SB Nation - Aaron Johnson

2nd Annual League-Wide NHL Free Agency Roundup

Chris S Roberts — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 18:00:03 -0000

While the Florida Panthers had a mild offseason in comparison to the madness of the 2011overhaul, talk of the moves have been overshadowed by the underlying assumption that the rest of the Southeast Division has improved as well. The concern is definitely real, though the true effect of offseason transactions will obviously remain unknown until the season begins. But that doesn't stop people from speculating, and it won't stop me.

The shuffling of players from team to team is usually easy to follow on the level of stars like Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Alex Semin and others, but delving into the depth signings of each team poses a more difficult task. Following hundreds of transactions begining on July 1st and trickling into late-summer is easy using traditional sources like the NHL's trade and signing trackers, determining the effects of transactions on the 30 teams isn't always readily available. That's why I developed the 2nd Annual League Wide NHL Free Agency Roundup for you, it's ready to print out and pocket for easy referencing at all of your little NHL nerd conventions and such.

A note from last season's post:

With hundreds of signings and departures between 30 teams, I was bound to miss somebody of importance. I included within these lists the major names that moved between now and free agency. This doesnt include players who resigned, most minor leaguers or tryout contracts. The +/- figure represents the difference between goals lost (from the player subtractions) and the goals acquired (from the additions). Now, it isn't a perfect measurement because one player could have benefited from good linemates on a good team, meaning his production could decrease, or one player could have been dragged down on a bad team and flourish with a new one. But, since that's all speculation, we'll make the assumption that it'll all even out in the end.

For your convenience, I've also taken into account all major trades that took place since the 2012 Entry Draft. Remember that I hate all other 29 teams in their own little way, but I tried to hold back my bias when possible. Sometimes the truth hurts. Enjoy!

Anaheim Ducks: (-19 +16) -3

Additions: Sheldon Souray, Brad Staubitz, Bryan Allen, Daniel Winnik

Subtractions: Sheldon Brookbank, George Parros, Niklas Hagman, Lubomir Visnovsky

The Good: Fans might not be happy with losing Parros and Visnovsky, but Murray covered those losses by adding two very underrated players in Allen and Winnik to help defensively. Souray will help on the powerplay if he can stay healthy.

Overall: Better, I think there were some smart moves in the Ducks offseason that will help the team avoid another bad first half. Head coach Bruce Boudreau may finally have the stable roster he didn't have in Washington, expect a bounce back season for Anaheim.

Boston Bruins: (-23 +3) -20

Additions: Aaron Johnson

Subtractions: Joe Corvo, Benoit Pouliot, Greg Zanon

Meh: When you have the highest payroll in the league, you can't expect much to happen on July 1st. This will be the 7th team in Johnson's brief 281 game career, whether he actually makes the roster I don't know.

Overall: Marginally Worse, losing Pouliot will make the Bruins' bottom 6 less of a threat, but at the end of the day they're still the Bruins. Losing Corvo and Zanon aren't going to break any backs.

Buffalo Sabres: (-25 +15) -10

Additions: John Scott, Kevin Porter, Steve Ott, Adam Pardy

Subtractions: Brad Boyes, Derek Roy

Pin the tail on the exciting new free agent: Lets play a game! Someone grab the blindfolds off of Darcy Regier and puppet master Terry Pegula. Maybe then they'll see the only thing their team can accomplish is to waste the golden years of Ryan Miller's career.

Overall: Worse, I don't mean to hate on the team that mirrored Florida's offseason last year, but the difference between the two then was that Buffalo had good players and Florida didn't. Both made some dumb signings in 2011, and it worked for one of the teams. If Florida had finished 9th last year and signed Scott, Porter, Ott and Pardy to 'improve' I'd pull my hair out. Even if they can sign Doan(don't count on it) I'm not sure if the Sabres have a real direction.

Calgary Flames: (-27 +36) +9

Additions: Jiri Hudler, Dennis Wideman

Subtractions: David Moss, Olli Jokinen, Scott Hannan

The Battle of ALOLberta Part 1: To be fair, if I was in Jay Feaster's shoes after seeing their neighbors to the north draft first overall for the third consecutive season I'd be a bit crazy too. I like Dennis Wideman and don't agree with the popular opinion that he'd terrible defensively...but man, come on. 5.25M for Wideman tells me he didn't learn much from Jay Bouwmeester's 6.7M contract.

