Can goaltender Steve Mason return to his Calder-winning form of 2008-09 and justify his recent two-year $5.8 million extension? Can Derick Brassard establish himself as a top six center and the playmaker with an eye for the net that put up 25 points in just 31 games two seasons ago? Is Russian winger Nikita Filatov willing to play a two-way game and earn a spot in the top six? Is Ethan Moreau the only addition this team needs to catapult its way up the standings and into playoff contention?

But perhaps the most pressing question has to do with the players’ transition to new head coach Scott Arniel’s up-tempo style, especially on defense.

Much has been said when it comes to the Blue Jackets’ blue line. With the exception of Kris Russell, let’s just say they’re not the most, uh, dynamic bunch.

In fairness, the group was not built to be dynamic. Former head coach Ken Hitchcock’s system emphasized defensive responsibility first and foremost. His trap didn’t leave much room for defenders to step up in the play or join the rush.

It should be noted that in the Blue Jackets’ lone playoff season, this group of defensemen (for the most part) excelled at Hitch’s system and found success.

Last season? Not so much.

So out with the old, in with the new. Enter Arniel and his coaching staff of Brad Berry, Bob Boughner and Dan Hinote. Enter a new up-tempo, puck-possession style that Hinote likens to Detroit, San Jose and Chicago.

“It’s not an easy thing to do, as a d-man, to play our style and to step up and to be in the face of an opponent, especially when you’re used to a trap system for so long,” Hinote said. “In our system, we’re going to them.”

Arniel wants his defenders to hound forwards in the defensive zone, to “do what they’re supposed to do” and step up and close the gap. It is a stark contrast from the Hitchcock era. He also wants the defense to be more of a part of the attack, something that rarely occurred in seasons past.

Russell made gigantic strides in that department last season. The generously listed 5-foot-10 defender finally realized that when he is on the ice, he is usually the best skater out there. As the season progressed his confidence grew exponentially. It almost became commonplace to see him scoop the puck up in his zone and skate it all the way to the opposition’s hash marks.

As for the rest of the crew? Crickets.

Arniel and his staff aren’t going to turn Mike Commodore into Paul Coffey. Fans won’t be confusing Jan Hejda with Scott Niedermayer. Fedor Tyutin isn’t going to… well you get my point.

But, that’s not what Arniel and co. are trying to do either.

“We’re not asking them to lead the rush, we’re asking them to be in the rush,” Hinote said. “By that we mean, ‘be that be that outlet — that fourth outlet — a little bit behind the play in that lane that opens up when people over back-check.’

“If you time it right, and you’re in the right position, you don’t need to be fast to be in the play.”

And while it will assuredly take time, Hinote said that all the defenders are transitioning well so far, although the corps took a big hit when Russell went down with a knee injury on Sunday. He is expected to miss 2-4 weeks.

Russell’s loss has led to rampant speculation over potential moves Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson might make to bolster a rather one-dimensional back end. Disgruntled Edmonton defenseman Sheldon Souray, a player the Blue Jackets have been linked with much of the summer, is the name that has come up most recently.

Souray, who owns one of the heaviest shots in the league (and holds an unofficial record), has been barred from participating in Oilers training camp as they attempt to move the 12-year NHL veteran. Souray is coming off an injury-plagued season (his career has been littered with them), but appears to be keeping fit despite his omission from camp.

If he were acquired, he would immediately improve what for the better part of a decade has been an abysmal Blue Jackets power play. He would also be playing with the proverbial chip on his shoulder.

“I’m healthy, prepared, focused,” Souray told The Edmonton Journal. “Whoever gets me is going to be happy, and they’re going to get a pretty motivated Sheldon Souray.”

But trade or not, Arniel wants his blue line prepared to make up for Russell’s absence.

“Obviously he’s a special kind of player that a lot of teams don’t have,” Hinote said. “The hope is that with our system…you’ll replace that fleet-footed defenseman with a smart d-man that can just get up in the play at the right time.”

Through two exhibition games so far, the jury is still out on whether that can be done with this current batch of defensemen

In recent games, Columbus had shown a disturbing trend of being unable to control leads and shut down games in the third period. The absence of defensive stalwart Jan Hejda , combined with the need for injured Mike Commodore to get back into game shape, had disrupted the rhythm of the play in their own zone, resulting in tentative play, turnovers, and a plethora of wide open opportunities for opponent’s snipers. The club overall was going through a crisis of confidence that led Hitchcock to note that this team of youngsters was still “learning how to win.”

