Columbus Blue Jackets (Official Thread)

[Thump]

Marc Denis has been traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

 

[TexasBuck]

Blue Jackets Acquire LW Fredrik Modin and Goaltender Fredrik Norrena from Lightning




The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired left wing Fredrik Modin (pronounced moh-DEEN)and goaltender Fredrik Norrena (pronounced noh-REH-nah) from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for goaltender Marc Denis, club President and General Manager Doug MacLean announced on Friday.

Modin, 31, is a nine-year NHL veteran who has played in one All-Star Game (2000-01), helped Tampa Bay win the 2004 Stanley Cup and won a gold medal with Team Sweden at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. He has appeared in 662 career NHL games, registering 183 goals and 179 assists for 362 points with 315 penalty minutes and a cumulative plus/minus rating of +11 with the Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs.


"We are absolutely thrilled to add a player like Fredrik Modin to our lineup. He is a big, talented top-six forward in this league who in the last two years has won a Stanley Cup championship and Olympic gold medal," said MacLean. "Fredrik Norrena has been one of the top goaltenders in Europe the past 10 years and is eager for an opportunity to prove himself in the NHL after winning silver and bronze medals at the Olympics and World Championships this year for Finland."


The 6-4, 220-pound Modin tallied 31-23-54 and 56 penalty minutes with Tampa Bay in 2005-06 and was an integral part of the Lightning team that captured the Stanley Cup championship in 2004. After notching 29-28-57 and a plus/minus rating of +31 in 82 games during the 2003-04 regular season, he added 8-11-19 in 23 playoff games. In 47 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, he has registered 10-11-21 and 34 penalty minutes.


Toronto's third pick, 64th overall, in the 1994 Entry Draft, Modin spent his first three NHL seasons with the Maple Leafs and posted back-to-back 16-goal campaigns before joining the Lightning prior to the 1999-00 season. After tallying 22-26-48 in 80 games that year, he scored a career-high 32 goals on his way to 56 points in 76 games in 2000-01. He scored 30 or more goals in a season twice and added a pair of 20-goal campaigns during his six years in Tampa Bay.


In addition to the 2006 Olympic Games, the Sundsvall, Sweden native has also represented his country at the World Junior Championships (1994 - silver medal), World Championships (1996, 1998 - gold medal, 2000, 2001 - bronze medal) and World Cup of Hockey (2004), where he led the tournament in scoring with 4-4-8 in four games.


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</TD></TR><TR><TD>Fredrik Norrena
Photo by GettyImages
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Norrena, 31, was Tampa Bay's eighth pick, 213th overall, in the 2002 Entry Draft and has spent 13 seasons playing in Finland and Sweden. In 367 career games, he has a 2.18 goals-against average and 35 shutouts. Last season, he had a 2.16 GAA and four shutouts in 36 games for Linkopings in the Swedish Elite League and added a 1.90 GAA and two shutouts in 11 playoff games.


A native of Pietarsaari, Finland, Norrena was a member of the silver medal-winning Team Finland at the 2006 Olympic Games. He also played in the 2006 World Championships, fashioning a 1.11 GAA and .951 SV% in six games as Finland captured the bronze medal. This year marked the fourth time he has represented his country at the World Championships, having also done so in 2002, 2004 and 2005.


Denis, 28, was acquired by the Blue Jackets from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a second round pick in the 2000 Entry Draft on June 7, 2000. He appeared in 266 games with the club, posting an 84-146-25 record with a 3.01 GAA and 12 shutouts. He was 21-25-1 with a 3.25 GAA, .900 SV% and one shutout in 2005-06. He has a career record of 94-156-29 with a 2.97 GAA and .906 SV% with 15 shutouts in 294 NHL games.


"Marc is an outstanding goaltender and has been an integral part of our organization since year one, so this was not an easy trade to make," said MacLean. "But we feel Pascal Leclaire is ready to take the next step and you have to pay a price to add a player of the caliber of Fredrik Modin. We thank Marc for his contributions to the Blue Jackets and wish him the best."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/1/06

Big change in goal

Jackets send Denis to Lightning for Modin, goalie

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>NEAL C . LAURON </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>DISPATCH </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Marc Denis had been a subject of interest for the Lightning since January. Finally, when Fredrik Modin was included in talks, the deal was made. </TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>

