May 18, 201411 yr Another one of the Jackets key prospects signed a three-year, entry-level deal. This one is with 19-year-old Swedish forward Alexander Wennberg, who was Columbus’ first pick, 14th overall, at the 2013 NHL Draft. More about this at http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=719593 This means that all 3 of last year's first-round draft picks have now signed three-year, entry-level deals with the team. Another good sign for the health of the organization. The Jackets Cannon also reported Wennberg's signing and had a great look at the organization's prospect pool plus a look at the Jackets draft history at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/5/16/5725186/jackets-have-a-bright-future
May 18, 201411 yr In my season retrospective of the team's forwards, I noted that R. J. Umberger was likely on his way out of Columbus. Due to his age (32), his speed (slow and getting slower) and his contract (three more years at a cap-hit of $4.6 million-a-year), Umby just isn't worth his high salary anymore. Plus the Jackets need to open up some on-ice minutes for a bevy of younger and more talented forward prospects in their organization. I speculated that Umberger might get a contract buy-out this summer. Apparently, there is another option being explored. According to today's Dispatch at http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/05/18/jackets-umberger-agree-trade-is-needed.html: "Sources have told The Dispatch that R.J. Umberger’s meeting with team management and coaches ended with a mutual agreement that Umberger would go on the trading block this summer." Also according to the Dispatch article, Umberger's contract has a full no-trade clause that runs until June 14. On June 15, it becomes a limited no-trade clause. Which means that Umberger can name up to 10 teams he does not want to be traded to. Even if he names 10 teams, this still leaves 19 teams to work with. However, his salary, and the other factors mentioned, could make him difficult to trade. So even if the Jackets can swing a trade, they might not get much in return. The trade would be a salary-dump and to open up roster space. But, the Jackets would still benefit because they wouldn't have to pay for a buy-out. Some reaction to this news at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/5/18/5728260/blue-jackets-will-seek-trade-for-r-j-umberger
May 28, 201411 yr Yesterday, the Blue Jackets signed head coach Todd Richards to a two-year contract extension. Richards is now under contract through the 2016-2017 season. No word yet on the bench assistants Hartsburg and Hinote, or goaltending coach Ian Clark. But its thought that they will all receive similar extensions. http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/5/27/5755476/blue-jackets-ink-todd-richards-to-two-year-extension
June 4, 201411 yr ^ It looks like the younger of the two bench assistants will not be returning. Dan Hinote has said he will be leaving the Blue Jackets organization and will move to Chicago, citing a “private family matter”. This is disappointing. Although relatively young for NHL coach at 37-years-old, Hinote brought an enthusiasm and energy that seemed to mesh well with this team. Here's wishing him well and hoping he sorts out whatever family issue he's dealing with. http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/blogs/puck-rakers/2014/06/hinote-leaving-blue-jackets.html http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/06/03/columbus-assistant-coach-leaves-team-due-to-private-family-matter/
June 4, 201411 yr In contract signing news, the Jackets signed 25-year-old Swedish forward Simon Hjalmarsson to a one-year, two-way contract for next season. This is an intriguing signing because of his background. Hjalmarsson was previously selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 2007 NHL Draft with their second round, 39th overall pick. Current CBJ GM Jarmo Kekalainen was head of scouting for St. Louis in 2007. Hjalmarsson never played for St. Louis. Instead he stayed in Sweden and eventually became a point-a-game player in the top Swedish league. He was considered to be one of the top European free agents before the Jackets signed him. Sometimes these players can make an immediate impact in the NHL. Sometimes they don't. The Jackets signed a big-bodied Finnish defenseman to a similar one-year, two-way deal last summer - and he never played for Columbus, splitting time with Springfield and the KHL instead. But at minimum, it's a low-risk signing that might help the Jackets next season. More about this at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/6/4/5779234/jackets-sign-simon-hjalmarsson-to-one-year-deal In other contract news, according to Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline's twitter feed, "Told contract talks bw pending RFA Ryan Johansen and #CBJ are underway. Johansen/agent made preliminary proposal to GM Jarmo Kekalainen."
June 13, 201411 yr Typically, news is few and far between in this lull for teams not in the Stanley Cup Finals. After the Stanley Cup is awarded (and that might occur as early as tonight if L.A. wins) there are usually more contract announcements. Then the 2014 Draft is on June 27-28. Followed by the opening of free-agency on July 1. So for now, here is the organizational news for the Jackets. The first two are being reported "by sources told to The Dispatch": - The Blue Jackets might hire from within to replace assistant coach Dan Hinote. The Springfield minor-league head coach, Brad Larsen, has emerged as the likely replacement. Larsen has been the Springfield head coach for the last two seasons, where they were 92-45-15 and won back-to-back division titles. He also is credited with developing many current CBJ players, like Johansen, Atkinson, Calvert, Savard and Prout. Plus, Larsen's a young guy at 36 with a 13-year playing career - which matches what Hinote brought to the coaching staff. More at http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/06/11/minor-league-coach-may-join-jackets.html and at http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/06/springfield_falcons_coach_brad_6.html - In addition to the #1 priority of re-signing Ryan Johansen, sources have told the Dispatch that the Jackets have also begun talks to resign MacKenzie, Skille, and McElhinney. However, these same sources say there have been no talks with Schultz, Nikitin, or Comeau. More at http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/blogs/puck-rakers/2014/06/free-agent-file.html. All of those players (except Johansen) are UFA's, making them eligible to sign with any NHL on July 1. - There hasn't been any news about contract talks with the upcoming RFA's (except for Johansen). But that's not uncommon. With restricted free agents, the Jackets can match any offer tendered by another team after July 1. And if the RFA offer is too much, the Jackets can let the player walk for some draft pick compensation. The team has a bit of a contract logjam at defense with Savard, Prout, Erixon and Goloubef all up for contracts, but only two full-time d-spots available with Columbus. Savard looks like a near lock to return. But some from the Prout, Erixon & Goloubef group might not return.
June 16, 201410 yr - The Blue Jackets might hire from within to replace assistant coach Dan Hinote. The Springfield minor-league head coach, Brad Larsen, has emerged as the likely replacement. Larsen has been the Springfield head coach for the last two seasons, where they were 92-45-15 and won back-to-back division titles. He also is credited with developing many current CBJ players, like Johansen, Atkinson, Calvert, Savard and Prout. Plus, Larsen's a young guy at 36 with a 13-year playing career - which matches what Hinote brought to the coaching staff. More at http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/06/11/minor-league-coach-may-join-jackets.html and at http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/06/springfield_falcons_coach_brad_6.html The Blue Jackets made Brad Larsen's hiring official today at http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=722548. This seems like a good move. All the other CBJ coaches received multi-year contract extensions: Associate Coach Craig Hartsburg, Goaltending Coach Ian Clark, and Development Coach Chris Clark.