Against Pittsburgh, the Blue Jackets had a solid 3 -1 lead, but stopped playing the aggressive style they had displayed during the first two stanzas, allowing Pittsburgh to dictate the play. Turnovers in their own zone and the neutral zone resulted in two Penguin goals in the last three minutes, sending the game to OT and the SO, where Nash and Vermette missed the net, while Crosby’s shot appeared to be stopped by Mason, but just trickled over the line for the difference maker. Johnson grabbed the tying effort of the stick of Huselius, and the Penguins walked off with the two points.

Facing Pittsburgh, Washington and San Jose in consecutive games is not normally a recipe for success when trying to work your way out of a crisis. Still, Columbus managed a point against the defending Stanley Cup champions, and could look back to last season for support, when Mason posted home and road 3 -0 shutouts of the Capitals. Mason had also been victimized by the recent tentative approach in the defensive zone, and had displayed little of the high-in-the-crease bravado that helped him earn the Calder Trophy last year.

Both teams came out strong, putting a combined 25 shots on net in the first, with both a rejuvenated Jose Theodore and Steve Mason putting on goaltending clinics. The lone tally of the period came when Backstrom and Fleishmann executed a nifty give and go, leaving Backstrom all alone in front of Mason for an easy goal.
The second period belonged to the Blue Jackets, although was perhaps even more notable for the absence of Alexander Ovechkin, who disappeared from the Washington bench after a single second period shift, and did not return. Unconfirmed reports specify a shoulder injury, with his status being day-to-day. Steve Mason turned away eleven shots, and captain Rick Nash brought the game even on a highlight reel move from the left wing around a helpless Mike Green. With just 59 seconds left in the period, and the Jackets on the power play, Nash came down the right wing, fired the puck wide of the net. A crazy carom of the backboard put the puck back in the crease, where a grateful R.J. Umberger was waiting to deposit it into a wide open net. Columbus withstood a Capitals flurry, and entered the third period with a 2 -1 lead.

Given recent events, the casual observer would have assumed that Columbus would have done anything to avoid a third period letdown. However, intentions and actions do not always coincide, particularly when you have a young team facing one of the most dangerous offenses in the league. Early in the third, Columbus eased off of the offensive pressure, and fell back into their zone too quickly. Gaps between defender and forward were cautiously wide, and Washington was able to perpetuate possession in the zone for long periods of time.

Inevitably, the Blue Jackets’ scrambling led to a penalty, and Brooks Laich parked a rebound without interference from the defense to tie the score. Less than two minutes later, Laich took advantage of the Blue Jackets’ inability to clear the zone, and slammed a wide open wrister from the slot past a fully screened Mason.
As the period progressed, to non-believers it appeared that the result was ordained, and that another Blue Jackets lead had gone by the wayside. This team, on this night, was not going to go gently, however. With 6:26 remaining, Raffi Torres cashed in on a wraparound to tie the score and bring life to the bench. However, less than two minutes later, Torres turned the puck over in the neutral zone and Washington capitalized (pun intended) – with Quintin Laing knocking home a loose puck in front of the cage past a helpless Mason. Again, to the uninitiated, hope seemed to disappear.

With just 2:24 left in the game, Mike Knuble, who had re-ignited the quiet Washington crowd with a one-pan penalty kill early in the period, committed a slashing penalty on the Jackets’ Derick Brassard. Brassard left cradling an obviously injured right hand, seemingly adding insult to injury. The Jackets kept the pressure on, pulling the goaltender and returning Brassard to the ice. Fittingly, just as the penalty expired, Brassard lasered a cross-ice pass to Raffi Torres at the left post, who notched the tying goal to substantial celebration by all concerned.

With the momentum having shifted yet again, Columbus took control of the overtime, and forced Brian Pothier to take an ill-advised interference penalty at the 1:33 mark. With the 4 vs. 3 advantage, the Blue Jackets took only 12 seconds to convert, with Rick Nash finding R.J. Umberger on the doorstep for his second power-play goal of the evening, and the game winner.

