By: Raymond Rotella
The Columbus Blue Jackets spent their off-season in a new position for the franchise, improving a team that made the play-offs and a franchise record ninety-two points. Fortunately for the Blue Jackets they were a young team last year and return many starters including rookie of the year goalie Steve Mason. However, the Jackets have to improve upon a poor post-season showing against Western Conference champions Detroit Red Wings. A series that saw the Red Wings outscore Columbus eighteen to seven. The only game that Columbus was even in was game four where they lost in Columbus six to five. However, that game saw Columbus play a lot looser than they did in the other three games, this is something that head coach Ken Hitchcock can build on. With that being said teams don’t get better by living in the past they have to look forward and the Columbus Blue Jackets should be looking at an exciting 2009-2010 season.
ADDITIONS
Perhaps the biggest acquisition for the young franchise is Samuel Pahlsson. Pahlsson brings a veteran presence that has been missed since the trade of Sergi Federov. Pahlsson is a defensive minded center (defense a huge need for this team) brings thirteen years of experience, a career that includes a Stanley Cup championship while with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. Last season with the Chicago Blackhawks saw Pahlsson register seven goals eleven assists in sixty-five games.
Mathieu Garon comes over from Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins to back up goal tender Steve Mason. Garon brings experience to the table. Like Pahlsson, Garon is a thirteen year vet drafted in the second round in 1996. Last season for the Stanley Cup champs Garon played in nineteen games where he went eight and nine with a 3.11 goals against and a .894 save percentage.
Mathieu Roy heads to Columbus after spending the first six years with the Edmonton Oilers. Roy, a defenseman, spent the last two season on the Oilers AHL team Springfield Falcons. There he played 59 games and had seventeen points BUT had a -20 +/-.
And rounding out the 2009 Columbus additions is another former Blackhawks Pascal Pelletier. Last year Pelletier played for AHL Rockford Icehogs. There he posted twenty nine goals and twenty six assists with thirteen of those goals coming off the power play.
Departures
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen will be the most missed player for the Blue Jackets who part ways with the defenseman mostly because he cannot stay healthy. The 25-year-old defenseman missed most of last year with a chronic knee injury. Tollefsen recorded only one point in his nineteen games with the Jackets.
Aaron Rome leaves the confines of Nationwide Arena and heads to the Vancouver Canucks. The defenseman who spent most of last season with the Syracuse Crunch did play in eight games for the Jackets where he tallied one assist. In twenty six regular season games Rome has one goal and two assists.
The only other departure is backup goaltender Wade Dubielewicz who came over to Columbus half way through last season from the New York Islanders. Dubielewicz heads to Minnesota. In Columbus Dubielewicz posted a one and two mark in his three games with the club.
Pros
Youth- The Columbus Blue Jackets have a young team. They are eager to prove themselves.
Continuity- The Jackets are returning ALL of their key players Rick Nash, Steve Mason, Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek etc. These players were all key contributors to the first play-off apperence in franchise history.
Cons
Defense- The Blue Jackets defense was exposed last year in the playoffs against Detroit, they needed to improve and they got a defenseman and a defenseive minded center, but will this be enough? I’m not sure. Steve Mason had a GREAT rookie year, in order to avoid the sophomore slump he will need the defense to step up in front of him.
Division- I will go on record and state that the Central Division is the toughest division in hockey. It has the defending Western Conference champion and runner up, it produced the more play off teams then any other division four (Detroit, Chicago, St Louis, and Columbus) and the Nashville Predators just missed out. All the teams (minus Detroit but they haven’t been bad in over twenty years) are young, strong teams building on last years success.
Predictions
This is tough, as an Ohioan we are brought up to expect the worst and hope for the best, especially when it comes to our pro sports teams. But the Blue Jackets give us something to get excited for, and they don’t have the lineage of disappointment that the Cleveland teams do or the Bengals do. So despite the tough division, I think that Columbus will make the playoffs again this year. I just think that Slick Rick and company are hungry to prove they are no fluke and to improve on their poor play-off showing. Mason will have a slight fall off this year but the offense will compensate. I predict a sixth seed for the Jackets.
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