</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>CHRIS O’MEARA ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Fredrik Modin, who scored at least 29 goals three times for Tampa Bay, will move onto one of the Jackets’ top two lines. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Marc Denis, once the Blue Jackets’ cornerstone for the future, is now the goaltender of the past.
Denis yesterday was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Fredrik Modin, 31, a well-rounded winger who will play on one of the Blue Jackets’ top lines, and goaltender Fredrik Norrena, 31, who will make the jump to the NHL after playing 13 years in Finland and Sweden.
Pascal Leclaire, 23, is now the Blue Jackets’ top goaltender.
"It’s not my choice, it’s an organizational decision," Denis said. "I hold no grudges. I’m thankful for my time there. I’m going to miss the people of Columbus, our friends, living in Columbus. There will always be an empty feeling because what I came to Columbus to accomplish, I could not do. I wish the people of Columbus a playoff game as soon as possible. They deserve it."
Lightning general manager Jay Feaster said he’d made pitches for Denis in January, February and before the trade deadline in March. He also had an open dialogue with Blue Jackets president and GM Doug MacLean as the draft came and went last weekend.
"We have a very high regard for Marc Denis," Feaster said. "We have a very high regard not just from the standpoint of his ability and his potential — our people think there’s an even higher level to his game he has yet to get to — but also a high regard for him as a person."
One deal that was rumored before the trade deadline was Denis for winger Ruslan Fedotenko, goaltender John Grahame and a second-round draft pick. Nothing got done, Feaster said, until Modin was included.
"I have some coaches who are upset with me because, as much as they’re excited about Marc Denis, they didn’t want to lose Fred Modin," Feaster said. "Doug MacLean and his people did their homework. They knew who they wanted. We have no reason to believe that Fred Modin won’t go ahead and have another 30-goal season and be the excellent twoway player he has always been.
"We’ve always said that if he played in Canada or a major market, he’d be a finalist for the Selke Trophy every year. Calling him (and telling him about the trade) was one of the most difficult phone calls I’ve ever had to make. He’s an outstanding hockey player and an outstanding human being."
Modin, 6 feet 4 and 220 pounds, is known for his finishing prowess and his defensive excellence. He has 183 goals and 179 assists in 662 career games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Lightning. During his last six seasons with the Lightning, he thrice scored 29 or more goals and averaged 24 goals, 42 points and 74 games. He was an important part of the Lightning’s 2004 Stanley Cup championship team, as well as Sweden’s Olympic gold-medal team this year.
"It takes awhile for the news (of the trade) to sink in," Modin said from his home in Sweden. "I had a great time in Tampa, but I’m not going to be there anymore — and I’m very excited about a new opportunity in Columbus. I’m openminded about it, and hopefully we’ll make the best of it. It’s going to be fun. It’s a new place to play, the people I’ve talked to speak highly of the organization and I hope to fit right in."
Modin has one year, worth $2.04 million, remaining on his contract. He will join a complement of scoring-line forwards that includes centers Sergei Fedorov and Gilbert Brule and wingers Rick Nash, Nikolai Zherdev and David Vyborny. The Jackets’ top six appears set.
"(Modin) is a complete, allaround player, a great penalty killer, an exceptional powerplay guy," MacLean said. "We’ve now got three veteran guys (including Fedorov and Vyborny) who will complement the young scorers, Nash, Zherdev and Brule."
As for Norrena, he wasn’t exactly an afterthought in the deal. MacLean said he expects Norrena to battle Leclaire for the starting job in training camp come September.
"I’m excited about this," Norrena said from Finland. "I think it’s a good trade for me and a good trade for Columbus. I’ve never played in the NHL and already I’ve been traded. … Marc Denis is a great player; I saw him in the world championship this year. But I think I can help the team win games and be a good pair with Pascal Leclaire."
Norrena was drafted by the Lightning in 2002. After a number of solid seasons, most recently in Sweden, his ascension to the Finnish national team resulted in a renewed interest in his NHL prospects. He signed a one-year contract worth $450,000 with the Lightning in May.
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/4/06

Brassard blessed by good timing

Extra year of work helped him become Jackets’ top pick

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>ADAM CAIRNS DISPATCH </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Derick Brassard shoots against goalkeeper Steve Mason during the team’s development camp. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