This was an unlikely, cathartic victory for the Blue Jackets. Despite again failing to hold a third period lead, they found a way to win and made crucial plays when they were desperately needed. Despite surrendering four goals, Mason looked very sharp, and with Hejda scheduled to return in their next game against San Jose, the ship appears to have been righted. While the youth of the roster will provide more roller coaster rides as the season progresses, they have learned some valuable lessons over the recent stretch. Hitchcock hopes those are lessons that will not need to be re-learned.

In losses to Calgary and Edmonton this week, the Blue Jackets surrendered as many goals (12) as they had in their prior 6 games combined.  While goaltending has not been up to its normal lofty standards, to blame these two defeats on the netminders would be shortsighted.  Instead, the Jackets have simply lost sight of some of the fundamentals that served them so well in their first half dozen games:

• Turnovers – both the Los Angeles and Edmonton games were filled with sloppy turnovers in the Jackets’ own zone.  This created mismatches and quick scoring opportunities that the opponents quickly cashed in.  In the first six games, Columbus was the epitome of consistency in trapping the puck and making quick, decisive exit passes.  The last two games have featured more indecision and ragged clearing efforts.
• Penalties – the end of the second period in Edmonton was a perfect illustration of how unnecessary penalties can kill momentum and breathe life back into a team that is on the ropes.  Holding a 4 -2 lead, and frankly dominating play, the Jackets took three penalties in under 5 minutes, including a particularly bewildering mugging administered by defenseman Marc Methot, which directly led to a Hemsky tally on the ensuing power play, and a one goal game.  Nobody can maintain a 96% penalty kill average for extended periods, and the bubble burst last night.  The club reverted to their old, non-aggressive style of penalty killing, and they paid for it.
• Spectating – on numerous occasions in the past two games, opposing forwards have been able to gain significant time and space, unchallenged by Jackets defensemen or forwards.  In Calgary, Dion Phaneuf’s coast to coast effort featured a lackluster skating effort by forward Derek Dorsett, and inexplicable inaction by the rest of the defense as Phaneuf entered the zone, and fired a laser past Mason.  Numerous variations on this theme arose in both losses, with particularly disappointing efforts by Klesla and Methot.  While the absence of Commodore and Hejda is significant, the Jackets were able to craft a solid victory over L.A. without them.  But the attention to detail and the pressure in all three zones that was evident then has been lacking in the past two contests.
• Awareness – It is sometimes tempting to treat then skaters and the goalies as separate, unconnected entities, but they are very much related.  When a team is backstopped by a solid goaltender, they play more confidently, are able to be more aggressive, and generate more opportunities.  Similarly, when a goalie has a well-functioning defense in front of him, he is better able to anticipate the flow of the play, which in turn makes him more effective.  There has been a disconnect the last two games, and the consequences have been garish.  Both Mason and Garon have been caught anticipating clears, and appeared to be caught napping when the normally reliable defense has failed.  Similarly, the defense has seemed unprepared to deal with unanticipated rebounds in their own zone, giving the opposition multiple opportunities.

Despite these two setbacks, all is not gloom and doom.  Commodore is expected to return against Anaheim, and the play of Kris Russell, Anton Stralman and Mathieu Roy has been encouraging, providing coach and GM with more long term flexibility.  The offense has started to blossom, with Kristian Huselius shaking off an awful effort against Calgary to net two goals at Edmonton.  Derick Brassard is showing signs of life, with Raffi Torres and Jason Chimera making huge contributions.  The power play, which resided in the league basement all year last season, has been more than credible, currently sitting ninth in the NHL at 25%.  Despite surrendering three goals against Edmonton, the penalty kill still sits third in the league at 88.9%.

The recent travails are the unfortunate side-effect of having a startlingly young roster.  There is nothing wrong with the Jackets that can’t be cured by some pointed examples from Hitchcock and a lively practice session or two.  Thanks to their fast start, these two setbacks are disappointing, but hardly lethal.  Look for a return to form as the Jackets play their first back-to-back games in Anaheim and Los Angeles over the weekend.  Hitchcock will make sure that the club devotes its full attention to delivering 60 minutes of hard-nosed hockey.

