2013 Blue Jackets Season Thread

[skatingtripods]

Saw some good things in the first couple of games and some bad things. The first major thing I notice is the difference between the guys who played throughout the lockout and those that didn't James Wisniewski looked pretty awful against Detroit. Very slow. Fought the puck a ton. Looked way out of sync. Meanwhile, guys like Atkinson and Calvert had a lot of jump. Overall, in the couple of national games I watched on NBC SN, it's the same thing across the league. Not that I'm surprised by it, I'm surprised that the gap is as wide as it is.

Love the heart from this team so far. This is what you get from a young team with young legs. The hard part will be maintaining it, especially now when they start a stretch of 7 games in 11 days, including a trip to the Southwest for a back-to-back with PHX and COL. That second game in the high altitude could be a disaster for them. It'll be a real shock to the system.

Really like what I've seen so far from Anisimov. He's a guy with talent, probably peaks as a second line forward, either at center or wing, but he could overachieve with extra ice time for the Jackets.

They have a monumental need at center. Ryan Johansen taking defensive zone faceoffs in a tie game with two minutes left? No thanks. That will be a need that they need to address in the offseason. Detroit really dominated the puck possession game last night and the center plays a big role in helping cut off the cycle. They desperately need help at that position. The wingers are serviceable and the defensemen aren't bad.

Sergei Bobrovsky will reach cult status in Columbus at this rate. He has played well through the first two, there's no doubt about that. He has also benefited from playing during the lockout. It'll be interesting to see how Steve Mason, who did not play anywhere during the lockout, will do, probably on Thursday in Colorado. Two games is not enough of a sample size to read into Bobrovsky, but so far, he's been a good addition.

Pierre McGuire was talking last night about the additions of Keith Acton and Craig Hartsburg to the coaching staff. I glossed over them being added to the coaching staff, but Hartsburg brings a lot of experience and Acton is a fiery guy who was a terrific role player in his day. It's rare that a guy gets hired to be an assistant coach immediately after he retires, but that's what happened with Acton in 94-95. I like the coaching staff. I love the front office. Things are going in the right direction.

Overall, an impressive start, considering I expected them to be pretty bad out of the gate with all of the negative reports out of training camp. Once teams get on an even level of gelling and getting their legs back, the Jackets will probably fall into the bottom tier of the Western Conference based on their talent deficiency and brutal travel schedule. But, they appear to at least be entertaining to watch.

[swerb]

Bobrovsky and Anisimov have looked great. Liked what I've seen from Foligno too. And maybe Mason just needed someone to push him to enable him to finally once again live up to the talent he showed as a rook. If they can get the type of goaltending we saw last night, you can earn points in games where maybe the play doesn't warrant it ... like last night, which was an ugly mess through the first period and a half.

Team is YOUNG though ... my God. Throw Propal and Aucoin out and the average age has gotta be like 23-24.

Love the fact they got some explosive talent at the blue line finally after years of that being a major issue. Wizniewski, Johnson, Nikitin, Tyutin, Moore, and Aucoin ... love that group, love the mix of skill sets.

How well they do this year will depend on the goaltending and the development of the young forwards. But I agree, so far so good. At the least, the team is very likable and should be fun to watch.

[skatingtripods]

Definitely young. Only other 30+ guys are MacKenzie (who looked great last night) and Umberger.

What will probably happen in a fair amount of their games is what happened last night. They'll be an easily frustrated team with a lot of young guys, but when they get a little bit of momentum back, they give a big push. After Atkinson's goal got the fans back into the game and got some life going on their bench, they really turned up the intensity. Hockey is 60 minutes of momentum swings.

We'll find out what the rest of their season will look like over the next 11 days. Seven games is nearly 15% of the season. Come through that 3-3-1 or 2-3-2 or better and they could hang around in the conference.

[skatingtripods]

Not a good showing last night. They could be a really terrible road team. They won't get the matchups they want having to change lines before the home team and it showed last night with some undisciplined penalties and long shifts. I'd expect tonight to be a rough one, playing a back-to-back in the high altitude.

Mason wasn't good, but the team in front of him wasn't good either. Being a young team, they need to trust their goaltender. It's clear that they don't trust Mason.

