Erik Gudbranson sent a message to the Blue Jackets bench, and Rick Bowness is going to have a hard time pretending he didn't see it.
Elliotte Friedman flagged the moment on Thursday's 32 Thoughts podcast, after the veteran defenseman dropped the gloves late in a game.
“Watch him after that,” Friedman said, “like he glares at the Columbus bench. And I don't know who he's looking at.”
Look at the clip and the target appears pretty clear. His eyes go straight toward the coaching staff.
He comes off the ice after the scrap, locks a long stare on the bench, then slams the door on his way through.
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A 34-year-old veteran doesn't make that kind of gesture by accident, especially with every camera in the building on him.
And it lands on a coach who's already been running hot. Bowness has had his share of emotional outbursts behind the bench this season.
Rick Bowness now faces a locker room problem in Columbus
The standings won't buy him any patience. The Blue Jackets sit 3-5-0 with a -9 goal differential.
Tuesday's 6-2 home loss to Toronto made it two straight defeats. Saturday's visit from Vegas suddenly feels heavier.
The goals against are the bigger story. Columbus is giving up 3.6 per game, and Jet Greaves owns an .883 save percentage.
Gudbranson himself isn't above criticism here. He's a -6 with one assist through eight games.
Conor Garland has no points through eight games on a $6,000,000 cap hit. Matthew Knies has gone quiet too, held without a point over his last five.
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A veteran staring down his coach is like a senior employee rolling his eyes in a staff meeting. Nobody says a word, but everybody remembers who saw it.
This looks like a room that has stopped buying in, and that falls on the coach more than the stare. Bowness, hired January 12, may not see spring behind that bench.
Don Waddell is the one who has to decide whether this is noise or a warning. GMs rarely get a clearer clip to study.
After Vegas, it's road dates in Philadelphia and Carolina. Whatever that look was saying, the next week will show whether anyone in that room is still listening.
Should the Blue Jackets move on from Rick Bowness after Erik Gudbranson's glare at the bench?
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