2009-10 Columbus Blue Jackets Preview

It's that time of year again people. No, not autumn and no, not baseball postseason. It's the start of the NHL season, and for me and thousands of others, it's the start of the Columbus Blue Jackets season. Last year was a monumental season for the Jackets, who made it to the NHL playoffs for the first time in team history. Yeah, it took 8 seasons but so what? For us CBJ fans, making the playoffs felt like winning a Stanley Cup. But this is a new year with new goals. So how will it turn out? Yours truly has your preview.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Head Coach: Ken Hitchcock (4th season)
2008-09 Record: 41-31-10 (91 points)
ADDITIONS: C Samuel Pahlsson, D Anton Stralman, G Mathieu Garon
LOSSES: C Manny Malhotra, C Michael Peca, RW Jason Williams, D Christian Backman, D Ole-Kristian Tollefson

THE FORWARDS (LW, C, RW)
In the 9 years of the franchise, this may be the best set of forwards the team has had. It all begins with Rick Nash, the franchise player. He scored 79 pts last year (40 G, 39 A) and continues his ascent to becoming one of the top 5 players in the league. By far though, the most important thing he did was sign a long-term contract, proving he is committed to the franchise.

That's good because he will surrounded by a lot of young players with tons of potential. It starts with Derick Brassard, the 21-year old center who showed flashes of brilliance before getting into an unnecessary fight. That fight led to a season-ending injury but in his 31 games, he tallied 25 pts (10 G, 15 A) and a +11 rating. Also, among the young guns is Jakub Voracek and Nikita Filatov. Both are teenagers with tons of game. Voracek played in 80 games and was solid all season. Expect a jump from his 9 goals last season as he gets more comfortable in the NHL. Filitov just got a taste of the NHL last year, playing in just 8 games. But he made quite the impact, notching 4 goals. He's had a great offseason, training camp and preseason though and by the looks and sounds of things, could make a run at the Calder Trophy for top rookie.

R.J. Umberger and Kristian Huselius return for their second year with the team. Both were huge factors in the playoff run. Huselius became the perfect compliment to Nash on the first line, tallying 56 pts (21 G, 35 A). Meanwhile, Umberger was the workhorse, playing in all 82 games, scoring 46 pts (26 G, 20 A) and becoming one of the team's leaders in th locker room. Antoine Vermette was a welcome addition at the trade deadline, bringing playoff experience and just another scoring threat, adding 13 pts (7 G, 6 A) in 17 games.

Like any good team, it's good to have some wily "veterans'. The Jackets have just that in Fredrik Modin, Raffi Torres, and Jason Chimera. Modin was productive in his 50 games last year (9 G, 16 A) but injuries have been a problem since he's been in Columbus. No surprise, he's going to start on the injured list. Meanwhile, Torres had injury problems of his own, missing 31 games. He is a gritty player though, not afraid to mix it up. Chimera missed 33 games but when he's healthy, is one of the fastest skaters in the league and plays with an edge.

Rounding out the forwards are Samuel Pahlsson, Jared Boll, Derek Dorsett, Andrew Murray, and Michael Blunden. Pahlsson is a new addition to the team and should step in as the third-line center. He has the reputation as a checking-line center and last year, scored 18 pts (7 G, 11 A) in 65 games. Boll and Dorsett are the fighters of the team, racking up 330 penalty minutes between them. Both are fan favorites for their hard-nosed play and are always there to spice things up when the Jackets need them to. Murray will handle the fourth-line center duties after winning the job outright in camp. He played in 67 games last year, scoring 11 points (8 G, 3 A) in the same role. Blunden will play sparingly and has yet to pay in an NHL game.

THE DEFENSE
The defensemen have always been the weak spot for the Jackets since their inception. This year, that may be true again but that's because the other areas have improved so greatly. That said though, this is a solid group of 7. It starts with Jan Hejda, by far the best of the bunch. Hejda played in all 82 games, tallied 31 pts (3 G, 28 A) and most importantly, had a +23 rating, proving his worth. Mike Commodore also is a big piece to the defensemen puzzle. Missing just one game, he notched 24 pts (5 G, 19 A) and a +11. With Hejda, they make up a solid penalty kill team.

Maybe the most underrated or least acclaimed of the group is Fedor Tyutin. He plays a big role on the power play and is durable, playing in every game last season. His 34 pts (9 G, 25 A) topped all defensemen as well. Expect him to be paired with Rotislav Klesla most of the season. Klesla has been with the team since the start and is really starting to turn into the player the team thought we would be. He missed 48 games last year due to injury though so staying healthy will be key. His play in the postseason was an encouraging sign.

