To have any chance at making the playoffs this squad is going to have to make some changes, some sacrifices. Clever t-shirts with slogans like “It Starts Now” aren’t going to cut it.  It isn’t just the players on the ice that need to make the changes, the sacrifices, but the coaching staff and the front office as well. Tonight’s game is number 42 for the Blue Jackets, the official start of the second half of the season. Making changes for New Year’s, or the new season as the Blue Jackets would like to treat it, certainly isn’t a new practice. So without further ado, the Blue Jackets 2010 New Year’s resolutions.

Scott Howson: The Blue Jackets are still without a legitimate number one center or defenseman. Derick Brassard was supposed to be the number one, but clearly he wasn’t ready to take it. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t the best idea to sign kid with 48 career games in the league, coming off an injury, to a four-year contract extension with a $3.2million annual cap hit. If the club is confident that he is capable of becoming a bonafide first-line center, why not have him playing with Rick Nash? If they’re not, then they need to start the searching now. On the defensive front, not a single player on the team is a top defenseman, and one could argue that there isn’t a no. 2 among them. John Moore isn’t going to blossom into a top defenseman in just a year. Something, or rather someone will need to be added through a trade or free agency. Ownership has claimed that they are willing to spend money to be competitive, time to make them pony up, and preferably before summer.

Ken Hitchcock: For starters, how about winning significantly more games in 2010 than in 2009? To do so it’s going to require a bit of philosophy change and negotiations. Hitchcock has historically been very hard on young players, while being slightly more lax on veterans. Unfortunately, that sort of mentality simply cannot cut it with the youngest team in the league. If he wants to be in Columbus by this time next year, he’ll need to become an equal-opportunity stickler. Yes, young players make mistakes, but so do veterans. Hitchcock may be starting on this resolution a little early as mistake-prone Mike Commodore appears to once again be a healthy scratch this evening; he was kept out of the lineup in favor of newly-acquired Milan Jurcina Tuesday night.

The next step is benching mercurial winger Kristian Huselius and there’s a laundry list of players perfectly capable of reevaluating their game in the press box. This organization has more depth than it has ever had and if veterans are not playing to the level they need to be at, there are numerous young guys waiting in the wings dying for a shot. Give the young guys chances and allow them to make and learn from their mistakes. It is crunch time, but there needs to be accountability throughout the locker room. The divide between veterans and youngsters needs to be broken down to get everyone playing their best and this team headed in the right direction.

Rick Nash: Nash needs to stop trying to do everything by himself, whether in the locker room or on the ice. Nash has been held to just 12 points in the last 21 games, 18 of which have been losses. He needs to do more and produce more, but he makes himself much easier to take out of the game by failing to utilize his teammates. He plays like the biggest, strongest, most skilled kid on the peewee hockey team. The only problem is, in the NHL other teams recognize that and can shutdown one elite player. In his defense it is tough to build chemistry when you’re playing with different players each night, but it’s even harder to score on a one-on-three.

In the locker room Nash has an equal amount of work to do. The first thing he needs to do, if not already, is to ask for help. Last season the veteran presence of Michael Peca helped lessen the leadership burden that comes with the “C”. He served as a mouthpiece for Nash in the locker room as well as a player that helped teach the Hitchcock system to the youngsters. With Peca is gone and players like Rostislav Klesla and Fredrik Modin out for large portions of the season, the leadership burden has fallen almost solely on the 25-year-old. He doesn’t need to, nor should he have to shoulder the load on his own. If that means calling Michael Peca for advice, so be it. If that means reaching out to newly-acquired winger Chris Clark (four-year captain of the Washington Capitals) and asking him to help fulfill a leadership role on the team, do it now rather than later. There is no time to spare.

Steve Mason: For the reigning Calder Trophy winner, 2009 has been bittersweet. Steve Mason took home some serious hardware for his performance during the year. Yet, this season he has looked far cry from the Mason of the last. His poor play has been exaggerated by the porous defense that has been in front of him most of the season but let’s be clear. Mason is in the midst of a sophomore slump. One of the things Mason needed most has already been done for him. He was stripped of the starting role. While that may not have been in his personal interest, it taught him a very tough lesson that needed to be learned. Nothing is given in this league. It’s earned.

The move is hoped to unleash the competitive monster that dwells inside Mason. You begin to recognize how much of a competitor he is when you speak with the kid, more so than with most professional athletes. He’s had to compete for every role he’s ever held be it with two different junior teams, Team Canada in the World Juniors or the AHL. Lest we forget that he was an injury call-up last season whose competitive edge made it impossible the Blue Jackets to send him down. However, going into the season as the undisputed starter and franchise goaltender, Mason appeared to become a little too confident and much too complacent.

