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Columbus Blue Jackets (Official Thread)

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Dispatch

2/24/06

NHL
Leclaire heals during break

Friday, February 24, 2006

Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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Pascal Leclaire’s back is back, which could set up another goalie-time share scenario for the Blue Jackets.
The team, minus its four Olympians, reunited yesterday for its first practice after an 11-day hiatus. They eased back in with an hourlong, noncontact skate.
The break was a time of rest, relaxation and healing. And among those who benefited the most physically was Leclaire, who tweaked his back during a Feb. 6 game in Vancouver and sat out the last three pre-Olympics games.
"I skated a couple times last week outside on the lake with my buddies and old people," Leclaire said, smiling. "It was good, I didn’t have any problems, and it felt great today."
Leclaire and Marc Denis alternated starts in a 12-game stretch between Jan. 5 and 27. The Blue Jackets went 7-4-0-1 in that span.
Denis then started and won three straight but was pulled after allowing four goals on Vancouver’s first 10 shots. Leclaire lasted one period before getting hurt.
In his last four starts before the break, Denis was 1-3 with a save percentage of .829.
Coach Gerard Gallant would not commit to a starter on Thursday at Colorado.
"I haven’t thought about it, to be honest with you," he said. "We’ve got six full days of practice. We’ll see how they feel and see how they look. It has obviously been a big break for the goalies, it’s basically been three weeks since Pascal played a game, so we’re just going to see how they look.
"When we play in Colorado, we’ll decide (who starts) probably the day before."
Leclaire implied that he was in line to start the last game before the Olympics, the second night of a back-to-back Feb. 10 in Nashville, but the decision was made to rest his back.
"Marc wants to play and I want to play, and I think everybody wants to be No. 1," Leclaire said. "We both want to play as much as we can, and it’s in the coaches’ hands to decide what to do."
Another player’s back has not responded as well to the rest. Defenseman Bryan Berard has missed 14 games because of a herniated disc — seven in December and the past seven — and he’s not brimming with optimism that he will return soon.
"It’s progressing, but it’s tough," he said. "It’s a back, so we can’t rush back, because if it gets hurt any more, then we’re talking surgery."
A specialist, whom Berard saw last week in Los Angeles, recommended three more weeks of rest.
"Surgery is the last option," Berard said. "Right now, we’re close to that."
Berard and Mike Rupp (broken foot) were the only two Blue Jackets not to practice. Gallant said Rupp skated on his own and should be ready for the Colorado game.
Sergei Fedorov said he is fully recovered from a pulled muscle just below his left shoulder.
The Olympics are over for Rick Nash (Canada), Adam Foote (Canada) and Radoslav Suchy (Slovakia). They should rejoin the team Sunday or Monday, Gallant said. David Vyborny of the still-alive Czech Republic isn’t due back until Tuesday.
[email protected]
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Dispatch

2/26/06

NHL
Forget playoffs: Jackets still have much to play for
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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Steel flashed in Sergei Fedorov’s eyes and his Russian-accented voice.
The Blue Jackets center had been asked what the team’s goal should be over its final 24 games.
"Two words: Win 24," Fedorov said. "(It’s) probably impossible, but keep testing ourselves. If we cannot save this season, we should get ready for the next.
"But I’d say we should consider every game as a playoff game. Come out and do our best."
He added matter-of-factly, "That’s our job."
Maybe this is one of the benefits of acquiring a Stanley Cup-winning veteran such as Fedorov: to give his lessexperienced teammates some needed perspective.
Yes, the team has crawled back to respectability, rallying from a 5-18 start to go 18-15-0-2 since Nov. 25. But don’t be satisfied with that. Keep pushing.
With little else to play for, building on their recent improved play is the main focus. The Jackets begin post-Olympics competition Thursday in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche.
"It’s a big time for our franchise and our organization," coach Gerard Gallant said. "We want to play well. We’ve turned it around since Christmastime, so we just want to continue it."
Gallant knows that the playoff ship sailed long ago. Edmonton occupies the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference, and at its pace will end with 96 points.
The Blue Jackets would have to win all 24 games to finish with 96 points.
"(The playoffs are) not going to be something we’re going to shoot for," Gallant said. "But we’re going to come out and try and play hard every game and win as many games as possible and get things going in the right direction."
Winger Jason Chimera still holds out hope.
"Never say never," he said. "We dug ourselves a pretty good hole, but I think the goal is always the playoffs. Keep winning games, string 10 games together, say, and maybe you’re right back up in there."
Chimera was the exception in the dressing room.
Some attainable milestones remain for the players, such as most wins and most points in franchise history.
Five of the Blue Jackets’ final 10 games are against Central Division bottom-feeders Chicago and St. Louis.
After their poor start, "We just said, ‘Let’s concentrate on winning some hockey games,’ " defenseman Bryan Berard said.
"We’ve been doing that. So keep playing well, and hopefully let that carry over so that during the off-season we can think about it a lot and be ready to go next year."
But as Fedorov pointed out, part of carrying over the success to next year is learning to keep getting better and not relaxing after winning a few games.
Mediocrity cannot be the goal, he said.
"The way to approach this particular stretch . . . you’ve got to play your best," Fedorov said. "You think, ‘We’re playing good,’ — no, play even better. So there are no limits to that kind of push."
[email protected]
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Dispatch