Overall: Same, I highly doubt Hudler will replicate his numbers from last season, and it probably won't replace the numbers that would have been put up by Jokinen. Wideman over Hannan is an obvious upgrade offensively, but perhaps not defensively. The new Flames team isn't really shaping up to be more that the steaming mess it was last year. But I do like Bob Hartley, maybe with his guidance this team can be relevent.

Carolina Hurricanes: (-20 +55) +35

Additions: Joe Corvo, Jordan Staal, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Tim Wallace, Alexander Semin

Subtractions: Bryan Allen, Derek Joslin, Brandon Sutter

Look who decided to be serious: I guess GM Jim Rutherford really, really wants to make the playoffs again. After the big trade(and consequent 60M signing) for Jordan Staal and rolling the dice on Semin, the offense should be clicking at a formidable rate. The defense took a bit of a hit losing the sturdy Allen, but no big deal.

Overall: Significantly Better, but two question marks remain. Will the 'Canes continue their recent string of terrible starts to their season necessitating a good second half and will Cam Ward put together the solid year his team needs?

Chicago Blackhawks: (-0 +3) +3

Additions: Sheldon Brookbank

Subtractions: None

Meh: Again like the Bruins, without much cap space to work with there really isn't much that can be done. Adding Brookbank was a good move.

Overall: Marginally Better, but with the probably loss of Andrew Brunette on the horizon things may cancel out for the 'Hawks.

Colorado Avalanche: (-21+26) +5

Additions: John Mitchell, P.A. Parenteau, Greg Zanon

Subtractions: Peter Mueller, Kevin Porter, Jay McClement

Why Greg Sherman is still an idiot: Look at the Avs' top 6 and tell me if they really needed Parenteau. Sure, he's a great addition and will be the go-to set up man, but the fact still remains that Colorado will held back by their mediocre defense which went unaddressed. *cough* SHOULD HAVE NEVER TRADED LILES *cough*...

Why Greg Sherman is getting a bit better: He knew it was time to cut ties with Mueller and Porter, who were both RFAs. The Avs were getting a bit bloated with those two guys who never really seemed to be involved last season.

Overall: Marginally Better, though leaving leading PKer Jay McClement out in the cold was a questionable move, I'm confident that the revamped top-6 can lead the Avs back into the playoff hunt.

Columbus Blue Jackets: (-34 +43) +9

Additions: Curtis McElhinney, Adrian Aucoin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Nick Foligno, Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky

Subtractions: Mark Methot, Aaron Johnson, Rick Nash

Why Scott Howson is an idiot, but with his hands tied: Trading Rick Nash was the last thing the Blue Jackets needed and the first thing they needed. Losing the franchises best player, a consistent 30-40 goal threat and locker room leader isn't going to be pretty. But the fact that Nash wanted out made the trade neccesary, and Howson probably got the best deal available from Nash's short list of suitors. The Bobrovsky trade? Well that was kinda dumb.

Overall: Marginally Better, but only because you can't drop any farther than rock bottom anyways. Getting Dubinsky and Anisimov will spread out the scoring, and the Foligno trade was a good one.

Dallas Stars: (-43 +68) +25

Additions: Ray Whitney, Aaron Rome, Jaromir Jagr, Tyler Sloan, Cody Eakin, Derek Roy

Subtractions: Adam Burish, Sheldon Souray, Jake Dowell, Mike Ribeiro, Steve Ott, Adam Pardy

The difference a legitimate owner makes: With a new owner the Stars are looking like a team that could really make a dent in the playoffs. Adding aging Whitney and Jagr will probably pay off and replace lost scoring from Ribeiro, and having Aaron Rome on board will help defensively. Not a bad summer at all, I'm impressed.

Overall: Significantly Better, though Roy won't make his first appearance later in the year due to offseason surgery, he'll add another element of scoring to compliment the already formidable Dallas top-6. If Lehtonen can stay healthy, this team looks pretty good from top to bottom.

Detroit Red Wings: (-36 +20) -16

Additions: Jonas Gustavsson, Mikael Samuelsson, Jordin Tootoo,

Subtractions: Jiri Hudler, Nicklas Lidstrom,

The Old: This team isn't getting younger because they're adding rookies and such, they're getting younger because all of the old fogeys are leaving. With Hudler leaving for Calgary and Lidstrom hitting the golf course permanently, the Red Wings will need other players to step up and fill the absences. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg need to have big seasons.

