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.