2/28/06

BLUE JACKETS

Evaluation time arrives for team’s prospects

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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Once again, the Blue Jackets are out of the playoff race with two months left in the season.
So, once again, the final eight weeks of the season likely will be used to give some of the club’s up-and-coming players extended time in the NHL.
After a two-week break for the Olympics, the Blue Jackets resume play Thursday in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche.
Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean said he doesn’t have a timetable for the call-ups, and he wouldn’t say which players are headed here from Syracuse for trial runs (although one can hazard a pretty safe guess).
"My focus right now is on the (NHL) trade deadline," MacLean said.
The deadline is March 9, and MacLean spoke yesterday as though he might be on the verge of swinging a deal as soon as today, though he was tightlipped about any specifics.
The Olympic roster freeze ended last night at midnight.
"We’ll see what happens," MacLean said. "But the (last two months) are a very important stretch of games for us, in terms of developing a climate of winning here.
"It’s important, too, for some of our veterans who are unrestricted (free agents) at the end of the season, because we’re always evaluating. And we’re going to want to look at some of our young players as much as possible."
The Blue Jackets will be almost at full strength at practice today. Rick Nash, Adam Foote and David Vyborny are expected back on the ice after returning from Turin, Italy.
Another Olympian, Radoslav Suchy, was back yesterday, as was center Mike Rupp, who is fully recovered after missing six weeks with a broken foot.
The only piece missing is defenseman Bryan Berard, whose back ailment will keep him on the shelf at least another two weeks.
MacLean said surgery has been ruled out for Berard, at least for now.
The Jackets have 11 forwards on the roster, meaning they’ll need to recall one before leaving Wednesday for a threegame trip.
It could be right winger Steven Goertzen or center Dan Fritsche, both of whom were sent to Syracuse before the break after spending most of the season with the Blue Jackets.
Then again, it could be any number of Syracuse players.
Center Mark Hartigan is tearing up the American Hockey League with 32 goals and 38 assists in only 42 games. He has never had a prolonged chance to play on a top twoline in the NHL, but that could be coming.
Forwards Alexandre Picard, Geoff Platt, Joakim Lindstrom, Greg Mauldin and Joe Motzko and defensemen Aaron Johnson and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen could get looks soon, as well.
All are playing very well in Syracuse, which is one of the hottest teams in the AHL.
"I want to limit the disruption in Syracuse," MacLean said. "They’re playing great hockey right now, and I’m not going to pull people up for the sake of pulling them up.
"That’s one of the reasons I went there for a couple of games during the break. I wanted to see them play in that setting, and they looked really, really good. Picard has taken a major step over the last few weeks."
[email protected]
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http://www.bluejackets.com/news/press/arts/2905.0.html

Blue Jackets Acquire Forward Cam Severson From Calgary


The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired forward Cam Severson from the Calgary Flames in exchange for defenseman Cale Hulse, club President and General Manager Doug MacLean announced Tuesday. Severson (pronounced SEE-ver-suhn) is expected to join the Blue Jackets in Denver for Thursday's game against the Colorado Avalanche