Overall: Worse, and Mike Babcock might have to deal with the loss of Tomas Holmstrom as well. The Wings are in a period of change, and they could be vulnerable next season.

Edmonton Oilers: (-0 +0) 0

Additions: None

Subtractions: None

The Battle of ALOLberta Part 2: So while Feaster is spending money like crazy to the south, Oilers 'GM' Steve Tambellini explains to his scouts what he's looking for in next years #1 overall pick. Hint: He must not be a defenseman.

Overall: Marginally Better, but probably worse. I mean, sure you get Yakupov and Schultz this year...but the year before you got RNH and the year before that Hall, Eberle and Paajarvi. What's changed?

Florida Panthers: (-48 +16) -32

Additions: Filip Kuba, George Parros, Peter Mueller, Casey Wellman

Subtractions: Mikael Samuelsson, Jason Garrison, Matt Bradley, Mike Santorelli, Krys Barch, Wojtek Wolski

So wheres the other 20 free agent signings? Yeah, this year the FA Day was a bit of a letdown, but in reality it wasn't realistic to expect Dale Tallon to sign a bunch of guys for 2-3 roster spots. That kind of free agent frenzy is impossible to live up to.

Overall: Worse, sorry. A lot is riding on Mueller, Huberdeau and Upshall to produce, but nothing is a given right now...even playoffs. That said, the final seven games the Panthers played brought them together as a team that gave the eventual Eastern Conference Champions their biggest scare besides losing to Los Angeles. The Panthers can play with the big boys now, and the tweaks Tallon made to the roster could come up big.

Los Angeles Kings: (-1+0) -1

Additions: None

Subtractions: Ethan Moreau

Meh: I'm pretty sure Dean Lombardi was too drunk this summer to pick up the phone and call any free agents this summer. Its not like he has much room to improve anyways.

Overall: Same, but with a caveat. I think they'll be the same 6-8 seed in the West Kings we saw in the regular season, not the ones that blew through the playoffs in 20 games.

Minnesota Wild: (-14 +52) +38

Additions: Zenon Konopka, Torrey Mitchell, Jake Dowell, Ryan Suter, Zach Parise

Subtractions: Mike Lundin, Guillaume Latendresse, Warren Peters, Nick Johnson

The sad plight of the Wild fan: Just when your team starts looking really good for the first time in years BAM impending lockout. Though in a way the Suter/Parise deals kinda contributed to the dispute, so yeah, thanks. But in all seriousness, the Wild look pretty well improved.

Overall: Significantly Better, bringing in two All-Star calibre players in one offseason is a pretty big score for the organization, who also added depth centers Torrey Mitchell and Jake Dowell on the side. The Wild will be better and should score more, but since they weren't scoring much to begin with the total goals will probably peak just above average. Hey, I'd take that any day.

Montreal Canadiens: (-1 +11) +10

Additions: Colby Armstrong, Brandon Prust, Francis Bouillon

Subtractions: Brad Staubitz

So what? I'm not seeing how Brandon Prust and broken little Colby Armstrong will help much, and I don't feel like Galchenyuk or Collberg will make the cut come ~~October~~ whenever the season starts.

Overall: Same, I'm just not feeling it. Montreal is going to need more than Brandon Prust, injury boy and a 4th liner to pull out of the league basement.

Nashville Predators: (-17 +2) -15

Additions: Chris Mason, Scott Hannan

Subtractions: Jordan Tootoo, Ryan Suter, Francis Bouillon, Anders Lindback, Kyle Wilson

The Ugly: I felt like Nashville was going somewhere, possibly even the Western Conference Finals, before this offseason kinda screwed things up for Nashville. Don't get me wrong, Nashville is still great, but losing Suter hurts along with a good utility player in Tootoo. Nashville got a raw deal losing Suter, suddenly those NSH-MIN games could be interesting.

Overall: Worse, but Nashville has always found a way to rebound from bad FA breakups. Scott Hannan is a good stay-at-home defenseman I'd be happy with on my team, and the return for Lindback was pretty good. I honestly can't see Nashville dropping too far, they have too good of a coach for that to happen.

