Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Brandon Saad scored his first goal as a Blue Jacket

From 3:04, when the CBJ took a 2-1 lead, to 1:02, by which time they had surrendered three goals, the CBJ did not win a single puck battle.  In front of a sold out crowd, the Jackets squandered a late lead.  First test for the leadership group.

Short story.  The Jackets played a 58 minute game.  The Rangers, Presidents trophy winners last year, understand playing 60 minutes.  They wanted it more.

Good news, the Jackets played well enough to win, hampered by the emotional energy of an opening game.  Good news, the Jackets are on the ice against the same team in less than 24 hours.  Sound advice: plan on playing 60 minutes.

First exposure of the Jackets to NHL game speed after the preseason.  I thought having a game under their belts was a real advantage for the Rangers.  I guess we'll see what our guys are made of tomorrow.

Jackets cough up a late lead in unacceptable fashion late in the game, and lose 4-2.  Show better tomorrow.

GO JACKETS!!

Preseason is a Grain of Sand

Murray and Savard

Ryan Murray was quoted by the Columbus Dispatch as saying 'preseason is a grain of sand'.  Lot's of perspective for a young guy, and I am impressed with his thoughtfulness.  The time for false impressions is done, and the time for the real deal is upon us, and I can hardly wait.

The Rangers struck gold when they got Alain Vigneault as Head Coach from Vancouver, and he has a vision for how he wants his team to play, emphasizing its speed.  The CBJ have their own speed, but play a different game.

Tomorrow night is the start of a good old Metropolitan division slugging match right out of the gate, and both teams will have a lot at stake.  We will learn a lot about our team pretty quickly this weekend, with 3 games in 4 days.  The CBJ have done the work this preseason and have done a lot of things that should help them start quickly.  This is a product of stability in the organization and in the coaching ranks.  Todd Richards has never shown a shyness about manipulating his line combinations, but he steadfastly left lines together all through preseason.  That may change at the drop of the puck, or the first time they are trailing 2-0, but the impression I got from players comments about Richards is that he will ride a hot hand, and some of our players who have been pushed down to lower line situations find that a source of comfort.  Personally I think he may try to stick with those line combinations longer this year than he has in past years, seeking chemistry through stability.

For a long time fan, this is quite a different preseason.  Things look as good as they have ever looked.  But this team has doubters.  Ryan Lambert over on Puck Daddy picked the CBJ as the 'most over hyped team', thinks little of the players on this team (Foligno will regress hard, Dubinsky an average, over rated player, no defense).  Lambert has been hard on the Jackets over the years, and I haven't always liked  what he has said.  But since I'm a guy who drank a lot of Doug MacLean's Kool-aid, he's probably got more credibility.  And truthfully, he's been right more often than I have, so I hope no one thinks this is some kind of rip job.  But taking into account my fan-boy loyalty (not John Kemp loyalty, but it's up there), there are some things that you won't see unless you are really familiar with this team.

A foundational concept held by the doubters, is that Nick Foligno is going to regress hard.  He had a career year last year, and the stats geeks just look at his past performance and think it is a fluke.  But one of the primary things about Nick last year was that his usage as a player was quite different than earlier in his career.  Last year he played big minutes on the first line, whereas earlier in his career he was a third liner.  His opportunities grew, and likewise his production grew.  He seems slated to continue in that role this year, so while I don't think he'll score as many goals as he did last year, it won't be drastically different.

So, there it is.  The season is upon us, and it won't be speculation any longer.  We'll have real hockey to write about.  Enjoy the season everyone.  It looks like this could be fun.

GO JACKETS!!

James Sheppard and the Importance of the Looming Expansion

James Sheppard at 2015 CBJ Training Camp

During this training camp something occurred that is being repeated throughout the league.  Sometimes it is a young guy, a tweener like James Sheppard.  Elsewhere it is veterans having a hard time catching on to a team.  It just seems to me that there are more NHL caliber players out there than there are positions.

And, I have to admit to being a bit confused about what Jarmo and JD are up to.  We are going into this season with a deep, veteran, albeit young, lineup.  We are floating up near the cap, yet the talent level down at Lake Erie is as high as it has ever been.

