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- Thread starter Golferdow01
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I never should've said they had a shot at the playoffs....it isn't as if they've played really well since I said it....
Realisitically they don't have a shot now and with all the injuries they are experiencing, they might as well call up their entire minor league system at this point....
Realisitically they don't have a shot now and with all the injuries they are experiencing, they might as well call up their entire minor league system at this point....
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daveeb
Hall of Fame
Although it seems sort of unusual, considering the long history the Blue Jackets have had, they have a great chance of carrying out a long haul in the Western Conference as Central Champions.
In terms of organizational minor league depth chart strength, the Blue Jackets were ranked 5th in pre-season rankings.
The Jackets have a solid young goaltender in Pascal Leclaire. They have a former Rocket Richard winner in Rick Nash, a strong right wing to go on his line in Nikolai Zherdev, and Gilbert Brule will compliment that line perfectly in the future as the center. The 2nd line will consistent of Derick Brassard at center, Alexandre Picard at left wing, and David Vyborny at right wing. They have a great young checking center in Dan Fritsche, and those areas of a team are relatively easy to build. The Jackets defense is also very young, and developing well.
One more year of drafting high and this team will go over the top into playoff contention. 2007-2008 is the year in which the Jackets may be able to compete for a playoff spot.
The Blue Jackets division has a very weak future. Nashville doesn't even know if it will remain in Nashville, the Red Wings are old and have an absolutely horrible farm system, the Blues are a smart organization that is developing well, and the Blackhawks always find a way to screw it up (I'm a huge Penguins fan, and I still can't believe that they dominated Games 1 and 2 of the 1992 Stanley Cup finals, yet still found ways to screw up in the third period).
The Blue Jackets are my Western Conference team. I have gone down the list of teams and how they will compete in the near future for playoff spots and Stanley Cups. When it comes down to it, I always end up with four teams competing late in the season. In the Eastern Conference, Pittsburgh and Washington. In the Western Conference, the LA Kings and the Blue Jackets.
In the world of parity in the NHL, the Blue Jackets, the team that has drafted high every year in its brief history, has one of the best chances to compete for a Stanley Cup for years to come. Not only do you have the talent, but Ken Hitchcock is also an amazing coach. The Cryers were not exactly bright when they let him go. Then again, they also traded 6 players (including Peter Forsberg), two 1st round draft picks, and $15 million dollars for a young player who couldn't keep his head up and suffered because of it, Eric Lindros.
Columbus already draws well for NHL competition, despite being a non-traditional hockey market. Your attendance has always stayed at 92.6% or higher. When the Blue Jackets begin to win, not only will the Blue Jackets sell out every night, but so will the Ohio State Buckeyes hockey team.
I've been watching hockey since I was 4 years old. I know the recipe for a successful young hockey team. The water is boiling at Nationwide Arena.
And if you are wondering why I think players like Gilbert Brule, who is a -13 through 41 games this year, is going to be a great player, keep in mind that he gets 10 minutes of ice time a night. That generally means he is relegated to checking line duty. A lot of young players who don't get a lot of ice time do not score goals. Eric Staal got 3 more minutes of ice time a night last year compared to his rookie year (raising his total to 19 minutes a night), and his production jumped 69 points.
In terms of organizational minor league depth chart strength, the Blue Jackets were ranked 5th in pre-season rankings.
The Jackets have a solid young goaltender in Pascal Leclaire. They have a former Rocket Richard winner in Rick Nash, a strong right wing to go on his line in Nikolai Zherdev, and Gilbert Brule will compliment that line perfectly in the future as the center. The 2nd line will consistent of Derick Brassard at center, Alexandre Picard at left wing, and David Vyborny at right wing. They have a great young checking center in Dan Fritsche, and those areas of a team are relatively easy to build. The Jackets defense is also very young, and developing well.
One more year of drafting high and this team will go over the top into playoff contention. 2007-2008 is the year in which the Jackets may be able to compete for a playoff spot.
