LTL-Nation,

I hope the summer months have found you in a restful, energized place.  I know the time off has allowed me to be less sour on the prospects of this team, and its activity (or lack thereof).  OK, maybe I needed to take more time away, but I digress.

I heard this news item on XM's NHL Home Ice - Around the Rinks in 90 Seconds - a recap of the news in the NHL, and I decided to research this, further.

Here is the article, from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10244/1084197-100.stm

In short, the Penguins are going to give away 8,000 tickets to youths from the ages between 4-24 for their game against the Blue Jackets, on September 24th, at the Consol Energy Center, their brand new arena.  Bravo, Penguin ownership and management!  You guys "Get It".

This prompted me to share this with our own LTL, who has been on the forefront of urging the CBJ organization to search for more creative methods of drawing fans, to include new fans, for their pre-season games - and specifically, to reward those faithful season-ticket, PSL and partial-season ticket (Full Season Equivalents - FSEs - to use the organization's terminology) for their years of loyalty, most of which has been quite unrewarded.

Here's my insight (AKA two-cents worth):

Free duckets?  Are you kidding me?  Wow, what a novel concept!  This really is rocket science.  This is better than splitting the atom.

(Note:  This is all sarcasm, pure sarcasm)

As LTL so eloquently stated (via text - apologies to LTL, doing this verbatum):  The Pens are using some creativity, something the penny-pinching types in our organization fail to grasp.

Here are some suggestions, that, if I were afforded the luxury of my opinion - knowing full well that it would be met with the same "responsiveness" that 'game ops gate' and any suggestions to its off-ice folks (i.e. having a penalty and game clock on the TVs in the concession areas, less lame music, especially our rink entrance songs - see 8 God forsaken years of "Machine Head".  Hey, 1997 called, and that song is PLAY-ED.  In short, no response, or a BS response):

- Give out free duckets for pre-season games, to students and particularly to HS and Jr.-level hockey players.  If anything, build a relationship that may result in a lifelong fan.  As you know, once you attend your first hockey game, in person, you're hooked for life.  Goodwill here, people, goodwill.

- In addition to that, offer all pre-season game tickets for $5 dollars, to those non-season tickets holders  Think of this as similar to those $5 seats for the OSU spring football games.  This allows fans who normally can't afford to attend games an opportunity to be a part of the Horseshoe experience.  And, you never know, if the experience is positive, you may have found a new, lifelong fan, that you wouldn't have obtained, otherwise.

- Above all, rather than "award" the season-ticket holders with 4-6 pre-season games that are irrelevant - pre-season NHL games are similar to MLB pre-season games in that they utilize a split-squad concept - basically, an "A" squad and a "B" squad, with the primary intent to determine who might make the NHL roster from training camp - charge those faithful fans NOTHING - NADA - for these games.  Thus, take that overall charge to the FSEs - their slick way of computing a "discount"/game for these plans, and actually applying the discount towards the regular season games.  In can be done, it can be done.

This all comes down to a concept my very wise - all the stuff that got lost on myself (sigh) - father once told me:

"Some beats the living (you-know-what) out of nothing"

To translate (just in case):  Wouldn't it be great to see, rather than the tens and hundreds of friends and family attend the pre-season games, to see thousands - actually, tens of thousands - attend the pre-season games?  And - get this - actually drum up interest and create a new fanbase? 

THIS is "outside the box" thinking, THIS is creativity, THIS is the way to drum up a groundswell that this team so desparately needs.

C'mon, CBJ management, take this and make it happen!

Carry The Flag!  Happy 10th Anniversary!

-Mase1

A request from the CBJ vid-meister himself - Skraut:

As a way of saying thanks to everyone I met at CannonFest, and all the kind words I've received over the years for my videos, I'd like to create a video which incorporates the work of my fellow Blue Jackets fans. Instead of putting together something comprised solely of video, I'd like to include photos taken by Blue Jackets fans.