Based on his showing in training camp, James Sheppard makes this team 5 years ago.  I thought he looked really solid to me, and stood out in all of the preseason games I watched.  But he was gone in the first series of cuts.  Five years ago, Kerby Rychal makes this team, hands down.  Probably not this year.  So why the level of veterans?  Certainly experimenting with 'making room for the young guys' last year didn't work out so well for our fourth line.  And yes, the injuries compounded the problem.  So I get not wanting to walk the same path as last year.  But a cap team?

Then it occurred to me.  This summer, or next, there is going to be an expansion draft.  Forty-six new NHL jobs, and the development systems to support them, are going to be created!  Every team is going to get bled of several players in the expansion draft.  How will the CBJ deal with.....oh.  Yeah, that's right.  Young talent safely ensconced in the AHL, abundant veteran talent to spare at the parent club come time for the expansion draft.  

So this is an important year for this group.  It is time to feel a sense of real urgency, as this group of players really only has about 2 years together.  Then there will be the tough decisions about who to protect in the expansion draft, and who you can make available, then back filling with the young talent.  This group of players needs to move the bar in Columbus, and move it hard THIS year.  In spite of the long term contracts, this group will be under assault before two years is out.

And keep skating James Sheppard.  Hook on somewhere and bide your time, and continue your development.  There will be jobs out there soon.  I thought you showed well at our training camp.  Good luck for your future!

GO JACKETS!!!

A Word About Joonas Korpisalo

Joonas Korpisalo

A little more than a year ago I read an article about goal tending that I found fascinating.  I'm pretty sure I picked up the link off of Puck Daddy, but I have found the article again.  It is written by Chris Koentges, and is called The Oracle of Ice Hockey, and this is an unbelievably good article about goaltending in Finland.  I highly recommend this article, as it is written by a real writer, unlike myself.  The point I want to make is related to Part VI of the article, which is that Joonas Korpisalo is exactly on the development trajectory that one should expect from a Finnish goal tender.

An important point of the article is that Finnish goal tenders tend to mature at a different, slower, pace than their Canadian counterparts.  There are important philosophical elements to this as well, and Joonas has remained in Finland absorbing this part of the game.  I have seen some who characterize the CBJ goal tending pipeline as in a bit of trouble, but Anton Forsberg has not yet peaked, and Joonas Korpisalo is a long way from reaching his peak.  Developmentally, coming in as the backup in Lake Erie right now is right on track for him.  By next year we will begin to see what type of goal tender we can expect him to really be.  On a more recent front, he played very well at Traverse City, backstopping the CBJ to another tournament title.  I did see one comment that implied that it was well, you know, Traverse City, so.... inferior competition.  For the NHL, yes.  For a guy whose development track calls for him now to be exposed to the North American professional game, it is an excellent start.

Don't write this guy off because he was drafted behind Oscar Dansk.  If you read that article, you will understand that he was always going to hit his peak later than Oscar.  We do not know what Korpisalo's ceiling is yet.  We should get a better handle on that over the next two years.  I for one, am excited about this prospect, and think he is going to be way better than a lot of people think he is going to be.  Now he is going to have a lot of exposure to Ian Clark's NHL coaching skills, which should polish the foundation he acquired in Finland.

Good luck Joonas!  I'm rooting for you!

GO JACKETS!!  

2015 Training Camp Opens for the CBJ

Head Coach Todd Richards coaches Saad, Clarkson, Campbell and Johansen

The Columbus Blue Jackets opened the 2015-16 season with the start of training camp today.  The coaching staff put the team through structured and rigorous practices today, with little fanfare.  The fanfare will come tomorrow, with more people expected to be available, but there was a small but vocal crowd most of the day.

I was able to watch groups 1 and 2 today, and I guess my impression would be 'veterans leading the way'.  Scott Hartnell seemed the de facto leader of Group 1, while the Captain, Nick Foligno was the obvious leader of Group 2.

After a fast series of drills, the practice wound down with fitness testing.   This diabolical instrument of torture allows the coaches to In this day and age you need to measure everything, and that's what they did.