If Pierre Brassard was unlucky in his birth year, his son, Derick, was more blessed.
Derick was born on Sept. 22, 1987. Had he been born a week earlier, he would have been eligible for the 2005 NHL draft, and who knows where he would have been picked. Second round? Third? As it was, he had a year to grow, to train and to score. He climbed up the scouting lists into the strata of the elite.
Ten days ago, the Blue Jackets selected Derick with the sixth overall pick in the draft.
A generation ago, Derick’s father, Pierre, was taken in the sixth round, 106 th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens. The year was 1976.
The selection was a potential coup for the Habs, for Pierre’s credentials were impressive. In two seasons, Pierre had 122 goals and 248 points in 141 games with the Cornwall Royals of the Quebec junior league. But his timing was off.
He went to two training camps and was cut both times. Who could make those teams, anyway? The Canadiens were in one of their dynastic periods — they won four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1976 to 1979, and they were laden with future Hall of Famers. They had Yvan Cournoyer, Bob Gainey, Jacques Lemaire and Steve Shutt. They also had iconic Guy Lafleur, the Mickey Mantle of Quebec. And that’s just mentioning a few forwards.
Apparently, Pierre resigned himself to the situation and moved on with his life.
"I never knew how good he was," Derick Brassard said yesterday, after the last session of Blue Jackets prospects camp, and before he was scheduled to participate in the Red, White & Boom parade.
"He never says anything about his hockey career. I see scouts around Quebec, guys that played against him, guys that saw him, and they tell me about him."
Derick describes a father who did not push but was always there to provide pointers and/or encouragement. At no time, Derick said, did his father say, "This is the way I used to do it."
Derick played for the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec major league and put up numbers reminiscent of his father. Brassard pere had 68 goals and 130 points during the 1975-76 season. Brassard fils had 58 goals and 116 points in 2005-06. The kid has a couple of advantages. A 100-point scorer in junior has an easier time finding a job in a 30-team, rather than a 12-team, NHL. And the kid is two years into a workout regimen that will only intensify.
"That’s one thing my father said (he regretted)," Derick said. "His father never pushed my dad to work out. But those were the times, too. No one trained."
This is true. Lafleur’s offseason regimen consisted of sticking a cigarette in his mouth and water skiing. This he did all summer. While it wasn’t bad for core training, it isn’t exactly a let’s-go-to-Gold’s-Gym-in-Venice-Beachand-let-Rob-Blake-and-hismasochistic-trainer-kill-us workout.
Times have changed and Derick is in step. His sister, Janie, a top-scoring forward for the Concordia University women’s team, shot up 8 inches in her late teens. He has grown a few inches, to 6 feet 1, and he could add another inch or two.
More important, he’s 175 pounds and he’s going to steadily add more muscle. He has a trainer, in Montreal, who prescribes specific workouts. He’s going to spend time in Ottawa this summer with Blue Jackets trainer Barry Brennan. The goal is to add strength and be more of a presence in the corners, which is the only discernible flaw in his game.
"He’s going to be another elite player," said Blue Jackets coach Gerard Gallant, who spent the past few days watching Brassard and the other prospects go through on-ice drills. "You can see it already — the speed, the skill, the talent."
And the timing. This Brassard’s timing is perfect.
[email protected]

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Pretty good pickup, IMO.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Blue Jackets sign goalie Conklin</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER height="1" type="block" width="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>July 6, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- The Blue Jackets signed former Edmonton Oilers goaltender Ty Conklin on Thursday, giving Columbus a backup to Pascal LeClaire.
Conklin's signing was completed a week after the Blue Jackets traded goalie Marc Denis to the Tampa Bay Lightning for veteran European netminder Fredrik Norrena.
Conklin, 30, went 8-5-1 and allowed an average of 2.80 goals in 18 games with the Oilers last season. In 60 games with the Oilers over five years, he has a record of 27-19-5 and a goals-against average of 2.49. The Blue Jackets also signed defenseman Tomas Kloucek, who played 33 games last season for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Kloucek has played in 140 career NHL games with the Rangers, the Nashville Predators and the Atlanta Thrashers. He has two goals and eight assists.
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In other news, former Jacket D-man Jaroslav Spacek signed with Buffalo, Trevor Letowski signed with Carolina, and OSU product RJ Umberger re-signed for 2 years with Philly.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/7/06