Early season schedules can play fits with team cohesion and sharpness. Columbus had last played on Tuesday, and the rust showed early. Despite putting constant pressure on the Kings defenders, Columbus failed to cash in on any of the opportunities. Halfway through the period, Los Angeles took the lead with what proved to be their only goal of the evening, when Dustin Brown deposited a seeing-eye shot in the net on what goalie Steve Mason conceded was “a bad goal.” The Kings were otherwise shut down for most of the first, and the Blue Jackets finally converted with just 47 seconds left in the period, when winger Jason Chimera sprinted down the left wing. With Rick Nash barreling down the middle, Chimera fired a laser from the left dot that found the net up high, squaring the score at the break.

This was game five of a six game road trip for Los Angeles, and the third in four nights. The demanding schedule, combined with an aggressive forecheck from the Blue Jackets, took its toll as the second period progressed. With three minutes left in the frame, a resurgent Raffi Torres parked a rebound over a pile of amassed bodies in front of the net for a power play goal. Torres now has three goals on the young season, and is clearly happy to be healthy and playing an important role for the club. Afterwards, he acknowledged having “a newfound passion for the game”, and it showed in all three zones.

The third period belonged to Columbus thanks to goalie Steve Mason and Nash. Mason stepped up and made some key saves after some sloppy turnovers, and Nash converted another Jackets penalty kill into a shorthanded highlight-reel goal. All that was left was an empty-netter from Jakub Voracek, and the 15,251 in attendance were sent home happy. Columbus moved to 5 -1, with a perfect home record, and showed once again it can win, even without its “A” game.

The young defensemen played a big role in this victory. Mathieu Roy, assuming a starting role since the Hejda injury, was solid defensively, and confident with the puck. Kris Russell, celebrating the signing of a three year, $3.9 million contract extension, handled the puck deftly and showed some renewed confidence. Mark Methot, called upon to take over many of Hejda’s minutes, showed greatly improved anticipation and defensive presence. Recently acquired Anton Stralman continued his solid play, surprising many with his skills on both ends of the ice. Hitchcock observed that Stralman“ . . . just does not make mistakes with the puck . . . He does a lot of the little things that the guys on the bench notice.” High praise from a coach notoriously demanding of defensive effort.

For his part, Hitchcock remains unsatisfied with the production of his top two lines. Although he conceded that Nash is an exception, he obviously is looking for more finishing ability from the likes of Brassard, Umberger, Huselius, Vermette and Voracek. He expressed pleasure with the play of his blue liners, the goaltending tandem of Mason and Garon, and the penalty kill, which leads the league in effectiveness, having dispatched 23 out of 24 penalties.

As they embark on their second western road trip of the new season (another gift from the schedule makers), the Blue Jackets are quietly confident. Captain Rick Nash noted that the team has seen too much adversity in the past to be complacent now. “We need to stay level-headed and take things as they come”.

While Columbus is correctly avoiding over-confidence, there is clearly a justified measure of satisfaction with their accomplishments thus far. With significant injuries on the blue line, an offense that is yet to hit its stride and a young Nikita Filatov learning the intricacies of “Hitchcock Hockey”, there is a significant upside to the team’s performance potential, which should prove daunting to prospective opponents.

Even the normally reticent Hitchcock could not resist a measure of optimism. Calling to mind the 2 – 1 win over Calgary last Tuesday, the coach drew some thinly veiled comparisons to the clubs he coached in Dallas, including his Cup winning squad: “When I see games like Calgary . . .I’ve seen that movie before – a lot — in a former life. It’s a good feeling, because you know you can control the game forever like that. If you can get into that mindset and play that way–and we are showing flashes of being able to do that — then you can win a lot of hockey games for a long period of time.”
Now that is music to the ears of Blue Jackets fans everywhere.

So much for omens.  Columbus came out strong, shrugged off a first period Vancouver goal, and drove Luongo to the showers with a three goal flurry, in 3:44 of the second period, ultimately posting a 5 – 3 victory.  The Blue Jackets thus reach the 2 -0 mark for the first time in club history, while Vancouver falls to 0 – 3 for the first time since 2001.

Despite tallying five goals, the Blue Jackets owe this victory to Steve Mason, who stopped 40 of 43 shots, including some truly amazing glove hand stops of point blank opportunities.  In contrast, Columbus was the model of efficiency – tallying five goals in just 24 shots, including goals on three consecutive shots in that second period flurry.