'You will skate through this
machine many times..

And when you are done, you will
look like that!!!

A good day of practice!  Tee-shirts for the first 1000 tomorrow!

GO JACKETS!!

The Glory of Cross Mojonization

If you look to the column to the right, you will see that the lads from DKM Hockey have posted a new podcast.  One of the great things about this podcast is the stunning beauty of cross mojonization, where our Blue Jacket centric land is about the multiple blogs and creative people who contribute to our love of hockey in Columbus.

Dan, from the Cannon joins Morgan and John as the new emcee.  They post a phenomenal interview with Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch and Puck Rakers.  Rob Mixer does good work over on the Blue Jackets Official Web Site, Alison does work for both the CBJ and Buckeye State Hockey, where @CBJProspects and the Coach are also posting.  Don't miss Martini Hockey, and Lori Schmidt piles onto the hockey scene when she's done covering OSU football, and Fox Sports makes a concentrated effort to support our team, while the Cannon, mentioned above, hosts many other talented writers (Jeff Little I'm talkin' to you) in addition to Dan.

We are truly blessed to have so many talented people pouring their energy into our hockey team.  Cross mojonization is making sure that we provide a way for anyone who wants to read these  writers a chance to see their material.  I highly encourage it.  If I missed anybody, my bad, and I apologize.

Training camp tomorrow.  It begins.

GO JACKETS!!!!

Bjork! Bjork! Bjork! Jackets Prospects 2-0 at Traverse City

Bjork! Bjork! Bjork!

The Blue Jackets Prospects jumped to 2-0 at the Traverse City tournament according to the CBJ and The Dispatch.  Oliver Bjorkstrand had a 5 point game with 2 goals and 3 assists to add to his 1 goal and 1 assist in the first game to illustrate the potential of this young prospect.

The good news is that Bjorkstrand is not at all alone on this team, with Sonny Milano, Kerby Rychel there to help him, while TJ Tynan adds the leadership to the group.  It is really exciting to see this prospect group performing so well, and they will match up against the Rangers prospects tomorrow.

Because of the depth on the parent club, many of this group will end up playing in Cleveland this year for the Lake Erie Monsters.

Oliver Bjorkstrand

This is a great opportunity for this group to form before the season starts, and it is to be hoped that it yields some significant benefits.  Needless to say, following this afternoon's football game, there are going to be fans in Cleveland looking for a winning team to follow.  This group of players has an excellent opportunity to establish a winning tradition with the Monsters that will aid the parent club for years to come.

These young players are focused on trying to make the NHL squad, but there isn't much room up there, especially for forwards.  These things don't play out on paper, they have to play out on the ice, but there is no shame for a prospect being unable to crack this Blue Jackets line up.  But for now, this group of young players is looking VERY strong!  Which is a great thing for the CBJ down the road.  Keep in mind that there are two expansion teams coming into the league over the next couple of years.  These players are going to find opportunity soon.  They will be best prepared for it with a good year of AHL play under their belt.  It's a good time to be a Jackets fan!

Defensive Wild Cards

A 5 year Extension for Savard

Today the CBJ announced that they had signed David Savard to a 5 year contract extension for $21.25 million following a break out year for the young defenseman.  Savard scored 11 goals in 2014-15, tying Jamie Heward (now there's a blast from the past!) for second most goals by a defenseman in franchise history.  Heward scored his goals in 2000-01, showing just how low the bar is set.  But this should not detract from his accomplishment.

Savard's biggest accomplishment however, is being able to skate with Jack Johnson when Jack is out there munching minutes.  While arguably the Fedor Tyutin - Jack Johnson pairing might be a bit more solid, Johnson skates all the tread off of Tyutin's tires by the end of the season.  It's a lot healthier for Toots if he doesn't try to match minutes with Jack.  So Savard's accomplishment is significant.