The Blue Jackets division has a very weak future. Nashville doesn't even know if it will remain in Nashville, the Red Wings are old and have an absolutely horrible farm system, the Blues are a smart organization that is developing well, and the Blackhawks always find a way to screw it up (I'm a huge Penguins fan, and I still can't believe that they dominated Games 1 and 2 of the 1992 Stanley Cup finals, yet still found ways to screw up in the third period).
The Blue Jackets are my Western Conference team. I have gone down the list of teams and how they will compete in the near future for playoff spots and Stanley Cups. When it comes down to it, I always end up with four teams competing late in the season. In the Eastern Conference, Pittsburgh and Washington. In the Western Conference, the LA Kings and the Blue Jackets.
In the world of parity in the NHL, the Blue Jackets, the team that has drafted high every year in its brief history, has one of the best chances to compete for a Stanley Cup for years to come. Not only do you have the talent, but Ken Hitchcock is also an amazing coach. The Cryers were not exactly bright when they let him go. Then again, they also traded 6 players (including Peter Forsberg), two 1st round draft picks, and $15 million dollars for a young player who couldn't keep his head up and suffered because of it, Eric Lindros.
Columbus already draws well for NHL competition, despite being a non-traditional hockey market. Your attendance has always stayed at 92.6% or higher. When the Blue Jackets begin to win, not only will the Blue Jackets sell out every night, but so will the Ohio State Buckeyes hockey team.
I've been watching hockey since I was 4 years old. I know the recipe for a successful young hockey team. The water is boiling at Nationwide Arena.
And if you are wondering why I think players like Gilbert Brule, who is a -13 through 41 games this year, is going to be a great player, keep in mind that he gets 10 minutes of ice time a night. That generally means he is relegated to checking line duty. A lot of young players who don't get a lot of ice time do not score goals. Eric Staal got 3 more minutes of ice time a night last year compared to his rookie year (raising his total to 19 minutes a night), and his production jumped 69 points.
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daveeb;717501; said:
Nashville will still be in Nashville NEXT year, so that point is moot....
You must not watch very many Red Wings games, otherwise you'd know that they are being led by YOUNG players now (Chris Chelios excluded here), and while I agree with you that their farm system needs work, it's not an immediate need yet. So long as Datsyuk, Zetterburg and Holmstrom are playing, the Wings will be in every game and good young players like Franzen, Lilja, Williams and Kronwall are a solid nucleus and I only think that out of that group, Williams turns 30 this year. He'll be around for a while. If the Red Wings can find a younger goalie, they'll be just fine to 2010 and beyond....
The Blues will be fine. Let's remember that prior to 3 years ago, they'd made the playoffs nearly 20 years in a row. Unlike the Blue Jackets, that is an organization that knows what to do to win. They got a little old, but unlike what the Wings did 4 years ago wtih Datsyuk and Zetterburg, they didn't have anyone in their minors to back up the older players....
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daveeb
Hall of Fame
In the long run, that is questionable. Plus, the fact that Paul Kariya is a free agent next year really hurts them.BuckeyeMike80;717509; said:
Datsyuk is obviously their biggest scoring threat. Zetterburg is also playing well. Cleary is a good finisher. Lilja is 31, Williams is 26, Kronwall is 26, and Franzen is 27. There is where their good third line centers and 3/4 defenseman are.BuckeyeMike80;717509; said:
The main things to worry about, as you stated, are their goaltending (Hasek and Osgood are way too old), and their defensive depth. Lidstrom is 36, Schneider is 37, Chelios is 44. Also, some of their offensive depth is old as well (Robert Lang at 36, Draper at 35, Maltby at 34). They are still the oldest team in the NHL with an average age of 30.8.
Exactly. That team knows what it is doing and is rebuilding well, as I said. They have a good farm system too in the making. Eric Johnson could become the next great blue liner. Marek Schwarz is a fine goaltending prospect. TJ Oshie and Patrik Berglund are good center prospects.BuckeyeMike80;717509; said:
When the Blues sell their older players for young players and draft picks every year, they build a young nucleus in their farm system. That is what they have been doing, and that is what they will continue to do when they sell players to contenders such as Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk (anyone who eats that salary really needs the scoring), and Doug Weight.
