After the Jackets got McDavid'ed in Edmonton, they got back-to-back 2-1 wins over Vancouver and Calgary on the back of some good goaltending by rookie Joonas Korpisalo.  Unfortunately, with the way this season started, February is not the month for CBJ fans look forward to a playoff run.  Instead, its the trading deadline day at the end of February that attracts our attention.  And here's one rundown of who might and might not still be a Jacket in March:  http://thehockeywriters.com/blue-jackets-guide-to-the-trade-deadline/

 

If Jackets fans are looking at the standings at all, its to the bottom of the league.  After all, if you're gonna have a bad season, the team should at least get a high draft pick from it.  The CBJ are 21-28-5 (49 points in 54 games played).  Incredibly, that 49 point total was tied with 5 other teams (Toronto, Edmonton, Buffalo, Winnipeg, Calgary) going into last weekend!  Coming out of last weekend, the CBJ are still tied with Toronto and Edmonton.  Buffalo has one more point than the Jackets.  Winnipeg and Calgary have two more points than the Jackets.

The Jackets are into their final third of the season, are well out of the playoff race, and the pressure to win is gone.  This is what's known to CBJ fans as - WINNING TIME!!!  Actually, it also has to do with the team being healthy (except for Bob), playing well, and getting continued good goaltending from rookie Joonas Korpisalo.  The Jackets are 6-1-2 in Korpi's last nine straight starts and was 2-0-1 last week.

 

Here's more news from last week and a roster move made today:

 

- 22-year-old d-man Ryan Murray (former #2 overall pick in 2012) signed a two-year contract extension.  Murray was a restricted free agent (RFA) after this year and this was a classic "bridge deal" that many RFA's sign.  Murray has had a solid and injury-free season after last season's "lost year" to injuries.  If Murray keeps up this level of play and remains injury-free, he'll be in line for a longer-term deal within the next two years:  http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/2/11/10975774/inked-ryan-murray-signs-two-year-extension

 

- 25-year-old d-man David Savard was activated off the IR after missing the past 11 games due to an oblique strain.  Savard played in Saturday's win against Ottawa:  http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=868553

 

- 25-year-old d-man Dalton Prout added to his pugilistic reputation when he broke the jaw of an Anaheim player during a fight in Thursday's win over the Ducks.  Video of the punch at

 

- Today the team activated 32-year-old goaltender Curtis McElhinney off IR and assigned 23-year-old goaltender Anton Forsberg to Lake Erie in the AHL: http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=868931

The CBJ got a regulation tie/overtime loss against the Boston last night.  Despite dropping the win, the Jackets extended their consecutive point streak to six games.  They've also earned points in 9 of their last 10 games (6-1-3).  Which is normally a very good thing.  However, since the CBJ is so far out of the playoff race, it brings up a thorny win vs. tank debate.  This win vs. tank debate is currently in full form at http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/2/14/10987838/on-hope.

 

By one estimate, the Jackets would need to go 19-3-2 over their final 24 games to finish above the Eastern Conference playoff line.  Not impossible, but definitely not probable.  So an extended winning streak at this point would reduce the Jackets draft position.  Kind of like last season's 15-1-1 finish took the Jackets from a top 3 spot to the #8 spot.

 

There is some validity to the "tank" position.  In the mid-2000's Chicago was awful.  Then they used four top draft picks and chose Kane & Toews on offense and Keith & Seabrook on defense to form the core of 3 Stanley Cups in the past 6 years.  Similarly, Pittsburgh was awful in the early 2000's and choose Crosby, Malkin and Fluery with top picks and won the 2009 Stanley Cup. -- However, the "tank" doesn't always work.  Edmonton has had the #1 overall pick 4 times in the past 6 drafts since 2010.  But they still finished 3rd-worst in the NHL last season and are currently 2nd-worst in the league this season.

The "win vs. tank" debate was also brought up in a Dispatch interview this week with President of Hockey Operations John Davidson:  http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/blogs/puck-rakers/2016/02/building-not-rebuilding.html

 

In that interview, Davidson pointed out that the Jackets have already made two big trades this season - Saad for Anisimov in pre-season and Jones for Johansen in mid-season.  So the team has already been transformed.  And the roster doesn't really have any players with expiring contracts that are attractive to playoff teams.  So don't expect a gutting of the current roster.  Probably the only big names to get moved before this year's trading deadline (Feb. 29) are veterans Scott Hartnell and Fedor Tyutin.

 

Hartnell is a productive offensive player, but he will be 34 in April and will still have three seasons remaining on his contract at a $4.75 million/year cap hit.  The Jackets would like to "sell high" to a playoff contender and use Hartnell's cap hit to re-sign promising young players like Jones and Jenner over the summer.  --  Tyutin is a veteran defensive presence that playoff contenders want.  But he's still got two seasons remaining on his contract at a $4.5 million/year cap hit.  Again, the CBJ would like to clear some cap space for future pricier contracts for their younger players.

 

So Hartnell and Tyutin are being shopped this month, but might not get traded if the suitable trading partner cannot be found.  They'll either need enough cap space to take on a Hartnell/Tyutin contract straight up.  Or they'll need to offer up enough compensation in draft picks/prospects in combination with an expiring contract.  It might happen this month or during the off-season.

Rather than this, I suggest we just go 24-0 over the last 24 games and then go on to win the Stanley Cup.

Rather than this, I suggest we just go 24-0 over the last 24 games and then go on to win the Stanley Cup.

 

How about 23-1:  http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/2/20/11076278/game-59-recap-sabres-4-jackets-0

Yesterday's game day poster was one of their best yet:  http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/2/25/11117362/highlight-recap-game-62-devils-at-jackets

 

 

And for those who didn't get the reference:

Monday's trading deadline came and went without the Jackets making any deals.  But the CBJ did make one important non-trade deal on Monday:  http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/2/29/11135510/boone-jenner-signs-bridge-deal

 

22-year-old Boone Jenner will be coming off his three-year entry-level contract at the end of this season.  He signed a two-year extension that will keep him an RFA at the end of the 2017-18 season.  The deal is almost identical to the two-year bridge deal signed by Ryan Murray a few weeks ago ($2.9 mil/year vs. $2.825 mil/year).  Much like Murray, Jenner's three NHL seasons have followed a similar path: Solid rookie season; injury-riddled second season; strong bounce-back third season this year.