This is an accomplishment for our drafting and development system as Savard, selected 94th overall in 2009, has blossomed into an NHL defenseman.  Which is really cool, when you reflect on some of the failures of this system early in the franchise's history, when the dearth of talent was so acute that young players were pulled in before they were ready.  Cody Goloubef and Dalton Prout are products of the same system, and the reality of this season is that we can go as far as these later round defensive draft picks of ours can take us.  The better these guys play, the less pressure there is on guys like Ryan Murray to carry the defense.

Boy, this team better be good, because they are all going to be around for a long time.  Our aspirations to make some noise in the playoffs really come down to the height of Savard's, Goloubef's and Prout's respective development ceilings.  If all three continue to develop consistency that comes with experience along with their game at the NHL level, then Jarmo's determination to take a shot with this defense will be rewarded.

The season looms.  I can hardly wait.

GO JACKETS!!!

Daring to Hope; Hoping to Dare

Sonny Milano visits Cannonfest!

The ramp up to the season has begun, albeit the most difficult part.  Cannonfest 2015 is in the books, and it was a dandy.  Hosted at Dick's Last Resort, right in the shadows of Nationwide Arena, the event filled another venue.  A festival of hockey in the dark days of the off season, Cannonfest allows for some hockey renewal as we start the countdown towards the Traverse City tournament for prospects.

With the compensation of the summer weather, these are some of the hardest times for a hockey fan.  Free Agency excitement is long past, and all you can do is count the days till training camp.  Cannonfest helps to fill that late summer craving for hockey, and as such has become an essential survival tool for the die hard fan.

I have been to every Cannonfest.  But this one seemed a bit different to me, mainly because I am pretty excited about our 2015-16 team's chances.  We haven't even begun the warm up for the marathon in front of us, but the team is already healthier than it was at this time last year, when several players were recovering from surgery or other injuries and the Nathan Horton saga with pain was just becoming known.  Yes, we'll find out about some training injuries when camp opens, but the team is healthier already.  And this team is deep.  Very deep.

Seeing Sonny Milano at Cannonfest was a reminder of how deep this team is.  Sonny is an excellent prospect, with a bright future, but to crack the CBJ's lineup he is really going to have to bring some mojo.  For a guy like Sonny, the proper development track is critical, and unlike past years in CBJ history, there is no pressure to rush him to the NHL.  Ideally, Sonny has a strong season in Cleveland with the Lake Erie Monsters (YES!!!  I'm still pumped about that), and helps to establish a tradition of excellence our new affiliate location.  That puts him on track to attempt to crack the line up in the next two years when he has a pro season or two under his belt.  But the bottom line is that the parent club is SO deep, that a top draft pick talent like Sonny is a long shot to make the big club.

Depth is hedge against the inevitable misfortunes of the hockey season.  A tangible defense against the many things we know can go wrong with a season.  This level of depth lets me dare to hope that we are going to have a really fun season.  As Jeff Little, over on the Cannon, has often said, 'hope is not a strategy'.  And while it must be admitted that there is a certain amount of hope related to our defensive makeup, there is little else on this team that seems to require that.  So I dare to hope that things will go well for us this year.

And deep down, hidden within that battle scarred, cynical shell of a Blue Jackets fan, I hope to dare.  To dare to come out of nowhere like the 2011-12 New Jersey Devils, so when the Cup Final comes, everyone is looking around saying 'how the hell did those guys get here?'  Likely depending upon the foibles of our defensive corps, this group could really cause some trouble for a lot of teams, and Todd Richards must be licking his chops when he thinks of what could be.  So I hope that the players dare to take us on a wild ride that will leave an indelible mark of success on our young franchise.

GO JACKETS!!!

twas the Night Before CannonFest

Even my milk is excited for CannonFest!

Twas the night before CannonFest, fan unity our goal
Not a player was slandered, not even Boll;


My #CBJ milk was poured in my glass with care,
In hopes that I'd soon see some players there;


Anticipation of greatness, past year trends,
#HartnellDown donations, and meeting new friends;


something, something, something, something...


Now! Wagner, now! Lukan, now! GregMay and UB Soldiers,
On! Wooten, on! Ashley, on! Artillery and Schroeder


something, something...

But I heard him exclaim, like a voice from God --
Enjoy CannonFest you ALL,
and you're welcome for Brandon Saad