New Jersey Devils: (-46 +8) -38

Additions: Krys Barch, Bobby Butler

Subtractions: Alexei Ponikarovsky, Eric Boulton, Zach Parise, Matt Taormina

Well that genuinely sucks: So you've just made it to the Stanley Cup Final and lost. Well, you're not at the top of the world but one step down isn't too bad; but hey at least it was better than 10-11 when you finished 11th in the conference. On to the offseason when your young star and captain decides New Jersey is no longer home and skips town. Ouch, and the worst part is the Devils know what its like being without Parise...you finish 11th in the conference.

Overall: Worse, and not by a hair either. Losing Parise will hurt the first line, the powerplay, the penalty kill, the locker room, the fanbase, the organization. Ponikarovsky was also putting up respectable numbers in the bottom six and will be missed on the powerplay. Bobby Butler and Krys Barch aren't going to heal those wounds.

New York Islanders: (-19 +15) -4

Additions: Brad Boyes, Matt Carkner, Eric Boulton, Lubomir Visnovsky

Subtractions: PA Parenteau, Michael Haley, Dylan Reese, Al Montoya

Intriguing move: Brad Boyes was once a 40 goal scorer, believe it or not. When he was with the Blues from the tail end of the 06-07 season through 10-11, Boyes chalked up an average of .71 points/game before being shipped out to the Sabres. Things went downhill from there, where he put up .43 points/game. The Islanders seem to be the kind of team where he could rebound his career and help his team to success. This was a smart signing.

Overall: Same, a losing Parenteau will put more pressure on John Tavares to perform at 110% which may be asking too much. Adding Boyes will spread out scoring, and if Visnovsky suits up for the Isles they'll have a new dimension from the blueline.

New York Rangers: (-48 +48) +0

Additions: Arron Asham, Michael Haley, Taylor Pyatt, Jeff Halpern, Rick Nash

Subtractions: John Mitchell, Brandon Prust, John Scott, Jeff Woywitka, Ruslan Fedotenko, Casey Wellman, Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky

Glen Sather has too much time on his hands: Its hard to argue that adding Rick Nash will make the Rangers better, but how much better? With a pretty solid top 6, Nash's ice time will probably drop or one of his teammates' ice time will. That decrease in icetime will likely lead to less production for whoever's involved. And considering Anisimov and Dubinsky accounted for a good portion of what Nash's goal total will likely be, will the difference be worth concentrating scoring into that one player rather than two? Maybe, maybe not.

Overall: Better, but not significantly better as some expect. Pyatt should replace some lost scoring from Fedotenko and Prust, and adding Asham was a solid move.

Ottawa Senators: (-31 +6) -25

Additions: Guillaume Latendresse, Mike Lundin, Mark Methot

Subtractions: Matt Carkner, Zenon Konopka, Filip Kuba, Rob Klinkhammer, Nick Foligno, Bobby Butler

That could come back to bite you: So, I'm not really sure what the point of the Methot for Foligno swap is for Ottawa. Methot is a 27 year old defenseman who's never really stuck with the Blue Jackets while Foligno had a career year nearly putting up 50 points. If Foligno gets good icetime in Columbus(he probably will) he could expand on his career highs. Oh, and he's only 24.

Overall: Same, if and only if Latendresse returns healthy and back to prior 25 scorer form. Lundin and Methot will replace aging Filip Kuba, but losing Foligno and Butler could bring the offense back to Earth.

Philadelphia Flyers: (-34 +17) -17

Additions: Ruslan Fedotenko, Bruno Gervais, Luke Schenn

Subtractions: Matt Carle, Jaromir Jagr, Sergei Bobrovsky, James van Reimsdyk

Luke Schenn KoolAid: Remember when Holmgren shipped out Carter and Richards declaring Claude Giroux and James van Reimsdyk as the organizations' new direction? Well that lasted long. Holmgren must think concussions are infectious plagues because trading a young exciting scorer for a frustrating, question mark defenseman is pretty much unexplainable otherwise. Then after realizing his screwup, he tried to offer sheet Shea Weber. LOL.

Overall: Worse, but young players like Read, Couturier, B. Schenn and Simmonds could make up the difference on offense at least. We'll see how the defense works out swapping Carle for Gervais and Schenn, I'd guess it will be better defensively at least.

Phoenix Coyotes: (-35 +29) -6

Additions: David Moss, Rob Klinkhammer, Steve Sullivan, Zybnek Michalek, Nick Johnson

Subtractions: Ray Whitney, Curtis McElhinney, Adrian Aucoin, Taylor Pyatt

I bet... When Don Maloney signed Ray Whitney two years ago he didn't think he'd lead his team in scoring with an impressive 77 points. At age 40, no less. Good on The Wizard for not letting his age slow him down, but come on GMDM probably could have hooked you up with a sweet house on a Scottsdale golf course to retire in if you'd have lowered the asking price a bit.