Sergei Bobrovsky activated from IR; Joonas Korpisalo sent to Lake Erie

 

http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=872845

 

Only 13 games remaining on this non-playoff season, so we may as well...

• #CBJ announce D Jack Johnson will undergo shoulder surgery, miss the rest of the season.
  Aaron Portzline - @Aportzline - March 16, 2016

• #CBJ Bjorkstrand likely to make his #NHL debut on Thursday vs. #RedWings.
  Aaron Portzline - ‏@Aportzline - March 16, 2016

Another late season-ending injury:

 

- Back-up goaltender Curtis McElhinney injured his knee in practice Friday.  He had surgery and will miss the rest of the season.  Joonas Korpisalo was recalled from Lake Erie to start in Sunday's back-to-back game at NJ.

On a happier note, some Jackets hit milestones over the weekend:

 

- Head Coach John Tortorella coached his 1000th NHL game.  He is the 26th head coach to reach that mark in the NHL, but its the first time an American-born coach has reached that mark.

 

- Fedor Tyutin played in his 800th NHL game on Saturday.

 

- Scott Hartnell played in his 1100th NHL game on Sunday.

 

- Super-prospect Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his first and second NHL goals in his second NHL game on Saturday.

There's not much good news at the end of a season like this one.  But the CBJ got some when they signed their 2015 1st-round (8th-overall) draft pick Zach Werenski to an entry-level contract yesterday:  http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/3/29/11323718/zach-werenski-signs-with-lake-erie

 

Werenski's had a notable year.  He captained Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2016 World Junior Championships and was named Defenseman of the Tournament.  As a sophomore with the University of Michigan he was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and led UM into the NCAA Hockey Playoffs.

 

It was expected that Werenski might sign after Michigan's season ended (and it ended over the weekend when they were eliminated from the playoffs).  It was also expected that Werenski would sign a standard 3-year ELC and then play a handful of games with the CBJ this season - thus burning off one year of the ELC and moving him one year closer to more lucrative future contracts.  But it didn't happen like that, and in a good way for the CBJ.

 

As the Jackets Cannon reports at the above link:  "The Jackets are reporting that Werenski has signed his ELC, but that it doesn't kick in until NEXT season (the 2016-17 season).  So, he'll play out the remainder of the AHL season in Lake Erie (and will be eligible for the AHL playoffs), and will officially begin his pro career in the fall.  This is all to ensure he remains protected for any expansion draft in 2018 without the team having to use one of its "protection spots" on him."

2015-2016 SEASON IN REVIEW

 

An undeniably disappointing season.  After a near playoff season in 2012-13, a playoff season in 2013-14 and a 2014-15 "Season of Injuries" that ended with a 15-1-1 streak, the Jackets were expected to at least be a playoff team this season.  But after an 0-8 start they fired their head coach.  They brought in John Tortorella, who righted the team in November.  Only to see Bobrovsky get injured in December, struggle with their goaltending and end the month with a 4-7-3 record that dropped them into last-place to bury their playoff chances for this season.  They improved after that but limped into a 27th place finish.

 

Despite the terrible season, there were some positives:

 

- Seth Jones :  D-man Jones was acquired in the mid-season trade of Ryan Johansen to Nashville.  At the time, I said I liked the trade because we really needed to upgrade our defense.  Now, I like the trade even better.  Jones got a respectable 2 goals-18 assists-20 points in his 41 games with the CBJ.  But the number that is even more impressive is 24:27.  That's his average ice time.  That's the first-line ice time the Jackets were hoping for from Jones.  With Jones (who will be 22 at the start of next season) pairing with Ryan Murray (who will be 23), the Jackets have a true top-line defensive pairing that could be together for a long time.  Having a Jones-Murray top line also means moving the former top line of Johnson and Savard down to the second line (where they belong) and gives the Jackets a solid top-4 defensive lineup.

 

- Brandon Saad:  When Saad was acquired from Chicago over the off-season, there was some concern that his goal scoring may have been inflated because of playing on lines with All-Stars Kane and Toews in Chicago.  Well, that concern is gone.  Saad topped his 23 goals scored last season with Chicago with a new career high 31 goals this season with Columbus.  Saad's speed and skill are legit.  He'll be 24 at the start of next season and the Jackets have him signed for another five seasons (his prime scoring years).

 

- Wennberg / Karlsson:  (AKA the Swedish Centers)  These two young Swedes are smart capable defensive responible centermen.  Alexander Wennberg was drafted higher (1st rd, 14th overall by CBJ in 2013) and has more offensive upside then William Karlsson, who was drafted 2nd rd, 53rd overall by Anaheim and acquired last season in the Wisniewski trade (which looks pretty good now).  Wennberg (who will be 22 at the start of next season) has shown steady improvement offensively with 4 goals-16 assists-20 points in 68 games last season and 8 goals-32 assists-40 points in 69 games this season.  He's a solid 2nd/3rd line center that could develop into a top-line center if his offense keeps improving.  Karlsson is 23 and played his first full season this years with the Jackets, totaling 9-10-20 in 81 games.  He's a solid 3rd/4th line center with great PK ability.

 

- Boone Jenner:  Jenner has shown consistent improvement since being drafted 2nd rd, 37th overall by the CBJ in 2011.  Two seasons ago, he had a strong rookie season with 16 goals in 72 games.  Last season was injury-riddled year with only 31 games.  This season was a strong bounce-back year as he played in all 82 games and got 30 goals.  Jenner is a rugged tough-as-nails NHL prototype.  He's a natural leader and already an alternate captain for the team.  He'll turn 23 over the off-season and should be a core part of the Jackets future.

