CBJ : Meet Your New Division

It is official - The Columbus Blue Jackets have played their last game in the Western Conference's Central Division (for now, Bettman could send the Jackets back in a few years as his last move as Commissioner), capping off a miserable twelve seasons in what was arguably the most loaded division in the NHL.  Of course, the CBJ put up their first winning record against their division foes this past season, going 9-6-4.  So, we say goodbye and look ahead to our new neighbors and the rivalry potential.

The Jackets never established a truly hated rival.  Columbus was always that little brother that people sometimes paid attention to, mostly because of how bad they were.  Sure, Detroit was pegged as a "rival," but it was no Ohio State-Michigan.  Red Wings fans are...how do I put this...Red Wings fans.  They think because Gordie Howe played for them and they have been around since 1926 that they are inherently better than you as a fanbase and that you know nothing about hockey.  They are kind of like the New York Yankees fans in baseball, except with an old, crappy arena that no one outside Detroit likes.  We'll still see them as they are making the trek East with us, but less frequently as they'll be in the other division.

Chicago struggled much like Columbus did to start the 2000's.  The Blackhawks hit lottery gold, however, and drafted All-Stars like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to build their franchise around.  They won the Cup in 2010, and their arrogance level is just slightly below that of Detroit fans.  The Jackets never seemed to play well against the Blackhawks, including four one-goal losses this past season.  We will not miss Chicago fans invading Nationwide Arena a few times each season.

Goodbye to the St. Louis Blues, and thanks for letting us steal John Davidson from you!  St. Louis was never really a rival.  Looking back, the feeling is kind of "meh."  Nothing too memorable about their fans or the matchups with them either.  They have Hitch and Kris Russell, we got JD and Nikita Nikitin.  Not really going to miss playing St. Louis as they are building into a contender year in and year out and should make some noise in the West for years to come.

Then there's Nashville.  It was tough losing to Nashville so much because they are so similar to the Jackets. They are a small market team with a limited history.  Predators fans think they are so much better than the Blue Jackets because they had TWO (!!) whole extra years of hockey before the CBJ.  Big deal guys.  I am sure the Jackets will not miss traveling to Nashville several times throughout the season, as the Jackets could never seemingly pull out a win there (until Bobrovsky!).  It was always a pain to play the Preds.  Goodbye, you will not be missed.

There it is, our official goodbye to the Central Division.  Good riddance.  We hate you.  So, now the Jackets move from a division stacked with playoff contenders to...a division stacked with playoff contenders <shakes fist at Bettman>.  And the best players in the league.  This new division is part of the new Eastern Conference, but does not have an official name yet from the NHL.  Just "Division D."  Very creative, Mr. Bettman.  I suggest "The Blue Jackets and All of Their Former Players Division."  No?  Ok.  Let's meet our new divisional opponents:

Carolina Hurricanes:
Rivalry Potential: Minimal
Don't get me wrong, future road trips to North Carolina to watch some CBJ hockey sounds awesome. Most people do not realize the Hurricanes have won a Stanley Cup within the last ten years.  That's how much they move the meter...or rather, don't move the meter.  Cam Ward is their franchise goalie, and the rest of the roster appear to be the Staal brothers.  Carolina has had a difficult time winning in Columbus since 2007.  I can see the Hurricanes filling the void of the Blues - a solid franchise, but not really a rival.

New  Jersey Devils:
Rivalry Potential: Low
<Insert Jersey Shore joke here>  Is Martin Brodeur STILL their goalie?  Most think the 40 year old net minder will retire, but he could always pull a Brett Favre.  Their main rivalry is with the Rangers so I doubt adding a Midwest market team will rile up the fans of the Devils.  New Jersey may be at the start of a rebuild, with a lot of veterans on the back ends of their careers.  That is certainly saying something given the fact that they reached the Stanley Cup Finals last season.