June 23, 201410 yr Off-season news is starting to break from the Jackets. First, some contract news of the unsurprising variety: - Blue Jackets signed 31-year-old goaltender Curtis McElhinney to another one-year contract. Bob's back-up last season will return in the same capacity for the next season. No reason to change this up. More at http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=723495
June 23, 201410 yr Now, for some news of the surprising variety: Blue Jackets acquire LW Scott Hartnell from Philadelphia Flyers - http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=723452 Columbus sends R.J. Umberger and a 2015 fourth-round pick to Philadelphia in exchange for Hartnell. Both players are 32 (their birthday's are only a few weeks apart). They're also similar in production, style of play and contract situation. Although Columbus gets the clear edge in hairstyle! (google Scott Hartnell if you don't know what that means): - In last season's goals and points, Hartnell is an upgrade with 20 goals/52 points in 78 games vs. 18 goals/34 points in 74 games for Umby. - In style of play, both Hartnell and Umby are the definition of "gritty power forward". However, Hartnell is a even grittier, harder hitting, more fighting notch higher. Hartnell is a classic NHL'er who "plays on the edge". Meaning he'll play right up to the edge of the rules. Which is a role that most teams need. The downside is when this player-type goes "over the edge" and commits an ill-timed penalty. - The cap hit from both players is almost identical at $4.6 million for Umby vs. $4.75 million for Hartnell. However, Hartnell's contact extends for two more years than Umby's. What is so surprising about this trade is that the Jackets could get a player of Hartnell's quality for Umberger - given Umby's public desire to be traded and that he is noticably slowing down. If the Jackets couldn't have swung a trade, they were facing an end-of-month deadline to buy out Umby's contract (paying out and getting nothing in return). But apparently the Flyers felt as strongly that they needed to trade Hartnell. So a mutual deal got worked out. The extra two years on Hartnell's contract are a risk, but Hartnell seems to have "more left in the tank" than Umberger right now. And Hartnell is another player in the Horton mold (last summer's big FA signing) that management wants to have - big, strong, tough, offensively skillful but defensively responsible. FWIW: Hartnell needed to waive his no-trade clause to join the Jackets. Just like Horton choose to join the Jackets last season. That's good to see. P.S. FWIW: I'm glad that Umberger gets to return to the Flyers (a team he played for and had success with before he joined the Jackets). I wouldn't want to get anywhere near that Philadelphia fan base, but it didn't seem to affect Umby. He was good guy and a quality player for us.
June 26, 201410 yr Some good discussion about the Umberger for Hartnell trade over at the Jackets Cannon: http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/6/23/5835142/blue-jackets-trade-rj-umberger-to-flyers-for-scott-hartnell http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/6/24/5836078/this-that-the-scott-hartnell-edition
June 26, 201410 yr I had mentioned in the season recaps that the Jackets didn't need to re-sign defenseman Nikita Nikitin, mostly due to the large crop of young d-men in the organization. But JD and Kek still managed to get something in return for the pending UFA. The Jackets allowed Edmonton (who have former CBJ GM Howson working for them) to negotiate with Nikitin prior to his upcoming free-agency on July 1. Today, Edmonton signed Nikitin to a 2-year, $9 million deal. A hefty increase from his previous 2-year, $4.3 million deal with the Jackets. (Many would say the Oilers overpaid, but they desperately need to improve defensively.) In exchange, the Jackets re-acquired the 2014 fifth round draft pick they sent to Edmonton for defenseman rental Nick Schultz on last season's March 5th trade deadline. Nice to get something for a player who was not going to be re-signed. And another example of savvy management.
June 27, 201410 yr The 2014 NHL Draft will start tonight with the first-round picks. Tomorrow, rounds 2 thru 7 will be picked. The Blue Jackets won't be as busy as last year when they held three 1st-round picks at #14, #19 and #27. This year the Jackets hold the #16 pick in the first round. But after that, the CBJ may have 5 picks in the opening three rounds (depending upon if a condition is exercised). Here is a complete rundown of the Jackets picks for this draft: Round 1 - 16th Overall * Round 2 - 38th Overall (Toronto's pick originally - Anaheim's choice if Columbus gets this pick in 2014 or 2015. Anaheim must inform Columbus prior to the start of tonight's draft.) - This pick was acquired in the Gaborik trade with L.A. -- Update: Anaheim decides to keep this 2014 pick. Columbus will instead get Toronto's 2015 2nd-round pick. Round 2 - 47th Overall Round 3 - 63rd Overall (Edmonton's pick originally, also acquired from L.A. in the Gaborik trade) Round 3 - 77th Overall Round 4 - 107th Overall Round 5 - 137th Overall (Reacquired from the Edmonton Oilers for the Nikitin signing rights deal) Round 7 - 197th Overall
June 30, 201410 yr Above is a picture of the Jackets first round draft pick with CBJ management at the Philadelphia draft site. He is shockingly young and small!! So he must have tons of potential!! What's that? Oh, he's the taller youngster in middle wearing the CBJ sweater. Nevermind. Round 1 - 16th Overall: Columbus picked C/LW Sonny Milano. Milano is a 5'-11", 185-pound winger from Massapequa, New York who came up through the USNT Developmental Program (plus the Cleveland Barons U16 team!). He is scheduled to enroll at Boston College this fall. This and his playing style bring instant comparisons with current Blue Jacket Cam Atkinson as a "larger version Cam". More at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/6/27/5851150/2014-nhl-draft-jackets-select-sonny-milano16th-overall Round 2 - 47th Overall: With their second pick, the Jackets picked defenseman Ryan Collins. Collins is a 6'-5", 202-pound native of Bloomington, Minnesota who also came up through the USNT Developmental Program. He is expected to attend the University of Minnesota this fall. * In the third round, Columbus traded its first pick (No. 63) to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for their 2014 third round pick (No. 76) and their third round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. With this move, Columbus will now have an extra 3rd-round pick, plus an extra 2nd-round pick (Toronto's) in the 2015 draft. Round 3 - 76th Overall: With this new 3rd-round pick, the Jackets selected 6'-3" Latvian goaltender Elvis Merzlikins. Elvis played in the Swiss League last year and will likely return there for next season. The Jackets are well stocked with goalie prospects, so this sounds like a "best available player" pick. Round 3 - 77th Overall: With the second of their back-to-back picks in the 3rd-round, the Jackets took defenseman Blake Siebenaler. He is a 6'-0", 192-pound native of Toledo who played for Niagara in the Ontario Hockey League last year. Round 4 - 107th Overall: In this round, the team selected 5'-11", 177-pound left winger Julien Pelletier. He is from Quebec and played with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last year. Round 5 - 137th Overall: Using the 5th-round pick they reacquired from the Oilers in the Nikitin deal, the Jackets selected forward Tyler Bird. The 6'-2", 202-pound Bird is from Boston, played for Kimball Union (NH) Academy last season, and will attend Brown University in the fall. Round 7 - 197th Overall: With their last pick of the 2014 draft, the Jackets stocked up on defense by selecting Olivier LeBlanc of the Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL). At 6'-0" and 157-lbs., the native of Quebec City will need to bulk up some before his minor league career begins.