Rounding out the group are Marc Methot, Kris Russell, and newcomer Anton Stralman. Methot had a good season in 2008-09, finishing with 17 pts (4 G, 13 A) in 66 games. He played important minutes as other defensemen missed time. Russell is still learning on the fly, since being "pushed" into the NHL. He showed flashes of greatness last year in his 66 games but is still young. He was a great player on the power play though. Stralman is also young and will be a nice addition to the power play too. His right-handed shot is something the Jackets really didn't have. He won't see a lot of even-strength time but if he's productive on the power play, that won't matter.

THE GOALIES
The Jackets have gone through a slew of starting goalies in their 8 seasons, from Ron Tugnutt to Marc Denis to Pascal Leclaire. But for the next 5-10 years, CBJ fans should only need to know one name: Steve Mason. The 21-year old played beyond his years last season, going 33-20-7 in 61 games. His 2.29 GAA and .916 save percentage led all rookie goaltenders and his 10 shutouts led all NHL goaltenders. No wonder he won the Calder trophy. Mason's play was crucial/necessary for the Jackets all season, helping the team to a 20-6-10 record in one-goal games. And he did this while playing with mononucleosis and without a capable backup.

Thankfully, Scott Howson (GM) went out and got a capable backup in Mathieu Garon. The veteran netminder should play 20-25 games and relieve some of the pressure of the young Mason. Garon is not only a veteran but he played for a Stanley Cup-winning team last year in Pittsburgh. With Garon in tow, Mason should be fresh for more games and the team should feel confident in their goaltender even when Mason isn't in net.

PROJECTED LINES
Even Strength
Nash-Brassard-Huselius
Voracek-Vermette-Filatov
Umberger-Pahlsson-Chimera
Boll/Dorsett -Murray-Torres

Commodore-Hejda
Tyutin-Klesla
Methot-Russell/Stralman

Power Play
Nash-Umberger-Huselius
Tyutin-Brassard

Filatov-Vermette-Voracek
Klesla-Russell/Stralman

Penalty Kill
Nash-Pahlsson
Commodore-Hejda

Vermette-Umberger
Tyutin-Klesla

ANALYSIS
Without a doubt, this is a better team. The additions by far outweigh the losses. Pahlsson provides the team with the kind of third-line center, Stralman should help a putrid power-play unit, and Garon gives the team a dependable backup. But there's still a lot to work on.

First and foremost is the power-play. Last year, the Jackets finished last in the NHL, scoring just 12.7% of the time. That number must improve, especially with the playmakers they have in the lineup. Same goes for not giving up short-handed goals. The team gave up 12 last year, 4th worst in the league. On even strength, the Jackets could improve as well, finishing just 21st in goals scored. And maybe most important of all, this team must stay healthy. Only 6 players last season played in 75 games or more. Whether it is the flu or injury, the team needs to stay healthy if they plan on competing this season. Modin's injury hurts now but if he can stay healthy once he gets back, that only helps the cause.

The penalty kill finished 13th last season, killing of 82.1% of penalties. That's a respectable number but probably not good enough for a coach like Hitchcock. Pahlsson should help those numbers as well as a healthy Klesla for an entire season. There's also no argument that this team is scrappy though. Last year, the Jackets ranked 10th in penalty minutes and went 94:31 between fights on average (0.65 per game).

The schedule isn't the easiest for the CBJ either. The team starts with 7 of 10 games on the road, and all west of the Mississippi. And with a 16-18-7 season on the road last year, getting off to a good start will be crucial. November includes a 5-game road trip and December includes a 4-game trip. But after December, things get a bit easier. No road trip is longer than 3 games and only two trips to the West coast. Also, the team gets 5 home games in a row in February before the Olympic break. In March, the team has a 4-game homestand, which may be critical as they try to make the playoffs. They finish the season in April with 3 of their final 5 games against the Red Wings, two of which are in the Motor City.

Things will get tougher for the Jackets. They won't see as many backup goalies as last season. Teams will not be surprised by the play of their younger players. Also, the pressure of trying to repeat last year's playoff performance will be there from the start from a fan base that has been reinvigorated. So they make the playoffs? They will if the power play improves. Last in the league will not cut it. Staying somewhat healthy will also be key. They were lucky to have made the playoffs with the injuries they had last year. Avoiding a sophomore slump will also be big for Mason, who while extremely talented, is still young. Finally, the team must take care of business at home as well as improve their mediocre road record.

The Jackets play in what is probably the toughest division in the NHL. All 5 teams could make the playoffs. With that said, I think the Jackets are one of them. I see them finishing somewhere in the 6th-8th range this year. I don't think they will win a playoff series but I do think they'll win a playoff game. Because of all the young talent, I don't think the team will make any big moves at the trade deadline but that'll depend on who's out there for the taking. Howson has done a great job building this team and Hitchcock has done a great job molding them. Expect the team's 9th season to be the best yet.