 

- Joonas Korpisalo:  This young goalie (who will turn 22 at the end of this month) came as a surprise.  This time last year, Korpisalo was playing in Finland and was behind Bobrovsky, McElhinney, Forsberg, and Dansk in the organizational goalie depth chart.  But injuries and ineffective play by those ahead of him got Korpisalo an extended look at the NHL-level this season.  And he made the most of it, with a 16-11-4 record in 31 games with a 2.60 goals-against-average and a .920 save percentage.  Korpisalo was arguably the best goalie for the Jackets this season.  Despite that, Bobrovsky is still the #1 goalie for the CBJ.  But Korpisalo is now the clear #2 option for the team next season - either as Bob's backup on the CBJ roster or as a call-up option from Lake Erie if Bob gets injured again.

Okay, now the negatives:

 

- Sergei Bobrovsky:  The goaltender is the most impactful player on a hockey team.  A great goalie can make a average team good and a good team great.  A bad goalie can do the opposite.  For Bob's first two seasons it was the former.  He won the Vezina (top goaltender) in the strike-shortened 2012-13 season and led the Jackets to brink of the playoffs.  He had a strong season in 2013-14 and the Jackets reached the playoffs.  But in the next two seasons, Bob suffered three groin injuries and the Jackets crashed-and-burned.  Groin injuries are not uncommon for today's butterfly-style goalies.  But three in two years is very concerning.  Still, Bob has rehabbed and returned each time.  Plus, he has three years remaining on a contract with a $7.425 mil cap hit.  So, Bob will remain the #1 option with Korpisalo waiting in the wing if Bob gets injured again.

 

- David Clarkson:  Clarkson was acquired late last year from Toronto for Nathan Horton.  Horton developed a back condition that ended his NHL career.  But Toronto was willing to eat his salary and get LTIR cap relief in exchange for jettisoning Clarkson's contract.  The Jackets were willing to take on Clarkson's terrible contract in order to get a serviceable 20 to 30-point player for Horton's cap hit.  Well, thus far, that gamble has been a disaster for the Jackets.  Clarkson only played 23 games this year for a measely 4 points!  Ironically, its said that back issues are the main thing keeping him from playing.  Now the Jackets are on the hook for four more years with a $5.25 mil cap hit!

 

- Nick Foligno:  Foligno had a career-year last season with 73 points in 79 games and was named captain during the All-Star Game in Columbus.  He was rewarded with a long-term contract and named captain of the team in the off-season.  Prior to last year, Foligno was a 35-45 point player, and there was some concern that his 73-point season was an outlier.  Like the Jackets, Foligno struggled to begin this season and eventually ended with 37 points in 72 games - which is in line with his career average.  The problem is Foligno still has five years remaining with a $5.5 mil cap hit and he'll be 29 at the start of the next season.  If he continues producing at a 35-45 point level, he'll be a productive but slightly overpaid player.  If his production starts to decline, he'll become another drag on the team's salary cap.

 

- Brandon Dublinsky:  Dubinsky had a fine season this year, getting 17 goals-31 assists-48 points in 75 games.  He's a firey leader who takes on the role of shutting down the opponent's best center.  He also moved into a top-line center position after the Johansen trade.  His current play isn't the concern.  But much like Foligno, Dubi was awarded a long-term contract and named an alternate captain.  Dubi will be 30 at the end of this month and he will have five years remaining with a $5.85 mil cap hit.  If he continues with his career avg. 40-50 point production, it'll be a fair contract - given everything else he does.  But if his production starts to decline, he'll be another drag on the salary cap.

 

- Scott Hartnell:  Hartnell was acquired from Philadephia two seasons ago for R.J. Umberger.  A great trade for Jackets as Hartnell had 60 points last season and 49 points this seaso, while Umberger's had only 15 and 11 points.  But Hartnell turns 34 next week and still has three seasons remaining on his contract with a $4.75 mil cap hit.  Hartnell's been a productive and durable player.  But if injury or ineffectiveness take their toll, it's another salary cap drag.  However, Hartnell is still attractive enough as a player (with a low enough cap hit), that he might get traded during the off-season.

 

- Fedor Tyutin:  Tyutin's been a long-time defensive stalwart for the CBJ.  He's been a dependable all-around d-man who averaged 20-30 points per season.  However, his production dropped to 15 points last season and only 3 points this season.  He's slowed noticeably and is now a defensive d-man suitable for 3rd-line duty with only occassional 2nd-line action.  Tyutin will turn 33 over the off-season and is still owed $4.5 mil over the next two seasons.  The Jackets will try to trade hime during the off-season.

So, there's the recap.  The Jackets won't be going into next season with the optimism of a 15-1-1 finish.  But I do think the team has addressed its weaknesses.  The offense is good enough.  The defense is vastly improved with the addition of Jones.  And they've found a viable #2 option for Bob in goal.  It shouldn't be "Bob or bust" next season.

 

The thing they can't do next season is start slow.  This has been a chronic problem.  Over the last 5 seasons the CBJ record in first 20 games has been 30-60-10.  They just can't keep digging that early season hole.  Now they might have the right coach to light a fire under this team.  Coach Torts has legendary boot-camp style training camps.

 

The Jackets have never had as deep and talented roster as they do now.  They had two 30-goal scorers for the first time ever (Saad and Jenner).  Atkinson was close behind with 27 goals.  And super-prospect Oliver Bjorkstrand looked good with 8 points in 12 games this season.  The Jackets will need to "prove it" next season, but I like their chances.

Some off-season news:

 

- Defenseman David Savard had ankle surgery to fix a loose bone chip.  He'll need six to eight weeks to recover but should be ready for camp:  http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/04/12/savard-surgery-fixes-injured-ankle.html

 

- Associate coach Craig Hartsburg announced his retirement from coaching:  http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=878668

 

---

And some more 2015-16 player-by-player recaps from the Jackets Cannon:

 

- http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/4/10/11401494/cbj-season-in-review-the-forwards

 

- http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/4/12/11407976/cbj-season-in-review-the-defense

 

- http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/4/13/11416922/cbj-season-in-review-the-goalies

In late April, fans of NHL teams fall into two camps.  Those rooting for their team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs - and those rooting for their team in NHL Draft Lottery.  And we Jackets fans know which camp the CBJ is in this year.