Since Hitchcock announced the “Win and you’re in” policy, Mason has played extremely well and cut down in the areas that have hindered his play the most this season: bad goals and the reaction that follows, positioning and rebound control. One need not look further than Tuesday night in the first period when Mason allowed a relatively soft goal against the Islanders. Earlier in the year, it would be no surprise to see the Isles come down and spot two or three more on Mason. He went on the turn away every remaining shot and kept the Jackets in the game, only to fall in a shutout. He’ll need to continue to play with that competitive edge for the rest of the season if he wishes to truly reclaim his net.

These resolutions only address a few of the major issues this team is facing. Feel free to share your resolutions for the team, coaching staff and management.

Happy New Years from the FTC Staff!

-Bart Logan

bartftc@gmail.com

Twitter: BartFTC

Monday’s practice marked the return of Dorsett and another not-so-familiar face, Fredrick Modin, who has missed the entire season thus far recovering from a knee injury. The two 50-minute practice sessions were spent almost exclusively in the defensive zone with focus on in-zone coverage and the penalty kill. No surprises there. The Jackets are leading the Western Conference with 105 goals allowed on the season.

Tuesday’s practice was a bit more open and included a lot of 5-on-5 play. There were opportunities a plenty to work on the breakout, which had been abysmal during the nine-game stretch. No complaints from the players though. Ken Hitchcock wants them to play his style, the style this team is designed to play. It’s built on from the net out and requires tight play in the back two zones. Hitch also did a little shuffling with the lines in anticipation of another tough stretch for the CBJ with nine games over 14 days. RJ Umberger was moved back to center on the second line. Brassard fell to the third line between Raffi Torres and Dorsett. Sammy Pahlsson’s line was bumped down to fourth but in name only. Hitch was prepared to roll four lines, not something the Jackets have done often this season.

The Jackets took on the Florida Panthers last night in Nationwide Arena in front of a relatively sparse crowd. Again, no surprises there, considering the play this team has put up this season along with a low-key opponent and a weeknight game. A familiar foe was in net for the Panthers in Thomas Vokoun, a player who seems to always put on his best performances against the Union Blue. What did the Jackets do? How about put on their most solid overall performance at home this season with a 3-0 shutout win.  Mason recorded his first goose egg of the season. Jason Chimera extended his goal-scoring streak to three games. Derek Brassard registered his first goal since November 5^th at Atlanta, snapping a 14-game drought. The most telling stat of them all though may have time on ice. Fedor Tyutin led the Jackets with 22:55. Raffi Torres was the only Jacket not to break the 10-minute mark with 9:30. Hitch rolled four line and the Jackets played the game like they’re supposed to.

The Jackets were able to hold onto a one-goal lead, provided by Chimera, going into the third period. Chimera’s goal was a thing of beauty, at least in the eyes of Hitchcock. He cut across the ice, threw the puck at Vokoun and drove hard to the net to burry his own rebound to give the Jackets the late lead in the first.The second period was scoreless and was marked by the Jackets ability to stay out of the box and keep play at 5-on-5, an area they’ve been relatively successful throughout the season.

The Jackets took their first penalty midway part when Kristian Huselius was called for a questionable delay of game. With Juice in the box already, Andrew Murray playing in only his second game since returning from injury, took a hooking penalty to put the Jackets down 5-on-3. If there was ever a time for the Jackets to blow the lead, it was now but, Steve Mason stood tall and the PK sent the puck out of the zone every opportunity they had. It was a sound, fundamental PK and the entire atmosphere shifted in their favor after the kill. Derek Brassard used that momentum and, with Dorsett driving hard to the net and drawing the defender, roofed the puck near-side on Vokoun to make it 2-0. A few minutes later, with the net empty and a face-off at center ice, Pahlsson won the battle off the draw and pushed the puck, willed it really, down the ice, off the post and in the net to solidify the lead at 3-0. It was a defensively sound, fundamental game that the Jackets desperately needed.

Unfortunately for the Boys in Blue, there is little time to gloat on what was really a massive win for this team. The Jackets head down to Nashville to face-off against Darth Vader and the Evil Empire, Barry Trotz and co. It is no stretch to call this game the biggest of the young season. The CBJ are winless in their last 12 games in Nashville. To make matter worse, the Preds are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now and have won 15 of their last 20. They have certainly benefited from the Jackets slide and have rocketed up the standings and currently sit at second in the Central Division. Mathieu Garon will get the start in net for the Jackets, a questionable move given Mason’s performance last night, but one that was predetermined earlier this week. If the Jackets can play the same hard-working, defensively-sound game that they played last night, the same sort of play the netted the franchise it’s first playoff appearance last season, they might be able to finally kick this funk and use the momentum to turn their season around. A win tonight could kill two birds with one stone.