Goalie welcomes change of scenery

Ex-Oiler Conklin signs deal with Blue Jackets

Friday, July 07, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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Among the masses of unrestricted free agents who hit the market Saturday, no man needs a change of scenery more than goaltender Ty Conklin, who signed a two-way contract with the Blue Jackets yesterday.
"Yeah, that’s right," Conklin said. "Change of scenery — I needed one bad."
Conklin, 30, had the weight of Canada on his shoulders after his infamous giveaway in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. That night, June 5, Conklin relieved the Edmonton Oilers’ injured starter, Dwayne Roloson, late in the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes. Conklin misplayed a pass behind his own net — he got crossed up with defenseman Jason Smith — and turned the puck over to Rod Brind’Amour, the Carolina captain, who scored the winning goal with 32 seconds remaining in regulation.
"It was a difficult situation," Conklin said. "You’re sitting there watching, and you haven’t played since the last day of the regular season — a month and a half — and the next thing you know, you’re in there in the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s one thing when a goalie gets pulled; then, you have time to prepare. (This situation was) the game was tied with five minutes left, and the first thing you try and do is get your heart rate under 250 beats per minute. I got a bad break. It’s difficult."
Jussi Markkanen, ostensibly the Oilers’ No. 3 goaltender, played the remainder of the series. The Hurricanes won the Cup in seven games.
"I’ll have plenty of time to kick myself this summer, and then I’ll move along," Conklin said. "You don’t want to move on to the point where it seems you don’t care, but you have to have some perspective. I can’t take what happened back. Nobody’s going to take the goal away. It still counts. I just have to deal with it and move on."
Conklin, 6 feet and 184 pounds, is a native of Anchorage, Alaska, who played collegiately at New Hampshire. He is considered among the elite of active U.S.-born goaltenders, along with Rick DiPietro of the Edmonton Oilers and Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres. Conklin has often donned the Team USA jersey, most notably in the 2004 world championship, when he carried the Americans to a bronze medal.
Conklin was 8-5-1 with a 2.80 goals-against average and a .880 save percentage in 18 games with the Oilers last season, his third in Edmonton. He is 27-19-5 with a 2.49 goals-against and .905 save percentage for his career.
As far as the Blue Jackets’ goaltending situation goes, Pascal Leclaire showed potential to be a No. 1 during the second half of last season. Finnish goaltender Fredrik Norrena, acquired in the Marc Denis trade last week, and Conklin will make bids for the top job and/or backup role.
"It’s a good place for me," Conklin said. "I have to play well and earn a spot. If I do that, there’s going to be opportunity there."
The Blue Jackets also signed defenseman Tomas Kloucek to a two-way contract. He has played 141 games with the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators and Atlanta Thrashers in six seasons. He has five goals, 23 assists and 490 penalty minutes in 190 American Hockey League games. He spent all of last season with the Chicago Wolves.
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/7/06

Blue Jacket is hard-working, humble and hip

Friday, July 07, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Gilbert Brule </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Gilbert Brule, 19, was the Blue Jackets’ first pick of the 2005 NHL draft. He started the season in Columbus but ended up back with his junior team after suffering a broken sternum and leg bone. He then led the Vancouver Giants to a thirdplace finish in the Memorial Cup tournament and was named MVP of the Western Hockey League. This fall, he is expected to center a forward scoring line for the Jackets.
Q : The Memorial Cup ended in late May. Then you were at the Blue Jackets’ development camp last weekend. Later this month, you’ve got summer camp in Calgary with the Canadian national junior team. Are you tired yet?
A : (laughs) It’s a lot of travel, but I’m young. I bounce back pretty easy. I went to Mexico for a few days in June. It’s the first time I’d been there, and it was great. Puerto Vallarta. Real relaxing.
Q : What was the Memorial Cup run like?
A : One of the best things so far in my hockey career. Just being on a team like that, seeing how close you get with the guys. It’s such a hard tournament to win, but I don’t think you realize that until after you get there, after it’s over.
Q : You played a part in eight of the last nine goals scored by the Vancouver Giants, carrying them all the way to the semifinals. Is that as good as you’ve ever felt on skates?
A : It’s a feeling of brotherhood. It’s hard to put your finger on it, but something develops that brings everybody together.
Q : Are you home shopping in Columbus yet?
A : I’ll probably start that when I come back to Columbus in August. Probably just an apartment. One bedroom. Something small.

