You never know what you’re going to get when you follow along with the Columbus Blue Jackets. One night they look like a bottom-feeder barely hanging on for dear life, the next they look like a perennial playoff team. Some might call out that it’s a fluke, but it’s nothing short of a clear message of what is to come within the next two season for the Blue Jackets organization, as they will become contenders.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Contenders in Two Years
As everyone knows, and what is surely becoming a case of beating a dead horse, the season started off horrifically, and that adjective doesn’t even seem to do it justice. It was a start of epic proportions, and one that should serve as a warning for the 2016-17 season for the young and hungry Blue Jackets organization. It has become clear since the end of October that the owners, General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen, the players, and the fan base have all gotten behind the no-nonsense philosophy of head coach John Tortorella, and it’s going to pay off sooner rather than later.
There are so many cliches you could throw out there about how they are inexperienced, young, lack depth, and so on and so forth about the Jackets. But, one thing remains, and that is that the team finally seems to have a philosophy and a clear mission for the future, and that’s to make the playoffs. Almost everything has improved massively since Tortorella stepped in, not like that is a huge accomplishment, and it’s giving the fan base a sense of hope for the future of the club. Let’s just hope this team it doesn’t come in with the same form in the beginning of next season.
One major thing that has improved under Tortorella is the discipline of the team, and this may come as a surprise to many who watch the Jackets on a regular basis. Despite being one of the most penalized teams in the league, they have shored up what was an utterly embarrassing blue line at the beginning of the year by trading for future star Seth Jones and signing former first round pick Ryan Murray to an extension earlier this season. When you take into account that Murray has stayed healthy, and found his footing this season, and the way he plays with Jones, it’s a clear marker to future success in the buckeye state.
Moving on to other areas of the team that have massively improved is the man who keeps the biscuit out of the Columbus basket, netminder Joonas Korpisalo. Despite everyone in Columbus, or most at least, seemingly having an infatuation with Sergei Bobrovsky, one that would even inspire Nicholas Sparks, there isn’t enough words in the English language to explain how much Korpisalo has meant to the late-season resurgence the Blue Jackets are currently experiencing. Now let’s just look at this objectively without the rose-colored glasses on, and take a gander at the young Finn’s season statistically. He’s boasting a 13-8-4 record, a 2.61 GAA, and a save percentage of .919, which are numbers some might brush off without a second glance. But, when you take into account that he is just 21 years old, and was battling for a starting spot in the AHL earlier this year, it makes them stick out in a big way. This kid will, as surely the fan base will hope, play a massive role in what is to come for the organization, and for good reason when backing up an injury-prone goalie.
Green's shot hit the post, but Korpisalo made a ridiculous toe save on the rebound or else we're tied
— Rob Mixer (@RobMixer) March 9, 2016
The third reason to really set into your ever-critical minds that the Blue Jackets will be contenders is the depth they boast among their forwards. The Blue Jackets are the only team in the NHL, currently, with four players with 20 or more goals to their names. This isn’t a feat that should be tossed aside, as the scoring aspect of the team was one of the reasons they were losing close games earlier in the season, ones they’re now pulling out great wins in. There is veteran forward Scott Hartnell who is providing nothing short of a hunger still at 33 years old and it’s seeming to spread like a wildfire in the Blue Jackets locker room. The person who seems to be most affected by this is young, gritty, hungry Boone Jenner, who is most definitely one of the most underrated forwards in the NHL (if you want to hear more on Jenner, you can find it here). Jenner is just what the Jackets need, and everyone is jumping on board with that process, as he is on 24 goals now this season, with more sure to come soon.
Torts on Jenner "watch him play…that's what we are trying to be…the tenaciousness of his play" #CBJ
— Alison (@AlisonL) March 9, 2016
The last thing that will surely put the nail in the coffin of any remaining doubt anyone may have about the Blue Jackets is that they are turning Nationwide Arena into a fortress. Tuesday night saw the Blue Jackets beat a playoff contending Detroit Red Wings in exciting fashion 5-3, as they are about to play another four games in a row at home this month. And, in the last 10 games at home, they boast a record of 7-1-2. Combine that with a 11-4-3 record at Nationwide since December 19th, and you start to get teams worried about coming to Columbus. Pride to protect their home ice is something Tortorella has brought to the team, and something the team was sorely lacking earlier in the season under Todd Richards.
John Tortorella post-game tonight: "We've found ourselves at home." #CBJ are inflicting, not the opposite, at NWA. https://t.co/IfF7RWMDEA
— Rob Mixer (@RobMixer) March 9, 2016
When you look at all of these massively important factors to the success of an organization, you see that the Blue Jackets are doing exactly what they once claimed to want to do, building “brick by brick.” Despite the team most likely missing out on the playoffs this season, this year has not been a waste. If anything, it has only shown the fans, the league, and the organization itself of the promise that is to come. The promise that they will become Stanley Cup contenders sooner, rather than later.
If you liked this article, or have an interest in the Columbus Blue Jackets, click here to read another great article on them from Last Word on Sports writer, Ed Cmar.
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