The Blue Jackets Could be Heavy Sellers

March 10, 2013 By 2 Comments

With the removal of Scott Howson as the Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager (GM) and the hiring of drafting and development guru Jarmo Kekalainen to replace Howson, the philosophy of patience could have been replaced with one of a major upheaval, albeit one with Kekalainen’s stamp of youth and playing the game at a high rate of speed, both physically and mentally.

One seismic change which may also occur could directly correlate to April’s impending National Hockey League (NHL) trade deadline.  Rather than often being hamstrung by risk aversion, the Blue Jackets may, as Kekalainen described his initial interactions with the other 29 NHL GMs, enter the deadline with a philosophy of level-setting, trading higher-priced veteran talent who have underachieved or appear stuck in a rut, concurrent with the organization for prospects, NHL-ready players or draft picks.

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Blue Jackets Make Historic Hire of Jarmo Kekalainen as New GM

February 16, 2013 By 2 Comments

On February 12th at approximately 8:00 P.M., the Columbus Blue Jackets relieved General Manager (GM) Scott Howson of his duties.  Although word leaked shortly thereafter, new Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations John Davidson announced the very next morning at 9:30 A.M. that Jarmo Kekalainen would be the new General Manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The struggles of the Blue Jackets during Howson’s regime as GM are well-documented and there’s no need to elaborate on the myriad of reasons as to why his removal had to take place.  However, in the grand scheme of things, the repercussions of his actions as GM placed the Blue Jackets organization in a precarious position as it related to the on-ice product, attendance, fan apathy, a nearly toxic destination for free agents and for draftees, due to their failings in drafting and more importantly developing their drafted talent.

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Columbus Blue Jackets Trade Rick Nash To New York Rangers

July 23, 2012 By 1 Comment

 

After months of will he or won’t he, the Columbus Blue Jackets have finally pulled the trigger on a Rick Nash trade, sending him to the New York Rangers.  The Blue Jackets will get forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov, defenseman Tim Erixon, and a the Rangers’ 2013 first round pick.  For more info about the trade, and how this will affect both teams going forward, continue after the jump.

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‘Occupy’ Movement Has Carried Over To Columbus Blue Jackets Fans

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

CBJ

It is said that if you push a person so far, they will eventually push back – that believe has now become reality for Columbus Blue Jackets fans.

The Blue Jackets easily occupy the 30th position in the National Hockey League (NHL), posting a horrid record of 13-30-6.  Were the Blue Jackets a rebuilding team with a limited team payroll that would be understandable.  However, Blue Jackets ownership ‘opened up the wallets’ to the tune of $64.3 million which was the 5th highest payroll at the beginning of the regular season and 9th, currently.

Last week, an ownership meeting was held with all ownership groups to include Nationwide Insurance who now have 30% ownership stake in the Blue Jackets. During the meetings, a topic of discussion was on Blue Jackets management’s plan to fix the deep ills that have made the Blue Jackets a national embarrassment.

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Who’s to Blame For Columbus Blue Jackets Mess Part 2

November 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

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When I wrote Part 1 of my 2-part article outlining the ills that plague the Columbus Blue Jackets, they possessed the worst record in the National Hockey League (NHL) with a record of 0-6-1.  Since Part 1 was written, the Blue Jackets have descended to even lower depths, with a record of 2-12-1.  While the Blue Jackets did win two games since that point, more recently they have been pummeled by their opponents by a cumulative score of 19-6 over their last three games.

The Blue Jackets are a team in disrepair.  They are a team with no identity, no direction and no grit, a fragile team who shows no signs of turning around the malaise, this for a team with the 5th highest payroll in the National Hockey League (NHL).

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Why the Columbus Blue Jackets have to ‘Blow it up’

November 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

columbus blue jackets

 

The Columbus Blue Jackets currently sit at an abysmal 2-11-1 which not only represents the NHL’s fewest point totals, but with 14 games already played, easily represents its worst record.  The Blue Jackets have been mercilessly pounded during its last two games, 4-1 by the Toronto Maple Leafs and 9-2 by the Philadelphia Flyers, last night.

Calls to fire the Blue Jackets General Manager (GM) Scott Howson, their head coach Scott Arniel have been mounting, particularly as their payroll is the 5th highest in the NHL, according to Capgeek.com.  But the calls to fire team President Mike Priest have been the most prevalent during the last several days and with good reason.

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Blue Jackets to Have New GM and Coach in Place by Monday?

October 30, 2011 By 3 Comments

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It’s being reported by multiple NHL sources, that Columbus Blue Jackets team President Mike Priest has contacted Ken Hitchcock about returning to coach the Jackets. Priest has also contacted former Calgary Flames General Manager (GM) Craig Button about assuming the reigns as the Blue Jackets GM.

For a team that’s off to a woeful 1-9-1 record, particularly ironic when you consider they have the NHL’s 4th highest payroll (Let’s not forget they have the NHL’s 4th worst home attendance mark), something has to be done and done quickly.

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NHL Central Division Week in Review

October 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

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As the Columbus Blue Jackets are positioning themselves in 242 days for either top amateur prospects Nail Kabulov or Filip Forsberg in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, and as I primarily cover the Blue Jackets, I am left with little to write about in a positive manner.

Therefore, as part of a continuing series, here is a summary of the NHL Central Division for the first two weeks of the season (in order of the current Central Division standings):

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Too Soon For Columbus Blue Jackets to Push the Panic Button?

October 17, 2011 By 1 Comment

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Coming off of another disappointing season, their second season of not making the Stanley Cup playoffs after making it for the first time in their history (2008-2009 season), Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager (GM) Scott Howson realized that the recurring themes of patience, building from within, the status quo and sub-mediocrity had worn completely thin with their fan base.

The fan base exhibited their distain by staying away in droves, last season, with a 2,000 plus drop in overall attendance and the team experienced their largest financial losses in their brief history of over $25 million. The time for action and change was now.

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Columbus Blue Jackets Make Major Statement with Carter Acquisition

July 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

jeff-carter

In my most recent article, I expressed the belief that a trade for Jeff Carter could be the very move that could save the Blue Jackets’ franchise.  On June 23rd, GM Scott Howson traded for the former Philadelphia Flyers sniper, offering in return Jakub Voracek and Columbus’ 1st and 3rd round picks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

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Columbus Blue Jackets 2011 Draft Picks

June 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

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2011 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Draft Picks

 

The 2011 NHL Entry Draft is completed, and all seven rounds are in the books.  Before we look ahead to free agency in the National Hockey League, let’s take a look at a team by team synopsis of all of this year’s draft picks.  Find out who they are, what to expect from them, and when you can expect to see them putting on a sweater in the NHL. Also, each team will be graded on their overall performance during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.   Let’s find out who the Columbus Blue Jackets drafted, after the jump.

 

Bryan Vickroy

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A Plan for Complete Columbus Blue Jackets Overhaul

April 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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In my previous article, I expressed my skepticism over whether a much-needed overhaul of the Columbus Blue Jackets would take place:

However, if Blue Jackets On-Ice personnel–Scott Howson and his staff–were truly ardent and sincere in acknowledging this dire need to change the landscape and foundation of this organization seemingly and perennially stuck in limbo , I wouldn’t have this skepticism:

They need to make sweeping changes to the organization.

As has been said, “If you want big rewards, you have to take big risks”.

The current landscape of the organization still does not possess the following:

By Ed Cmar

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