What I'm looking for:

The theme for the video is “A Call to Arms” and I would be interested in seeing the photos that Jackets fans have taken which could fit the theme. Have pictures of the players during the game? Send them in. Photos of fans taken around Nationwide Arena on game day? Great! “Artsy” pictures of your jersey or the CBJ logo? Cool. Ever been to a Civil War Reenactment? Send me your pictures of the guys in blue. Any other thing that says Columbus Blue Jackets to you.

What I'm not looking for:

Pictures taken by somebody else. Please don't Google Image Search your favorite player and submit the first Getty or AP Image you find. The goal of this is to be something put together BY and FOR Blue Jackets Fans. I don't care if it's your favorite photo, or if you think it's cool. If you didn't take it with your own camera, please don't submit it.

How to Submit Your Photo:

Please email your photo to the temporary email address This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Also please include how you would like your name to appear in the credits.

I have a few visions for how this video may look when it is done, but a lot will depend on what kind of pictures I get. This is pretty exciting for me as I'm going in a bit blind. I'll know what my options are when I see what has been submitted. I can't promise every photo will be used, but if I can work it in, I will.

Thanks everybody for your help with this, I hope to have something together for the season opener.

I absolutely love this idea so don't be shy CBJ fans and shoot your pics over to Skraut.  I'll certainly be sending in my share!

There is one in particular I hold especially close to my heart.

-LTL

Holy flashback batman! I've had that beauty hangin in my cube for a few years.

Of course the Jackets scrapped that logo 3 seasons ago (my how time flies) and as just about every Columbus media outlet reported yesterday, the ice with the current star/flag logo for the upcoming season was being prepared.

I (thankfully) flipped my CBJ calendar to the month of September this morning and it's none other than Rick Nash's mug on it for this month.  Despite my serious concerns about the Jackets ability to be a playoff team - I'm ready to drop the puck and watch this thing play out!

Speaking of Rick Nash -- saw a few comments on the Dispatch blog yesterday from some fans wondering why Rick Nash is not in town yet?  I then saw more comments saying why make a big deal out of nothing - he'll be here by the end of the week.

My take is the same as the folks asking why he isn't here yet. No, it isn't the end of the world but there are 20+ players in town already skating and preparing for the season.  After the disappointing year the Jackets and #61 had last season - our leader and captain should be one of the first players here setting an example.

Again - it's time to take the kids gloves off and expect more from our 7 million dollar man.

Any players you are looking forward towards seeing the most at camp?  For me these are the guys I'm most interested in seeing - mostly young prospects:

Filatov - they say he's bigger... they say he's more focused.. we'll see.

Calvert - expectations have grown for this kid... very interested in seeing how close he is with that extra year of development under his belt.

Moore - can he match last year's training camp?

Brassard - is the swagger and confidence in his game back to what it was two years ago?

Voracek - is he prepared to up his game another level or two this season?

Wesslau - want to see what this guy is all about between the pipes.

Johanssen - didn't get to make it out to development camp so interested in seeing how far away he is.

Goloubef - his first NHL camp since he was ineligible under NCAA rules.  Another guy I'm interesting is seeing what his game is all about.

Russell - very interested to see how he is used by the new coaching staff.  If Howson doesn't make a move Russell will be the key to activating more O from the D.

Was excited to read that huge changes are coming for the NHL Network from Puck Daddy.

I've just recently become a subscriber to the NFL Network and let me tell you - they are light years ahead of the NHL's version.

It was good to read that the NHL recruited some talent from the NFL Network which shouts from the clouds that they recognize the need to improve and are taking steps to get there.

Now don't get me wrong - I love me some NHL On The Fly but NFL Total Access it isn't.  Their original content and set productions also are way above the NHL's bar.

Maybe it's just me but I can't remember the last time I flipped on Sportscenter.  It's either the NHL Network or NFL Network for me.  It's hockey first and foremost with football a distant #2 for this fan.  If for some reason I want a total sports highlight show I'll pop on Fox Sports The Final Score.