Overall: Same, the real question is whether Shane Doan decides to stick around with the only organization he's ever known. Losing Whitney was bad enough, losing their captain could be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Adding Sullivan will replace Pyatt and help the PP, and Michalek will improve the defense.

Pittsburgh Penguins: (-49 +31) -18

Additions: Tanner Glass, Dylan Reese, Warren Peters, Phillipe Dupuis, Brandon Sutter, Benn Ferriero,
Tomas Vokoun

Subtractions: Arron Asham, Steve Sullivan, Jordan Staal, Zybnek Michalek

Pretty sweet AHL additions you've got there: So Shero knows his team bowed out in the first round of the playoffs for a second consecutive year right? Looking at his free agent signings, probably not. For a team that likes to make big splashes all the time, this was a pretty mild offseason...and unloading Staal for Sutter and some prospects probably isn't going to come up big for this season. Besides Sutter and Glass, I'm not sure any of the other guys will make the roster right out of camp. Watch out for Wilkes-Barre!

Overall: Worse, and not just because Staal for Sutter is a downgrade. Sending away Steve Sullivan after a career salvaging season will hurt the PP and veteran leadership, and losing tough-as-nails Asham and usually solid Michalek isn't going to make things easier for Fleury who had a completely embarrassing playoffs.

San Jose Sharks: (-24 +6) -18

Additions: Adam Burish

Subtractions: Torrey Mitchell, Benn Ferriero, Daniel Winnik

The beginning of the end? Obviously, the Sharks haven't been their usual dominant selves lately. I used to dread meetings with the Sharks, but they sure looked mild last season. Are we witnessing the decline of the San Jose Sharks as a league powerhouse? Unless Adam Burish is some kind of beast in disguise, I'd wager we are. This has probably been a disappointing offseason for fans, and unless Doug Wilson's less-is-more plan pays off, it could transition into a disappointing season.

Overall: Worse, the Sharks defensive game will hurt after losing offensive minded(but still defensively solid) Mitchell and defensive minded(but still offensively solid) Winnik. When the McGinn-Winnik, Galiardi trade went down I thought San Jose had a real steal in PK master and strong work ethic Winnik, but letting him walk was a dumb move. Losing Ferriero takes away an element of depth to the forward lines, as well.

St. Louis Blues: (-1 +1) +0

Additions: Jeff Woywitka

Subtractions: B.J. Crombeen

Meh: What's there to say? The Blues lose a sometimes-NHL, sometimes-AHL plug fighter and add a 3rd pairing defenseman.

Overall: Same, about as unchanged as you can get. That's not necessarily a bad thing either, after the results of last season not much needed to be done.

Tampa Bay Lightning: (-9 +31) +22

Additions: Matt Carle, Matt Taormina, Benoit Pouliot, Sami Salo, Anders Lindback, Kyle Wilson, B.J. Crombeen

Subtractions: Bruno Gervais, Tim Wallace

The super-rivalry gets heated: So I guess the Bolts want to play next year, huh? Well as a Panthers fan I have to pick this apart as snarkily(?) as possible. Additions: Overpaid liability defenseman(LOL did Yzerman hand the keys to Feaster on this one?) , defenseman for Syracuse, forward with inflated numbers due to playing for powerhouse last season , old rickety defenseman with inflated numbers due to playing for powerhouse last season, unproven goalie hailed as goaltending savior(career 38GP in tow), plug, plug who likes to fight.

Overall: Better, on paper anyways. Whether their young goalie and splodey-bones defenseman hold up, who knows. These could be the players that restore the 10-11 Lightning or continue blazing the trail to the league basement that the 11-12 Lightning started.

Toronto Maple Leafs: (-14 +24) +10

Additions: Jay McClement, James van Reimsdyk, Keith Aucoin

Subtractions: Jonas Gustavsson, Colby Armstrong, Joey Crabb, Phillipe Dupuis, Luke Schenn

I like Jay McClement: I wrote a whole explanation on why Silent Jay would make the best Panther EVER, but Tallon didn't get the memo and let him sign with Toronto. Needless to say, I was crushed. Burke is a blind squirrel who found his nut.

