At the beginning of the 2019-20 season, Markus Hannikainen was assigned by the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Cleveland Monsters. This was a bit of a shock to many as Hannikainen has been a staple of the Blue Jackets for two seasons.
However, as we have learned over the years, no player is safe from being sent down to their team’s farm club. Especially, if a player’s ice time is on the low end and the organization wants the player to shake the rust off their skates. Sometimes a player is sent down because a group of young players such as Alexandre Texier and Emil Bemstrom played a stronger game during training camp and preseason.