For the month of June, Last Word On Sports will be covering each team in our 30 in 30 series. Once a day, we take a look at an NHL team’s past season, what their off-season looks like, and what they could hope to achieve before the start of their 2015-16 season. Everybody wants to get better and improve upon last season’s success or downfall and NHL’s 30 in 30 gives you that analysis and preview you need to get you by during another long and grueling summer season. 30 days in June, 30 teams to cover. Starting on June 1st we start from the bottom and make our way to the very top.
Today’s team: The Columbus Blue Jackets. Check out our previous 30 in 30 articles here.
NHL’s 30 in 30: Columbus Blue Jackets
Finishing 23rd overall, the Columbus Blue Jackets posted a record of 42-35-5 to end up with just 89 points. They finished with the same amount of points as the San Jose Sharks and won more games, however they conceded the 22nd position due to an unfavorable ROW (Regulation plus Overtime Wins). Their home record (19-20-2) was among the ten worst home records in the league, putting the Blue Jackets in a bad position. Their away record (23-15-3) was a complete contrast as the second-best home record among non-playoff teams, behind only the Dallas Stars (24-15-2). The Blue Jackets may have had a higher pick in the entry draft had it not been for their last ten games of the season, where they went 9-0-1. Columbus was also the king in shoot-outs, going 9-2 during the skills competition to decide who gets the extra point.
The 2014-15 Regular Season
Looking to build off their 2014 playoff run that saw the Blue Jackets make the dance and win their very first post-season game in franchise history, the hopes of progressing further off that momentum were quickly dashed by an absurd number of injuries. Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Murray, Boone Jenner, Artem Anisimov, Matt Calvert and Mark Letetsu all missed 25 games or more and starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was out for more than a month, missing a good portion of the season. With all the man-game lost, the odds were impossible to overcome and the team took an expected tumble down the standings.
Forward Nick Foligno had always been a solid complimentary player that provided a physical edge and played his heart out on every shift. Nobody expected him to nearly double his point total from the past season, although to be fair, Foligno banked a lot of his points on the powerplay. The Blue Jackets rewarded their leading point-getter (73 points) of the 2014-15 season, not only with a contract extension (six-years, $33 million) but also with the captaincy of the team going into next season. Looking to prove he is indeed the franchise’s future at centre, Ryan Johansen kicked off year one of his three-year deal by putting up a career-high 71-point season at just 22 years of age. Also looking to prove he still has it in him, Scott Hartnell showed up as his old Philly gritty style by playing hard-nosed hockey and tying his second highest season total of 60 points.
Due to the substantial amount of injuries to the team, both Alexander Wennberg and Mark Dano got their first taste of the NHL as a baptism by fire. At the age of 20, Dano was red hot at the end of the season, scoring 14 points in the last 15 games, while Wennberg logged some good minutes after the All-Star break, averaging just over 16 minutes of ice-time a game. It’s unsure whether they’ll be with the roster on opening night, especially with the seasonally slumping Rene Bourque on a hefty contract going into next season. Bourque scored six goals in 51 games with three different teams (Montreal, Anaheim, Columbus) but he’ll be hanging on to a roster spot on opening day.
Plagued by injuries in his career thus far, Ryan Murray was reduced to just 12 games last season. The 21-year-old has managed just 78 games spread over two seasons in the NHL, but played well for the team when he was healthy. A full 2015-16 season will definitely help towards his progression, as the talent is obviously there. Meanwhile, Jack Johnson and David Savard were anchors on the blue-line, with both logging well over 20 minutes per game. Veteran Fedor Tyutin played under 20 minutes per game for the first time in his career and looked out of place, but the Blue Jackets are hopeful he can turn things around next season to help push the club back into the playoff picture.
Bobrovsky also looks to bounce back after a season riddled with injury and average play (to his standards). He’s been one of the bright spots for Columbus in the last three seasons however, and the Blue Jackets will be happy to have a healthy and ready-to-go Bobrovsky next season.
Nearing the trade deadline, the Blue Jackets made a series of trades. On February 26th, Adam Cracknell was sent to the St. Louis Blues for future considerations.Then, the hockey world was stunned when the Blue Jackets traded Nathan Horton to Toronto in exchange for David Clarkson, who is set to make $5.25 million for another five years. Then, on March 2nd, James Wisniewski was sent to Anaheim along with Detroit’s 2015 3rd-round pick in exchange for prospect William Karlsson, Bourque and a 2015 2nd-round pick. Jordan Leopold was then shipped to Minnesota in exchange for Justin Falk and a 2015 5th-round pick.
The Off-Season and Free Agents
Heading into the off-season, the Blue Jackets have a total of four free agents to decide on. Of the four free agents, just one of them is restricted to the team; 25-year-old forward Matt Calvert. Forwards Mark Letesu and Jack Skille, and goaltender Curtis McElhinny are the upcoming unrestricted free agents.
One of the biggest hockey stories out of Ohio has been where prospect Mike Reilly will end up. The Blue Jackets top defensive prospect has become one of the biggest unrestricted free agent attractions to hit the market and up to nine teams have shown interest, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens. Columbus still hasn’t counted themselves out of retaining his services and keeping him under their branch, as losing Reilly would deal a giant blow to their prospect pool.
The team needs a top-pairing defenseman, some depth on the blue line as well, and a back-up goaltender, should McElhinny test the free agent market. Good solutions for the man to play behind Bobrovsky are Thomas Greiss and Jhonas Enroth, while there are a few decent defenseman in free agency that could improve the Blue Jackets blue-line, such as Christian Ehrhoff and Johnny Oduya. With 22 players signed under the cap and just over $6 million of cap space to play with, the Blue Jackets role on July 1st may be very limited to some minor deals, if any at all.
The Draft Table
With a top-10 pick, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and his scouting team will be among the busiest at this year’s draft. With eleven picks in total and more than half of them in the first 100 selections, Jarmo is bound to get some gems with three picks in the first two rounds.
With the 8th overall selection, there is plenty to debate about who will be left by then. With the top five spots seemingly locks at this point, picks six through 10 will likely battle it out for prospects like Ivan Provorov, Zach Werenski, Pavel Zacha, Matthew Barzal and Mikko Rantanen. Lawson Crouse is also a prospect that itches in and out of the top-10, depending on who you ask, and will be an intriguing case to watch on draft day.
Forward Jack Roslovic was interviewed by the Blue Jackets staff during the combine and was put through the grind, so there is definitely interest in him. With one of their three second round picks, possibly at 34 or 38, Roslovic would be an ideal candidate for Columbus. Defensemen Erik Cernak and Travis Dermott are two good defensive prospects to consider later on with the 58th pick, should they slide a bit, or Columbus could offer a slight reach with their 38th and select one. Otherwise Rasmus Andersson or Mitchell Vande Sompel could be available at 58.
After their four pick in the first two rounds, Columbus will select 68th, 69th, 129th, 141st, 159th, 185th and 189th. Keep a look out for their party table, as a surplus of second rounders could lead Jarmo to striking a few deals that see the Blue Jackets moving up for a second chance to hit the podium in the first round.
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