The Stuff of Gypsy Curses

Is He Healthy?  Sign him up!  #Vinning

Credit for the title must go to the incomparable Puck Daddy when they referred to Pascal LeClaire, who, on the bench due to another injury was struck by an errant puck, causing a broken jaw.  Wysh referred to that as 'the stuff of gypsy curses'.  With the announcement today that Mark Letestu is down for 2-4 weeks with a groin injury, the number of player lost to injury in the last 3 days has risen to 4.  The incredible injury toll in the first 9 games of the season can only be explained as 'the stuff of gypsy curses'.

There is no need to go through the horrific toll of injured players, the fan base knows it well.  At present, we have a top line, and a fourth line.  Everything in between is in complete flux.

It was interesting watching last night's game, in a sort of morbid curiosity kind of way.  One of the attributes of the Blue Jackets game, starting with Traverse City and extending through the preseason into the start of the season is that they played with great cohesion.  That cohesion has collapsed due to the weight of the wave of injuries, and they struggle to find it in a scramble of line combinations.  The only saving grace is that this is not a season with a compressed schedule, and they actually have some practice time to try to establish and practice what they want to do.

Apparently Jarmo is in Springfield tonight to scout one of their games.  According to Puck Rakers, this was a pre-arranged trip, that now takes on new urgency. I recommend bringing back Kerby Rychal, Josh Anderson, and Sean Collins.  You might as well throw Rychal, Anderson, Wennberg, and Dano into the fire together, as they will face that type of thing in the future, if the franchise sees long term success.  They will be able to go back to Springfield as people get healthy.

If this was 2002, all of these guys would be playing in the NHL automatically.  In this day and age, we try to bring them along in a more deliberate pace.  However, it appears that baptism by fire never goes out of style.  So let them get their feet wet together, get some experience, and then back to the AHL to digest that experience in a more controlled situation.

Either the young depth keeps the ship of state afloat until veterans get healthy, and we try a late season run for the playoffs, or it will fail miserably and we will be in the hunt for Conner McDavid draft pick, and all that entails.  It is now up to our young depth, and it is to be hoped that the fan base can be supportive of their efforts and tolerant of negative results.   This is not how anyone drew it up.

GO JACKETS!!