For fans of other sports you have the MLB and NBA Networks as options and of course the BIG 10 Network as well as others are there for college coverage.

No longer do we as fans have to take was ESPN shoves down our throats.  These 24X7 networks allow us, the viewer, to decide on what sports coverage we want and when we want it.

These specialized networks are the present and the future. It's great to see the NHL taking steps to improve theirs.

Off the cuff here -- but the NFL hit a homerun with the "Hard Knocks" series on HBO. I'd love to see something similar done with NHL teams.  They may have to self produce it for the NHL Network as the NHL just doesn't thave that kind of national appeal but once again, they should try to follow the NFL's lead.

Real quite on the CBJ dman trade chatter. Read over on HF (via poster Pete Geogan) a proposal by an Edmonton blogger for a Souray-Commodore swap.  I've mentioned that deal a few times here in this space -- it would make sense for both squads.

Souray has the higher salary hit per year as he is owned 4.5 mil over the next two seasons however if you factor in the fact that Commodore is owed a total of 10.65 million over the next 3 and the Jackets actually come out a few bucks ahead on the deal overall.

Both players come with their share of issues.  Souray hasn't been able to stay healthy but brings a huge powerplay presence (and shot!!) that the Jackets could use.  Commodore was in about as good of shape as the dancing fat guy last year but when focused he can be an effective player as we saw two years ago.

Less we forget that Souray is an Oiler and we know how much Howson likes to wheel and deal with his former mates.

I said I'd pull the trigger then and still would today.

Got my 16 tickets for the home opener and am ready to rock.  Section 206 look out!

-LTL

Let's have a little fun today.

I want to know what your favorite hockey movie is?!!

Why?

Because it's boring as hell in the hockey world this week, it's hot as hell and.... well, hell is spelled H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS!

When you jones for some hockey and have watched all the Jackets replays you can stomach, have read all the news/blogs/rumors available, played Skraut's vids until they burnt holes in your screens - what hockey flick do you then pop in the DVD player to continue your hockey fix?

I have listed the more popular ones below and have posted a poll to get your vote.  If you choose "other" please leave a comment and let us know.  I'll post my fave below!

SLAP SHOT

Considered by many to be the godfather of all hockey movies and a classic amongst all sports films.

YOUNGBLOOD

Features the late Patrick Swayze as Derek Sutton and Rob Lowe as Dean Youngblood.  These two were both considered the "young" studs at the time in the film biz. Not gonna win many awards for acting or screenplay but does have some good ole fashioned violence, bad language and nudity.  Mix this in with a hockey back story and viola - we have a movie I can appreciate!!

Love the 80s tag line!

THE MIGHTY DUCKS

This movie was so good that it spawned two sequels and Disney named a damn team after it!  C'mon admit it -- you've all seen it and part of you wants to clap when Charlie Conway coverts the 1 2 3 Triple Deke!  This movie is the ultimate hockey guilty pleasure!

A bit of MD trivia for you - did you know that star Heidi King was a graduate of Wright State University?  More (useless) trivia - Wright State is also yours truly Alma Mater.

MIRACLE

Disney did a great job at capturing what many say is the greatest single sporting event in the history of U.S. sports with this movie.  Who doesn't like Kurt Russell as the late Herb Brooks?  Whose eyes don't tear up when TEAM USA defeats the Russians and goes on to capture the gold medal?  Who else doesn't recite the line "Do You Believe In Miracles? - YES!!!" when the final few seconds tick off the clock?

MYSTERY ALASKA

The movie has it's moments (I particularly like the "Skank" character).  It's good but not great.  It's packed full of stars like Russell Crowe and Burt Reynolds.  It's not quite the classic it hoped to become but was/is enjoyable and may top some folks hockey faves charts.

The one thing I always take away from the movie (and don't ask me why) but Russell Crowe ain't no gladiator on skates.  Not even special effects or camera tricks could hide his skills (or lack thereof) on blades.