 

Tonight, the NHL will hold their draft lottery.  The NHL uses a weighted lottery to determine which of the 14 non-playoff teams gets the #1 overall pick.  Up until this year, only the #1 pick was up for grabs.  However, this year, the top 3 picks will be determined by this weighted lottery.  In addition, the teams could also drop up to 3 spots if teams behind them advance.  So the team with the worst record in the #1 spot could theoretically drop to #4.

 

Columbus is at the #4 spot.  Given this year's lottery rules, the Jackets could pick anywhere between #1 and #7.  Below are the odds as reported by http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/blogs/puck-rakers/2016/04/what-are-the-odds.html

#1:  9.5 percent

#2:  9.7 percent

#3:  9.8 percent

#4:  3.1 percent

#5: 27.3 percent

#6: 33.2 percent

#7:  7.4 percent

 

Yikes!  We've got a decent chance to move into the top three.  But we've got a bigger chance to move back to #5 or #6.  And the NHL draft lottery history is not in our favor.  In 13 draft lotteries, Columbus has stayed put 8 times and dropped one spot 5 times.  Unless this time its our turn??  We'll find out tonight.

YAY!!!  The Blue Jackets finally caught a break in the NHL draft lottery:  http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/4/30/11547412/blue-jackets-win-3-overall-pick

[*]Toronto was the biggest winner of the lottery (aka the Auston Matthews sweepstakes) by staying at the #1 spot.  The dazzling center will anchor the Maple Leafs rebuilding effort.

[*]Winnipeg was the second biggest winner, moving up from #6 to the #2 spot (the largest upward move of the lottery). With that pick they'll likely choose one of two Finnish wingers, Patrik Laine or Jesse Puljujarvi.

[*]Columbus moved up one position into #3, and will likely nab the Finnish winger remaining at this spot. Moving up from #4 to #3 doesn't seem like much, but the consensus is that these top 3 draftees are the most NHL-ready in the entire draft.

[*]Edmonton was one of the biggest losers, dropping from #2 to #4. But don't feel too sorry for them. The Oilers won the #1 pick in four of the past six drafts!

[*]Vancouver was another big loser, dropping from #3 to #5. Their late season tank job went unrewarded.

[*]Calgary dropped from #5 to #6.

After that, the rest of the teams remained in their pre-lottery draft spots from #7 to #14.

Some tangential CBJ news announced yesterday:  Tampa Bay Lightning have hired former CBJ head coach Todd Richards to be an assistant coach.

 

It doesn't affect the current team at all.  And that's actually bad news.  Here's why:

 

When Columbus fired Richards and hired Tortorella in 2015, Torts was still under contract with Vancouver (he was fired in 2014 but still had two years remaining on their contract with them).  By the NHL rules in 2015, if a team hires a coach still under contract with another team, the hiring team must compensate the other team with a 2nd-round draft pick.  So Columbus owes Vancouver one of their 2nd-round draft picks in either 2016, 2017 or 2018. (Vancouver will likely get the 2018 2nd-round pick.)

 

Todd Richards was still under contract with Columbus when Tampa Bay hired him yesterday.  So good news right?  Columbus will be getting a 2nd-round draft pick from TB, right?  Nope.  The NHL realized that the draft-pick compensation rule for previously fired coaches didn't really make sense.  So the NHL rescinded that compensation rule beginning in 2016!  Guess what year it is!

 

So, in true Blue Jackets luck, we get no reciprocal draft pick compensation for TB hiring Richards and we still owe Vancouver a 2nd for hiring Torts!

^ Well, that was kinda depressing.  Let's balance it with some good news.

 

If you haven't seen the Lake Erie Monsters thread, please do.  The Monsters are only one game away from winning the Calder Cup - the AHL's equivalent to the NHL's Stanley Cup.  And it's really good news for the CBJ organization.  Just how good?  The Dispatch's lead CBJ reporter wrote a piece examining this:

 

-- What does Monsters' run mean for Blue Jackets?  --  http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/blogs/puck-rakers/2016/06/monsters-run.html

^The issue will be roster space.  The current roster is riddled with overpaid, aging players who will be difficult to move until the expansion draft (2017 most likely).

 

Assuming no one wants to pay for Tyutin's slow *** (pardon me), then I'd expect management will have to buy him out.  Torts has said multiple times he appreciates his effort but he's just too slow.  A buyout would also save some cap space.  Unfortunately Prout will still be on the blue line, but I could live with Murray-Jones, Johnson-Savard, Werenski-Goloubef/Kukan with Prout as an extra.

 

It sounds like Clarkson is dealing with his own career-threatening back problems (ironic).  The best bet there is he just goes on IR in perpetuity.  Bourque obviously isn't getting resigned.  They should be able to insert Pool Party (presumed #3 pick) from day 1.  Bjorkstrand is an NHL player RIGHT NOW.  The team should also just bury Boll in Cleveland, opening up a 4th line spot for Josh Anderson or Kerby Rychel.

 

Ideally - Tyutin is traded/bought out.  Clarkson goes on IR.  McElhinney and Boll go to the AHL.  I can see the case for a Hartnell trade - he still has value - but also understand if they can't get FMV for him given his age and contract length.

 

I hope Sedlak or Chaput give Campbell a run for his money for that 4th center spot.  Campbell is so bad, I don't know why he was even signed.  Cap will get interesting if the NHLPA doesn't elect the 5% escalator.  Center will be interesting to watch - they don't have a true #1, but can Dubi/Wennberg/Jenner be enough?  They're all good #2 options in my view, but I understand the temptation to throw Savard, Rychel, + a pick at someone and try to pry a 1b type center (Nugent-Hopinks, for exampble).  They are still going to need Foligno to at least produce closer to 50 points, Jenner to repeat what he did (is it sustainable?), and Wennberg to develop more of his offensive game.  I'd go in with the plan to start Bob for 55ish games and Korpisalo 27ish games.  If Bob isn't healthy / can't hack it then hand the reigns to Korpi (or Forsberg if he can ever get his act together with the big club).