[Govbarney]

I do like this club, and I really love the direction they are heading in , so far with the exception of the two west coast games that were on to late for me to watch anyway, all the games have been entertaining. That being said, I think this team can better serve itself by collecting lottery numbers as opposed to wins, and b/c of that I don't mind seeing Mason in the net, guy is pretty much a guaranteed 'L'. Even if he is having a good night , he commands so little confidence from the other 5 there is very little chance of victory.
Its pretty evident Davidson and maybe even that dolt Howson know they need the Lottery tickets more then wins as well because no one in there right mind can convince me this team would not be better with McElhinney as the back-up instead of Mason.

[skatingtripods]

Its pretty evident Davidson and maybe even that dolt Howson know they need the Lottery tickets more then wins as well because no one in there right mind can convince me this team would not be better with McElhinney as the back-up instead of Mason.

Since re-entry waivers were removed in the latest CBA, the Jackets would not run the risk of losing McElhinney if he was called up. That said, they're paying Mason a lot of money and Davidson, a former goaltender, probably wants an extended look at him before making any decisions.

I didn't watch last night's game, but it's hard to fault Mason when they mustered 19 shots and their goals were from a grinder and a defenseman on the powerplay.

They have 13 goals in 7 games. Hard to put the blame anywhere else but there. Umberger, Brassard, Dubinsky, Johansen, Calvert all sitting on zero. Those are the guys that need to score.

[Govbarney]

HOWSON FIRED

I just want to know what took it so long.
Davidson could announce new GM today.

Dispatch is saying Jarmo Kekalainen, who spent nearly a decade as director of amateur scouting with the St. Louis Blues and has spent the past two seasons as a GM in Finland is the front runner.

[Govbarney]

Jarmo it is , first European GM in NHL history .

[StewieG]

Finally.

[skatingtripods]

Dispatch is saying Jarmo Kekalainen, who spent nearly a decade as director of amateur scouting with the St. Louis Blues and has spent the past two seasons as a GM in Finland is the front runner.

Love this hire. The Jackets have drafted very poorly, in large part because their European picks have sucked. Now, they have a guy who is only 46 years old and spent 8 seasons as the director of pro scouting with the Blues and 7 seasons in the Senators front office, 5 as the director of player personnel. He has extensive experience in Europe, as a player, a GM, and a scouting director. He knows talent when he sees it. That's a big deal.

Lot of experience for a relatively young guy who also had a playing career.

The fact that he and Davidson had a close relationship in St. Louis is the icing on the cake. He brought in a lot of the Blues players that are flourishing now. Terrific hire. I wouldn't have expected anything less from Davidson.

[Govbarney]

Richards cant be feeling to comfortable, only question is when the ax falls, during or after the season.

My guess is Davidson already knows who he wants his next coach to be.

[skatingtripods]

Richards cant be feeling to comfortable, only question is when the ax falls, during or after the season.

My guess is Davidson already knows who he wants his next coach to be.

Brad Shaw's probably a good guess. "Associate" coach for the Blues, a promotion from assistant coach, for this season. Has been with them since 2006. Not sure if the Blues will allow him to interview, but, if so, he's probably a favorite.

Keith Acton or Craig Hartsburg probably have a chance. They are current coaches on Richards's staff. Both guys are respected and have good reputations.

[skatingtripods]

Guess we can throw Lindy Ruff's name in the coaching mix. Don't believe he has any connections with Davidson or Kekäläinen, but he's a very experienced coach. Fired by Buffalo today. Was the longest tenured coach in the league.

[Govbarney]

Guess we can throw Lindy Ruff's name in the coaching mix. Don't believe he has any connections with Davidson or Kekäläinen, but he's a very experienced coach. Fired by Buffalo today. Was the longest tenured coach in the league.

Ruff would be a major hire, I'm on the phone with him right now if I am Davidson, and seeing if he wants to come in as some sort of "adviser".
That being said , I don't know if he is really the couch I want , the guy has had 16 years to turn Buffalo into a winner, and for many of those years (including this one) has had the talent to do it, but can rarely do better then the second round, if that. Granted the Sabers level of success would be godsend in Cbus, but still , I hope Davidson has something better then this up his sleeve.

[skatingtripods]

Ruff would be a major hire, I'm on the phone with him right now if I am Davidson, and seeing if he wants to come in as some sort of "adviser".
That being said , I don't know if he is really the couch I want , the guy has had 16 years to turn Buffalo into a winner, and for many of those years (including this one) has had the talent to do it, but can rarely do better then the second round, if that. Granted the Sabers level of success would be godsend in Cbus, but still , I hope Davidson has something better then this up his sleeve.