HAPPY GILMORE

I went back/forth as to whether to include this one on this list.  Bottom line, this movie is about an aspiring hockey player on a golf course - that is enough for me to include it.  Besides Sandler wears a Boston B's sweater through the majority of the movie and the scene where he beats the shit out of Bob Barker is all hockey baby!

THE ROCKET:

THE LEGEND OF ROCKET RICHARD

Many of you probably haven't seen this movie as it was primarily released in Canadian cinema.  I expect next to no votes for it as a fave BUT this is a movie worth watching for all hockey nuts.  It's very well done and does a great job of showcasing Richard's legend and legacy in Canada.  Think Babe Ruth in the states.

This movie also features up and coming actors Sean Avery, Vincent Lecavalier, Stephan Quintal and Mike Ricci among others!

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?

THE STORY OF THE 1980 U.S.

HOCKEY TEAM

Every time I finish watching the move Miracle I immediately pop this sucker in the DVD player.  It's a documentary of the 1980 team that originally aired on HBO.  If you've never seen this be prepared to be inspired and have a box of Kleenexes close by.  It truly is an amazing story and there is nothing like hearing about it from the original cast!

THE CUTTING EDGE

I figured I'd have to toss the "chick flick" lovers a bone with this one.  As with Happy Gilmore I struggled a bit as to whether or not to include this one but alas, here we are.  As with that movie this one focuses on a hockey player (in this case D.B. Sweeney who plays a former one due to injury) who takes up another sport - in this case pairs ice skating.  Sweeney (who even has a hockey last name) falls in love with a rich spoiled girl, they go through the ups/downs, do the Pamchenko, win Olympic gold and live happily every after.

I'll admit, if I'm channel surfing and this one pops up -- I'll leave it on.

Toe pick!

Those are the big ones but there are some others out there that may catch your fancy like:

"The Mystery Of The Million Dollar Hockey Puck" (I can't make this stuff up folks)
"Pucked" (haven't seen it but the name alone tells me I should!),
"MVP - Most Valuable Primate" (I'll pass)

and....

Making It Rain Featuring Mike Commodore (okay - that one I did make up)

For those keeping an eye out for future hockey movies watch out for "Hit Somebody".  This one is directed by big time hockey fan Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, etc) which according to IMBD is

"The story of a hockey player with a talent for fighting. Based on the song of the same name by Warren Zevon, which was written by Mitch Albom."

Again, please leave comments, especially if you've selected "other".

-LTL

My vote:  Miracle (and then the HBO documentary)

Some interesting stats for you as we wait for the month of August to finally end and for NHL training camps to open in September (yes!!):

Did you know that Ray Whitney, not Rick Nash, holds the Jackets franchise record in average points produced per game with .93?  Just wouldn't give him that extra year would you MacLean!?!

Out of the 148 players that have worn a Jackets jersey in their 9 year history - only 35 have a plus/minus of 0 or better.

Jody Shelley leads the team with 1025 penalty minutes.  Jared Boll is the next closest with 555.

David Vyborny still leads the Jackets in games played with 543.  That mark will be passed next season by Rick Nash who currently sits with 517 games.

No surprise but Rick Nash leads the franchise in total points scored with 422.  To put that in perspective with say an original 6 team like Boston -- their leading scorer is Ray Bourque with 1506 points. Sidney Crosby already has 506 points and Alex Ovechkin has 529.

The highest single season point record is Rick Nash with 79 points.  It's hard to believe but in 9 full seasons the Jackets have never had an 80 point scorer.

Ray Whitney still holds the single season team assist record with 53.

Steve Mason has played 119 games for the Jackets.  That ranks 3rd on the all time games played for Jackets goalies behind Marc Denis' 266 and Pascal Leclaire's 125.

Speaking of Marc Denis - he also leads in all time losses for a Jackets netminder with 146.  Leclaire next with 55 and Tugnutt (for President!) had 52.