Q :
What’s up with that? You’re getting paid.
A : That’s what I like. It’s easy. Maybe after my first three-year contract is up, I might start looking for a house after that.
Q : Favorite restaurant in Columbus?
A : I love going to Hyde Park Grille. I’m a big steak fan, and the steak is great there. I’m also a fan of Martini (Italian Bistro in the Short North).
Q : What kind of car are you driving?
A : I have a 2004 Chevy Colorado LS. Just a sporty little two-seater truck.
Q : What’s your favorite city in the world, other than home-sweet-home Vancouver?
A : I haven’t traveled all that much, but I went to Munich (Germany) and Prague (Czech Republic) for the Under-18 World Championships, and they were both great. It’s different, Europe, but in a good way. The people were so friendly. They reminded me of home a little bit, very welcoming. We didn’t speak the language, but they were really friendly and helpful.
Q : Gilbert Brule is a very cool, very Frenchsounding name. What’s the background?
A : My dad’s parents were from Quebec, so French speaking, but he grew up mostly in Ontario. I’ve lived in Vancouver since I was 2 years old, so that’s all I’ve ever really known. But I’m half French-Canadian.
Q : Vancouver is, by all accounts, one of the most beautiful spots in North America, if not the world. Did you take that for granted growing up right there in the middle of it?
A : It’s tough to get me out of Vancouver. You’ve got the mountains, the water, the beaches, the islands … you can do everything there. And the people are so great.
Q : Favorite band?
A : Avenged Sevenfold. I like a lot of punk and metal, people with a voice who are saying the right thing. Anti-Flag, bands like that.
Q : So you’re a punk …
A : I like a lot of the older stuff, too: AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix. But, yeah, I like that kind of music. I’m going to the Warped Tour (later this summer). I’ve gone the last two years.
Q : Do you go to a lot of live shows?
A : I do. That’s one thing I love about Columbus, there’s a lot of concerts here and a lot of places to see a show. I want to see a show at the old place up on High Street, but nobody will go with me.
Q : The Newport Music Hall? Best place ever. Mosh pit on the floor, but a balcony for the 25-and-over set.
A : I don’t think the Blue Jackets would like it too much if I was moshing.
Q : You play the guitar in your spare time. How’s that going?
A : I’m all right. I just kind of fool around at it, try my best and have a good time.
Q : Girlfriend?
A : Nope.
Q : Eligible bachelor?
A : Umm …
Q : Better be careful, or you’ll be on the cover of Columbus Monthly next to Rick Nash.
A : It’s easy to meet people next to Rick Nash. I don’t know, though, we’ll see what happens on the girl front when I get here.
Q : What are your plans this summer?
A : I’ll take a couple of days off, just to relax. But then I’ll get back to work, get some ice time in Vancouver and work on my hands and my skating.
Q : Any doubt in your mind that you’ll be a Blue Jacket next season?
A : I’m a modest guy, I like to think. I’m going to come to camp with the idea that I have to make the team, that I have to prove myself all over again. I have to make the team just like everybody else. [email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/9/06

NHL

Jackets make changes to coaching staff

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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The Blue Jackets’ coaching staff is in the throes of change.
Associate coach Dean Blais, hired away from the University of North Dakota two years ago, will come off the bench and work in player development, it was announced yesterday. The team and Blais, 55, cited family reasons for the reassignment.
"I think it’s the right time to step back from the daily demands of coaching," Blais said in a statement.
Taking Blais’ place is Gary Agnew, 45, who for six years has coached the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Syracuse, N.Y.
"I was a coach and GM in the (Ontario Hockey League) for 10 years, a coach in the minors for six years and this is the next step," Agnew said. "I’m real excited about doing it. I just hope I can help (coach Gerard Gallant and assistant Gord Murphy) take this team to the next level. I’ve had a lot of these players in Syracuse, so I think it’s going to be a pretty comfortable fit."
Also yesterday, it was announced that goaltending coach Rick Wamsley is heading to St. Louis, where he’ll join Blues coach Mike Kitchen as a bench assistant.
"It was time," Wamsley said. "It’s more of a role thing than anything else. I guess on the depth chart, people are ahead of me (in Columbus), and rightly so. I’m at an age (47) where I’ve either got to try (to move up) or get comfortable with what I’m doing."
He’s going to try to move up. He has worked with Kitchen in Toronto, and they are friends.
"I’m going to be an assistant coach with the big team all year," Wamsley said, "and I’ll have all the responsibilities that come with it."
Wamsley and Gallant have been with the Blue Jackets since the team’s inception.
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/12/06

