Time to step up: Derek Dorsett

• Right wing
• Currently alternate captain
• 23 years old, 3rd year in National Hockey League
• $562,500 cap hit 
• 0.9% of Columbus Blue Jackets salary cap
• Contract expires at end of 2011-2012
• 2009-2010 numbers: 51 games played, 4 goals, 10 assists, 14 points, +6, 105 penalty minutes, 10:53 avg. time on ice

With some players, you can look at the stats and understand their value to the team.  With others, you need to look in other places.  Derek Dorsett is one of the latter.

To judge his value, I'd like to suggest you look at the two stretches of the season when Dorsett wasn't playing.  The first period was following the NHL-determined cheap shot by James Neal of the Dallas Stars that resulted in a concussion for Dorsett.    That was a nine game run from November 20 to December 8 where the CBJ went 1-5-3.  The second was a 16-game span from December 13 to January 13 where the Jackets posted a 4-9-3 record after Dorsett hurt his hand against Anaheim.  That's right, the dreadful "Fall of Hitchcock" games almost perfectly coincided with the periods when Derek Dorsett was not in the lineup.  

That's not to say that Derek Dorsett is the straw that stirs the drink in Columbus.  At just over 10 minutes of ice time per game that he did play in, far from it.  But he plays with a passion and energy (not in the Jared Boll "energy" way, either) that appears to rub off on his fellow teammates.  Those attributes are what led Ken Hitchock to pass over other, more highly-touted youngsters and name Dorsett an alternate captain (not sure if Scott Arniel will continue that designation, but we'll see).  

Time to step up: Chris Clark

• Right wing
• 34 years old, 12th year in National Hockey League
• $2,633,333 cap hit 
• 4.4% of Columbus Blue Jackets salary cap
• Contract expires at end of this season
• 2009-2010 CBJ numbers: 36 games played, 3 goals, 2 assists, 5 points, -8, 21 penalty minutes, 12:06 avg. time on ice
• 2009-2010 Washington Capitals numbers: 38 games played, 4 goals, 112 assists, 15 points, -4, 59 penalty minutes, 11:39 avg. time on ice

Poor Chris Clark.  

Rather than try any meaningful analysis of Clark's performance, let's look at the timing of his arrival, and the goal that it was supposed to achieve.  Clark came (along with Milan Jurcina) in a December 28, 2009 trade with Washington in exchange for Jason Chimera.  This, after a team leadership meeting in Dallas less than one week earlier led Scott Howson to believe that leadership - or, more precisely, the lack thereof (especially in the wake of not re-signing Michael Peca) - and weak defense was the cause of the team's tailspin.  So, out with Chimera and in with the Capitals' captain.  

Think about it.  If leadership is the ability to get people to believe in you, relate to you and rally around what you say and do (my definition, don't bother googling it), when and from whom does it emerge?  Might I suggest it won't emerge at the depths of a mid-season slump from a new player who is dropped into the dressing room?  Yeah, that's right.  Chris Clark was in a no-win scenario last season.  

(On the bright side, the Washington Capitals flamed out spectacularly in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  So it's not like he missed a Cup run or anything.)

Time to step up: Derick Brassard

• Center
• 22 years old, 4th year in National Hockey League
• $3,200,000 cap hit 
• 5.4% of Columbus Blue Jackets salary cap
• Contract expires at end of 2013-2014
• 2009-2010 numbers: 79 games played, 9 goals, 27 assists, 36 points, -17, 48 penalty minutes, 14:57 avg. time on ice

I look at Derick Brassard's info above, and I see two things: 1) He's still really young and 2) He's making a LOT of money.  I'll suggest that those two points represent the tension in our former first round draft pick.  Is he too young for the responsibilities that he's being shouldered with (centering a top-two line)?  Does the considerable investment in him force the Blue Jackets to push him along faster than would be otherwise prudent?

So let's dig back into the 09-10 stats.  The first thing I found most curious about Brassard is that 7 of his 9 goals (not a huge number to start with) came under Ken Hitchcock, who occasionally buried him on the fourth line.  Only 2 under Claude Noel, who I believe gave him considerable second line exposure.  The vast majority of his assists were also under Hitchcock.  What happened?  Wasn't the post-Hitchcock string supposed to be all about playing the kids?  He clearly played (and logged consistent, considerable minutes) under Noel, but he was less productive as best I can see.  Something doesn't add up, but he clearly needs to develop a better nose for the net in addition to the playmaking required from a center.