^ I like that analysis.  From the current Lake Erie roster, only Bjorkstrand and Werenski are "locks" for next season's CBJ roster.  Neither one has anything more to prove at the AHL level and the CBJ has spots available for them.  But like you said, some roster moves will be necessary to add other LEM prospects.

 

Assuming some of the older vets and dead weight gets cleared out (which might not be as easy as it sounds), then Rychel and Anderson could be the first one's added on the offensive side and Kukan could be added on the defensive side.  I like Chaput as 4th liner too.  Sedlak has taken a big step forward with his Calder Cup play.  But he likely starts at Lake Erie next season and serves as the CBJ's injury replacement call-up for 4th-line play.  I'd actually like to see Milano stay one more season in the AHL before the CBJ consider him for full-time NHL status.

 

I would assume a Bob/Korpi goalie split of some type as well.  But Forsberg's stellar goaltending in the Calder Cup playoffs was a nice surprise.  Forsberg still hasn't proven anything at the NHL level, but at least he's now a proven AHL goalie who might be able to fill in as an injury replacement.  You just can't have too many quality goaltenders in the organization.

 

This off-season's roster moves will be interesting to see.  With a possible expansion draft looming in the future as a complicating factor.  Once the Stanley Cup finishes, the NHL dominoes usually start falling pretty quickly - with the Entry Draft on June 24-25 and Free Agency starting July 1!

I might stop supporting the team if they trade down from #3 - plenty of rumors swirling now, but I suspect it's all part of the pre-draft "game."

I might stop supporting the team if they trade down from #3 - plenty of rumors swirling now, but I suspect it's all part of the pre-draft "game."

 

The rumor reporting of this suggests that Jarmo is simply getting offers from other teams for the #3 pick and not shopping it.  And any GM should at least hear what the offers are.  But even the "rumor reporting" says that unless Jarmo & JD get some massive offer for the #3 pick, they're not trading it.

The Jackets made a move today.  But not involving a player.  The CBJ announced that Brad Shaw will join Coach Tortorella’s staff next season, replacing Craig Hartsburg, who retired from coaching in April.  Shaw, 52, had a 19-year NHL playing career as a defenseman.  He began coaching with Tampa Bay in 1999 and has been a St. Louis Blues assistant coach since 2006.

 

It's being reported that Shaw's strong point is coaching young defensemen.  And the Jackets will have plenty of young defensive talent to mold, with 18-year-old Zach Werenski expected to join Ryan Murray (22) and Seth Jones (21) on the Blue Jackets’ roster next season.

 

MORE:  http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/06/16/0616-jackets-hire.html

The Jackets made another move today.  And this one does involve a player.  Pending RFA Goalie Anton Forsberg was signed to one-year, two-way contract extension:  http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=886358

 

Not a huge deal, but a good move to re-sign the 23-year-old Forsberg after he took over from Korpisalo and led the Lake Erie Monsters to the 2016 Calder Cup championship.  The two-way deal (detailed below) is geared toward keeping Forsberg at the AHL-level and having him available for an injury call-up.  Plus, "you just can't have too many quality goaltenders in the organization":

 

http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2016/06/17/blue-jackets-sign-goalie-anton-forsberg-to-two-way-one-year-deal/

 

Hartnell has waived his NMC and provided a lengthy list of teams to which he'd accept a trade, strongly implying there's a chance he is moved this summer.  We'll see if there are any takers.

Lots of rumors flying now.  Foligno and Bobrovsky apparently are being asked about, at the least.

 

The buyout window closes on 6/30 - Tyutin seems like a good candidate if he can't be dumped for a pick.  Some think Clarkson, but that cost is so high to do so.  Perhaps there's an agreement he goes on LTIR for the next few years.

Couple more pre-draft player news:

 

-- William Karlsson signed a two-year, $2 million extension: http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/6/23/12019284/william-karlsson-signs-two-year-extension

• Very nice RFA signing of 23-year-old center "Wild Bill".  Karlsson was acquired in the Wiz deadline day trade with Anaheim in 2015.  Last year was his first full NHL season and he established himself as a solid 4th-line center who can also play 3rd-line minutes.  This extension is smart for the CBJ because it's affordable ($1 mil/year) and Karlsson will still be an RFA at the end of it.

 

-- Goalie prospect Elvis Merzlikins signed a three-year deal to remain in Europe until the end of the 2018/19 season:

• Elvis Merzļikins is a 22-year-old Latvian goaltender drafted by the CBJ in the 3rd-round (76th overall pick) of the 2014 draft.  He's been playing for the HC Lugano team in the top Swiss league since then.  Merzlikins had an outstanding 2015/16 season for HC Lugano and was rewarded with a longer term contract.  The disappointing news for the CBJ is the contract does not have an NHL exit clause.  So this makes it more likely Merzlikins stays in Switzerland until 2018/19.
   
  On the one hand, it's not surprising because Merzlikins was behind Korpisalo/Forsberg/Dansk in the CBJ goalie prospect pipeline.  On the other hand, it's disappointing because "you just can't have too many quality goaltenders in the organization".  Plus, who doesn't want an Elvis on their team!

So, going into tonight's draft, the Jackets had three RFA signings they needed to do.  They've gotten two of the three signings done pre-draft with Forsberg and Karlsson.  Which leaves Seth Jones - by far the most important RFA signing - still out there.  Seth Jones' RFA deal is more complicated because of the salary requirements to re-sign him plus the possibility of a longer-term deal over a shorter-term bridge deal with the team.  However, though no announcement has been made about him yet, the news surrounding Jones and the CBJ has been good so far:

 

- The NHL announced this week that the salary cap for next season would be rising from $71.4 million to $73 million.  So that likely gives the CBJ enough room under the cap to accommodate Jones' salary increase. (However, it's just barely enough, so some roster salary moves are still likely.)