Overall: Better, I like the McClement signing for special teams and leadership and the JVR trade for scoring power. When I look at what the Leafs lost, I don't see anything that can't be replaced...especially Luke Schenn.

Vancouver Canucks: (-15 +18) +3

Additions: Jason Garrison, Derek Joslin

Subtractions: Sami Salo, Aaron Rome, Marc-Andre Gragnani

The Vancouver Express: You could fill a book with all of the transactions between Florida and Vancouver, most of which the Canucks have won. Though there was no trade involved, the Panthers lost one their other well-rounded defenseman to the likes of the blue and green, but for the term Garrison was signed to; I'm not going to get too upset about it. Garrison could exand upon his career numbers last year or he could turn into the next Keith Ballard. Note to Vancouver fans: I liked Ballard, and I really liked Garrison. There could be a correlation to my liking them in Florida and them sucking in Vanouver.

Overall: Marginally Better, the offense from defense pretty much cancels out between their additions and subtractions, but they got younger. I doubt Joslin will be ample replacement for Rome, however.

Washington Capitals: (-43 +33) -10

Additions: Joey Crabb, Mike Ribeiro, Wojtek Wolski

Subtractions: Jeff Halpern, Cody Eakin, Dennis Wideman, Alexander Semin, Keith Aucoin

The Wolski Factor: Wolski will score a hat trick against Florida in each of the six regular season meetings, and in the playoffs he will score four consecutive double-OT game winners. That'll teach Dineen to give a second line player third line minutes.

Overall: Marginally Worse, despite the Wolski-led domination of the Panthers. Though Ribeiro might have "better defensive play and leadership" he probably won't replace Semin's numbers, and losing Halpern and Wideman hurts the Capital's defense that wasn't spectacular to begin with.

Winnipeg Jets: (-16 +37) +21

Additions: Alexei Ponikarovsky, Al Montoya, Olli Jokinen

Subtractions: Tanner Glass, Chris Mason, Tim Stapleton

The death of GTS Part 1: To the dismay of Jets GM Chevlydayvellovsomethinski, with the breaking of the GTS line goes two fan favorites who provided a little unexpected scoring throughout the season. Good thing he locked up fan favorite Evander Ka --oh wait never mind.

The death of GTS Part 2: To the dismay of Panthers color commentator Billy Lindsay, with the breaking of the GTS line goes his last minute pseudo-trashtalk go-to when Florida is losing to the Jets 7-0.

Overall: Better, I guess. The only thing that's certain about Olli Jokinen and Alexei Ponikarovsky on the Jets roster is they'll feel right at home with the whole 45 minutes of daylight in the winter thing.

And now for the main event: projected goal totals based on the additions and subtractions goal differential. On the left is the rankings of each teams' 11-12 goals-for total, on the right is the projected total. The calculation is simple, the if your team scored 200 goals last year had a net gain of +1 goal this offseason, the projected total will be 201 goals-for. If you check back on last year's projected GF, you'll see how totally unpredictable the factors determining scoring success are and how adding goals during the offseason don't necessarily translate. But hey, I'm doing this for fun.

You'll note that the projected totals are usually lower than they were the year before, this is likely due to player retirement/banishment to the KHL along with the impact of rookie scoring. As said last year, quote this simulation at your own risk.

Rank	Team	Projected 12-13 GF
1	PIT	255
2	TBL	254
3	CAR	247
4	VAN	244
5	CHI	244
6	PHI	243
7	WPG	242
8	BOS	240
9	TOR	237
10	DAL	229
11	DET	223
12	NYR	222
13	OTT	218
14	MTL	217
15	NSH	217
16	CGY	208
17	WSH	208
18	CBJ	207
19	EDM	207
20	STL	206
21	COL	204
22	MIN	204
23	PHX	204
24	BUF	201
25	SJS	201
26	ANA	198
27	NYI	192
28	LAK	187
29	NJD	178
30	FLA	165

Rank	Team	11-12 GF
1	PIT	273
2	PHI	260
3	BOS	260
4	OTT	243
5	VAN	241
6	CHI	241
7	DET	239
8	NSH	232
9	TBL	232
10	TOR	227
11	NYR	222
12	WPG	221
13	SJS	219
14	WSH	218
15	NJD	216
16	CAR	212
17	BUF	211
18	PHX	210
19	EDM	207
20	MTL	207
21	STL	206
22	DAL	204
23	ANA	201
24	CGY	199
25	COL	199
26	CBJ	198
27	FLA	197
28	NYI	196
29	LAK	188
30	MIN	166

Fresh Links: The Aaron Johnson Era Edition

sarahconnors — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:00:19 -0000

Aaron Johnson sounds like a pretty epic sports name. I can't believe there isn't a baseball player with that name already. Nope, just this journeyman of a defenseman. Like, seriously, this guy has JOURNEYED. He's played for 11 different pro teams since 2006, six of them NHL teams. That's a heck of a resume. And I don't really mean that as a good thing.

