Forget, for a moment, about the horrific end to the Blue Jackets’ season.
And it was horrific. After winning two road games to open its first-round playoff series against Washington, Columbus lost four straight — three of those at home — to conclude its 18th NHL season with an 18th failure to see the second round of the playoffs.
At least this team managed a franchise first — two straight trips to the postseason. That it became one of four Blue Jackets squads to lose a first-round series might not mean as much as GM Jarmo Kekalainen revealing what he told his players after the ouster: “We expect to play in May every year from now on — and hopefully in June.”
The bar has been raised in Columbus. Now, what do the Blue Jackets do to clear it?
What They’ve Done So Far
John Tortorella became the winningest coach in franchise history. He thrives with younger players.
In the Blue Jackets, he’s got loads of young talent.
- Artemi Panarin, entering his prime at age 26 and wielding his CCM Jetspeed like a light saber, led the team with 27 goals and 55 assists. In his first season in Columbus, he proved to be a steal from Chicago, becoming the first Blue Jackets player to eclipse 80 points in a season — while Brandon Saad, the primary piece going to the Blackhawks, floundered, scoring 35 points in 82 games.
- Seth Jones (23) and Zach Werenski (20) are one of the best young defensive tandems in the league, each scoring 16 goals and averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time per game.
- Pierre-Luc Dubois (19) had the greatest rookie season in club history, playing in 82 games, scoring 20 goals 48 points — and went from averaging not quite 17 minutes per game in the regular season to more than 23 in the playoffs.
Slowing due to injuries (Cam Atkinson, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Murray, Alexander Wennberg) and offensive woes after a hot start, the Blue Jackets finished 13-2-2 to secure a playoff berth. That run and the Washington series, considered in tandem, suggest this team is on the verge of something big.
Tailoring the Jackets
At the trade deadline, the Jackets needed defensive depth, so they got Ian Cole. They needed a penalty killer; enter Mark Letestu. Power play help arrived in the form of Thomas Vanek. All helped. Add the Panarin deal, and clearly this is a front office that can make things happen.
It will have to, if you consider that the trade deadline acquisitions, all unrestricted free agents, aren’t expected back. After next season, Panarin and two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Sergei Bobrovsky are unrestricted free agents, while Werenski will be restricted.
On the other hand, Tortorella said he expects young players to come in and earn roster spots on next season’s team. That might not be the way most teams would go about adding to a team that might be a couple of players away from a breakthrough, but the Jackets like to do things their way. They have gained the reputation of going against convention and seem to embrace that reputation in everything from their style of play, their philosophy about team construction and composition and even amongst the players and their choice of hockey sticks.
After all, this is a team that has made the fourth-most popular stick in the league (according to geargeek.com), the Bauer Nexus 1N, far and away the top choice in their dressing room. The Jetspeed (hockey stick) doesn’t find its way into a lot of hands across the NHL (tied for sixth in popularity), but more Jackets carry one of those than the Alpha QX (the league-wide favorite). While their stick choice is set, the Blue Jackets future is all but clear.
Ultimately, this is a team whose stars need to continue to grow and mature. It’s a team that must find some forwards who can share the scoring burden with Panarin (paging Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner, Josh Anderson and Brandon Dubinsky). On the power play and the penalty kill, there is much work to be done. But, for now, the main pieces seem to be in place — and those words have seldom been spoken by Blue Jackets fans.
Author bio: AJ Lee is Marketing Coordinator for Pro Stock Hockey, an online resource for pro stock hockey equipment. He was born and raised in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, and has been a huge Blackhawks fan his entire life. AJ picked up his first hockey stick at age 3, and hasn’t put it down yet.