June 30, 201410 yr And if you think late-round picks don't matter, Dalton Prout says otherwise. The Blue Jackets signed RFA defenseman Dalton Prout to a two-year contract extension. Prout was Columbus’ 7th-round pick, 154th overall, in the 2010 NHL Draft. At 24 and 6'-3", 222-lbs, Prout is one of the reasons why veteran d-man Nikita Nikitin was let go. Prout is a younger and less expensive version of defensive defensman Nikitin. Nikitin carried a cap hit of $2.125 million last year and was signed by the Oilers for a two-year, $9 million deal ($4.5 million cap hit). Prout signed a two-year, $2.15 million deal with a $1.075 million cap hit. However, he did upgrade from his previous two-way deal to a one-way deal - which means he'll be starting on the CBJ third d-line next season and won't be on the Columbus-to-Springfield express this year.
July 1, 201410 yr Well, not every contract situation is sunshine and puppy dogs. The #1 priority of re-signing Ryan Johansen looks like it will tougher than expected. According to Aaron Portzline of the Dispatch at http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/06/30/johansen-talks-are-at-an-impasse.html, the contract talks between pending RFA Johansen and the Blue Jackets have stalled. According to the article, the talks broke down not because of per year salary - but due to length of the proposed new contract. The Jackets would like a 2 to 3-year bridge deal which would leave RyJo an RFA at its end. RyJo and his agent want a longer-term deal (at least 4 years) that would leave RyJo an UFA at its end. Why is the extra year so important? It's the difference between the Jackets holding the RFA leverage at age 24, or RyJo holding the UFA leverage at age 25. In reality, it's not about just one extra year. Because if the Jackets agree to a contract that leaves Johansen an UFA at its end, they would want it to be a really long-term - like 7 or 8-years - to lock him up until he's 28 or 29. --- It's a classic bridge vs. long-term contract impasse for a pending RFA. The Jackets dealt with this same situation with Bobrovsky last summer. Eventually, Bob agreed to 2-year, $11.25 million deal at a $5.625 cap hit and to remain an RFA at the end of the contract. The Jackets would like to do a similar deal with Johansen. Although RyJo had a breakout season, his previous two seasons were underwhelming. And the coaching staffs at both Columbus and Springfield have needed to ride him pretty hard to motivate him. At least until this last breakout season. But Johansen is still a 21-year-old with only one top-quality NHL season. He could very well be the Jackets future top-line center, but the team would like a few more seasons to evaluate him before committing to a long-term deal. So here are the three main options from most desirable to less desirable: 1) He signs a bridge deal for about $6 million/year 2) He signs a long term deal for about $5.5 million/year 3) He gets an RFA "signing sheet" offer from another team for less than $6.728 million/year and the Jackets will match. The reason for the $6.728 million/year amount is another quirk in the RFA process. The chart below shows the draft pick compensation the Jackets would get if another team would sign away Johansen. Anything above that amount and the Jackets would get two 1st-round picks, one 2nd-round pick and one 3rd-round pick. That amount of draft compensation might make the Jackets reconsider matching that offer. But let's hope it doesn't get that bad. I'm still hoping for the bridge deal.
July 1, 201410 yr Speaking of RFA's, the Jackets submitted qualifying offers to the following RFA players: Cody Goloubef, Sean Collins, Dana Tyrell, Ryan Johansen, Matt Frattin, Corey Tropp, David Savard, Tim Erixon, Will Weber. By submitting qualifying offers before the deadline, the Blue Jackets ensure that they retain "first right of refusal" to those nine players. If the players accept their qualifying offers, they receive a one-year contract at the dollar amount of the qualifying offer. If they reject the qualifying offer, they are free to continue negotiating with the Blue Jackets, but the club retains their rights and they cannot speak to another team. More about the RFA process at http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=724580 and at http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=724589
July 3, 201410 yr The NHL's Free Agent Frenzy Day has come and gone. As expected, the Jackets didn't make any big deals. Unless you call trading RFA forward Matt Frattin to Toronto for RFA forward Jerry D’Amigo and a conditional 7th round pick a big deal (Hint: It's not) Although D'Amigo is on a two-way contract, so it allows him to play for Springfield and come to Columbus as an injury replacement. Instead of gaining, the Jackets lost the following players to free agency: - UFA center/forward Derek MacKenzie signed with Florida for 3-year, $3.9 million deal ($1.3 million/year). He was coming off a 2-year, $1 million/year deal. - UFA forward Blake Comeau signed with Pittsburgh for 1-year, $700,000. - UFA forward Jack Skille signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Islanders. These players were fourth-liners. Skille and Comeau could have been offered affordable one-year deals. While D-Mac could have merited another two-year deal from the Jackets. Instead, D-Mac found a team in Florida looking to improve and willing to spend freely. So he got a 3-year deal that lasts until he's 36. Apparently the team wasn't too interested in re-signing all three. I'm not so bummed about Comeau and Skille. But I wish that D-Mac could have been retained. He was an ideal utility player. He could play center and forward on the fourth line, penalty kill and fill-in on the third line for injuries. He wasn't a prime player, but he did give total effort for the minutes he was asked to play. Next season's top 9 forwards are: Hartnell-Johansen-Horton / Jenner-Dubinsky-Atkinson / Calvert-Anisimov-Foligno. Letestu will center the 4th line. Losing MacKenzie, Comeau and Skille means that instead of next year's 4th-line being Comeau-Letestu-Skille with Boll/Tropp as reserves, the 4th-line could be Boll-Letestu-Tropp. Not overly great. However, the team letting D-Mac go this off-season seems like letting Prospal go last off-season. Losing Prospal opened up a roster spot for Jenner and allowed Johansen top line playing time. (Both moves worked outstandingly last season.) In a similar way, losing D-Mac might allow new acquisition Hjalmarsson and/or last year's first round picks Wenneberg, Dano and Rychel to compete for playing time on the Jackets. Either on the fourth line or possibly higher lines. Possibly bumping quality players like Calvert and Atkinson down to the fourth line. And a fourth line of Calvert-Letestu-Atkinson wouldn't be bad.