Steve Mason has already claimed the most shutouts in Jackets history with 15.  Denis had 12 and Leclaire with 10.

Rusty Klesla leads all Jackets in being out for goals against with 477.  Nash next with 475.  No surprise there considering they are the longest tenured Jackets.

Here is another non-surprise -- Jan Hejda is the all time leader in plus/minus with a +26.  Vermette is second with a +7.

The Jackets have had 5 captains in their history -- can you name them?    Odeline, Whitney, Richardson, Foote and Nash.

Here's a tough one -- which team in the NHL have the Jackets had the most success against?  It is actually two teams -- the New York Islanders (7-1-1-3) and Buffalo Sabres (7-2-1-0) -- both equal a .750 winning percentage.

Which team have they had the least amount of success against?  I was thinkin the Predators (16-32-1-8) or Wings (15-33-1-8) -- however it's actually the Colorado Avalanche with an overall record of 8-26-1-1 -- that is ugly!

Which number has been worn the most by Jackets?  The answer is #24 -- it has been worn by 8 players.  Check out this motley crew -- Mike Gaul (who?), Hannes Hyvonen, Todd Rohloff, Cam Severson, Francois Beauchemin, Kris Beech, Aaron Rome and Derek MacKenzie.

There are quite a few numbers that have only been worn by one player in Jackets history - 9 (Vyborny), 13 (Zherdev), 45 (Shelley), 49 (Fritsche), 48 (Methot), 52 (Foote), 55 (Tollefsen), 57 (Heinz), 61 (Nash), 78 (York), 91 (Fedorov), 93 (Voracek), 97 (Klesla).

Adam Foote leads the franchise in average time on ice with 24:26 minutes per game.  Spacek second with 24:10 followed by Tyutin with 23:31.

All stats pulled from hockey-reference.com -- great site!!

-LTL

Today, CBJ development coach, former CBJ #28 and all around good guy, Tyler Wright will compete in the Subaru Ironman Canada Triathlon; culminating a three month fundraising effort for the Blue Jackets Hats For Heroes program.

You can follow Tyler's progress today by clicking on the logo below - he is bib #667

And it still isn't too late to donate to help push Tyler over the $40,000 goal!

Click the banner below to do so!

Tyler, the CBJ Foundation and the Hats For Heroes kids (especially my daughter, Coryn) thank you for your support!!

The news broke yesterday that the Jackets will be televised on Versus 3 times next season.  Not great but certainly better than the 1 time they were on last season.

After seeing their schedule I had to scratch my head wondering why the October 9th game against San Jose in Sweden is not televised on Versus?  My next question was will Fox Sports pick it up?

I'm not sure about the "why" for Versus but according to Fox Sports press release they will not be picking up the second Sweden game.

As Portzline said via his twitter, looks like the Center Ice San Jose feed will be our only option -- that is if the San Jose's broadcast partner chooses to televise it.

That's good for puck geeks like me who subscribe to CI but a fail for the average fan out there who won't have a local option to watch the game.

The hunt may be on for a Swedish stream of this one.  Either that or hit up your friendly R Bar!

Speaking of broadcasting games...  it certainly appears the Jackets will not be streaming the preseason games.  I don't get it.  If you aren't going to televise them then at least stream em!  I know they video tape these games for the coaches to review and such - just pipe into that.

Perhaps I'm making this too simple but how complicated can it be?

You know who got screwed on any national broadcast games?  The Nashville Predators.  They have just 1 game on Versus.

They are a big rival of ours and I like to talk shit about em -- but it's a shame a guy like Shea Weber isn't promoted more in this league. He's a flat out stud.

Someone/someway this team always finds a way to ice a competive product which I envy - you'd think they'd get more pub.

I'll tell ya one thing about Nashville -- no NHL road trip I've taken can rival those I've made down to music city.  Such a good time before/during/after the game.

HIGHLY recommended.