GM Darcy Regier is a huge part of the problem. Sabres did make two really deep playoffruns under Ruff. Would have won had A Cup not been for a ton of injuries on defense in the 2006 ECF. They were down 5 regular defensemen in game 7 against Carolina in 2006. Carolina won the Cup that year, beating Edmonton.

Had the infamous 1999 loss in the "No Goal" game against Dallas.

[Govbarney]

Not really related, but The "No Goal" game is near the top of my lists for best games ever, along with the Stars v. Anaheim 5 OT game in ''03 . I loved those Stars teams of the late 90's and early 00's, Mike Modano's #9 Sweater, is the only Hockey sweater I will ever own.

[skatingtripods]

Not really related, but The "No Goal" game is near the top of my lists for best games ever, along with the Stars v. Anaheim 5 OT game in ''03 . I loved those Stars teams of the late 90's and early 00's, Mike Modano's #9 Sweater, is the only Hockey sweater I will ever own.

The 2003 playoffs were awesome in general. That Ducks-Devils Cup Final was incredible. Giguere was so good in a losing effort. Only the fifth time that trophy has been given to a member of the losing team.

[Rat_Tail]

Almost the 8 seed...

[skatingtripods]

After tomorrow's game, 12 of final 17 on the road, where the Jackets have been terrible.

Hard to see them pulling it off, but they made some big strides. Some of the young guys learned how to win and the condensed schedule will only benefit them for the grind of 82 next year.

[Govbarney]

So with about 20 min. till the 3pm deadline I am hearing the CBJ traded Mason to Philli for a late rnd draft pick, and also received Gaborik from NY, not sure for what yet.

Masons departure means that Curtis McElhinney gets to move up to the big boy league, which I am happy about.

Gaborik adds much needed offense , but until I find out what we gave up for him I am skeptical, b/c from what I heard NYR wanted depth player(s)who where NHL ready for him.

UPDATE: Brassard ,Dorset and John Moore. Still pending that Gaborik waives his no Trade clause.

[skatingtripods]

Gaborik to NYR for Brassard, Dorsett, and Moore.

Still no word on the Mason return.

Amazing that Kekalainen was a buyer and kept all three firsts...so far.

[Govbarney]

Gaborik to NYR for Brassard, Dorsett, and Moore.

Still no word on the Mason return.

Amazing that Kekalainen was a buyer and kept all three firsts...so far.

I cant believe we kept all three 1st , and I am hearing we may have gained a 3rd for Mason.

[skatingtripods]

Gaborik to NYR for Brassard, Dorsett, and Moore.

Still no word on the Mason return.

Amazing that Kekalainen was a buyer and kept all three firsts...so far.

I cant believe we kept all three 1st , and I am hearing we may have gained a 3rd for Mason.

Pretty sure Philly gets the 3rd for taking Mason and his shitty contract.

[skatingtripods]

Davidson and Kekalainen still doing work.

Blake Comeau for a 5th. Role player.

[Govbarney]

I have a feeling the Rangers won that trade, I hate that we gave up Brassard.

[skatingtripods]

Guess Mason's contract isn't that bad, since it's finally over after this season. Feels like an eternity.

Brassard sucks. Waste of potential. Keeping all three 1sts and acquiring legit player in Gaborik is big.

Furthermore, can trade him next deadline and get a first or two for 2014 if the Jackets are out of the playoff hunt.

[Govbarney]

GP G A P +/-
Gaborik: 35 9 10 19 -8
Brassard: 34 7 11 18 -2

Plus Brassard is 5 yrs younger, what am I missing, or is Gaborik just having a piss poor yr since he is playing on the 4th line, and Nash is taken all his min's?

I know Gaborik is a huge improvement over Dorset, and we had a gaping hole at RW, but I just sense we are giving up on Brassard to early.

[skatingtripods]

GP G A P +/-
Gaborik: 35 9 10 19 -8
Brassard: 34 7 11 18 -2

Plus Brassard is 5 yrs younger, what am I missing, or is Gaborik just having a piss poor yr since he is playing on the 4th line, and Nash is taken all his min's?

I know Gaborik is a huge improvement over Dorset, and we had a gaping hole at RW, but I just sense we are giving up on Brassard to early.