July 3, 201410 yr It's great to see the quick evolution of the CBJ in the last 2 years. A fourth line of Calvert/Letestu/Atkinson?! Sign me up. I'm expecting big things from the CBJ in the next 3-5 years. This is still a very young roster and now have some playoff hockey under their belts. They'll come back hungry for more this fall. And wait till all these 1st/2nd rounders grow up!
July 10, 201410 yr It's great to see the quick evolution of the CBJ in the last 2 years. A fourth line of Calvert/Letestu/Atkinson?! Sign me up. I'm expecting big things from the CBJ in the next 3-5 years. This is still a very young roster and now have some playoff hockey under their belts. They'll come back hungry for more this fall. And wait till all these 1st/2nd rounders grow up! I second that. My long answer for why the present and future of the Jackets looks promising was posted at http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=1654.msg703800#msg703800. But for the first time in franchise history, the Jackets have smart management, good coaching, great goaltending, solid veterans, improving young players and promising prospects - ALL AT THE SAME TIME. And that's why I'm stoked for next season!
July 10, 201410 yr Here's a rundown of contract moves since the July 1st free-agent frenzy day (from most to least important): - David Savard: RFA d-man Savard re-signed to a two-year, $2.6 million ($1.3 mil cap hit). He'll compete with the deep d-pool of Prout, Erixon and Goloubef in training camp for playing time. But, after a solid breakthough season last year, Savvy will likely slot into the 5/6 defensive pairing. More at http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/05/blue-jackets-re-sign-savard-two-years-2-6-million/ - Brian Gibbons: Bit of a surprise signing. Gibbons signed a one-year, two-way $750,000 deal. The 26-year-old center/forward played his first NHL season for Pittsburgh last season. He played top line minutes with Crosby because of all the Pens injuries, but he's really a 3rd/4th line player. Talented and undersized (5'-8", 170 lbs) he reminds you of Atkinson (and actually played with Cam at Boston College). He torched the Jackets with 2 goals in Game 2 of the CBJ/Pens playoff series - then got injured later in that game and was out for the series. The surprise is that Pittsburgh let him go. Gibbons is the kind of low cost talented depth player you would think Pittsburgh would want. Instead they signed former CBJ Comeau and let Gibbons walk. Interesting. More at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/7/4/5871113/blue-jackets-sign-brian-gibbons-to-1-year-2-way-deal - Cody Goloubef: "Goldbeef" signed a one-year, two-way deal for $625,000. Solid defensive depth signing for a 24-year-old who might end up playing in Springfield next season due to the two-way nature of his contract. But he has some NHL experience and would be a capable injury fill-in on the 5/6 line. More at http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=725563 - Corey Tropp: Tropp signed a two-year, one-way deal worth $1.25 million ($625,000 cap hit). An okay signing for a hard-hitting, big-bodied 24-year-old 4th-liner. Too bad it couldn't have been a two-way deal though. More at http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/07/jackets-re-sign-tropp-to-two-year-deal/ - Sean Collins / Will Weber: Forward Collins and d-man Weber each signed one-year, two-way contracts for $620,000 and $600,000 respectively. Good AHL players that are unlikely to see Columbus playing time. But you can't have too much depth if the injury bug bites. More at http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=725688 and http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=725752 Now the only remaining RFA's left to be signed are Ryan Johansen and Tim Erixon. (MORE ABOUT THAT LATER)
July 12, 201410 yr ... the only remaining RFA's left to be signed are Ryan Johansen and Tim Erixon. (MORE ABOUT THAT LATER) First, some "news-ish" about d-man prospect Tim Erixon. The Dispatch's CBJ reporter posted via twitter that a deal with Erixon is getting close (see his twitter post below): Aaron Portzline @Aportzline "All indications are a deal between #CBJ and RFA D Tim Erixon will be done shortly. Other than Johansen, RFAs should come together quickly." 10:11 AM - 8 Jul 2014 But the really big RFA still unsigned is 21-year-old potential franchise center Ryan Johansen. I've gone into detail about why he is still unsigned in this previous post. Last week, the Dispatch also had a couple of interesting takes about the RyJo non-signing: http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/07/03/whats-he-worth.html - This was an informational context piece from Portzline about where the NHL's free-agent market might set his value. http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/07/03/its-just-negotiating-not-a-slap-in-the-face.html - This was an opinion piece from Mike Arace advising fans to tune out the back-and-forth comments from RyJo, his agent and the CBJ management. As he points out, this is all too common in the NHL and has occurred here before. --- Just last year, the negotiations to re-sign RFA goalie Bobrovsky got testy - then Bob signed a two-year bridge contract worth $11.25 million. --- In 2008, talks to sign Rick Nash to a long-term contract extension got testy - then Nash signed an eight-year, $62.4 million contract extension. --- Arace even when back to 2006 when RFA Nik Zherdev actually held out into training camp before signing a three-year deal. Who knows how long the Johansen negotiations will drag into this summer? But the Jackets seem to hold the leverage. And eventually, RyJo will have to sign something. I personally hope that Arace's opinion is correct in this assessment: "Johansen was the talk of hockey world after he spouted off last weekend. Likely, it was calculated. That is the way these negotiations go. Probably, he signs a two-year deal worth $11 million, or a three-year deal worth $17.5 million, and it is announced on July 31, his birthday."
