Not so Blue anymore
There's been ctual cause to celebrate in Columbus since General Manager Serge Niles took over.
It's been a rough go of things in the WCHL for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Much like their NHL counterpart, they haven't been met with much success over their life in the league.
But under the new regime headed by Serge Niles, that has begun to change. The Blue Jackets recorded their first ever post-season berth last year and are hanging around in the hunt for another playoff spot this year as well.
As of press time, the Blue Jackets sat in eighth spot in the Western Conference, tied with the ninth place Dallas Stars and just one point behind th two-time defnding WCHL Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche.
"It's been a slow but positive build for us, and we are pleased with the results," said Niles. "We are sticking to the game plan, which can be a bit difficult seeing where we are in the standings, but it will pay off in the long run. We have confidence in that."
That plan is to build around a young but veteran core which includes the likes of Jason Spezza, Claude Giroux and Brent Seabrook. Of the 23 players on the Blue Jackets roster, only six are over the age of 30. Of that group, only Vaclav Prospal and Bryce Salvador play big roles, and Prospal is slated to be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Vaclav Prospal celebrates a goal against the San Jose Sharks.
"We know that we are a good team right now, but we have the chance to be a really good team down the road, and we can do it together," said veteran centre Jarrett Stoll. "That's something you don't see much of in this league. I would know, I've been in and out of Carolina more often than a long-haul truck driver."
That young core is leading the charge for the Blue Jackets as well, with Giroux, Spezza and Seabrook ranking one, two, three in team coring. Seabrook could be a Norris Trophy contender, with 32 points in 38 games this season while logging 23:22 a game. Surprising contributions from Marcel Goc meanwhile -10 goals and 27 points in 38 games- has helped to make the Blue Jackets not just a one line team.
Brent Seabrook might have a Norris Trophy nod coming his way if he keeps up his impressive play.
They'll need those contributions to continue, but more will be needed. Stoll has amassed just 11 points and is a team worst -14 while pulling in $6 million this season -the third highest pay cheque on the team- while in net, the tandem of Josh Harding and Semyon Varlamov has been dreadful. Varlamov has been the default number one, getting the job without earning it apparently after thus far posting a .867 save percentage. Harding's number is only slightly better, at .874. While both goalies have great potential, something needs to translate to tangible results for the Blue Jackets to make much group up between themselves and the cup favorites.
Semyon Varlamov and Josh Harding need to get going in net for Columbus.
Goaltending aside, the Blue Jackets are likely going to need to further expand their offense in order to compete in the Western Conference. While farm hands like Dwight King and the newly signed Marek Hrivik do offer some potential, odds are the Blue Jackets are going to need to look outside the fold to find that help. Thus far though, Columbus has been fairly quiet on the trade front, electing to see how the current group plays first before making any moves.
Improving their penalty killing would do wonders for the Blue Jackets, as they rank 29th in the league and are one of just two teams (the other being the Vancouver Canucks) with a penalty kill rate of less than 80 per cent. That though would likely change dramatically if a solid performance in net could be gained from Varlamov or Harding. To highlight just how bad the goaltending has been this year, Columbus sits second in the WCHL for shots against, allowing just 22.45 shots per game, yet they rank 21st in the league in goals against.
"Words can't describe how much better we'd be if Varlamov or Harding stepped up and played to their abilities," testified Niles. "We may have to look elsewhere if things don't improve, but for now they have my full vote of confidence in our net. I know they have the ability, both of them, to be number one netminders in this league, it's just a matter of confidence and translating skill into success. Hopefully that happens soon."
There's been ctual cause to celebrate in Columbus since General Manager Serge Niles took over.
It's been a rough go of things in the WCHL for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Much like their NHL counterpart, they haven't been met with much success over their life in the league.
But under the new regime headed by Serge Niles, that has begun to change. The Blue Jackets recorded their first ever post-season berth last year and are hanging around in the hunt for another playoff spot this year as well.
As of press time, the Blue Jackets sat in eighth spot in the Western Conference, tied with the ninth place Dallas Stars and just one point behind th two-time defnding WCHL Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche.
"It's been a slow but positive build for us, and we are pleased with the results," said Niles. "We are sticking to the game plan, which can be a bit difficult seeing where we are in the standings, but it will pay off in the long run. We have confidence in that."
That plan is to build around a young but veteran core which includes the likes of Jason Spezza, Claude Giroux and Brent Seabrook. Of the 23 players on the Blue Jackets roster, only six are over the age of 30. Of that group, only Vaclav Prospal and Bryce Salvador play big roles, and Prospal is slated to be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Vaclav Prospal celebrates a goal against the San Jose Sharks.
"We know that we are a good team right now, but we have the chance to be a really good team down the road, and we can do it together," said veteran centre Jarrett Stoll. "That's something you don't see much of in this league. I would know, I've been in and out of Carolina more often than a long-haul truck driver."
That young core is leading the charge for the Blue Jackets as well, with Giroux, Spezza and Seabrook ranking one, two, three in team coring. Seabrook could be a Norris Trophy contender, with 32 points in 38 games this season while logging 23:22 a game. Surprising contributions from Marcel Goc meanwhile -10 goals and 27 points in 38 games- has helped to make the Blue Jackets not just a one line team.
Brent Seabrook might have a Norris Trophy nod coming his way if he keeps up his impressive play.
They'll need those contributions to continue, but more will be needed. Stoll has amassed just 11 points and is a team worst -14 while pulling in $6 million this season -the third highest pay cheque on the team- while in net, the tandem of Josh Harding and Semyon Varlamov has been dreadful. Varlamov has been the default number one, getting the job without earning it apparently after thus far posting a .867 save percentage. Harding's number is only slightly better, at .874. While both goalies have great potential, something needs to translate to tangible results for the Blue Jackets to make much group up between themselves and the cup favorites.
Semyon Varlamov and Josh Harding need to get going in net for Columbus.
Goaltending aside, the Blue Jackets are likely going to need to further expand their offense in order to compete in the Western Conference. While farm hands like Dwight King and the newly signed Marek Hrivik do offer some potential, odds are the Blue Jackets are going to need to look outside the fold to find that help. Thus far though, Columbus has been fairly quiet on the trade front, electing to see how the current group plays first before making any moves.
Improving their penalty killing would do wonders for the Blue Jackets, as they rank 29th in the league and are one of just two teams (the other being the Vancouver Canucks) with a penalty kill rate of less than 80 per cent. That though would likely change dramatically if a solid performance in net could be gained from Varlamov or Harding. To highlight just how bad the goaltending has been this year, Columbus sits second in the WCHL for shots against, allowing just 22.45 shots per game, yet they rank 21st in the league in goals against.
"Words can't describe how much better we'd be if Varlamov or Harding stepped up and played to their abilities," testified Niles. "We may have to look elsewhere if things don't improve, but for now they have my full vote of confidence in our net. I know they have the ability, both of them, to be number one netminders in this league, it's just a matter of confidence and translating skill into success. Hopefully that happens soon."