This one began as a “heavy” game, as Ken Hitchcock would say, with tons of hitting on both sides, in all parts of the ice.  Midway through the first, Jackets’ enforcer Jared Boll absorbed a brutal check into the boards from Darcy Hordichuk, catching his chin on the ledge of the boards, and was out for the count.  He did not return.  Columbus displayed a lot of patience in the offensive zone, and was not permitting the Canucks any extended time in their own zone.  Still, Vancouver scored first, with Henrik Sedin parking a rebound of a Bieksa shot on a diving sweep, after defender Fedor Tyutin got caught in No-Man’s Land.   Undaunted, the Jackets evened the score with just 42 seconds left, on a pretty tic-tac-toe play between defender Mathieu Roy, Rick Nash and Antoine Vermette.  Nash ultimately put a laser on  Vermette’s stick in the crease, and he bumped it into a wide open net.

The Columbus transition game was on full display in the second.  Just 2:09 into the period, Huselius took a drop pass on the right wing from Nash, who drove to the net. Huselius floated into the top of the circle, looked off to Nash, then fired the puck into the far upper corner for a 2 – 1 lead.  At the 5:29 mark, Huselius left the puck for Rostislav Klesla, who took advantage of traffic in front and beat Luongo high for his second goal in as many games.  Just 22 seconds later, rookie phenom Nikita Filatov one-timed a feed from Vermette through the five hole, giving Columbus a three goal lead, and Luongo and early shower.

At this point, the gas went out of the Blue Jackets engine.  Their legs got heavy, they abandoned the patience they had shown early, and became sloppy with the puck.  Enter Mason, who allowed two lasers from the point, one by Ehrhoff and one by Mitchell, neither of which Mason saw.  Nothing else got past him, as he maintained an aggressive position high in the crease, and showed the glove work that was evident last year before the bout with mononucleosis.  Fedor Tyutin was credited with a closing power play goal (though it appeared to carom off of Raffi Torres in the crease) played  an extremely  strong games on the blue line, as did Mathieu Roy. The checking line of Pahlsson, Chimera and Umberger was good at both ends, with Umberger drawing a couple of key penalties, including the last one, which provided the gap that enabled Blue Jacket fans to catch their breath.

While Hitchcock was not pleased with the letdown in the second half of the game, which allowed Vancouver to ring up the prodigious shot total, he has to be quietly thrilled with the skill and chemistry shown across three lines.  Nash had three assists.  Vermette, Klesla and Huselius all had a goal and an assist, and the team as a whole showed the ability to play in a heavy game on the road and come out on top.  Being able to do it while giving some youngsters some playing time is a bonus.

For Vancouver, the fan base is in full panic mode.  While Luongo has historically been a slow starter, he has not had a streak like this in recent memory.  While a true goalie controversy is a long way off, some of the more radical fan elements are likely to call for Raycroft to start, though he looked anything but solid.  The blue line is proving suspect for the Canucks as well, so some shakeups may be forthcoming.  However, Vancouver always seems to find a way to end up at or near the top, and this year will likely be no different.

For Columbus, they move onto San Jose, where they will play on Thursday for the Sharks’ home opener, then to Phoenix for a Saturday game that also serves as the home debut for the Coyotes.  Newly acquired defenseman Anton Stralman will make his debut in San Jose, and should add further offensive support and power play leadership.  Boll has “some kind of concussion”, according to Hitchcock, and may not even be cleared to fly with the team to San Jose.  Hitchcock vows that newly-acquired backup netminder Mathieu Garon will get a start on this trip.

This contest had a little bit of everything – heavy hitting, dynamic transition game, amazing goaltending, and some real offensive talent.  Hitchcock’s challenge will be to keep his young club on a short leash, as he does not want them to abandon his “defense first” system in favor of a wild back and forth track meet.  All things considered, however, this is a problem he likely loves to have.

The Union Blue opened up the 2009-2010 season with a 2-1 victory over their expansion kin the Minnesota Wild in front of a sellout crowd at Nationwide Arena. RJ Umberger opened up the scoring in the second with a beautiful shorthanded goal and Steve Mason turned away 32 of 33 Wild shots en route to the win. Minnesota’s lone goal came on a third period power play, with rookie Nikita Filatov in the box of shame for tripping. Andrew Brunette took advantage of some poor defensive zone coverage and beat Mason to tie the game up less than five minutes into the third. But, a resilient Jackets side, which peppered Backstrom with 39 shots on the evening, refused to quit. No “same ole’ Jackets” this year.