July 12, 201410 yr The CBJ signed a key component of last year's playoff team to a long-term extension. Yesterday, Brandon Dubinsky signed a 6-year extension that will take him into the 2020-21 season. He was going into this coming season on the last year of a 3-year contract he signed with the New York Rangers (then Dubi was acquired in the Nash trade along with Anisimov, Erixon and 1st round draft pick Kerby Rychel). More about this at the below links: http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/7/11/5890207/blue-jackets-sign-brandon-dubinsky-to-6-year-extension http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/07/12/dubinsky-gets-6-year-extension.html Dubi will get a nice raise from the $4.2 million/year in his previous deal. Starting in 2015-16, he will make $5.85 million/year. Also as part of the deal, Dubi has a no-move clause for this coming season and the first 3 years of the extension. Beginning in 2018-19, he will have a limited no-trade clause. FWIW, I just love this deal. At 28, Dubi is in his prime playing years. That, plus his leadership and play last season, earned this pay raise and extension. Also, this is an indiction to the younger Ryan Johansen that, if you sign a short-term bridge contract, a richer long-term deal could be yours too. Although, that being said, Dubi's contract stands on its own merits. Smart signing.
July 15, 201410 yr ... the only remaining RFA's left to be signed are Ryan Johansen and Tim Erixon. Erixon signed a deal today. Now it's down to Johansen. Interesting deal Erixon agreed to, I'll let Porty explain the particulars: Erixon Gets One-Way Contract By Aaron Portzline, The Columbus Dispatch Posted July 15, 2014 The Blue Jackets have signed restricted free agent Tim Erixon to a one-year, $600,000 contract. But the term and money aren't the big story here. Erixon's deal is a one-way, NHL contract, meaning he'll make $600,000 whether he plays with the Blue Jackets or is sent down to play for AHL Springfield. Put another way: this is likely the first year Erixon will stick in the NHL. During all three seasons of his entry-level deal signed with the New York Rangers, Erixon played both AHL and NHL. He's played 132 games in the AHL and 51 games in the NHL, including only two with the Blue Jackets last season. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said repeatedly last season that he felt Erixon was an NHL-level player stuck in the AHL because of the Blue Jackets depth on the blue line. Erixon, 23, had 5 goals, 33 assists and 16 penalty minutes in 40 games with Springfield last season. In the two games with the Blue Jackets, he had no points and two penalty minutes. This contract, in its own way, brings clarity - at least on paper - to the Blue Jackets' depth chart on defense. The signing of Erixon to a one-way deal would give him an edge over Cody Goloubef, Will Weber, Frederic St. Denis and others who all have two-way contracts. ... Because of this, the Jackets will likely head into training camp with these d-line combos: D1: Jack Johnson - Fedor Tyutin D2: Ryan Murray - James Wisniewski D3: Dalton Prout - David Savard E1: Tim Erixon MORE: http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/blogs/puck-rakers/2014/07/erixon-gets-1-way-contract.html
July 21, 201410 yr It looks like the ice between the Jackets and Johansen is starting to break according to a report in today's Dispatch: http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/07/21/johansens-side-pitches-2-year-deal.html I previously went over the RFA contract differences between Jackets management and the Johansen side at http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=1654.msg714213#msg714213 and further looked at why Jackets seem to hold the advantage in these RFA talks at http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=1654.msg716025#msg716025. It now appears that this advantage is forcing the hand of the Johansen side. A two-year deal is exactly the contract length Jackets management wants to see. A 2-year deal preserves RyJo's RFA signing rights with the team. As opposed to the 4-year deal that the Johansen side originally wanted, which would make him an unrestricted free agent at contract's end. By conceding to a 2-year, both sides can now turn to the per/year money side of the deal. Thus making a Jackets/Johansen deal much closer to being finalized. Very good news indeed.
August 14, 201410 yr Well - though CBJ and RyJo have agreement on a 2-year bridge deal - apparently the two sides are still far apart on the per-year salary. According to Porty from the Dispatch at http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/blogs/puck-rakers/2014/08/dead-letter-office-part-2.html: "The two sides were believed to be at least $3 million apart per season on a two-year deal at that point, and it doesn't appear that much progress has been made." Porty re-tweeted some speculation on some possible compromise amounts on his twitter account at https://twitter.com/Aportzline: "Aaron Portzline@Aportzline - Aug 7 -- RT @JB_HockeyTalk: @Aportzline Thinking Johansen will get 2 years around 4M per // I'll take the over - 2 yrs, $5.25M per. #dontholdmetoit" More about this at the below links: http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/24648126/nhl-rumors-blue-jackets-ryan-johansen-still-far-apart-on-money http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/03/money-still-a-big-sticking-point-for-johansen-blue-jackets/
August 14, 201410 yr In happier CBJ news: - A piece from Pro Hockey Talk at http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/02/jackets-horton-happy-having-a-full-summer-to-prep-for-next-season/ about Nathan Horton prepping for next season. Horton signed a seven-year, $37.1 million deal with the Jackets last summer, but his first year was a washout. Recovery from off-season shoulder surgery missed the first 41 games. Then a variety of injuries limited him until ab surgery shut him down in April. With a healthy summer to train, he's hoping to be a big part of the Jackets playoff push next season. - An article and video rundown of the 2014-15 Blue Jackets at http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=727556&cmpid=nhl-twt. The NHL analysts think the Blue Jackets lineup is marked by a good mix of quality veterans and improving youth. They look for the CBJ to make a return trip to the playoffs.