NHL BLUE JACKETS

Hainsey receives two-year extension

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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Ron Hainsey needed five years and a trampoline to take the first step of his NHL career. The Blue Jackets provided the trampoline when they claimed him off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens in November. He made another bounce, in the salary department, yesterday.
Hainsey signed a twoyear contract extension worth $700,000 annually, or thereabouts. It is a reward for a breakthrough season during which Hainsey, given his first chance to skate a regular shift in the big leagues, had 17 points and led the team with a plus-13 rating, a club record.
"Ron played exceptionally well the last 50 games," Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean said. "We think he still has a big upside. He is growing with us, and could potentially be a really big piece."
Hainsey, 25, was a first-round draft pick (13 th overall) of the Canadiens in 2000, the year the Blue Jackets took Rostislav Kles- la with the fourth overall pick. Hainsey could never quite crack the Canadiens lineup; he spent most of his first four pro seasons in the American Hockey League. The knock on him was he was an offensive defenseman who could be overmatched in his own end, something he disproved last season.
"It was definitely a grinding process, I guess, with Montreal," Hainsey said. "I never really got established there. But from the first game (with the Blue Jackets) at the end of November, everyone was great from the second I walked in. So I’m just thrilled to do this contract. I think I have a chance to establish myself now for a long time to come."
Hainsey will be in the mix for big minutes on the blue line.
"We’ve got six guys battling for top-four minutes," he said. "I felt at the end of last year I was playing well enough to stay in the top four. Of course, every year you’ve got to start over again, but I plan on coming in and working hard to get a spot in the top four."
All indications are the Blue Jackets will stick with the defensemen they’ve assembled. The leader is captain Adam Foote. Rounding out the top six, in no particular order, are Bryan Berard, Duvie Westcott, Anders Eriksson, Klesla and Hainsey. Two young players, Aaron Johnson and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, will battle for a roster spot and/ or playing time.
"The seven guys will compete," MacLean said. "The coaching staff will look to see who complements each other. I think (Gord Murphy, the assistant who handles defensemen) is spending a lot of time thinking real hard about that."
The Blue Jackets have added just one experienced defenseman through free agency — Eriksson, 31, who played for the Jackets in 2003-04 and spent the past two seasons in Sweden and Russia.
For those who think a topfour upgrade is needed, the general manager thinks otherwise and adheres to his budget.
"What it’s saying is we feel we have an experienced blue line," MacLean said. "We feel we’re more experienced, and more mobile, and maybe have the best blue line we’ve ever had, by far."
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/13/06

Schedule kinder to Jackets
Team won’t face another difficult opening stretch
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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• Jackets 2006-07 schedule

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Misfortune visited the Blue Jackets early last season. Faced with a difficult schedule during the first 40 days, they were beat up, broken down and, for all practical purposes, out of the playoffs by Thanksgiving.
They might just catch a break in 2006-07. The schedule makers, at least, won’t bring down the hammer until midseason.
The NHL slate of games was released yesterday, and the Blue Jackets ease into the season with intermittent home and road games. They open Oct. 6 with a game against the Vancouver Canucks in Nationwide Arena. Seven of the Jackets’ first 11 games, and 12 of their first 20, will be staged within the friendly confines. They don’t take off for one of those brutal western road trips until after Thanksgiving.
Contrast that to 2005-06, when the Jackets played five of their first six, and nine of their first 15, on the road. Rick Nash was injured in training camp, Gilbert Brule in the home opener, Dan Fritsche in mid-October. Then the defensemen started falling.
The Blue Jackets were 5-18, and dead on ice, before the Christmas shopping season commenced.
Some other notes on the 2006-07 schedule:

• The Blue Jackets have seven exhibitions, four at home, beginning with a game against the Nashville Predators on Sept. 17 in Nationwide. One very nice twist on the preseason schedule: It wraps up with a home-and-home against the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. By the time the Jackets and ’Canes play these exhibitions, most of the cuts will have been made and fans will see a decent picture of what the defending champions will look like.

• Coming out of the lockout, the league aimed to promote rivalries and overloaded its schedule with divisional games. This scheduling leaves only 10 interconference games for each team. Last season, the Blue Jackets played their games against Southeast and Atlantic Division teams. Next season, the Blue Jackets play against Northeast and Atlantic teams. This gives the Jackets at least one game against each of the Original Six teams, including home dates against Toronto (Oct. 20) and Montreal (Feb. 18). The Maple Leafs and Canadiens have each made one previous regular-season appearance in Nationwide Arena.

• The toughest stretch? The Jackets jet out to Vancouver for a game Nov. 28, the start of a span of 20 games that include 13 on the road and five sets of back-to-back games. Also in that mix is a New Year’s Eve game against Chicago in Nationwide Arena. The rugged stretch ends Jan. 6 in San Jose.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