Time to step up: Jared Boll

• Right wing
• 24 years old, 4th year in National Hockey League
• $725,000 cap hit 
• 1.2% of Columbus Blue Jackets salary cap
• Contract expires at end of 2011-2012
• 2009-2010 numbers: 68 games played, 4 goals, 3 assists, 7 points, -8, 149 penalty minutes, 7:12 avg. time on ice

One of the more maddening things about the National Hockey League to me is the way in which the league has systematically taken fighting out of the realm of "enforcement" and into the realm of "energy" - or, perhaps better said, "circus sideshow."  A fight on the ice should be an act of retaliation for an excessive action by the other player (or other team).  Instead, let's let Jared himself explain why he fights:

"I was just trying to get the rest of the guys going."

That was following a beating that Boll took at the hands of then-Wild enforcer and uber-fighter Derek Boogaard.  So...he lets himself get pounded in the name of team unity?  Man, that's one helluva way to make a living.  Boll has had moments when he's had the upper hand, but his fight card could be a lot prettier.

Time to step up: Mike Blunden

• Right wing
• 23 years old, 3rd year in National Hockey League
• $590,000 cap hit 
• 1% of Columbus Blue Jackets salary cap
• Contract expires at end of season
• 2009-2010 numbers: 40 games played, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4  points, +3, 59 penalty minutes, 8:07 avg. time on ice

To figure out where Mike Blunden's head is at, you just need to look at this year's salary and last year's.  This season, he's making $590,000 on a one-year contract.  Last season, he earned $735,000.  That says to me that Blunden is 23 years old, a fourth-liner and perhaps looking at the prospects of living out the rest of his career in the AHL.  This is a pivotal year; the fact that his new contract was for one year could be taken any of three ways: 1) Scott Howson doesn't want to invest in him for the long-term, 2) Howson and/or Blunden are looking at this season as a "step up" year to either boost his value or cut him loose or 3) Blunden is a placeholder as the restocked talent pool in the minors starts percolating up to the NHL (see: Calvert, Matt).

Blunden's NHL games (he also logged 39 games for the CBJ's AHL team last year) appears split almost equally in the pre- and post-Hitchcock games in 09-10, his first season where he had any extensive playing time.  Interestingly, though, he scored both goals and both assists toward the end of the season in games coached by Claude Noel.  Makes you wonder if some shackles came off once Claude took over.  The fact that he had a positive +/- rating on a team littered with negative numbers last season also speaks to a playmaking/defensive capacity that he displayed in limited ice time.  

Time to step up: The forwards

THE FORWARDS

We'll start the position-by-position preview and analysis on the front lines.  This makes sense, seeing as I've put the most effort into reviewing last season's offensive performance.  Thus far, I've looked at clutch scorers, pace-setting scorers and last-minute scorers.  And don't forget the front end of my analysis from the clutch scorers post, where I suggested:

It's clear as day that the Blue Jackets need to boost their scoring - they scored 216 goals last season, meaning that only five teams in the entire National Hockey League (Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Boston and Florida) were less prolific. By comparison, the Presidents Trophy-winning Washington Capitals scored 318 times. The Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks scored 271 times. The average number of goals for a playoff-qualifying team in 2009-2010 was a hair under 243 goals. So if the Jackets are going to win, it's because they're going to put lots of pucks in the back of the net.

It was true then, it is true now.  On way too many nights last season, this team was anemic on the scoreboard.  By my count, the Blue Jackets had 36 games where they scored 2 or fewer goals.  They won a whopping 7 of them.  I know that there's value in being a "defensive" or two-way forward, but you can't overlook the scoring.  To win games, pucks have to hit the back of the net.

All too often last year, the Columbus Blue Jackets forwards played like they were looking to set up the phantom fourth forward.  They looked to pass instead of shoot, indicative of a team that looked to keep "team chemistry" and maintain friendships before developing the killer instinct necessary to win games and, eventually, championships.  It also could be indicative of a team that was too scared to shoot (and fail to make a goal), a reflection upon playing under the iron fist of Ken Hitchcock.

Many say that the Columbus Blue Jackets  have to improve the defense to become a consistent playoff team. I'm not sure about that; keep the guys we have healthy (and fit), and they can do their part.  The room for marked improvement lies with the forwards.  If the CBJ forwards can keep the opponents on their heels - and put a few more shots on net - then the entire dynamic of games change.  The question I have is, do our forwards have that inside them for Scott Arniel and Bob Boughner to bring out?

Time to step up: DBJ's 2010-2011 Columbus Blue Jackets season preview

This team will be back, this team in blue, folks. They have plenty of good years ahead of them,  and it's just starting. Danny Gare April 23, 2009

To get started, I'm going to take you back to Thursday, April 23, 2009.  On that night (and by some stroke of luck, I was there), the Columbus Blue Jackets went down fighting against the Detroit Red Wings and lost 6-5, giving Detroit a 4-0 sweep of Columbus in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Watch this video carefully and remember:




Blue Jackets fans know all too well that this was the only playoff appearance in franchise history.