August 19, 201410 yr The Blue Jackets 1st round draft pick from this summer's 2014 NHL draft made an interesting decision over the weekend. The 16th overall pick, Sonny Milano, had previously committed to play college hockey for Boston College. But over the weekend, Milano announced that he was decommitting from BC and will instead play for the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL Junior League. BC is great college program that had produced many NHL-level players (like current CBJ Cam Atkinson). But it's generally accepted that the non-college route is a better (and sometimes quicker) way to reach the NHL level. The OHL plays a 68-game season vs. 40-game NCAA season. And the type of play and travelling routine of the OHL is similar to the NHL. So this is an interesting (and likely positive) development with the Jackets most recent 1st round pick. Because Milano is currently 18 and will be 19 going into the 2015-16 NHL season, by NHL rules he must play in the Junior Leagues for the next two seasons before he can join CBJ's AHL team. But those two junior seasons should be good prep for a future NHL career. http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/8/16/6025303/sonny-milano-signs-with-jackets-boston-college-plymouth-whalers http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/jackets/2014/08/17/sonny-milano-plymouth-whalers-boston-college/14207181/
August 27, 201410 yr For all the positive vibes surrounding the Blue Jackets, there is one big negative cloud hovering over this off-season: The Ryan Johansen contract talks. The only news is that there is no news. Dispatch columnist Michael Arace offered his commentary on this at http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/08/23/time-is-ticking-away-for-jackets-johansen.html Arace examined the holdout issue with RyJo: Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen is not a holdout. He is a vacationer ... until training camp opens on Sept. 18. At the moment, he is not holding out on anything. Also, technically speaking, the term holdout does not apply to him. Holdouts are players who have contracts and refuse to report. That is not Johansen. He is a restricted free agent, and it is his right to negotiate a contract any way he sees fit. But noted the danger if these contract talks drag into training camp: Johansen is an important piece of a young and improving team, and he is out of contract. Training camp is creeping closer, and the No. 1 center has yet to sign. His situation is a wrench in the gears of an engine that should be humming. If the impasse drags into training camp, then it is a problem. It will hurt Johansen and the team, and it will alienate their fans. And noted where the talks currently stand: They have nominally agreed to a two-year term. They are some $3 million apart per year on the value. Johansen’s side is asking for something around $7 million per season, and the Jackets are offering something in the neighborhood of $4 million. If the above numbers are accurate, then the halfway point is $5.5 million/year for two years. That's a bit on the high side for the Jackets, but not excessively so. As long as both sides don't dig their heels in, there's a deal to be done.
September 3, 201410 yr It looks like both sides in the Johansen contract talks are ready to play hardball. According to the Dispatch's CBJ reporter at http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/blogs/puck-rakers/2014/08/what-if-....html - Johansen is willing to holdout of training camp (which starts Sept. 18) and the Jackets are willing to start the season without him (which starts Oct. 9). Here's a couple more reports from others on the Dispatch's blog post about Johansen: http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/30/what-if-the-blue-jackets-and-johansen-dont-reach-a-deal/ http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/ryan-johansen-not-expected-at-blue-jackets-camp-do-to-contract-impasse-155812557.html
September 10, 201410 yr The Dispatch is reporting that both sides in the Johansen contract talks will have a face-to-face meeting at this weekend's Traverse City Prospects Tournament. This would be first time they've discussed the new contract in six weeks. http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/09/10/johansen-talks-likely-to-resume.html
September 17, 201410 yr Training camp for the 2014-15 season starts tomorrow at Nationwide Arena. And it's looking more and more like last season's leading scorer - 22-year-old center Ryan Johansen - will not be there. The meetings over the weekend did not result in a new 2-year deal. It's now being reported that the Jackets are offering $3.5 million/year and the Johansen side wants $6.5 million/year. To put that into perspective, Johansen made $1.9 million last year. And the Jackets management team of GM Jarmo Kekalainen and President John Davidson are standing firm on their $3.5 million/year offer. So firm, that they are prepared to let Johansen sit out training camp. And are even making lineup contingency plans if Johansen would sit out the regular season: http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/09/16/kekalainen-is-taking-a-hard-line-in-johansen-talks.html http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/blogs/puck-rakers/2014/09/davidson-its-extortion.html http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/16/heeeeeeres-johnny-davidson-shreds-johansens-agent-for-baffling-nonsensical-contract-demands/ http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/14/jackets-preparing-for-life-without-johansen/
September 20, 201410 yr The CBJ Training Camp is underway. No Johansen. No Horton either. Although the team says he is 100% healed from the shoulder surgery of two summers ago and the abnominal surgery from last spring, he now has "back issues" that will keep him from training camp indefinitely. More about it at http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/18/columbus-reacts-to-horton-back-being-out-indefinitely/ Okay, there's the bad news. How about some good news. The Jackets rookies went undefeated and won the Traverse City Tournament prior to training camp. In addition to the 2013 1st round trio of Wennberg, Dano and Rychel - two other standouts were 2012 4th-round pick Josh Anderson with 4 goals and 2013 3rd-round pick Oliver Bjorkstrand with 4 goals and 2 assists in the four games of the tournament. More about this at http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/17/columbus-blue-jackets-win-2014-traverse-city-tournament/ and http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/9/17/6349377/gratification-traverse-city-tournament-win-shows-a-bright-future-for and http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/9/17/6334165/jackets-prospects-clean-up-in-traverse-city If Johansen and Horton aren't available for the beginning of the regular season, those spots might get filled by some of these rookies.
September 23, 201410 yr Still no resolution to the Johansen contract talks. But we learned that the Johansen side has lowered its ask to $4.7 million per year for 2 years. That's quite a bit closer to the Jackets offer of $3 million per year. The Dispatch's Aaron Portzline reported this today at https://twitter.com/Aportzline: - Latest offer from Ryan Johansen’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, was 2 yrs, $9.4M, or $4.7M / yr. That’s down more than $2M/yr from original offer. - Gap is now $1.7M/yr b/w #CBJ standing offer and Overhardt’s latest, extended Thurs. CBJ. #JoeyWatch - Still don't see #CBJ as willing to negotiate off the $4.7M per yr offer. Would think it's "talk time" when agent gets to $4M. #JoeyWatch
September 26, 201410 yr The CBJ Training Camp is underway. No Johansen. No Horton either. Although the team says he is 100% healed from the shoulder surgery of two summers ago and the abnominal surgery from last spring, he now has "back issues" that will keep him from training camp indefinitely. More about it at http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/18/columbus-reacts-to-horton-back-being-out-indefinitely/ It looks like Nathan Horton's "back issue" is a degenerative back condition. PHT quotes a Dispatch CBJ blog in their report linked below. But in today's Dispatch, the blog author threw around terms like "season-ending" and "career-ending": http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/25/jackets-say-horton-has-degenerative-back-problem-no-timetable-for-return/
September 29, 201410 yr #JoeyWatch continues. But Porty had this bit of news about a similar contract holdout STL had with their 22-year-old forward at http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/09/29/richards-wants-one-last-look-before-big-cuts.html On Saturday, the St. Louis Blues signed restricted free agent Jaden Schwartz to a two-year deal worth $4.7 million. For the Blue Jackets, those numbers — Schwartz will make $2 million this season and $2.7 million in 2015-16 — are seen as validation for their offer to Johansen. - Johansen had 33 goals and 63 points in 82 games last season; Schwartz had 25 goals and 56 points. - Johansen has 47 goals and 96 points in 189 NHL games, or .25 goals and .51 points per game; Schwartz had 34 goals and 72 points in 132 career games, or .25 goals and .55 points per game. The Blue Jackets have had a two-year, $6 million offer on the table since June. Johansen’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, who initially sought $6.85 million per season on a two-year offer, has lowered his offer to $4.75 million per season. Yesterday, Overhardt told The Dispatch via text message that Schwartz’s deal would have no impact on Johansen’s talks with the club. Johansen will miss his 12th day of camp today. Despite the brave face Johansen's agent is putting on, this Schwartz deal makes the Jackets two-year, $6 million offer look good.
