Could Next Year Be Close in Columbus?

We admit it. We don’t really cover the Blue Jackets. Not sure anyone noticed. Frequent commenter and part time blogger Dan Parker called us on it. Ok then Dan, be our guest…

WFNY Readers: are you fans of the Blue Jackets? It’s OK if you’re not… though I would submit that the Jackets are a team you could very easily fall in love with:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wk_wuWmJRs&feature=related[/youtube]

Browns Fan: After their sixth consecutive season at or near the bottom of the standings, the Jackets hired a new GM in 2007, to go with their fourth (fifth if you count the interim coach in 2006) coach since 2000. The new GM inherited a team in disarray, devoid of talent. Sound familiar?

Cavs Fan: The Jackets only have one bona-fide star in left-winger Rick Nash, and are currently trying to build a team around him to loosen up a stagnant offense and thus entice him to sign a contract extension in the summer of 2010, even as writers rush to push him out the door to hockey haven Toronto. Sound familiar?

Tribe Fan: The Jackets are small-market free-agent also-rans, and they have been waiting for years for the young talent in their farm organization to make the jump to the NHL and to contribute to a winning team. Sound familiar?

Buckeye Fan: Err, well, they play their home games in Columbus. I guess 3 out of 4 ain’t bad…

The bottom line: the Blue Jackets are in fact the only team in the entire history of the NHL never to make the playoffs. If this isn’t an Ohio sports fan’s kind of team…

For the fans, the expansion honeymoon is most assuredly over. Gone are the times when a last place team would still routinely sell out every home game. Jacket fans watched their two closest NHL rivals-Detroit and Pittsburgh-play for the Stanley Cup this past season, the latter having risen from the ashes of the NHL’s cellar no more than three seasons ago. The NHL also recently docked the Jackets a slice of revenue-sharing money due to the fact that they are not sufficiently growing their local market.The news is not all bad, however. The team took a few more baby steps forward during the 2006-2007 season: they were tied for a playoff spot at the All-Star break (a team first), saw the emergence of a potential franchise goalie in Pascal LeClaire, and finished the year with a franchise record for points (80), which left them the equivalent of 6 games out of a playoff spot.

But, at the end of the day, the Jackets had to make a splash this off-season. In a league of increasingly fast-moving free agency, they needed to accomplish four goals: to get their fans encouraged and interested again, to fix two giant holes on their team, to take another step toward finally making the playoffs, and to show their franchise player that they are serious about keeping him and building around him. And, through a series of aggressive moves, new GM Scott Howson just might have accomplished all of those lofty tasks in the span of about 3 weeks.

The team’s two biggest weaknesses coming into the off-season: moving the puck out of their defensive end, and creating an offense that can not only provide more scoring chances for Nash but can also ease some of the scoring load from his shoulders. Former GM Doug MacLean had assembled a team of grinders-bigger, physical players with less-than-average speed and puck skills-that couldn’t compete in the post-lockout NHL, which is rife with rule changes that favor speedy players who can handle the puck (think Sidney Crosby). Howson has met the challenge of remaking his roster head-on this offseason.

Problem #1: Moving the Puck. The Jackets have done a good job playing in Coach Ken Hitchcock’s defensive system, which was evident in the improvement of LeClaire. The number of tough scoring chances he faced per game this past season went down dramatically, and he posted the first winning record by a Jackets goaltender in team history while finishing second in the league in shutouts. Still, the Jackets had a problem with moving the puck out of their own defensive end, which in turn caused their transition game and offensive production to suffer.

Solution? Through free agency and a big trade, Howson has brought in two new starting defensemen: FA Mike Commodore, who won a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 and-at 6’5″/225# with a flaming red clown afro-is an imposing defensive figure,and Fedor Tyutin via trade from the New York Rangers, who is known for his skill in moving the puck and in running the offense on the power play. Defenseman Christian Backman also came in the Rangers trade, and he provides depth at the position along with mainstay Rostislav Klesla and up-and-comer Kris Russell.Problem #2: Consistent Offense. It’s been no secret that Rick Nash is languishing trying to carry the entire offense. Other than he and Nikolai Zherdev, no Jackets player scored more than 14 goals (G) this past season. Nash’s scoring numbers have leveled off since ’03-’04 when he tied for the league lead in goals, yet when he plays with better talent on the All-Star team and Team Canada, he shines-he scored three goals in the 2008 All-Star game alone. In addition, the team cut ties with Zherdev, as he was part of the trade with the Rangers to bring in Tyutin and Backman.

Solution? Thanks to trading Adam Foote at last season’s deadline, Howson found himself with two first round picks in this year’s draft. Much like baseball, the NHL draft has few-if any-sure things at the top, but with the #6 pick Howson had a player fall into his lap who some scouts touted as the second-best talent in the draft in Nikita Filatov. The other first-rounder was then dealt to Philadelphia for centerman R.J. Umberger, who played his college hockey at Ohio State and brings good size and 37 assists (A) to Nash’s line.

Immediately after trading Zherdev for needed defensive help, Howson signed free agent winger Kristian Huselius (25G/41A last season) to replace him and play right wing with Nash and Umberger. This should finally give the team a legitimate #1 scoring line. Howson also traded some spare parts for winger Raffi Torres who, while coming off an injury last season, averaged 21G/16A the two years prior. Fredrick Modin is returning from an injury-plagued season (22G, 20A in 2006-07), Michael Peca resigned for one year (26A last season), and journeyman Mike York (averaged 17G/31A over three seasons in his prime in the early ‘00s) was signed to the equivalent of a baseball spring-training-invitation and is motivated: “I’m going into camp to compete for a job,” York said. “I want to prove myself. Let’s be honest, I’m not coming off the greatest year in my career. So this is a great opportunity for me.”

Finally, the club is hoping a small infusion of youth will not only help this season, but will also lay a foundation for continued success in future seasons. 18-year-old phenom Jakub Voracek delighted the team brass by moving to Columbus and putting on 20 pounds of muscle in the off-season, and, after scoring a combined 229 points (68G/161A) in just 139 games of minor league hockey, has a strong chance to make the club. 20-year-old centerman Derick Brassard had a cup of coffee with the big club last season, and averaged 34G/61A in his two full years in the minors. Finally, rookie Filatov is another young star-in-waiting that Howson hopes can make an impact, though the sticky situation of getting him out of his Russian contract and into the US has put his pre-season work on hold.

On the Nash front, some good news: he was named captain of the team in March and, as most hockey players do, has taken the responsibilities of being captain quite seriously. He also spoke highly of the off-season moves: “Being captain it’s my obligation to get this team to the playoffs. I plan on making this team a contender every single year and I think we are putting the right guys together to do that.”

All of this seems to have worked on one important front, as the city’s hockey fan base is buzzing. There was a quite-heated debate in the Columbus Dispatch relative to the coverage the Jackets were receiving in the face of Ohio State Football: if nothing else, a sure sign of fan interest. Will these moves finally translate to success on the ice? Only time will tell. But, as Browns fans can attest, finally having a GM who understands the needs of the team and works aggressively toward addressing them is cause enough for some celebration.