Severson, 28, has collected 3-0-3 and 58 penalty minutes in 33 career NHL games, including 3-0-3 and 50 penalty minutes in 31 games with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2003-04. He scored his first career NHL goal vs. the Blue Jackets on Feb. 18, 2004.
The Canora, Saskatchewan native has tallied 13-7-20 with 146 penalty minutes in 54 games for the Omaha Ak-Sar Ben Knights of the American Hockey League in 2005-06. Playing in his seventh pro season, he has registered 53-48-101 and 889 penalty minutes in 319 career AHL games. His 13 goals scored this season are his highest of his AHL career.
"Cam is a big, physical forward who plays with a lot of grit and will add some size and toughness to our group of forwards," said MacLean. "Cale Hulse is a tremendous person who came in and did everything we asked of him during his time with the Blue Jackets. This move will give him an opportunity to play in his hometown and we wish him all the best."
San Jose's sixth pick, 192nd overall, in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Severson played three seasons in the Western Hockey League where he registered 65-79-144 and 630 penalty minutes in 171 games with Lethbridge, Prince Albert and Spokane from 1996-99. His best season was 1997-98 when he notched 32-36-68 and 217 penalty minutes in 64 games with Prince Albert and Spokane.
Hulse was acquired by the Blue Jackets along with forwards Jason Chimera and Mike Rupp from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for forwards Geoff Sanderson and Tim Jackman on Oct. 8, 2005. He appeared in 27 games with Columbus, registering 0-3-3 and 43 penalty minutes
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Dispatch

3/1/06

NHL

Jackets enjoy Olympics despite Canada’s disappointing finish

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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The Blue Jackets got back to full power yesterday, with Rick Nash, Adam Foote and David Vyborny joining the ranks after returning from the Turin Olympics.
Then again, full power might be a relative term.
The clock in the Blue Jackets’ practice rink read 11 a.m., but all three players noted that their foggy heads and heavy legs were stuck in a different time zone, still in the mountains of northern Italy.
A fourth player, Radoslav Suchy, returned two days earlier — and he’s still getting adjusted.
"It’ll take a few days for the jet lag to pass, I’m sure," Nash said.
It’ll take much longer than that, of course, for hockey-mad Canada to come to grips with its failure to win an Olympic medal.
Vyborny won a bronze medal with the Czech Republic, including a quarterfinal win over Suchy and Slovakia.
But it was Canada, including Nash and Foote, that counts itself as the biggest disappointment of the tournament.
Canada scored three goals in its final four games and — egad — was eliminated by Russia in the qualifying round.
The uproar north of the border has been intense.
"That’s the way it is," Foote said. "When you win gold, everything’s cool, everything’s good.
"When you lose, it’s time to get dissected."
Nash in particular had a tough tournament.
The ballyhooed line with Nash, Joe Thornton and Simon Gagne — the three dominated the world championships last spring — was broken up a few games into the tournament.
This will be hard to believe for Blue Jackets fans, but Nash saw his playing time dwindle in the final few games.
"It was frustrating," Nash said. "They wanted to shake things up and try different things to change it up a bit. Obviously, nobody was really playing with any chemistry."
Foote said the gold-or-broke feeling in Canada has negative consequences.
"There’s a lot of pressure on the players and coaching staff," Foote said. "I don’t think it will ever change, but it does (have) an effect.
"They need to loosen up a little about that. You can’t discredit these other teams. There are great hockey teams out there, and it comes down to single-game elimination."
Outside of hockey, the players had fun perusing the Olympic village and mingling with Olympians from around the world.
Vyborny met Katerina Neumannova, who won a gold and a silver in cross-country skiing.
"She’s a big star now in Czech Republic," Vyborny said.
Nash said, "It was a great experience. The hockey aside, it was a great time and I’m glad I was there.
"Hopefully, I’ll have a better experience in 2010, if I’m fortunate enough to be on that team."
Now the focus is back on the Blue Jackets, who resume their season against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday in Denver.
"I’m happy to be back in the room with the guys," Nash said. "I’m ready to get it going here again."
[email protected]
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Dispatch

3/2/06

ANALYSIS

Playoffs are out, yet subplots abound

Buzz includes MacLean, free agents, even trades

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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DENVER — The countdown to the days of golf, fishing and lakeside cabins stands at 24 games for the Blue Jackets, even though nobody in the dressing room will dare admit to that way of thinking.
The Blue Jackets return tonight following a 19-day layoff for the Olympics, playing the Colorado Avalanche in Pepsi Center.
It will be interesting to see how the club plays in the final seven weeks of the season, after playing so poorly for the first three months of the season and so well the past two months.
The stated preseason goal of making the playoffs is pratically out of the question. But with 24 games left, there are lots of issues for fans to keep an eye on, such as:
MacLean’s deal