New York/Brooklyn Islanders:
Rivalry Potential: Minimal
Remember when the Islanders offered Scott Howson their ENTIRE draft for the #2 pick in the 2012 Draft?  That was almost a blockbuster trade, but Howson, I think rightly, drafted Ryan Murray and told the Islanders, "I don't need your stinking draft picks."  It seems like the Isles have been a franchise in decline for as long as the Blue Jackets have been existence.  Fan support seems to be waning.  There is a glimmer of hope with Michael Grabner and John Tavares leading a young core of players.  They seemingly have a never-ending stock of goalies over 35, so they may be in search of a franchise goaltender in a year or two.  This will, of course, set them back five more years into oblivion.  However, they are currently in the playoffs and the Jackets are not.

New York Rangers:
Rivalry Potential: Very Good
Oh, those New York Rangers.  In case you have been living under a rock for the last twelve months, the Rangers picked up Rick Nash from Columbus in exchange for Arty, Dubi, Tim Erixon, and a first round pick this year.  The Jackets returned a similar favor at the trade deadline, picking up Marian Gaborik for Derek Dorsett, Derrick Brassard, John Moore, and a sixth round pick.  Fedor Tyutin was drafted by the Rangers and played there early in his career.  Vinny Prospal used to be a Ranger.  Anton Stralman was a Blue Jacket once upon a time.  The Rangers have one of the best goalies in the league with Henrik Lundqvist.  The Jackets have Bobrovsky.  These teams will have a lot of familiarity with each other for the next few years.  Should be fun - The New York Blue Jackets v.s. the Columbus Rangers.

Philadelphia Flyers:
Rivalry Potential: Moderate
Another new division foe who the Jackets have done business with recently.  It started with the Jakub Voracek trade for Jeff Carter, which also allowed Philly to draft Sean Couturier with the Jackets first round pick in 2011.  It continued last summer as Scott Howson acquired Sergei Bobrovsky for a second round pick and two fourth rounders.  The Flyers decided Steve Mason was worth Michael Leighton AND a third round draft pick (what are they thinking?).  Philly fans are notoriously tough, and Flyers fans are no different.  They, like the Rangers, expect to be in the playoffs every year and compete for Stanley Cups.  They took a step backwards this year but the Flyers will be a tough matchup going forward.

Pittsburgh Penguins:
Rivalry Potential: What's Hotter Than Being Hot?
Separated by a mere three hours, Columbus and Pittsburgh could be on the verge of a budding new rivalry.  These teams come from similar small markets.  They both play in blue collar states and blue collar cities.  While Pittsburgh was bottoming out and drafting guys like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Jackets were drafting Gilbert Brule and Nikita Filatov.  These two teams could easily be flipped right now if not for a few ping pong ball bounces.  Anyway...every game Pittsburgh has played in Nationwide Arena has been electric.  Penguins fans travel, and their arrogance resembles that of Detroit or Chicago.  Get used to it, they are a top team in the NHL right now, with two of the top three forwards in the game and a Stanley Cup just a few years back.

Washington Capitals:
Rivalry Potential: Modest
We see you, Chimer.  The next five years will not be fun facing Washington, unless they trade away Alex Ovechkin.  They struggled early this year, but managed to win their (weak) division and earn the three seed in the playoffs.  The Capitals do not have a long history with many of the other teams in this new division, so Columbus could fill that void of rival.  There isn't a long history between the two or lots of former teammates on opposing benches, so this potential rivalry might need a spark to get it going.  We'll see, perhaps a few playoff series will do it?

There you have it, your new division.  A lot of familar faces.  The Jackets will face each team either five or six times each year.  All are fairly reasonable road games to attend should you choose to go.  In theory, the NHL will have a name for the division by the start of next year, but who knows with Gary Bettman.

Jackets Finish with a Flurry, Fall One Point Short

They couldn't have their cake and eat it too.

A city had been re-energized and was all in for a playoff run.  Lord Stanley's Cup was calling.  This was it, a team of destiny.  They were the best story in the NHL for much of the last two months.  But roughly 45 minutes after 19,002 fans stood, screaming, for the final home game in Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets season came to an abrupt end.

There are two ways to look at this fairy-tale, whirlwind of a season in Columbus.  Looking back at the "what ifs" and shaking your head in disgust at the war room in Toronto, the owners, the NHLPA, etc.  Or embracing the journey this team took the city on over the last 60 days, going from worst team in the NHL to tied for that 8th and final playoff spot, only to fall short because of some stupid tiebreaker.