- Bart Logan

bartftc@gmail.com

Twitter: BartFTC

The Blue Jackets made their first-ever playoff appearance last season and will need to battle just as hard to return to the post-season dance this year. Their developing youngsters (Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek, Nikita Filatov) hope to make that task easier, but ultimately, they’ll need Steve Mason and Rick Nash to lead the way again.

Frankly, I disagree with this pick, as I think the CBJ will finish ahead of Dallas, and possibly Vancouver. For what it’s worth, here is my own assessment of the West for this year:

15. Phoenix Coyotes — still a train wreck of a situation. Even if Reinsdorf wins the bid, likely to be playing to an empty house.
14. Colorado Avalanche — there is a real leadership void in Denver, and too many missing pieces to really challenge this year.
13. Nashville Predators — have done little to fix their offensive woes. They fell further behind this off-season, and the standings will show it.
12. Los Angeles Kings — still looking for the glue that will make all of that potential work together as a good unit. Doughty and Scuderi will need to be huge, and no room for marginal performances in goal.
11. Minnesota Wild — Another team looking for the pieces to fit properly. The offense is relying on a healthy Martin Havlat — a shaky proposition, at best. While their defense will keep them in some games, they just don’t have the finishing ability to take the pressure off the goaltender.
10. Edmonton Oilers — the Oilers did not do much to improve themselves this year. Goal remains an iffy proposition. They have some front-end punch, but just not enough to crack the playoffs in the West.
9. Dallas Stars — Sure, injuries hurt them last year, and Richards, Morrow, Lehtinen and Eriksson provide some up front firepower. However, with a weak blue line, they are relying on a healthy and more consistent Marty Turco. Too much needs to go right for them to make it this year.
8. St. Louis Blues – An incredible run down the stretch earned them a playoff slot last year, and this provides a confidence boost for this season. If they stay healthy, and can show that the stretch was not a fluke, they should earn the 8th slot.
7. Vancouver Canucks — The Canucks have relied on the Luongo-Sedin formula for awhile now, and with good reason. However, the blue line has some holes, Luongo is not immune from the injury bug, and there will be tons of turmoil and distractions with Vancouver hosting the Olympics. They will make the playoffs, but perhaps not as convincingly as some would expect.
6. Columbus Blue Jackets — Asssuming reasonable health, and a predictable incremental gain in chemistry and performance from the youngsters, this is a likely slot. If the CBJ get that offensive defenseman, and can reduce the minutes burden on the blue line and in goal, could go significantly higher.
5. Anaheim Ducks — Anaheim is always something of an enigma, as the front-end talent is always balanced by questions of age. Can Hiller carry the load again if Giguere goes down or is ineffective in goal? Will Niedermeyer meet expectations? They always seem to find a way to make it work, so they will be a contender to the end.
4. Detroit Red Wings — while a 4 seed in the playoffs is never a bad thing, this year will mark the start of a slow decline in Detroit. They will still be a force, but age and defections will knock them from the top of the heap.
3. San Jose Sharks — still a talented group, so should lead a division that is improving, but not there yet. Nabokov is solid, but getting older, and an heir has not emerged. Marleau and Thornton need to continue to stabilize Setoguchi and the younger guns, while the blue line needs to hold its own.
2. Chicago Blackhawks — Adding Kopecky, Hossa and Madden to this bunch is almost an embarassment of riches for the front lines. Campbell needs to up his game on the blue line, and Huet is a huge question mark in goal. However, this club can score its way out of situations, and will take advantage of it this year. They face an uncertain future after this year, due to cap constraints, so expect them to go for the gold now.
1. Calgary Flames –With JBo coming on board, the Flames seem to have all of the pieces in place. Solid forwards, perhaps the best blue line in hockey, and a proven goaltender (although has shown some chinks in the armor). Expectations are huge, and they appear ready to take the next step.

So, there it is — like it or not. Comments?

I will be having Buddy Oakes from PredsOnTheGlass.com join us and review all the moves and non-moves that the fanged ones have done this off season. Does he think that Pekke Rinne is the real deal in net, do they have any scoring punch other than Steve Sullivan, will Colin Wilson make the club this year and how much will he be counted on if he does? Several other questions to get covered and Buddy will get them covered for us with a little southern twang to boot.

Join Bart Logan and myself as it should really give us insight to what is going on with the Predators. The show starts at 7pm ET, so be sure to join us and call in. If you are unable to join us and have a question, just fire me off an email and I will be sure to get it covered.

Fire The Cannon!

Eric Smith
JacketsBuzz@yahoo.com