 

- Seth Jones will be at tonight's CBJ Draft Party.  Which indicates good relations between Jones and the CBJ in the behind-the-scenes contract negotiations.  It would be great if they announce an agreement at tonight's draft party appearance.  But even if they don't, a deal is likely imminent.

The CBJ lucked out when they moved from 4th-overall to 3rd-overall in the NHL Draft Lottery.  And since there was a consensus "Big Three" in this draft, the question going into last night's Round One draft was if the Jackets would pick the Finnish player available at #3 or would they trade down from #3.  It turned out that they did neither:

 

COLUMBUS DISPATCH:  Blue Jackets unveil surprise, draft Pierre-Luc Dubois

 

JACKETS CANNON:  Blue Jackets Select Pierre-Luc Dubois Third Overall in 2016 NHL Entry Draft

 

To set the stage for the two videos below, Toronto picked Matthews with the #1 pick and Winnipeg picked Laine with the #2 pick, as was expected.  That meant the consensus #3 player, Finnish winger Jesse Puljujarvi was available to be picked by the Jackets.  Instead, they selected LW/C Pierre-Luc Dubois.  In the first video you can hear an audible gasp from the packed arena in Buffalo:

 

 

The initial fan reaction to the Pierre-Luc Dubois link was not great - for some great hot takes, go to http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/6/24/12023720/2016-nhl-entry-draft-open-thread.  But as the shock wore off, the reaction got better - although still mixed.  And that's kind of where I am right now.  So here's my mixed take on the CBJ 2016 first-round, third-overall draft pick, Pierre-Luc Dubois (aka PLD):

 

Reasons to like the pick:

• PLD is listed at LW but played center during the second half of his last junior league season, and thrived.  This pick could address the team's need for a future #1 center.

• Although PLD wasn't the consensus #3 overall player, he wasn't far behind.  PLD was listed as the #1 North American skater, but behind the top three European skaters (Matthews, Laine and Puljujarvi) in the overall pre-draft rankings.  Most teams had PLD ranked from 4th to 6th on their best player available charts.

• It's reported that PLD can play all three forward positions.  That flexibility could be useful for slotting him into next season's roster, even if he projects out as a center.

 

Reasons to not like the pick:

• Although consensus isn't always right, Puljujarvi was the #3 consensus for a reason.  He's NHL-ready and has a high ceiling.  PLD might work out well long-term for the CBJ, but Puljujarvi might make more of an impact sooner than PLD.

• If the Jackets were sold on PLD and weren't going to take Puljujarvi, then why didn't they trade down?  Edmonton was practically giddy to choose Puljujarvi at #4, so why couldn't Kek and company get some additional compensation for not picking Puljujarvi at #3?  Anything at all would have been nice, like a third-round pick maybe?  Instead, it's like the Jackets didn't move up from #4 to #3 in the lottery by picking PLD.

• No "Pool Party" nickname on the CBJ roster.

 

I'm hopeful that JD, Kek and company made the right choice here.  But they are taking a big risk by going with a "position-of-need" pick instead of the conventional "best-player-available" pick at #3.  On the other hand, if Pierre-Luc Dubois does become the team's #1 center answer, then team management will look like geniuses.  Time will tell.

Well, that first-round was something!!  Now here are the Day Two draft picks:

 

- 2nd round, 34th overall pick:  Andrew Peeke - an American 6’3", 205 pound defenseman who can play the right handed side:  http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/6/25/12029772/blue-jackets-select-andrew-peeke-with-34th-overall-pick-in-2016-nhl

 

- 3rd round, 65th overall pick:  Vitaly Abramov - a Russian 5’9", 172 pound winger:  http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/6/25/12029828/blue-jackets-select-vitaly-abramov-in-the-third-round-of-the-2016-nhl

 

- No 4th round or 5th round picks in this draft for the CBJ

 

- 6th round, 155th overall pick:  Peter Thome, an American 6’3", 194 pound goaltender committed to the University of North Dakota for 2017-18 season:  http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/6/25/12030314/blue-jackets-select-peter-thome-in-the-sixth-round-of-the-2016-nhl

 

- 7th round, 185th overall pick:  Calvin Thurkauf, a Swiss 6’1", 203 pounds winger:  http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/6/25/12030572/blue-jackets-select-calvin-thurkauf-in-the-final-round-of-the-2016

And that's not all folks.  After the draft was over, it was reported that former 2013 1st round, 19th overall pick Kerby Rychel was traded to Toronto:

 

http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/6/25/12031002/kerby-rychel-traded-to-toronto

About as disappointing as you'd expect if you're a CBJ fan.

 

1)PLD over Pull Your RV.  Dubois will be a fine NHL player most likely, but he's played a year at center.  He was not touted by ANYONE as the 3rd best prospect in this draft, and he's not one of the three players many believe can have an impact THIS season.  Dubois may very well end up back in major junior next season and not with Columbus.  This felt more like drafting for need (center) than the best player available (Pull Your RV).

 

2) WTF was that 2nd round pick?  Another slow, lumbering Dman ranked #76 be Central Scouting at #34??  This kid, if I'm not mistaken, has a year left in the USHL and could be in college for 3-4 years.

 

3) The lack of trading Hartnell, Tyutin, or any other big contract.  This was the setting to do it.  Hartnell for a 4th and 5th rounder?  A 4th and a prospect?  Tyutin for a 6th?  Nothing.  This team has way too much dead weight locked up in horrendous contracts.  See: cap issues and contract limit in addition to roster spots.

 

4) The Rychel trade.  This was a Jarmo FIRST round pick in 2013.  His attitude, by some reports, had soured as he and his dad believed he should be higher on the depth chart.  Requested a trade out.  Still...you don't HAVE to trade him.  To get a bad prospect OR 5th rounder?  That is an awful trade.