dispatch

7/16/06

Forward hopes to return to Jackets

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Michael Arace
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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During the Blue Jackets’ prospects camp, the team trotted out its recent firstround draft picks and other promising young players within the system. Among the 23 campers, only one was not drafted: Geoff Platt, who will show up anytime, anywhere, for a hockey game.
A year ago, Platt celebrated his 20 th birthday. His junior career was over, and he had few prospects in the professional ranks. The forward found his way to London, Ontario, to make a pitch to Don McAdam, co-owner/ coach of the Dayton Bombers, the Blue Jackets’ ECHL affiliate.
Platt sat on McAdam’s livingroom couch and made a plea.
"He wanted the opportunity to get to the American (Hockey) League, and that’s the only kind of player attitude we want," McAdam said.
In other words, ECHL coaches want players with the desire to advance rather than players who are sulking and feel demoted.
"I talked to the Blue Jackets about getting him to rookie camp, and he took it from there," McAdam said. "It’s interesting. The first time I met Geoff, I sensed there was a confidence there, and there was no falseness to it. He said, ‘I’ve had to fight to make my way on every level. I had to do it in bantam, in midget, in junior. And I’m ready to do it in pro.’ He does it honestly. It’s a great quality."
Platt has had to fight for everything because, fully grown, he’s 5 feet 9 and 171 pounds. He’s so chiseled at this point, he won’t be adding pounds until he hits middle age.
He signed an ECHL contract, which basically covers fast food. Then, he went to rookie camp and scored seven goals in four games.
"I was just begging to get to an NHL camp," Platt said.
A strong showing in Blue Jackets camp earned him an American Hockey League contract. He went to Syracuse and had 14 goals and 23 points in his first 19 games. That earned him a two-way contract with the Blue Jackets.
He had five points in 15 games with the big club. The little guy who didn’t even have a minor-league contract at the start of the season played with Sergei Fedorov and David Vyborny.
"I feel very proud about what I’ve been able to do to this point," Platt said. "But I’ve only got my foot in the door, and now I’ve got to push my way through."
Platt’s timing is good. With the enforcement of hooking and holding, the NHL is again a place where the little man has a chance. Although Platt isn’t blindingly fast, he’s by no means slow, and he’s a smooth, strong skater. The next step for him will be to adjust to the compressed timing of the big leagues, where shots must be loosed more quickly and with more accuracy.
When he attends his second training camp in September, he’ll have a notion that he will probably be back in Syracuse, where he played 68 games, potted 30 goals and was third on the team in scoring with 65 points, and a focus on nailing down a spot in Columbus.
Who knows? There will probably be a couple of roster spots open on the third and fourth lines. At this point, it would shock no one if he sticks.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/19/06

Jackets’ Leclaire signs for two years

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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A good summer for Pascal Leclaire got even better yesterday, when the Blue Jackets goaltender signed a two-year contract worth more than $2 million.
Leclaire, who was a restricted free agent, will make $700,000 this season and $1.4 million in 2007-08.
"I didn’t get too much involved in the financial part of the deal," Leclaire said. "That was all up to my agent (Don Meehan). To me, the most important thing was to get more than a one-year contract. I wanted two years, at least. I wanted to feel stable in Columbus. I want to know that I’m going to be here for a while."
On June 30, the Blue Jackets traded veteran goaltender Marc Denis to the Tampa Bay Lightning, clearing the way for Leclaire, 23, to be the No. 1 goaltender.
Now, 2½ weeks later, comes a sense of security Leclaire has not yet known as a pro.
Last season, when he was the Blue Jackets’ surprise openingnight starter, Leclaire kept his apartment in Syracuse, never quite sure whether or when he might be going back to the minor leagues. In Columbus, Leclaire lived in a hotel near Nationwide Arena.
In the next few weeks, he and his father will peruse the Columbus home market.
"It’ll be nice to have my furniture with me, finally," Leclaire said. "I don’t have to play for a contract next year, and that’s good. But I don’t want to get caught thinking that I’m good for two years now. I want to establish myself as a No. 1. There’s a lot of hard work ahead."
The Blue Jackets will open training camp in September with Leclaire atop the goaltending depth chart and Fredrik Norenna and Ty Conklin competing for the No. 2 spot.
Norenna, 31, is a highly regarded European goaltender, but he has never played in the NHL. Conklin has played 61 games in the NHL, all with the Edmonton Oilers.
"If people want to say the bad point on our team is the goaltending, that’s fine," Leclaire said. "We’ll show them wrong."
Leclaire was the Blue Jackets’ No. 1 draft pick, eighth overall, in the 2001 draft. The next four years were bogged down by injuries and inconsistency, but Leclaire put it all together last September at training camp.
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/20/06

