The NHL off-season is always a busy time of year. This week, the Columbus Blue Jackets have made their first of what should be many signings. In a move that has flown mostly under the radar, the Jackets’ first piece of business this summer is the hiring of Brad Shaw, a defensive assistant coach formerly of the St. Louis Blues.
As reported in The Columbus Dispatch, Shaw will be making the transition from St. Louis to Columbus in order to replace retiring assistant coach Craig Hartsburg. His job will be to help head coach John Tortorella with the development and management of the Jackets’ defensive corps.
Following his 19-year playing career, Shaw began coaching with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1999. Following a stop with the New York Islanders, he landed in St. Louis in 2006. Under former Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock, Shaw earned the title of assistant coach in 2012 and aided the rise and development of the Blues’ star defenders Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk. This past season also saw the emergence of the impressive young defenseman Colton Parayko, whose blossoming under Shaw’s tutelage pushed him to finish the regular season with 33 points and a plus/minus of +29.
Brad Shaw Joins Jackets
In addition to aiding the development of such undoubtedly talented defensemen, Shaw oversaw the Blues’ penalty kill. The unit which finished the 2015-2016 regular season third in the entire NHL with 85.1% of penalties killed. This stellar statistic serves as a feather in the cap of Shaw’s career in St. Louis, where his defensive unit finished in the top ten in penalties killed in each of the previous five seasons. This helped lead the Blues into the playoffs in each of those years. What’s more, opposing teams managed to score only 201 goals against Shaw’s defense last season, fourth fewest in the NHL.
Shaw’s experience developing young defensemen into elite players will be a particularly useful addition to the Blue Jackets. Columbus’ defense has been much-maligned over the past few seasons. Despite last year’s emergence of young first-pairing defensemen Seth Jones and Ryan Murray, the Columbus defense remains an Achilles heel for an organization who intends to make the playoffs. With potential moves in the works for Jack Johnson and Fedor Tyutin, as well as the likely elevation of Zach Werenski into the fold, Shaw will be taking over a blue line in flux, albeit one with excellent potential.
Summer Ahead
This summer should prove to be a busy one in Columbus, with speculation abounding over the third overall draft pick and the likelihood of trading veteran players to create cap space. By signing a proven defensive coach in the form of Shaw this early in the offseason, the Jackets’ front office looks to supplement the previous season’s hiring of Tortorella as a replacement for Todd Richards, who has recently found a new role as an assistant coach with the Lightning. Most of all, this hiring serves as a signal of intent from the Jackets’ management. They have demonstrated a clear desire to improve the club.
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