Brassard was drafted in 2006. He's had over 300 games to prove himself in Columbus and he has not. He's also a below average center in the faceoff dot.

Down year for Gaborik, no doubt. But, he's back to being the center of attention in Columbus, which is something he thrives on. I don't think Tortorella likes him either, and we all know how Tortorella can be when he doesn't like a guy.

I like it. Traded from position of strength, kept all three 1sts, and Erixon made Moore expendable.

[RickNashEquilibrium]

From a simple value/potential standpoint, this trade is without a doubt a huge pilfer for Jarmo and Davidson. I've checked everywhere and the 3rd round pick by all accounts is going to Columbus, not Philly. Gaborik arguably becomes the most dynamic playmaker ever to put on a CBJ uniform. IMO this trade is onesided because:

Brassard is inconsistent and has not lived up to potential
Moore is unproven and we have a glut of young defensemen including Dalton Prout who has taken a roster spot by the balls and won't let go
Dorsett is a great hustle guy but can be replaced by McKenzie.

If Gaborik agrees to resign, its even a bigger steal but a significant cap hit in a year (2014) in which its going from $70M to $64M. Still, you win with talent and this is an instant injection.

[RickNashEquilibrium]

Also, if you just look at the last two big trades in total, we effectively traded:
Nash, Brassard, Moore, Dorsett for
Anisimov, Dubinsky, Erixson, Gaborik.

Not sure why anyone wouldn't consider that a huge fleecing by the Jackets. We still have 3 1st rounds picks for now, and even if Gaborik doesnt resign, we can swap him in 2014 for at least a 1st round pick at the trade deadline. I love these trades.

[Govbarney]

Well they theoretically got better on offense without giving up any of the 1st rnd picks. and the 3rd rounder they received for Mason is gravy.

Will it be enough to get them into the playoffs when 8 of their 12 remaining games are on the road... IMO doubtful, but I have to give Jarmo a lot of credit for balancing NOT mortgaging the future, while still giving the the playoff starved fans a glimmer of hope.

[RickNashEquilibrium]

Cap hit not nearly as big as I assume. This really is a wash, with the exception being Gaborik signing a loftly extension once he gets here:

Per capgeek, cap hits in parentheses:

Comeau (through '13, 1.25MM): http://www.capgeek.com/player/1083

Gaborik (through '14, 7.5MM): http://www.capgeek.com/player/936

Leighton (through '13, 900K): http://www.capgeek.com/player/548

What we shed:

Mason (through '13, 2.9MM)

Brass (through '14, 3.2MM)

Dorsett (through '15. 1.63MM)

Moore (through ''14, 965K)

Looking at the moves around the league, it really puts a spotlight on how bad a contract Brassard got considering he only had one above average year all the while having injury issues.

[bac5665]

Gaborik off to a good start. Always love winning at NASH.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Fuck Nashville, it's Trashville.

[Govbarney]

Tough to win a back to back on the rd no matter who you are. With so many rd matchups remaining , Sundays home matchup against Wild essentially becomes a must win situation

[Govbarney]

So ESPNs NHL Player Power Rankings now has BoB as the best Goalie in the NHL. Anyone know exactly what his contract situation is , because CBJ need to lock his ass up. I think he is a RFA this off-season , but I am not 100% sure.

[skatingtripods]

So ESPNs NHL Player Power Rankings now has BoB as the best Goalie in the NHL. Anyone know exactly what his contract situation is , because CBJ need to lock his ass up. I think he is a RFA this off-season , but I am not 100% sure.

Restricted free agent at the end of an entry-level deal that paid 1.75M per.

With no proven help in the pipeline, and the impossible market for trading goaltenders if Oscar Dansk or Joonas Korpisalo develop into starting goaltenders over the next few years, I'd probably offer Bobrovsky something in the area of 4 yrs 15-17M. 3.75-4.25M x 4.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

They have a tough fucking road. 5 games, 7 nights.

[skatingtripods]

They have a tough fucking road. 5 games, 7 nights.

Also trail in the first tiebreaker of Regulation/Overtime Wins.

Pretty sure that they have to run the table in regulation/overtime to have any chance. Detroit, Dallas, and Phoenix all have a game in hand.