NHL

Blue Jackets, Zherdev at odds over contract

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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If the Blue Jackets have trouble getting left winger Nikolai Zherdev out of Russia this fall, it won’t be the Russian Hockey Federation’s fault this time.
Zherdev is a restricted free agent, and it seems his agent, Rolland Hedges, and the Blue Jackets are bracing for negotiations that could take most of the summer and may stretch into training camp in September.
Hedges confirmed yesterday that Zherdev has signed a contract with Khimik Voskresensk of the Russian Superleague. He’s playing with the club in a tournament in Finland.
"Nikolai’s first objective is to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets," Hedges said. "If he’s not able to do that because of a contract or budget situation, this way he has a place to play."
Zherdev will spend the entire season in Russia if he doesn’t sign with the Blue Jackets by Oct. 5.
"I’m not worried about it," Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean said. "We’ll attempt to sign him, but if we don’t, we move on and he goes back to Russia for a year. There’s no doubt we’d like to get him signed, though. We’ll see."
The Jackets have offered Zherdev a one-year, contract, his qualifying offer, as well as a two-year contract worth "substantially more money," MacLean said.
The Zherdev camp is looking for a long-term deal for at least three years, preferably four.
"Nikolai likes it very well in Columbus," Hedges said. "He would prefer to be there for a longer term than has been presented."
Why are the Blue Jackets reluctant to sign Zherdev to a long-term contract?
"He has lots to prove yet," MacLean said, "both on and off the ice. We’re not prepared to pay a premium to put him on a long-term deal."
The Blue Jackets were not pleased with Zherdev’s conditioning in the early part of last season. Nor have they been pleased with his efforts to learn English, which would help him better communicate in the dressing room and on the ice.
MacLean and Hedges stressed that talks have been amiable. Also, Zherdev’s signing with a Russian club is not that unusual. Last year, Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk signed with Khimik Voskresensk before striking a last-minute deal with the Thrashers.
"It’s a process we’re working through," Hedges said. "There’s no reason for (Blue Jackets) fans to be alarmed."
Zherdev, 21, was second on the Blue Jackets last season with 27 goals and 54 points, and third with 10 power-play goals.
Three years ago, Zherdev touched off an international hockey incident when he left Russia without permission from his club, CSKA Moscow, to play with the Blue Jackets. The Russian Federation tried to force Zherdev’s return, but an international arbitrator ruled in favor of the Blue Jackets and Zherdev.
Balastik signs for one year

The Blue Jackets have signed restricted free agent Jaroslav Balastik to a one-year, $525,000 contract.
Balastik, 26, had 12 goals and 22 points in 66 games last season, his first in the NHL. He was among the league’s top shootout players, with six goals in nine attempts.
The Jackets are hoping to avoid an Aug. 3 arbitration hearing with left winger Jason Chimera, who had a careerhigh 17 goals last season. MacLean said the two sides are working on a two- or threeyear contract.
[email protected]

 

[ScriptOhio]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Blue Jackets re-sign forward Chimera</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>July 22, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- The Columbus Blue Jackets re-signed forward Jason Chimera to a two-year contract Saturday.
Chimera had a career-high 17 goals and 13 assists in 80 games with the Blue Jackets last season. He came to Columbus as part of a five-player trade with Phoenix in early October. Chimera was the Edmonton Oilers' fifth pick in the 1997 draft. He has appeared in 210 NHL games, with 36 goals and 30 assists.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/23/06

Solid season nets Chimera 2-year deal with Jackets

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Aaron Portzline
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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The Blue Jackets yesterday signed left winger Jason Chimera to a two-year contract, avoiding an Aug. 3 arbitration date.
"It was good to get it done with no hard feelings," Chimera joked.
Arbitration hearings can get nasty. In the worst cases, they can do irreparable harm to the relationship between the hockey club and the player. So far, the Blue Jackets have never gone through the process.
"I’ve hard some pretty bad stories," Chimera said. "When you step in that office, it’s all business. The gloves come off, so to speak. I was hoping we could get it done before it got to that point. Now I’ve got two seasons where I can just play and not worry about a contract. That’s a good feeling."
Chimera, 27, had a breakout season in 2005-06, with 17 goals, 13 assists and 30 points in 80 games, all career highs. He also scored five winning goals, second on the team to right winger David Vyborny (six).
"I’ve always had confidence that I could be a third-line guy who could score some goals," Chimera said. "I got more ice time last season with the Blue Jackets than I was getting (in Edmonton or Phoenix) earlier in my career, so that’s part of it.
"I’m excited about this coming season. I think we’ve got a really good team, four good lines."
Chimera, 6 feet 2 and 204 pounds, was acquired early last season in a five-player trade with Phoenix and quickly found a home on the third line. In 2006-07, he is expected to play on a line with center Manny Malhotra and right winger Dan Fritsche.
"Jason had a very good season last year," Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean said in a statement. "We’re looking forward to seeing him build upon that and continue to be an important contributor to the success of our team."
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