Mike Commodore sat the game out with a slight groin pull, but emergency call-up Mathieu Roy filled in admirably in the Jackets win. He made his presence know with a couple of big hits while paired up with Kris Russell. The “new and improved” CBJ power play was another story. The PP was 0-2 on the night including a futile effort on a four-minute chance late in the second. Here’s hoping the power play gets a jolt with newly-acquired defenseman Anton Stralman set to debut in Monday evening’s clash with the Canucks.

The line of Kristian Huselius, Derek Brassard and Rick Nash was held scoreless, a feet few were able to claim during the preseason. However, some timely contributions from the rest of the cast and a terrific performance from the reigning Calder Trophy winner in goal resulted in the “W” to start the season. Nikita Filatov had a couple solid chances early in the evening, including quasi-breakaway in the first but may have landed himself in coach Ken Hitchcock’s doghouse with his third period penalty. The Russian phenom did not see the ice for the rest of the game and Raffi Torres took his spot with Antione Vermette and Jakub Voracek.

It was Voracek who set up the game-winner with a gorgeous pass from the corner, through a crowded slot, onto the stick of his Klesla, who came streaking in from the weak side. Torres made it impossible for Backstrom to see the heavy slapper and his blind attempt at gloving it was in vein. Voracek may look like a chill Cali Surfer, with his long golden locks flowing from beneath the helmet, but he played like a beast on the boards., He may have looked a little awkward skating at times, but that’s what adding close to 15 pounds of muscle over the summer can do. When he gets fully acclimated, watch out NHL because this kid can play.

Lost in all the stories of the win, was the stellar performance from Mason. Perhaps it’s just become such a common occurrence to see Mason turn away 30 plus shots in a night the CBJ brass have come to expect it. His performance in the final minutes of the game, with the Jackets down one man and facing six Minnesota skaters, was outstanding. A couple more performances like that and any question of a sophomore slump will be quashed.

The Jackets have little time to celebrate because its straight to the road with games against Vancouver, San Jose and Phoenix, before returning to the Capital. The Jackets match up Monday night with the Roberto Luongo and the Canucks.

bartftc@gmail.com

Twitter: BartFTC

Just another sign that the CBJ are finally creeping their way into acknowledgment as a full fledged contender in the NHL. We started to see some evidence of this last season, as they refused to fade from playoff contention. A few calls started going our way. NHL Network had some nice things to say. XM radio had more Jackets commentary. Mason got national attention. At the end of the season, believe it or not, we actually won a few replays in Toronto!!!

All of this is a positive for the organization and the fan base, as Hitch, Howson and the players have worked really hard to provide an identity for the team, put an exciting product on the ice, and acheive some success. For Hitch, who has frequently been accused of sucking the excitement of the game with his defensive approach, it must be a nice sort of vindication when exciting young players like Nash, Brassard, Umberger, Filatov, Huselius, Voracek etc. can shine in his system. Having a Hitch-coached team with a flamboyant Mike Commodore as one of the defensive anchors is another plus that Hitch likely smiles about when nobody is looking.

Good stuff. Can you feel that chill in the air in the morning?? It’s getting closer, folks!

Now that we are clear on that, I, being a writer on the Blue Jackets and also getting credentials from the team, I feel that it is my duty from time to time to help the Blue Jackets out with some information and education that due to the relationship with their customers they are not always able to deliver in a clear fashion.

So here it goes! The player selected on Friday in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft will not play for the Columbus Blue Jackets next year! There, I said it.

Oh, so some of you think you are pretty smart and already knew this! Then why do I see over and over that the Blue Jackets biggest need is to pick a power play specialist to cure the team’s 30th ranked power play? If the CBJ select a defenseman in the first round, it will be at least 2 years before he will be a contributing factor for the big club. Anybody want to wait that long on the team’s power play?

That is another reason that the rumor of Kris Russell for Alex Auld is completely ridiculous! How bad would the Blue Jackets want their already pathetic power play to get? When you have Mike Commodore on the power play, that should let you know how thin you are when it comes to having a blue line offensive presence.

