Yahoo Sports New Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jordan Harris talks to the media
Jordan Harris doesn't know much about Columbus, but from what he's heard, it's a great place to play.
He held a media availability yesterday after his trade to the Cannon City on Monday. The 24-year-old defenseman was on Zoom taking questions from reporters and answering questions about a variety of subjects.
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Let's take a look at some quotes from the new Columber defender.
On If he knows anything about Columbus - Honestly, I didn't know much about Columbus or the team or whatnot. You know, the only instance I can think of is playing there my rookie year. And it was an unbelievable experience. Like just with the atmosphere and the Cannon and it's just exciting. Like there's a lot of excitement and, and it's rowdy and it seems like a great place to play and, and everything that I've heard of so far from, you know, Dave Savard and buddies who went to Ohio State, they've all had fantastic things to say about the area and Columbus and the organization and so definitely really excited about it all.
Related: Loading The Cannon: Jordan Harris
On how excited he is to be in Columbus - I'm really excited. I was a little surprised yesterday when I got the call that I was going to be traded. But it seems like, again, from what I've heard, it seems like a great group and locker room and environment and I've been played with a lot of the guys. But I play with, you know, Sean Monahan and, and I've played with Gaudreau and, and some summer stuff and some of the other young guys I have, you know, mutual connections with. And it just seems like like a hungry group and a young team and a team that's trying to prove itself and that falls in line exactly where I kind of am in my career. Like I've played a couple years, but I still feel like I have a lot more to give and I'm definitely hungry, you know, to prove that and show that.
Where does he see his game going now? - I think now that I have a better feeling and understanding of how things go and, and I've got some games under my belt, I really feel like the next step in what I want to do is, you know, showcase, you know, what I work on the summer, what I can do as a player. I think as a defenceman, you know, I'm not the biggest defenseman, but there's a lot of tools I can use to defend hard and, and join the rush. I think there's some offensive stuff I want to continue to add on my game while not taking away from, you know, my strengths as a defender.
He was asked about the depth chart and the upcoming competition for ice time -You know, there's a lot of really exciting talent and like I said earlier, it seems like a hungry group, like there's a lot of younger guys, but also a lot of veterans who have played and been around. So in terms of like competition aspect, you know, I find competition is healthy, right? And you get to this level and there's always going to be competition no matter where you play, especially as you get through college and professional. I try not to, or I don't really see it in terms of like, oh, we're going to be battling for spots. It's more so what can I do, you know, to play my game and play my strengths, and that's all you can really control at the end of the day, right?
Harris was asked about his involvement with the Player Inclusion Coalition and if he plans to continue that in Columbus - Yeah, definitely. I've been really happy in how I've been able to impact the community around Montreal and enjoying the player inclusion coalition and, just all the relationships that I've made, you know, over the past couple of years, and that's exactly what I would love to do in Columbus. Like I always think that, you know, hockey is a beautiful sport and I'm incredibly lucky to be able to play hockey every single day. But you know, life is more than just hockey. It's about how you impact the people. It's about what you can do for your community. Uplifted and, you know, really looking forward to helping out however I can in Columbus. Honestly, it's something that we're very passionate about, and definitely want to continue it for sure.
Related: Patrik Laine Has Been Traded To The Montréal Canadiens
You can listen to the full interview here.
Jordan Harris seems like a good person just based on first impressions. He should be good for the locker room, and good off the ice as well.
This franchise needed some sort of culture shift, and it seems like Jordan Harris could help with that.
GM Don Waddell had to trade Patrik Laine, and some say he did well with what he had to work with. Others say he should've eaten some salary and got a better return, but that wasn't his plan.
He was able to shed the full $8.7 million off of the books and get a good young player in return. That seems like a win in my book. The CBJ now has $18,198,334 in available cap space before they sign Cole Sillinger. Waddell seems to be setting up for something next summer.
This could get very interesting.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts on our forum.
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