By NHL rules, any RFA player that hasn't received a contract extension (ex. Wild Bill Karlsson) must be extended qualifying offers by the Blue Jackets on Monday (6/27) or they would become unrestricted free agents on Friday (7/1).  Here are the RFA's that were and were not given qualifying offers:  http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/06/28/jackets-allow-two-players-to-enter-free-agency.html

 

RFA qualifying offers extended to:

- Seth Jones - This one is a procedural move to retain his rights while his agent and the Blue Jackets continue working on a long-term contract.  The 21-year-old defenseman will get at minimum a 2-year bridge deal or an extension in the 6-year range at maximum.

- Scott Harrington - 23-year-old defensman acquired from Toronto in the Rychel trade.

- T.J. Tynan - Undersized but talented 24-year-old center who had four impressive years at Notre Dame and two impressive AHL years.

- Alex Broadhurst - 23-year-old center acquired from Chicago in the Anisimov/Saad trade.

 

No RFA qualifying offers extend to:

- Michael Paliotta - 23-year-old defenseman acquired from Chicago in the Anisimov/Saad trade.  Thought to be a decent defensive prospect in that trade, after playing four years with Univ. of Vermont.  But he never seem to stand out at Lake Erie this season.

- Michael Chaput - 24-year-old center who was a frequent AHL/NHL call-up.  Played 58 games for the CBJ over the past three seasons, netting 2 goals and 6 assists in mostly 4th-line duty.  This one is a little surprise, because I thought he had the size and grit to be a decent 4th-line NHL center.  But with the emergence of Karlsson and other centers in the organization, it looks like Chaput became the odd man out.

It's been mentioned earlier that prized 21-year-old defenseman Seth Jones and the Blue Jackets were working on a long-term contract extension.  Today, that deal was done:

 

http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/6/29/12058764/seth-jones-signs-contract-extension

 

As per the Jackets Cannon report:  "Seth Jones’ extension is for six years, $32.4 million, which carries with it a $5.4M AAV against the cap.  Per multiple sources, it also includes a limited no-trade clause during the years in which Jones would be an unrestricted free agent."

The roster moves are coming fast and furious now.  Veteran d-man Fedor Tyutin got his final two years bought out by the CBJ:

 

http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/6/29/12060346/blue-jackets-buy-out-fedor-tyutin

 

As per the Jackets Cannon report:  "Tyutin had 2 years, $8.75 million left on his deal before being bought out.  The total buyout cost, $5,833,333 million, will be spread over the next 4 seasons, resulting in an annual cap hit of $1,458,333.  As far as annual savings go, the Jackets will save $3,291,667 this season, and $2,541,667 in 2017-18."

What a day for CBJ.  Re-sign Jones to a reasonable deal.  Buy out Tyutin.  Looks like PLD signed his entry-level contract as well.  Rumors swirling around Avalanche and Atkinson/Johnson as well as Hartnell.  I'm not sure the team is done just yet, but we'll see.

Jared Boll has his final year bought out.

Jared Boll has his final year bought out.

 

Ha!  I was just going to post that:  http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/6/30/12068492/blue-jackets-buy-out-jared-boll

 

Boll's buyout is a little more of a surprise than Tyutin's because Boll was going into the final year of his contract.  Tyutin's buyout was all about the cap savings with nearly $3.3 million removed from next season's cap hit.  The Boll buyout saves $1.133 million from next season's cap hit.  Which is good - but with only one year remaining, Boll could have been sent to the minors for all of next season and the team would have gotten 950K in cap savings.  So the Boll buyout only nets 183K in cap savings versus "burying him in the minors".

 

The bigger reason to buyout Boll's final year is about the total team contract number.  NHL teams may hold a maximum of 50 NHL/AHL contracts.  With Boll, the Jackets held 46 contracts.  But that doesn't count pending RFA's Tynan, Harrington and Broadhurst (who the CBJ gave qualifying offers to).  Assuming all three re-sign with the Jackets, that bumps the total contract number up to 49.  Removing Boll's contract lowers it to 48 and gives the team some flexibility to make a discovery or free-agent signing next season.

 

My bigger picture take is that both the Tyutin and Boll buyouts are about clearing out some roster deadwood and giving the team some salary cap flexibility and total contract flexibility for next season.  Which would indicate that next season won't be about the tank.  And that's encouraging.

1) I can only think they did the buyout as a service to him.  They said they tried to trade him (so they probably went to every team and asked if they wanted him for a 7th rounder or "future considerations").  All teams apparently said no, not for $1.7m.  They probably told him there's two options - you'll spend the year in Cleveland or we can buy you out.  Given they only gained $183k by buying him out, I'm guessing he elected the buy out option instead of the AHL route.  Doubt this ever gets confirmed, but that's the only way it makes sense.

 

2) The contract limit is a bit misleading.  If a player is under 20 and returns to his junior team (e.g. Keegan Kolesar) he won't count against the 50 contract limit.  Even if those pending RFAs come back, the Jackets will be in the low 40's against the limit anyway.  Heck, they offered hometown guy Trent Vogelhuber a contract.  Vogelhuber has exclusively played on AHL deals with the CBJ farm team.

^ You might be right about that total contract limit.  NHL contract rules seem to have layer upon layer.  So that when you think you figured it out, there's another layer!

 

Apparently (according to Aaron Portzline) Boll did have the option to decline being waived to the minors.  So the buyout was the team's only remaining option.  I'm a little surprised Boll didn't opt to play for Lake Erie next season.  More prominent veteran players than him have willingly been buried in the minors: Brian Bickell last season for Chicago and Wade Redden a few years ago for the Rangers come to mind.

 

Ultimately, it's a disappointing end for Jared Boll.  Because, unlike Fedor Tyutin, I just can't see another NHL team signing Boll at any price.  Boll is the kind of enforcer-type player that's being phased out of the league.  If Boll had some offensive or defensive skating skills, then he'd be an OK low-price 4th-liner.  But unfortunately, he doesn't.  I say unfortunately, because Boll has been a model teammate in every other way for the CBJ.  So long Boller.

RFA qualifying offers extended to:

- Scott Harrington - 23-year-old defensman acquired from Toronto in the Rychel trade.

- T.J. Tynan - Undersized but talented 24-year-old center who had four impressive years at Notre Dame and two impressive AHL years.