[kman_holla8]

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/91803 ... ources-say

2014 Winter Classic (or so they say) to include 6 games. Outdoor sites to include Detroit, 2 in the big apple before the super bowl, Vancouver, Chicago, and Dodger Stadium?! WTF...

The NHL is watering down there own great product. Here my hope that they go to just one or two next year.

I was going to start a new topic, but figured it would get some more eyeballs here. Also it would be great if we could have a winning record for a few years consecutivly to propose hosting a game at 'the shoe'. It would be a nice consolation gift for losing the all-star game and I'm guessing it would produce more revenue for the arena district, downtown, state, and league.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Even if this team falls short of playoffs, i'm proud of them. They played with heart and balls, which CBJ teams of past lacked. It's a weird feeling to actually have confidence in their FO and coaching staff. They're going to right direction, and i'm excited.


And yes, the NHL owes Columbus. They owe us at least one Winter Classic game, to be played at The Shoe. It probably won't happen though, since the NHL is run by a bunch of crass, brainless, fucktarded piles of human fail.

[skatingtripods]

Their effort level on a nightly basis is just incredible.

They've found some players this season too. Dalton Prout looks like a 2nd pairing mainstay. Jack Johnson has become a bona fide top pair defenseman. Sergei Bobrovsky has been better than I could have ever imagined. Mark Letestu has been great with more ice time. Nick Foligno finally looks comfortable.

They just need a couple more forwards to round out a top line.

Can't say enough about the job that Todd Richards has done.

[skatingtripods]

Red Wings thoroughly outplayed Vancouver last night. Outshot them 34-14, 21-4 over the third period and overtime. And lost in a shootout.

Nationwide could be a ridiculous atmosphere on Saturday if the Jackets are in position to clinch with a win.

[StewieG]

Yep, for the first time I'm not only excited about the direction of the team, I'm confident. This team will become a contender in the next few years.

[skatingtripods]

If I'm home Saturday at noon, I'm gonna to try and grab some of the Student ID tickets that they post online. Otherwise, tickets are pretty pricey and they only have single seats left in the upper bowl.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

If I'm home Saturday at noon, I'm gonna to try and grab some of the Student ID tickets that they post online. Otherwise, tickets are pretty pricey and they only have single seats left in the upper bowl.

I'm not sure if they're still doing the promotion or not, but Huntington used to offer the $10 Green Seats in the upper bowl.

Which isn't a bad place to sit at all.

[skatingtripods]

If I'm home Saturday at noon, I'm gonna to try and grab some of the Student ID tickets that they post online. Otherwise, tickets are pretty pricey and they only have single seats left in the upper bowl.

I'm not sure if they're still doing the promotion or not, but Huntington used to offer the $10 Green Seats in the upper bowl.

Which isn't a bad place to sit at all.

No, but I'm not coming all the way down there without tickets.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Goddamn, these boys just do not quit. Keep rolling.

[Govbarney]

Anyone think the shortened compacted season may have actually benefited the CBJ this season due to the youth of this club? Granted the schedule makers did the Jackets no favors , especially late in the season with this road trip , and the fact that we have up to this point played more games then everyone else. I know this, I hope we can get at least one of these guys ( Anisimov, Nikitin, and Calvert ) back before Dallas on Thursday.

Anyway Detroit v. Phoenix NBC SN. Which has huge implications for the Jackets

[skatingtripods]

Anyone think the shortened compacted season may have actually benefited the CBJ this season due to the youth of this club?

Yes. They're winning games on heart, balls, and good goaltending. Over 82 games, their talent deficiency would show up a lot more. With the condensed schedule, their young legs are helping a ton.

Late in the season here, with the run they're on, they've been able to take advantage of teams by outworking them. They don't get tired. There are a lot of younger guys playing on adrenaline. Other teams are either holding on for dear life or planning for the playoffs while the Jackets have more of a do-or-die mentality.

If they make the playoffs, it's hard to imagine them having anything left in the tank. But, it's impressive what they've done to get this close. I think the Davidson/Kekalainen trade for Gaborik gave them that extra push that they needed. The front office said, "We believe in you. Here's some help." They ran with it.

Last night, I didn't think they played very well. The Sharks looked really lethargic in the second period. They're pretty much locked in to a playoff spot. They can afford those weak efforts. The Jackets were invested in the entire game and the Sharks weren't. Still, a huge, potentially season-saving goal by Johansen was required.

I still can't believe they dug out of that early season hole.