Raffi Torres signed a 1 year 1 million dollar deal with the Canucks yesterday.  Some may be wondering why the Jackets didn't sign him to that deal?

For one the last thing this team needs is another bottom 6 winger.  Another is Howson already made his play for Ethan Moreau.  Finally from everything I've read Torres wanted to sign with a Canadian team -- Toronto was his first choice but that obviously didn't work out.

That said if I could have a 28 year old Raffi Torres for a year at 1 million over a 34 year old Ethan Moreau for 1.8 give me Raffi Raffi sweeter than taffi.

The biggest factor in the Vancouver Torres signing is that they will no longer be looking for a bottom 6 forward in return for dman Kevin Bieksa.  They are 3 plus million over the cap and certainly will look for cap relief in the form picks and prospects in return.

The Jackets have that return available but the question remains - would ownership be willing to shell out another 3+ mil that comes with taking on a Kevin Bieksa?

Quite frankly I wouldn't blame them if they didn't.  As much as I'd love them to spend to the cap they have already spent 50+ million which should be plenty to ice a competitive team.  The spotlight now shouldn't be on ownership financial commitment but on how Howson is spending that money.

Remember he's got 6.9 million tied up in Pahlsson/Moreau/Clark.  Mike Commodore makes the most of any dman with 3.8 million yet as you will see below I have him on our 3rd pairing.

Called to get my group seats for opening night the other day.  If you want a sign of how much of a struggle it's going to be to put butts in the seats this year here is an example -- I can get group of 10 or more seats just 6 rows up in the upper bowl.

To top it off instead of selling me on the Jackets they are trying to sell me that this game is "against the Blackhawks".

Will we ever get to the point where we can just sell people on the fact that they are seeing a quality winning squad in the home team?

This team needs to win in the worst way.

Remember with a new coaching staff will certainly bring with it different views on O lines and D pairings.  Here is my guess at the Jackets lineup should the season start tomorrow:

Nash Vermette Voracek
Filatov Brassard Huselius
Umberger Pahlsson Moreau
Clark Murray Dorsett
Extra: Boll

Tyutin Hejda
Klesla Russell
Commodore Stralman
Extra: Methot

Mason
Garon

May be hard to shake the thought but Brassard, Voracek and Russell are no longer "young" players in this league.  They may be young in age but both Brassard and Russell will be 4 year pros and Voracek will be on his 3rd year.  No more "protecting" these players in the lineup.

Can't see playing Filatov any place but the top 6 to be effective.  He's a skill player that needs skill.  I like the idea of both Brassard and more importantly Huseilus creating space for Filatov and getting him the puck in shooting position.  The problem is that line is softer than a roll of Charmin.

The fact that Umberger is so versatile hurts and helps him.  There will always be a place in the lineup for him but because he's so versatile he is the logical choice to bump down to the 3rd line.  Regardless of where he may start the season he'll see plenty of time in the top 6 and PP duty as the season plays out.

I think the top four D as it stands today will be Tyutin/Klesla/Hejda/Russell -- how those pairs shake out may differ from what I have listed.

I can also easily see Methot taking the place of Commodore if he doesn't get his act together this offseason and come to camp in shape.

I don't like to see Boll a scratch but I can't see Clark or Dorsett sitting and neither are centers.

As always - injuries can and will shake things up in a hurry.  The good news is that I do believe there is some NHL quality depth in this organization that can fill those spots - at least in the bottom of the lineup - when the inevitable injury does occur.

-LTL

As the roster currently stands here are the top 10 things I believe the Jackets must do to make the playoffs:

10 - Home/Road/Central
The Jackets weren't bad at home going 20-12-9 but were horrendous on the road notching just 12 wins for an overall road record of 12-23-6.  They must get more point production on the road if they want to be a playoff team.  They must find a way to get points on those tough road swings through the west coast and north western Canada.  A 7-9-8 record against the Central ain't gonna cut it either - Vader must die, Squids must be squashed, Blues silenced and the 'hawks scalped!