September 30, 201410 yr The hits just keep on coming. Boone Jenner got a broken hand in practice. Likely out for 6-8 weeks: http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/29/hello-johansen-boone-jenner-out-with-broken-hand/ However, this injury might just end #JoeyWatch: http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/29/hello-johansen-boone-jenner-out-with-broken-hand/#/2014/09/29/blue-jackets-johansen-resume-contract-negotiations/
October 2, 201410 yr #JoeyWatch continues. But ESPN's Pierre LeBrun tweeted this update today at https://twitter.com/Real_ESPNLeBrun: Pierre LeBrun@Real_ESPNLeBrun · 1 hour ago Inch by inch.... told Jackets improved offer to $3.25 M per year, Johansen camp countered with $4.5 M per year... still wide gap
October 6, 201410 yr http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/10/5/6910891/jackets-claim-skille-off-waivers Former Blue Jacket Jack Skille was claimed off waivers from the NY Islanders over the weekend. Skille signed a one-year, $750,000 deal with the Islanders over the summer. It seemed like the Jackets were interested in keeping Skille, but a surplus of veteran forwards plus a bunch of rookie prospects forced him off. Now with the Johansen situation and injuries to Horton and Jenner, circumstances have opened up a roster spot for him.
October 6, 201410 yr But the big news is . . . #JoeyWatch is over!!!!!!! The team just announced that Ryan Johansen signed a three-year contract with the following terms: - $3 million in Year 1 - $3 million in Year 2 - $6 million in Year 3 - Average annual value (AAV) of $4 million and he will be a restricted free agent at the end of the contract. More about it at http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=733173
October 8, 201410 yr Apparently the hockey gods didn't think the CBJ had enough injuries going into Thursday's season opener at Buffalo. Yesterday, the team announced that Brandon Dubinsky was going on the IR; today they announced he had abdominal surgery (NHL-speak for a groin pull) and will be out for 6 weeks! So add Dubi to the growing list of key players on the IR to start the 2014-15 season: - Dubinsky (ab surgery) out six weeks; - Jenner (broken hand) out six weeks; - Horton (back issues) out indefinitely; - Murray (recovery from off-season knee surgery) is non-contact skating with the team, but no time table for his return
October 9, 201410 yr Opening game of the 2014-15 season begins tonight at Buffalo! After two straight strong seasons, hopes were very high for this season. Then Johansen has a protracted contract negotiation. Then Horton is out indefinitely. Then Jenner's hand breaks. Then Dubi's groin pulls. And Murray's knee isn't fully healed yet. So the team on opening night is not the team we anticipated going into training camp. So early on, the Jackets will need to rely on some of their young prospects. Michael Chaput has been a standout AHL center for the past two seasons, but has played sparingly for the Jackets up to now. Two of the 2013 1st-round trio made the roster: Alexander Wennberg and Marko Dano. And the Jackets made two waiver acquisitions to add some veteran depth - former CBJ'er Skille from the Islanders and Adam Cracknell from the LA Kings. Cracknell was picked up after the Dubinsky injury as a 4th-line depth player. Despite all the injuries, the team did go 7-1-0 in the pre-season - good enough for the NHL's best record. Which is encouraging because they heavily played those rookies who will need to fill roster spots early in the regular season. So it is with a blend of optimism and trepidation that the Jackets fans enter this season. Below are some in-depth articles about the opening roster: http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/10/7/6931077/meet-your-2014-2015-columbus-blue-jackets http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/10/6/6925329/jackets-make-final-cuts So with all the off-season drama and injuries, this looks like the opening night lineup for the Jackets: Foligno - Johansen - Atkinson Hartnell - Anisimov - Dano Calvert - Letestu - Wennberg Skille - Chaput - Tropp/Boll Extra: Cracknell Johnson - Savard Wisniewski - Erixon Tyutin - Prout Extra: Goloubef Starting Goaltender: Bobrovsky Backup Goaltender: McElhinney http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/10/9/6950979/game-preview-1-columbus-blue-jackets-buffalo-sabres
October 10, 201410 yr The Jackets got their first game and their first win of the season out of the way. Looking at the 3-1 final, you might think the Jackets cruised to an easy victory over last year's last place Buffalo Sabres. They did not - despite dominating on puck possession and shots-on-goal. In the second period, the Jackets scored first on a nice sniping shot from Skille. Followed a minute later by an equalizer from Buffalo. --- The 1-1 score carried into the third when Tyutin got a hooking penalty with 10:51 remaining. But the Sabres couldn't convert their power play and cut it short on a hooking penalty of their own with 9:13 remaining. --- The Jackets did convert on their power play on a really nice play by Atkinson. Cam took the puck from the corner, avoiding a diving defender, into a prime scoring area in front of the Buffalo net to slip a shot into the net. Anisimov clinched the 3-1 win with a quick wrister with 2:26 remaining. A very good opening effort from the CBJ. They outshot Buffalo 40 to 22 in shots-on-goal. But that SOG advantage only hints at the offense chances the Jackets generated. CBJ had five shots hit the goal frame - had 16 shots miss the net - and forced Buffalo into 22 blocked shots. That adds up to 83 total shots generated vs. only 39 for Buffalo. A little more luck on those shots pinging the goal and a less stellar game from Buffalo's goaltender Enroth, and it could have been a blowout win. Bobrovsky was solid, saving 21 of 22 shots. Atkinson was the offense player of the game with his game-winning goal plus generating 6 shots and just being scary quick out there. The three rookies all had fine nights. Chaput centered the 4th line and assisted on the first goal. Wennberg got an assist on the final goal and had the most ice time of the three. Dano had 4 shots-on-goal and was solid. The best compliment you could give Wennberg and Dano was that you couldn't tell they were playing their first NHL game. --- Maybe the only slight negative was Johansen. RyJo was okay, but pretty rusty after missing all of pre-season. --- Now its on to Saturday night's home opener against the New York Rangers and Rick Nash! Box Score: http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=400563800 Game Recap: http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/10/9/6955229/game-1-recap-it-begins-blue-jackets-sabres-recap
October 12, 201410 yr The Jackets first home game Saturday night went even better than Thursday's season opener on the road. The Jackets went up on the Rangers by two goals in the first period - Anisimov scoring first, then Foligno. Atkinson put the CBJ up 3-1 in the second. Then rookie Marko Dano put the team up 4-1 in the third with his first-ever NHL goal. Atkinson added his second goal of the night on an empty netter to close out the 5-2 win. Another solid team victory with lots of players contributing. The kids (Wennberg, Dano & Chaput) continue to be allright. Johansen is getting closer to full-time game shape, but his linemates Foligno and Atkinson are just tearing it up. And although Tyutin had no goals or assists, he somehow managed a +5 for the night! Box Score: http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=400564367 Game Recap: http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/10/11/6963325/game-2-recap-blue-jackets-5-rangers-2
October 13, 201410 yr I don't want to get too excited too early, but this team looks fantastic so far. Get ready for an exciting season in Columbus!