President and general manager Doug MacLean has yet to sign a contract extension. A month ago, owner John H. McConnell said MacLean was close to signing a contract that went year by year, with a predetermined date by which it could be extended.
It seems unlikely that MacLean would sign such a contract. He wants a longterm deal, and some reports in Canada have it at $15 million over five years.
MacLean and John P. McConnell, the owner’s son and the club’s alternate governor, left practice together Tuesday, giving some the sense that a deal was about to be made official.
A representative said yesterday that MacLean’s deal is on the table and needs only his signature. That could happen as soon as next week, when the Blue Jackets return to Columbus.
It’s important to get a deal signed soon, because a lot of people — not just MacLean — are in limbo, including the coaching staff and 15 or 20 front-office staff members, whose contracts also expire this summer.
Trade deadline

The NHL trade deadline is 3 p.m. March 9, a week from today.
Look for several trades around the league — some of them blockbusters — but it doesn’t look as though the Blue Jackets will be a major player.
The most likely scenario is that the Blue Jackets could dump one or two veterans in the final year of his contract, most likely for draft picks.
But strange things happen in the final hours before the deadline.
"You never know," MacLean said. "It can change in a hurry. You think you’re standing pat . . . and then the phone rings."
Unrestricted free agents

The Blue Jackets have six players who will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season — forwards David Vyborny, Manny Malhotra, Trevor Letowski and Jan Hrdina and defensemen Radoslav Suchy and Luke Richardson.
Re-signing Vyborny, Malhotra, Letowski and Suchy would seem to be a priority, and MacLean said he has had preliminary talks with all of their agents.
In the next week, the Jackets will try to get an idea of what the players are seeking. If it’s significantly different than what the club is expecting, a trade might become an option.
The kids are all right

Aren’t they?
Once the trade deadline passes, the Jackets will be able to recall up to four players, not including injury recalls, in the final five weeks of the season.
Joakim Lindstrom, Alexandre Picard and O.K. Tollefsen are obvious choices to join the lineup so that the Jackets can determine whether they should hold open a roster spot next season.
One spot will be saved, for sure. Center Gilbert Brule, currently tearing up junior hockey, is expected to step in at the No. 2 or No. 3 center spot.
Setting up 2006-07

The Blue Jackets are 18-15-2 since Nov. 25, 14-8-1 since Dec. 23 and 7-4-0 since Jan. 20.
The push came too late to make the playoffs, but a strong finish could be important. Attendance has slipped this season in Nationwide Arena by an average of 726 fans. The average crowd of 16,787 is nearly 1,400 below capacity.
If the Jackets can get 24 points out of their last 24 games — a .500 record — they will set a franchise record with 72 points. If they win only seven more games, they’ll hit 30 wins for the first time.
[email protected]
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gilbert brule has been named whl player of the month
http://whl.ca/potm/?id=3851

February 2006: Gilbert Brule, Vancouver Giants

Created: Mar 1, 2006

+ Enlarge​

Calgary - The Western Hockey League today announced that forward Gilbert Brule of the Vancouver Giants has been named the HUSKY WHL Player of the Month for February.

The 19-year-old forward from North Vancouver, British Columbia recorded 12 goals and 23 points in 13 games played during the month of February. Brule helped lead the Giants to a 10-2-0-1 record for the month. The Giants lead the WHL Western Conference with 92 points and are only one point out of 1st place overall in the Western Hockey League.

Brule recorded three power-play goals, four game-winning goals and a plus-minus rating of +6 in February.

Brule, who was also the Greyhound WHL Player of the Week during the week of February 13th to February 19th, was drafted in the 1st round, 6th overall, by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

His accomplishments make Gilbert Brule a deserving choice as the HUSKY WHL Player of the Month for February.

HUSKY, proud sponsor of the WHL Education Program and the Canada West WHL Graduate of the Month.