9 - Howson
This is a key year for Scott Howson.  It's year 4 in the big chair and thus far he's got a underwhelming 107-102-37 overall record with one playoff appearance and two lottery picks to show for it.  This is his team now as the only remaining starters from when he took over the reigns are Rusty Klesla and Rick Nash.  There is no one left to blame if this team falters yet again.  It's no secret that I am not a fan of what he's done (or better yet, has not done) this offseason thus far.  Howson's belief that the improvement for this team must come from within must come to fruition for this team to make the playoffs.

8 - Conditioning
There is so much smoke around conditioning on the squad last year that I absolutely believe there was a 5 alarm fire.  No doubt Mike Commodore came to camp out of shape and then you have names like Voracek and Mason tossed in the conditioning rumor mill hopper.  Combine that with Noel's 3 out of 10 comment and the fact they canned their Strength and Conditioning coach and something was rotten in conditioningville.  The good news is that the young players like Voracek and Mason seemed to have gotten the message as they have worked hard on their conditioning in Columbus all summer long.  The verdict is still out on the vets like Commodore.  Conditioning cannot be a question mark this season.

7 - Filatov
I struggled where to put Filatov in this list.  The great news is that he's in Columbus a full 6 weeks ahead of camp.  That is a good first step towards rebuilding bridges with this team.  This team needs Filatov to have an impact to get to the playoffs - they need his goal scoring as quite frankly they just don't have a sniper like him.  What they need the most is a committed, focused and motivated Filatov that doesn't report to practice late, paint the town the night before games and doesn't bolt at the first sign of adversity.  What they absolutely don't need is for him to be a distraction.

6 - Xmen
The Jackets need some surprise seasons from at least two guys.  Whether that be a Kris Russell stepping up and putting up 40+ points on D or a guy like Brassard reaching 60 points there has to be some "unforecasted" points that pile up.  Maybe rookies like a John Moore or Matt Calvert get a shot due to injuries and never look back.  Maybe vets like an Umberger, Tyutin and/or Vermette top their previous career highs.  Maybe Nash hits 90 points.  Maybe Clark and Moreau can contribute something substantial on the scoresheet.  Maybe its a community effort.  Maybe it's Steve Mason scoring 10 empty net goals.  Personally I don't care whoever or whatever it is but the bottom line is this team needs more point production as they were ranked just 20th overall in total goals scored last season.  That isn't good enough.

5 - OT/Shootout
The Jackets went 5-15 in OT/shootouts last season - that is 15 points left on the board that were given to other squads.  Can't happen again if they have any hope at reaching the post season.

4 - Coaching
I think the coaching staff changes have been a bit over-rated this offseason (then again what else has there been to talk about?) but if this coaching staff can't get buy in from the vets and younger players this team is sunk.  Talent for talent the Jackets just aren't on par with the paper contenders in this league but if this staff can get them to play as a team and out work their opponents on a nightly basis then they may be on to something.

3 - Voracek
This one is short and sweet - if Voracek leads this team in scoring this team makes the playoffs.  I think this kid is a huge factor in determining this season's fate.

2 - Goatlending/Defense
Quite frankly I don't care who it is between the pipes but the bottom line is if the Jackets want to make the playoffs they must get above average goaltending and the defense can't have leaks the size of the gulf oil spill.  The keys are three fold 1. ride the guy whose hot regardless of the name on the back of his jersey 2. need goaltenders to steal some games, especially on the road and 3. the goaltending is only as good as the defense in front of them.

1 - Rick Nash
I've said it before and I'll say it again -- Rick Nash is getting paid to be the man now he has to play like the man.  67 points will not cut it.  That C on his crest is not for show -- he has got to lead this team both off and on the ice.  He's got to make big plays at keys moments of the game and season.  If they are in a shootout during a 3 game losing streak on the tail end of a back 2 back on the West Coast -- he's got to covert that attempt and salvage something from that trip.  The kid gloves have got to come off with 61 and the expectations from the fans, management and most importantly himself must rise.