October 15, 201410 yr The CBJ can't win 'em all. And they didn't last night. So no 82-0-0 season! Dallas dominated the first and opened a 2-0 lead going into the second. But the Jackets regained momentum on a series of power plays in the second - tying it up on two Johansen goals. But in the third, Dallas star forward Tyler Seguin got the game-winning goal with 8 minutes left. Columbus pulled Bob for the extra attacker in the final minute, but Seguin added his third goal of the night on an empty-netter with 1 second left for the 4-2 final score. Box Score: http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=400564570 Game Recap: http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/10/14/6979129/game-recap-stars-4-blue-jackets-2 The Jackets finish up their current home stand on Friday against Calgary. Then have their first back-to-back on Saturday at Ottawa. Followed by their only California road trip of the season next week.
October 16, 201410 yr ^He's great. Always livens up the crowd. He's been around for as long as I can remember and many times he was the best thing I'd see all night. Happy for him and all other Blue Jackets fans that we finally get to see quality hockey every game.
October 19, 201410 yr Two straight 3-2 games for the Jackets that they finished on "the good side of" Friday against Calgary, and then "the bad side of" Saturday at Ottawa. - On Friday's "good side" game, the Jackets jumped out to a 3-0 lead - then held on in the third for the 3-2 win. Recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/10/18/6998125/cbj-3-cgy-2-holding-on-for-two-points - On Saturday's "bad side" game, the Jackets went down 2-0, tied it up 2-2 - then gave up the game-winning goal in the third. Recap at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/10/19/7001493/game-5-recap-our-own-worst-enemy Saturday's loss dropped the Jackets to 3-2-0 for the season. That Saturday game was also significant for another loss. Backup goalie Curtis McElhinney started that game, giving Bobrovsky a rest on a back-to-back night. But seven minutes into the second period, the Jackets lost C-Mac for the night. The Sens got a 2-on-1 rush during a CBJ line change that left Nick Foligno as the sole defender. Foligno tried to prevent the crossing pass by sliding head first toward the CBJ goal. He accomplished that as the player to his right instead shot on goal. McElhinney stopped the shot. But then Foligno couldn't stop his slide and barrelled into McElhinney. Both Foligno, C-Mac and the puck ended up in the CBJ net - and counted as a goal for Ottawa! But the worse news was that McElhinney couldn't continue. He was down on the ice for several minutes before he was taken to the locker room. He was able to skate under his own power, but needed assistance to stay balanced. After the game, the team said he had a "head injury". They didn't use the word "concussion" - but that seems likely. The severity of McElhinney's injury could force a roster move for the Jackets. If C-Mac's injury is day-to-day or short-term, then 21-year-old Anton Forsberg might get called up from AHL Springfield as Bob's temporary backup. If C-Mac's injury is a longer-term open-ended concussion, then they might pick up a veteran free-agent goalie and keep Forsberg in the AHL. They have some time to consider this - the Jackets next game isn't until Thursday, when they start a 3-game California road trip.
October 20, 201410 yr The severity of McElhinney's injury could force a roster move for the Jackets. If C-Mac's injury is day-to-day or short-term, then 21-year-old Anton Forsberg might get called up from AHL Springfield as Bob's temporary backup. If C-Mac's injury is a longer-term open-ended concussion, then they might pick up a veteran free-agent goalie and keep Forsberg in the AHL. They have some time to consider this - the Jackets next game isn't until Thursday, when they start a 3-game California road trip. The Jackets placed backup goalie McElhinney on the IR. No real clarification about C-Mac's head/neck injury. Just a note on the CBJ website at http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=735260 that 21-year-old AHL goaltender Anton Forsberg was being recalled from Springfield on an emergency basis and that McElhinney is "expected to miss at least one week". The Jackets Cannon looks into this at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/10/20/7014833/mcelhinney-injury-could-test-goalie-depth
October 22, 201410 yr We got the injury news about backup goalie McElhinney being out for at least one week. So here are the other injury updates going into the Jackets next stretch of games: Dubinsky (ab surgery) and Jenner (broken hand) are still on the mend and will likely be out for one more month. Murray (recovery from off-season knee surgery) is fully practicing with the team now and is travelling with the team for their 3-game California trip. He is likely to join the starting roster during this trip. Unfortunately, the news for Nathan Horton is much worse. At first, the team had only talked about him having a "back issue" that needed physical therapy. Then they acknowledged Horton had a degenerative back condition. Today, in an article in the Dispatch, the team and Horton's agent are publicly acknowledging what had only been whispered about: That Horton's NHL career may be over. Below is the article from the Dispatch about the Horton injury. Below that is a rather personal article from one of the writers at the Jackets Cannon. The article's author writes about his wife, who has the same degenerative back condition as Horton. And how this back condition presents challenges to just live an ordinary-type life. With this prespective, you can see why it is so career threatening to a world class athlete like Horton. http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/blogs/puck-rakers/2014/10/horton-back-could-end-season-career.html http://www.jacketscannon.com/2014/10/22/7034303/down-to-the-bones An excerpt from the Dispatch article (if you can't read it there) via PHT: http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/21/outlook-for-hortons-ailing-back-getting-bleaker/
Create an account or sign in to comment