- Alex Broadhurst - 23-year-old center acquired from Chicago in the Anisimov/Saad trade.

 

The CBJ signed all three of the above RFA players to one-year, two-way (NHL/AHL) contracts for next season:  http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=890029

 

And barring any surprise trades, that will likely finish up the roster moves going into the 2016-17 season.

Apparently no one wants Hartnell or the Jackets are over-valuing him compared to the rest of the league.

Surprise free-agent signing for the CBJ.  Center Sam Gagner was signed to a one-year, $650,000 deal.

 

It's not bad deal at all for the Jackets.  Gagner will be 27 at the beginning of next season.  He's a former 6th-overall pick in 2007 by Edmonton and was a 40+ point center two seasons ago.  However, he had only 16 points in 53 games with Philadelphia last season.  So the Jackets picked him up on a rock bottom "show me" contract.  He projects as a 3rd-line center for the CBJ next season:

 

http://www.jacketscannon.com/2016/7/30/12332894/jackets-to-sign-gagner

 

http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2016/08/01/its-official-blue-jackets-add-sam-gagner-on-one-year-contract/

An update on David Clarkson from http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/09/22/chronic-injury-continues-to-keep-clarkson-off-ice.html:

 

"Forward David Clarkson failed a pre-training camp physical because of a chronic lower-back injury, president of hockey operations John Davidson said, and it’s unclear when, or if, Clarkson will be able to play again."

 

---

From the player perspective, this is terrible news for Clarkson.  Apparently he has been dealing with this back injury throughout last season, in which he managed only 4 points in 23 games.  It now looks like Clarkson is headed for the Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR).

 

From the CBJ perspective, this could be great news.  Clarkson was acquired in 2015 from Toronto for Nathan Horton.  Horton was diagnosed with a career-ending degenerative back condition.  Horton's contract was not insured, so the team would be solely responsible for the $26.5 million left on it.  Meanwhile, Toronto signed Clarkson to a highly overpaid $5.25 million/year contract that had 5 years remaining on it and wanted to get rid of it.

 

So the Jackets dumped Horton's non-insured contract to Toronto and the Leafs dumped Clarkson overpaid contract to the Jackets.  Toronto then placed Horton on LTIR (and got $5.3 million in valuable cap-space relief) and paid his contract out of their very deep pockets (Toronto is estimated to be the most valuable NHL team).  Meanwhile, the Jackets got an overpaid but productive player for the same money they would've paid a player unable to play anymore.

 

At least that was the CBJ's theory.  It turned out that Clarkson was almost as injured as the player they traded away.  And now it is thought that Clarkson's back injury might be career-ending.  However, the silver lining is that Clarkson's contract is insured.  Meaning that the Jackets can place Clarkson on the LTIR and receive $5.25 million in cap-space relief - while the insurance pays the $21 million left in his contract.

 

Further info on the LTIR and cap-space relief:  https://www.capfriendly.com/ltir-faq

The CBJ begin training camp today.  Going into last season's training camp, the Jackets had reason to believe they were on the cusp of another playoff appearance.  They barely missed the playoffs in the strike-shortened 2013 season.  They reached the playoffs the following 2013-14 season.  And they missed the playoffs in the following 2014-15 season only because of a historically record-high number of injuries.  Some analysts even saw last season's CBJ as a dark horse Stanley Cup team.

 

But 2015-16 season imploded with an 0-7 start and firing of their head coach.  The defense was a major weakness.  Goalie Bobrovsky got off to an awful start, recovered some, and then got injured.  The Jackets struggled to find his replacement until young rookie Korpisalo became a reliable goaltender.  A mid-season blockbuster trade of #1 center Johansen for potential #1 defenseman Seth Jones remade the lineup into the team that will start this 2016-17 season.

 

Below are a couple of 2016-17 season previews for the CBJ:

 

http://lastwordonhockey.com/2016/09/09/puck-drop-preview-2016-17-columbus-blue-jackets/

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/puck-daddys-2016-17-nhl-preview-columbus-blue-jackets-191933419.html

Here's my take on the 2016-17 team.  I see this season's CBJ as better than last season's 27th-best team.  The question is how much better:

 

Offense:  Scoring wasn't the team's problem last season.  The Jackets ranked 19th out of 30 teams in goals scored and they had two 30-goal scorers for the first time with Saad and Jenner.  And the team should be better offensively with the additions of Gagner and possibly Bjorkstrand and Anderson - while removing Boll, Bourque and possibly Clarkson.  If team captain Foligno improves to his career-average, that's another improvement to an area that wasn't weak last season.  What did the CBJ in last season was finishing 29th out of 30 in goals scored against.

 

Defense:  Finishing second-to-last in goals scored against is part on the defense and part on the goaltending.  Defensively, the CBJ vastly improved with the addition of Jones and a completely healthy season from Murray.  With Jones and Murray as the top d-pair, Johnson and Savard can drop to a more appropriate second-pairing.  And if 19-year-old defensive standout Werenski makes the team, that's another improvement.  The d-corps looks pretty solid.

 

Goaltending:  Losing Bobrovsky and not finding a suitable replacement for about a month was the nail in last season's coffin.  But the bright spot was the emergence of Korpisalo as a solid rookie goaltender.  A further bright spot was the emergence of Forsberg during the AHL team's Calder Cup playoff run.  Bobrovsky is currently healthy and playing well for Team Russia in the World Cup tournament.  However, Bob's injury concerns won't go away.  But at least now the team has Korpisalo as a backup plan and Forsberg as an emergency backup - and that's another improvement.

 

So to sum up - the Jackets are likely a better team than last season's disappointing team.  But the question is ... how much better?  If everything goes perfectly during this 2016-17 season, I could see the CBJ as a 7 or 8-seed playoff team.  If this season goes the way most season's go (some injuries, some bad breaks, but not excessive), I could see the CBJ missing the playoffs, but not by too much.  If the CBJ are beset by injuries, bad breaks and plagues of locusts, then I could see the CBJ go right back to where they finished last season.