Am I completely against the Blue Jackets taking a defenseman with offensive skills? Heavens no, but this Service Announcement is to let you know that it won’t cure the ills of the present on the big club.

What my preference and based off of what Scott Howson has said, the Jackets want a center. They have Derick Brassard and Antoine Vermette for the next year. Nikita Filatov is a great prospect and he was drafted as a center but everyone has seen that he is best suited as a winger where he can be less restricted on defensive duties and let his offensive skill shine. The Union Blue don’t even have a warm body in Syracuse to bring up or is just seasoning. The top rated center in the organization, based off of Hockey Futures, is Sean Collins who just finished his freshman year at Cornell! Then there is no one and I mean no one. Kirill Starkov who was another has bolted for the KHL and thus the cupboard is bare.

What I am trying to educate Blue Jacket fans are, when it comes to the draft, don’t look at the Blue Jackets; instead look at Syracuse to find where the needs are for the organization.

The Blue Jackets still have some hope for Andrei Plekhanov who has offensive skill and also possesses a right handed shot that the Blue Jackets are in short supply of on the power play. Also,Cody Goloubef just finished his sophomore year at Wisconsin. Will the Jackets tap him on the shoulder and suggest that he come play for pay? Goloubef is the Jackets top defensive prospect and is offensive also and he too has a right handed shot. As you can see, the cupboard is not bare when it comes to defense. Could it use more prospects, what team couldn’t?

Columbus NHLTweetup Specifics

I am reallly getting fired up for the NHL Draft and the Columbus NHLTweetup. Based off of the Twitter traffic and other things, I can tell you guys and gals are too! I also know that you have some questions about the NHLTweetup and now I hope to clear some of them up.

1. How do I get to the Columbus NHLTweetup – Come to Nationwide Arena like the normal draft party that is being put on by the Blue Jackets. Then look for tables that will have reserved signs on them. I am going to try to get more specifics on where the tables are exactly and let you know on that as soon as I know. I don’t think it will be hard.

2. Will there be WiFi at the NHLTweetup – Come on! Do you think I would let you guys tweet during the draft? Thanks again to the Blue Jackets staff, we will have Wifi. I even have the user name and passwords already!

Username: DraftParty
Password: nhldraft

3. What time does it start? – 5pm on Friday is when the NHLTweetup will start. The NHL Draft won’t start until 7pm. That’s why if you can’t or don’t want to get there right at 5pm to get a good seat, getting your seat reserved for the NHLTweetup is the only way to go.

4. What will be going on during the party? – The best part is that there will be a collection of knowledgeable and passionate Blue Jacket fans all sitting together to talk, debate and brag a little when they guess a pick right. I will also have some contests that I will give out some prizes that I got from the great people at Crimson Cup and 97.1 The Fan. Also, people will be invited to watch live television coverage of the NHL Draft on VERSUS while George Matthews and Bill Davidge, alongside Sports Radio 97.1 The Fan’s Milan Jordan, will anchor the radio broadcast in addition, Jeff Rimer will contribute analysis and interviews direct from Montreal. The Festivities are headlined by player appearances by 2009 Calder Trophy winner Steve Mason, R.J. Umberger (who was also selected in the 16 spot in the first round) and Jared Boll, who will be on hand to sign autographs and participate in the select-a-seat Open House where fans may learn about opportunities regarding full and partial season ticket plans for the 2009-2010 season. A wide range of activities offered during the party include the following: tours of the Blue Jackets and visiting NHL locker rooms, photo opportunities in the penalty boxes, and alongside the cannon and Zambonis, sstreet hockey for kids, merchandise and game-used equipment sale, silent auction of sports memorabilia benefiting the Blue Jackets Foundation and draft party food and beverage specials.

5. Where can I reserve my seat? – go to the NHLTweetup website at NHLTweetup.com and you can make your reservation if you have a Twitter account. If you don’t have a twitter account and don’t want to create one, just email me at JacketsBuzz@yahoo.com and I will get you signed up. Spots are limited and are running out quickly, so don’t wait.

See everyone at the Draft! If you are there but don’t sign up for the NHLTweetup, don’t be shy and come by and say “Hi!” Would love to meet you.

Fire The Cannon!

Eric Smith
JacketsBuzz@Yahoo.com

Go Jackets