We'll pull the band-aid off quickly and live as unhealthy fans, wondering might have been.  What if there was no lockout?  What if this team had more than a week of a training camp?  What if the owners and Players Association had reached an agreement two weeks earlier, resulting in a 52-game season instead of the 48 we were treated to?  What if Todd Richards had gone with Sergei "NUMBER ONE COP ON THE FORCE" Bobrovsky as the full-time goalie just two games sooner?  What if the NHL war room, which reviews all goals, had ruled in Columbus' favor, just once?  Seriously, Matt Calvert is apparently an NFL kicker with his kicking goals.  And I guess the shootout rules of constant forward motion don't apply to Vancouver.  What if the CBJ had won in regulation at Minnesota a couple weeks ago, which would have kept the Wild from earning a valuable point?  What if Cam Atkinson had scored (legitimately) on his shootout attempt in the home opener, resulting in a win rather than a loss?

It's tough to stomach.  The LA Kings, the defending Stanley Cup Champions in part to Columbus trading them Jeff Carter last year for Jack Johnson and a 1st round pick, provided no help this season to the Jackets.  The Kings played Minnesota and Detroit in the final week of the season, losing to both by wide margins.  The Kings were the only team to beat the CBJ over the last nine games, in regulation no less.  It was the 5th game in seven days for the Jackets, over four time zones and all but one against playoff teams, the last four of which all came on the road.  How many other teams had that tough of a seven day stretch?  The Jackets went 4-1, that last loss coming by one goal in the Staples Center.  The Jackets played 11 back-to-back games.  22 of 48 games were sandwiched back-to-back.  Detroit played 8 back-to-backs.  One point.  They were one point away.

As you would expect, everyone in the organization is saying the same thing - It was a really nice run, but they weren't good enough.  The 5-12-4 hole was just too big to overcome.  The shortened season came back to haunt them.  They simply ran out of games.

Now, there are a lot of positives to build on.  This team re-captured the hearts of a city, a city just waiting to explode for a contender.  After two lockouts, no playoff wins in franchise history, and without a franchise player (the only one in history, Rick Nash, was traded last summer), Columbus rallied around this group over the last eight weeks.  NWA (what up Compton ... kidding, NWA = Nationwide Arena) was sold out for the season finale against Nashville with a raucous, playoff-type atmosphere that reminded everyone this can, in fact, be a "hockey town."  It truly is a sports town, but that is a different discussion for another day.  New GM Jarmo Kekalainen said the atmosphere gave him "goosebumps."  The players know they can have one of the best arenas in the league if they are simply playoff contenders.

It's tough that this group of players, coaches, etc. exactly as it is assembled won't be together again.  Sure, the core will be there, but make no mistake, changes will be made.  New additions Brandon Dubinsky and Jack Johnson have brought about a culture change, and a winning expectation to the franchise.  Jarmo, JD, and all the players said over the weekend that this season wasn't enough.  The goal is to win a Stanley Cup, not to merely make a decent run and fall short.  Head coach Todd Richards was able to bring in his own assistants, and since taking over midway through last season, the CBJ are 42-38-9 under Richards.

Here's what you need to know for the off-season:

1) The Blue Jackets have three first round picks.  Their own pick is 14.  They also own the picks of the LA Kings and New York Rangers, which should fall somewhere between 18 and 24.  A package deal is likely, as Jarmo has said he would like to draft players in the first round that can be immediate impact players, or trade those picks to move up, or perhaps for an already established player.

2) The 2013-2014 Salary Cap will drop, fairly significantly to $64.3 million.  The Jackets currently have $46.8 million already in cap payroll for next season.  They are projected at the moment to have $19.4 million in cap space to work with.

3) Point 2 above is huge for teams at or near the salary cap.  Surely, there will be some decent players who will have to be cut or moved so teams can be compliant with the cap, which may open up some free agents for the Jackets to sign.