2005-06 Husky WHL Player of the Month - Previous Winners:
September/October: Troy Brouwer, Moose Jaw Warriors
November: Devin Setoguchi, Saskatoon Blades
December: Ian McDonald, Tri-City Americans
January: Matt Keetley, Medicine Hat Tigers
February: Gilbert Brule, Vancouver Giants
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Dispatch

3/3/06

AVALANCHE 1 | BLUE JACKETS 0

No breaks for Jackets

Leclaire shines in net, but offense unable to convert against Avalanche

Friday, March 03, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>DAVID ZALUBOWSKI | ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Brad May of the Avalanche elbows Luke Richardson of the Blue Jackets in the face while trying to get the puck past Pascal Leclaire. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


DENVER — In a bit of a surprise, the Blue Jackets came out of the Olympic break last night against the Colorado Avalanche with rookie goaltender Pascal Leclaire in net, not veteran Marc Denis.
The reason was simple: Leclaire played so well against the Avs the last time Columbus visited the Pepsi Center — a 46-save performance in the Jackets’ 3-2 shootout loss Jan. 7 — that coaches wanted to see whether he could do it again.
Leclaire did it again, all right. He might have been better.
Only problem is the rest of the Blue Jackets couldn’t make Leclaire’s 39-save performance stand up.
The Avs won 1-0 before an announced crowd of 18,007, thanks to a goal by defenseman Brett Clark with 4:09 left in the second period.
"Pascal was as good tonight as he was last time," coach Gerard Gallant said. "He made some big saves at key times for us.
"It’s just disappointing we couldn’t score. We had a couple of great chances."
The subtext of this game was the return to Denver of defenseman Adam Foote, who signed with Columbus last summer after 13 seasons with the Quebec/Colorado franchise.
At the game’s first TV timeout, the Avs honored Foote and his 13 years of service with a video compilation of his highlights dating to the 1991-92 season.
It ended with a standing ovation and the words "Welcome Back, Footer!" on the scoreboard.
"It was a classy move by them," Foote said. "It was fun being back. I was excited, boy. I definitely had a lot of juice in me."
But the Jackets’ star was Leclaire.
The Avs needed 29 shots to break through, when Clark tapped in a pass from Andrew Brunette at point- blank range.
Leclaire has stopped 85 of 88 shots against Colorado this season, a .969 save percentage. All three goals he allowed came on power plays.
"It’s an exciting place to play," Leclaire said. "It’s a loud rink, lots of action.
"I’ve felt really comfortable here."
Leclaire’s best save came with 8:40 left in the game. Already sprawled after making one save, he swept his stick to bat away a wide-open rebound shot by Brunette.
On the other end of the ice, Avs goaltender David Aebischer did some stat-padding of his own. He had 24 saves for his third shutout of the season and upped his career mark against Columbus to 7-0 with three shutouts.
Aebischer didn’t face nearly the heat Leclaire did last night.
The Jackets didn’t create many scoring chances in the first two periods.
The Blue Jackets did not look too bad in their first game back from a 19-day layoff.
They initiated hitting all over the ice. Foote undercut longtime pal Joe Sakic in the first period. Manny Malhotra put Marek Svatos on his back at mid-ice a few minutes later. In the second period, Rostislav Klesla dropped a shoulder into Avs defenseman Rob Blake.
With 9:54 left, a spirited tussle broke out in front of the penalty box.
Away from the scrum with gloves flying were Colorado’s Brad May and Cam Severson, acquired by the Blue Jackets in a Tuesday trade. Severson didn’t fare well.
"Overall, it wasn’t a bad effort the first game back," Gallant said. "We played a pretty good hockey game."
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personally id disagree, his best save was 1 v 1 on the candian captain, when instead of waiting for joe to make his move he pounced. the puck got away from the two and pascal covered it up. sakic had this "im one of the best players and you just..." look on his face.

good defense bad offence, the avs had the advantage in playing tuesday. i cant complain at all good showing after 2.5 weeks off.

oh yeah, pascal didnt get the start b/c of his play last time in the pepsi center. he flat out beat denis out the last week of practice... something i love, this team played its best hockey when these two goaltenders were fighting and scrounging for pt.
 
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personally id disagree, his best save was 1 v 1 on the candian captain, when instead of waiting for joe to make his move he pounced. the puck got away from the two and pascal covered it up. sakic had this "im one of the best players and you just..." look on his face.

good defense bad offence, the avs had the advantage in playing tuesday. i cant complain at all good showing after 2.5 weeks off.

oh yeah, pascal didnt get the start b/c of his play last time in the pepsi center. he flat out beat denis out the last week of practice... something i love, this team played its best hockey when these two goaltenders were fighting and scrounging for pt.
 
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