Starting from scratch. That's what expansion franchises are forced to do, and it's difficult. In the last NHL expansion, Columbus and Minnesota basically had their pick of Misfit Toys to start their franchises as all other teams could "protect" six forwards, a few defensemen, and a goaltender. From there the new clubs would build through the draft.
Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, they "hit" on one big draft pick.- Rick Nash. Oh yeah that's right. He's not even with the team anymore and has been traded away to the New York Rangers. Sure, there were some diamond-in-the-rough picks like third-rounder Steve Mason who went on to win the Calder Trophy. By and large, the Jackets have been abject failures at drafting talent that fit their team and their system.
There have been exactly four playoff games in the team's existence and a total of seven playoff goals. The Scott-Howson experiment at GM is no more as he has been fired from his position, thanks in part to the team's continual decline from the playoffs under his watch. John Davidson, who proved himself in the front office by helping to turn around the St. Louis Blues is now the team's new President of Hockey Operations. Davidson is a proven winner and finally (finally!) gives the Jackets a "hockey mind" rather than a businessman in their front office. This February, one of his old colleagues was hired as the new GM to replace Howson.
Jarmo Kekalainen (sorry, no fancy a's for the Finnish name just yet) has a history with Davidson as he was the Assistant GM and Director of Amateur Scouting for St. Louis under J.D. He also spent time scouting for Ottawa and he has a history of drafting some big-time talent. Kekalainen also becomes the first European GM in the NHL, but I think CBJ fans are more interested in how he can turn the franchise around.
The terms "rebuild" and "reshape" have been thrown around. No. This is a "build" or a "shape." The franchise was not built properly over the first 13 years (Thanks Maclean and Howson) and the team has no identity. This is almost like starting from scratch. There are a few pieces in place, but there are not one or two magical trades that could turn this team around. It will unfortunately take some time.
There is some good news. Howson left the team a parting gift of three first-round picks, two of which were acquired through trades under Howson's watch. With the Jackets headed for the cellar in the standings, their own first-round pick should net them the #1 or #2 overall draft pick. Several scouts have noted that the 2013 draft is extremely deep and the talent pool is rich. The Jackets need to hit on at least two stars, if not more.
The holes in the team are obvious. They have no real top-end scoring talent. They mainly consist of a bunch of third or fourth line guys, perhaps a couple that would play on the second line for other teams. The goaltending is good, but not great. The defense is solid, but not overpowering or dominant. There is a young core of players at the AHL team in Springfield as well as some guys already playing for the Jackets. However, has the overall talent level risen that much in 13 years since the expansion Jackets? Probably not. At least not in relation to teams who have built well through the draft like Pittsburgh (Fleury, Crosby, Malkin), Chicago (Toews, Kane, Seabrook) or Edmonton (Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, Yakupov).
JD and Jarmo are essentially dealing with a glorified, long term expansion team that was never really built (beyond drafting Nash). The team is starting to find an identity as a hard-working, scrappy defensive team. Still, those kinds of teams don't make it very far in the playoffs. With the right hockey minds in place in the front office, the Blue Jackets might finally be built the right way and the playoffs will hopefully follow with regularity. It will just take some time. At least we hope.