4) Free agents.  Matt Calvert, Mark Letestu, and Cam Atkinson all signed relatively-modest two-year extensions with the team over the past month.  The unrestricted free agents are Vinny Prospal, Blake Comeau-ver, Nic Drazenovic (who played mostly at AHL Springfield), Adrian Aucoin, and never-used backup goalie Michael Leighton.  The restricted free agents are Artem Anisimov, Colton Gillies, and Sergei Bobrovsky.  I think it goes without saying that Bob and Arty are the two "must-haves" have the free agent group.  From there, next in line would likely be Prospal, though he will turn 39 during next season and may opt for retirement.  Comeau and Gillies are both decent 3rd and 4th line players, but it remains to be seen if management views them as part of the core or as expendable players.

Top moments from the shortened season:

1) Vinny's Point.  Late in the third period of a 3-0 beat down of Detroit at NWA, Prospal emerged from a scrum in the last minute and as he was being ushered by the referees to the locker room, he brought the attention of some of the Red Wings on the ice to the score.  Just a simple point up to the 3-0 score on the jumbotron.  You're our favorite troller of the year, Vinny.

2) Season Finale.  19,002.  Standing room only.  Playoffs on the line.  What more needs to be said?  There was a playoff hockey atmosphere for the first time in four years in Columbus, and it ended all too quickly, but that Saturday night put an exclamation point on the season.

3) The late season 6-game road trip.  It's too difficult to select just one game.  The shootout win in Minnesota with Bob standing on his head? The OT winner in Colorado? The OT winner in Anaheim? The late goal by Johansen to hand the Sharks just their second regulation loss at home all season?  That road showed the true heart and grit of this team.

4) The OT win at home against Anaheim, that momentarily propelled them into 8th place for the first time all year.  This really was when playoff fever took hold in the 614.


We will have more coverage for you throughout the off-season, but until next time, just remember Gary Bettman is evil and we hate the LA Kings.

Jackets Still Are In the Playoff Race With Two Weeks Left

The Columbus Blue Jackets have played 42 of their 48 games in the shortened 2013 regular season.

In the first 21 games the team went 5-12-4.  In the previous 21 games the Jackets have a record of 14-4-3.  Columbus also has a record of 4-2 after acquiring Marian Gaborik, a skilled right winger at the trade deadline.  The obvious answer to the teams second-half success is goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.  It's really that simple.

The Jackets' playoff odds don't look too hot with their next five games coming on the road.  The good news is the team's six-game road trip started on the right foot with a 3-2 shootout victory Saturday night at Minnesota.

Points are at a premium right now and as good as the Jackets have played lately, they'll have to play even better to earn a spot in the 2013 NHL Playoffs.    

The Blue Jackets next game is Monday night as they travel to Denver, Colorado to face the Avalanche at 9:00 PM ET and look to improve on their current three-game winning streak.  The team is currently two points out of eighth place in the Western Conference.  

Breaking Down the Columbus Blue Jackets Playoff Odds

The Columbus Blue Jackets have 12 games remaining in the shortened 2013 hockey season.  They are currently in a heated playoff race and are a point out of eighth place.

Before looking at what lies ahead, let's slow down and see how the Jackets got themselves to their current 15-14-7 record.

The Jackets went 2-5-1 in the month of January.  This wasn't too surprising considering Columbus basically cleaned house in the offseason and had a team that hadn't built much chemistry coming into the season.

Columbus went 3-7-2 in the month of February.  Oddly, Jackets fans still felt positive, as the team was competitive all month and never lost a game by more than two goals.

The Jackets turned things around in the month of March. Last month the team went 10-2-4 due to the outstanding play of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

Once again, it may sound like a broken record, but Bobrovsky has single-handedly put the Jackets on the radar in the NHL and turned the team into a playoff contender.

Now to the 12 games remaining.  Eight of the remaining games will be on the road, leaving four more home games at nationwide the rest of the season.

Columbus has a home record of 11-4-5 and a road record of 4-10-2 on the season to this point.    

The odds clearly are against Columbus, a young team that has thrived off home-ice advantage.

Head coach Todd Richards will have hands full in the month of April, as the Jackets must play with high expectations from fans for the first time in a while.

March may have come to an end, but if Columbus makes it the playoffs there's no doubt they will be considered the 2013 cinderella of the NHL.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will play their first two games of April this Thursday and Friday with road games against the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues.
 
Bobrovski was a star in March.  There's just one question I have for "Bob" this month.  "Can I get an encore?".