The Blue Jackets know what is needed to succeed. Granted, they are farther behind than Minnesota (That is because they aren't killing hockey by using the neutral zone trap), but they are close. Injuries have been plaguing the Blue Jackets as well. It is easy to succeed in Minnesota, where scoring is not as big of a priority as defending (The neutral zone trap is keep away on ice combined with soccer).
Consider this as well: The Jackets are 11-11-3 since Ken Hitchcock took over.
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daveeb;717517; said:
They will still have Hartnell and Arnott plus a bunch of good younger players.
For some reason I keep mixing up Lilja and Williams. Both have been pros for the same amount of time though (7 years). Williams was born 2 days after I was.....
Age hasn't hurt them before and they are noticably younger this year than in the past 3. Chelios isn't depended upon to be a first line defenseman anymore. Lidstrom is still at the top of his game as his Schneider. Lang will hopefully be gone after this year. Maltby will resign, but Draper will be a Detroit lifer, especially as long as whenever he's on the ice, he's the fastest guy out there.....
And as long as St. Louis continues to not jump out of their shoes to get a big FA, they should be fine. That's what sunk them in the first place (The Gretzky trade).....
They were pretty dumb to throw around money at those guys.
Detroit employed the Left Wing Lock for damn near a decade. The Blue Jackets are pretty close, but while they have some talent in the minors, for whatever reason, they struggle to score in the NHL. The Jackets need another scoring option to even out the lines and the power plays and they need another good defensemen to even out the defense pairs. I don't know if Pascal LeClaire is the future in goal or not. Every time he gets to playing well he gets injured due to his style.
And what are the Blues since they got a new coach? Or the Blackhawks?? Hitchcock is doing great, but no amount of coaching will overcome the injuries the Blue Jackets are having this year.
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daveeb
Hall of Fame
Draper is in Detroit for life, and that is a credit to him and to the city (Fine hockey town, really). He is a fine checking center. It's a shame that most hockey fans will only recognize him as the guy Claude Lemieux hit.
The lack of high level performance by Anson Carter really hurt the Jackets this year. Plus all the injuries as well.
Blues are 9-4-3 since December 12th.
Blackhawks are 10-10-3 since November 27th.
Great point.
So yeah, it's not like the Blue Jackets are the only team that has turned around. The only real slumping teams in the NHL right now are the Islanders, the Flyers, the Bruins, the Capitals, the Jackets, Edmonton, and Anaheim. Everyone else is around .500 in their last 10 games or better.
While it is true that age generally has never hurt Red Wings players (probably due to Gordie Howe), eventually it does lessen the playing ability. Granted, this year is not one of those cases.
I can't see Detroit getting lower than 6th in the Western Conference until the current nucleus leaves, thanks to the experience the new age of Red Wings has acquired. Cup runs, however, are going to be interesting in the Western Conference over the next couple of years (Western Conference is stacked, and will be even stronger this year when the Stars recover from their mass injuries).
The lack of high level performance by Anson Carter really hurt the Jackets this year. Plus all the injuries as well.
Blues are 9-4-3 since December 12th.
Blackhawks are 10-10-3 since November 27th.
Great point.
So yeah, it's not like the Blue Jackets are the only team that has turned around. The only real slumping teams in the NHL right now are the Islanders, the Flyers, the Bruins, the Capitals, the Jackets, Edmonton, and Anaheim. Everyone else is around .500 in their last 10 games or better.
While it is true that age generally has never hurt Red Wings players (probably due to Gordie Howe), eventually it does lessen the playing ability. Granted, this year is not one of those cases.
I can't see Detroit getting lower than 6th in the Western Conference until the current nucleus leaves, thanks to the experience the new age of Red Wings has acquired. Cup runs, however, are going to be interesting in the Western Conference over the next couple of years (Western Conference is stacked, and will be even stronger this year when the Stars recover from their mass injuries).
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