgary as a place to live and his feelings about his former NHL team.

“No, I mean, when I say I love Calgary, it’s the city,” Gaudreau said. “Now that I’m with Columbus, I couldn’t care less what they do as a team. I mean, obviously I want to beat them, but as a city, the fans, the organization, the way they treated me … I always loved it there and it was a great place to play for the nine years.”

That’s history now.

“Once I left, I didn’t care anymore about the team, obviously,” Gaudreau said. “I was more focused on the Blue Jackets and what our team was going to do. The (Flames) got better, they got worse? I’m not really sure. But I’m focused on our team and we’ll go from there.”

Blue Jackets rookie Kent Johnson skates with Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine

After working with the second line of his scrimmage group Friday, rookie center Kent Johnson got quite a promotion Saturday.

Johnson, the fifth overall pick of the 2021 NHL draft, moved up to center his team’s top line with stars Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine as his wingers. The trio was dominant through two 25-minute “periods,” and created two goals by Laine.

"Honestly, during warmup, 'Patty' was like, 'Did you see the (lineup) sheet?' and I hadn't," said Johnson, who grew up in British Columbia as a fan of Gaudreau and other undersized playmakers. "I was obviously pretty fired up when I heard that. I wasn't too nervous or anything. I was more excited for the opportunity."

Gaudreau, Laine and Johnson were also on the ice for a goal by defenseman Cole Clayton during a scramble at the net.

“They were good,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “There was a lot of skill on that line and there’s the other side of the puck, too, that we’ve got to worry about also. So, we’re going to continue to tinker with stuff and see what it looks like by the end of camp.”

Johnson was utilized as a playmaking left wing in two seasons with the University of Michigan and stayed in that role this year for three Canadian national teams. Prior to those stints, he played mostly center at lower levels. Johnson also centered the Blue Jackets’ top line at the Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament prior to camp and co-led all scorers with six points (two goals, four assists).

Johnson had three assists in a seven-game NHL debut last season, but Larsen has noticed a change in his confidence.

“I think he looks way better,” Larsen said. “Even from Game 1 up in Traverse City to now, I think he looks better … a little more comfortable.”

Columbus Blue Jackets face Pittsburgh Penguins in split-squad preseason tilts

The Blue Jackets' first two preseason games are Sunday with split-squad matchups against the Pittsburgh Penguins ― the first at 1 p.m. in Pittsburgh and the second at 7 p.m. at Nationwide Arena. Gaudreau, Laine and Johnson are slated to play in the second game, so there’s a chance they’ll remain linemates at least once more.

Boone Jenner, the Jackets’ captain, is expected to get the first crack at playing with Gaudreau and Laine in the regular season. Jenner is being held out of scrimmages and preseason action as a precautionary measure following a lower-back injury that cost him the final 23 games last season. Cole Sillinger, who’s day-to-day with an upper-body injury, missed the first two days of scrimmaging and will not dress in either game against Pittsburgh.

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets fans pack scrimmage to see Johnny Gaudreau