Let's ponder that night's roster, and permit me to point out a few names: Raffi Torres, Michael Peca, Jason Chimera, Manny Malhotra, Jason Williams, Aaron Rome and Freddy Modin.  Seven players - over one-third of that playoff roster - are no longer affiliated with the Columbus Blue Jackets.  (And that doesn't count head coach Ken Hitchcock and assistants Gord Murphy, Gary Agnew and Claude Noel.  Hitchcock is still collecting a check from the Blue Jackets and basically staying out of the way while waiting for his next NHL head coaching job, and the assistants have scattered to the wind.)

As discussed in my 2009-2010 season in review, CBJ general manager Scott Howson and team management determined that the team as composed 'maxxed out' and would never go further than they did in 2009.  So they decided to go young.  And 2009-2010 saw that youth movement happen in all of it's pain and frustration.    I won't rehash the season that's past - you can read that in the other post.

Simply put, we now have a very different team than the one that made the playoffs.

But it's important to acknowledge the past, especially with a team where the young core is rising together.  And, considering last year, this is the season for the Columbus Blue Jackets to step up and prove that they will be the group that can make good on Danny Gare's prediction from the above video.


Time to step up.  Nearly every player on the roster needs to step up in some fashion.  Poor performers have to pull their weight.  Injured players have to stay healthy.  Good players have to be great.  The coaches, brand new to Columbus, have to step up to the big leagues.  And the front office also has to make its moves to ensure that the team makes its step up toward being a consistent playoff contender in Columbus.

My CannonFest post, or "A funny thing happened on the way to the cookout"

About 5 weeks ago, Matt Wagner from The Cannon and I were mulling over something (electronically, of course), and we started percolating the notion of a late summer, pre-training camp Columbus Blue Jackets blogger gathering to build up the names/faces recognition, get our hockey fixes and blow off whatever household chores we could avoid - at least for an afternoon.

Problem was, there seemed to be a bunch of new CBJ blogs popping up every week.  And they were pretty good ones, too, like The Green Seat View.  My blog's not even a year old yet, and Matt's contributions to The Cannon started less than six months ago.  So why would we want to create a gathering that could potentially overlook some of the very bloggers who we wanted to gather?  For that matter, why would we want to overlook the diehard CBJ fans who enrich our work as bloggers and social media hounds?

Photo courtesy of Matt Wagner

Out of that dialogue, CannonFest was created.  Matt engaged the Jacket Backers while I brought Greg May (of Full Mental Jackets and owner of the Buffalo Wild Wings in Grandview) into the loop.  We decided on a date, developed coupons for a promotion or three and came up with a handful of giveaways.  Player signed pucks, glossies, t-shirts.  Media guides.  An incredible team-signed wooden bar sign. And, of course, the beer tower.

Our fellow bloggers (the ones listed in the right-hand column, as well as others whose work needs to be highlighted there) wholeheartedly embraced the idea of CannonFest.  If they weren't blogging about it (or posting promotional graphics on their sites), they were Tweeting about it.  Or putting Facebook event listings up.  And, by and large, they immediately RSVP'd in the affirmative.  There was a groundswell of interest in a big ol' puck talk gathering.  Who knew?

And the momentum kept building.  And building.  And building.  You could see it on Twitter, where people were posting about how excited they were for CannonFest and encouraging their friends to attend.  Those who couldn't make it were outright apologizing and agonizing over not being able to join in.

Skraut introduces his newest CBJ fan video at CannonFest

Perhaps the most anticipated single element of CannonFest was the debut of Tom Larrow's (a.k.a. Skraut) newest Columbus Blue Jackets fan video.  I was lucky enough to have my camera on hand when he started introducing it to the crowd (only missed the opening couple seconds), and here are his comments:


And here's the video:

I told you it was good...

Third Jersey talk: He swings....and misses

Pardon the baseball analogy, but it's so apt on my post wondering if the jerseys we saw in use at the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey school had any resemblance to the new third jersey for the NHL team. Oh, I noticed a video on the CBJ's website with the hockey school...here it is (and note the excellent use of the 10th anniversary logo on the front!):




I'll offer more on CannonFest over a couple of posts, but I think it wisest to own up to my whiff on the jersey speculation. The throngs (and I don't think that would be an understatement...there were a LOT of people at CannonFest) were joined by a few folks from the Columbus Blue Jackets, including Todd Sharrock, Vice President for Public Relations, and Larry Hoepfner, Executive Vice President of Business Operations.

I asked them both, point blank, whether the hockey school jerseys were in any way indicative of the forthcoming third jersey. Their answer -- a resounding NO. And with that, they offered no more on the jersey itself.

Sounds like an interesting process to create a new jersey, though...I believe they said that the jersey development took about two years from beginning to end, involving focus groups among other forms of input, and only recently was approved by the National Hockey League offices.

So we're back to square one on jersey speculation...but the speculation really is half the fun, don't you think?