-LTL

(this one was for you Terry!)

Caught this pic over on NHL.com and wanted to share here.  It's a picture of the rink that was used for the R&D camp that was organized by Brenan Shanahan:

How about that one faceoff dot configuration?

I think this camp is a great sign that the NHL is not sitting on their hands and reacting but instead are being proactive and looking for ways to improve the game.

Personally I like the idea of going to a 3 on 3 OT after 4 on 4 before going to a shootout.  Perhaps if the Jackets, who were dead last in the league with only 2 shootout wins last season, had any kind of success in the shootout my stance would change!

One area off the ice I think the NHL must look at are the camera angles.  I'd love to see a game televised from North to South (like they do in video games) as opposed to East to West.

The Jackets will be once again be participating in the Traverse City Prospect Tournament this preseason.  The tourney kicks off on September 11th with the Jackets facing the Rangers in the first game at 9:30 a.m.

Full schedule can be found here.

One of these years I will get up there for one of these deals!

-LTL

I hope you didn't bother to bring a towel to dry yourself off from the splash Howson and the Jackets made yesterday with the signing of 32 year old center Ben Guite.

That splash wouldn't make it out of a fishbowl.

Forecaster on Guite:

ASSETS: Works very hard every shift. Is a solid penalty-killer and face-off man. Has the size and defensive acumen to shut down offensive forwards.
FLAWS: Has never been able to translate AHL production into regular point production at the highest level. Lacks consistency in the offensive zone.
CAREER POTENTIAL: Reserve center.

I'm sure Guite will be fine in his role but here's my problem with this signing -- why are we concentrating on AHL tweeners when the Jackets still have holes big enough in their NHL lineup to drive a dump truck through?

Shouldn't we be concentrating on our NHL lineup?  I know I'd feel a lot better about these kinds of touch up moves if the priorities in the NHL lineup were already addressed.

It is August and we have less than 30 days til camp opens.  Yes there is still time to add impact players to the NHL lineup but the pickings are slim and time is running out.

Let's recap what Howson has accomplished this offseason thus far:

1. Hired a new coaching staff.  One with zero games of head coaching experience at the NHL level.

2. Drafted Ryan Johanssen with the #4 overall pick. Won't wear a Jackets sweater this season. Probably won't make a significant NHL impact until year 3.

3. Claimed 34 year old 3rd line winger Ethan Moreau off of waivers from Edmonton who was the worst team in the league last season.

4. Resigned Anton Stralman, Jared Boll, Mike Blunden, Grant Clitsome and Derek MacKenzie among others.

5. Signed 32 year old depth center Ben Guite.  He played in 6 games for Nashville last season (a team that needless to say was not loaded offensively) and registered 0 points.  He spent the majority of his season with their AHL affiliate the Milwaukee Admirals

Now step away from your CBJ bubble and ask yourself an honest question - how does any of this really make the Jackets a better team for next season?

Those moves summed up tell us one thing -- that Howson believes last season was the fluke.  That this team will bounce back. That all the improvement will come from within and THAT will be enough to make this team a playoff contender.

Ask yourself another question -- what if two years ago was the fluke and last year was the norm?

I really hope this coaching staff can spark this team.. I really hope Mase can bounce back and the young players can take a step.  I hope our franchise player can do more than show up for a few stretches and score more than 67 points. I hope Ben Guite can contribute something.. anything!

I want to believe.. I really REALLY do but all I can do is hope Howson's offseason plan works.  Hope his belief in this team comes to fruition.  His job could depend on it.

Until Howson gets serious about filling the real holes on his NHL team instead of these pointless depth signings I can't get serious about this squad's playoff chances.

I'll be rooting for them every step of the way of course but man it's hard for me to really get excited about our chances and that sucks!

-LTL