But we're in the Aaron Johnson era now - can we just call him AJ? That'd go along with Days of Y'Orr's Jon Fucile's opinion that he sounds like a 90's boy band member. Seriously.

Anyways, moving on. Interviews are the name of the game today, a couple of 'em: Ilya Bryzgalov gives one from hockey camp in Ufa, while Scott Parker, former Avalanche enforcer, gave a doozy of one to Mile High Hockey. Plus awkwardness from Jordin Tootoo's mom, and more...

Bruins News:

Aaron Johnson. Yay. [MetroWest Daily News]
The Coyotes want David Krejci I guess. [WEEI]
Former Bruin and 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Mark Recchi thinks labor talks will work out ok this summer. [ESPN]
The P-Bruins are doing some cool charity stuff. [East Bay RI]

NHL News:

Seriously if you haven't read this Scott Parker interview yet, do it now. [MHH]
On the Forecheck gets real awkward with Jordin Tootoo's mom. [OTF]
The Sabres signed someone who isn't a huge goon????? Oh false alarm it's just a draft pick. [Buffalo News]
Here's ilya Bryzgalov on life, the universe, Claude Giroux, and everything. [Puck Daddy]

Shrapnel - 7/18

Matt Wagner — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:48:45 -0000

Lots of stuff going on today, not the least that I shocked a friend almost to death when I admitted I wasn't planning to go see The Dark Knight Rises. I can't help it, I'm more of a Bruce Timm guy than a Christopher Nolan one, I guess.

On the hockey side of things, I'm tempted to joke that the Boston Bruins are truly stepping up their pursuit of Rick Nash by signing Aaron Johnson to a new deal.

Speaking of, some interesting stuff at Crimespree Hockey discussing who should get the "C" after his departure, and how it should be awarded.

Personally? I'm more "earn it" than "give it", but I'm still pretty high on a couple guys who I think could end up with it when all is said and done.

At Puck Daddy, they look at the idea of the Wings making a "serious" offer for Nash, as we discussed earlier today, R.J. Umberger makes an appearance in the year's best hockey hugs, and a fascinating interview with Ilya Bryzgalov.

Amazingly, the chat with Mr. Universe isn't the best interview you'll read today - that honor goes to the guys at Mile High Hockey, who have an incredibly in depth talk with former Avalanche enforcer Scott Parker that I'd go so far as to call Must Read just for his discussion of the Todd Bertuzzi / Steve Moore incident. (Part One) (Part Two)

Looking to play Rec Hockey? Bourne's got more good tips, and finally....let's talk about Cannonfest.

As of yesterday, you can now go to sign up for (FREE!!!) tickets! DBJ explains why we're doing it this way this offseason, but it basically comes down to this:

We think a lot of people will show up.
We want everyone to have fun.
We want to make sure we have everything we need available to make sure everyone WILL have fun.
We don't want to get hauled off in irons by the Fire Marshall.

The more we know in advance, the better we hope this year's get together will be, so please help us help you!

Have a great night, and congratulations for surviving hump day!

Shrapnel - 5/17/12

Matt Wagner — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:44:56 -0000

Where do I begin?

How about right here in town, where we continue to see reactions to the hiring of Todd Richards as the team's permanent head coach.

At the Dispatch, Michael Arace decries the "safe" move, while Dannie over at Strait-Jackets found the move a bit circular.

Meanwhile, Rob Mixer has an interview with Senior Advisor Craig Patrick, who explained why he felt Richards was the right man for the job.

Big news came down yesterday when the NHL formally informed the NHLPA that they wish to renegotiate the CBA. On the surface, that's a bit scary. After all, if the two sides can't come to an agreement by mid-September, it will impact the start of training camp and potentially the beginning of the 2012-2013 season.

On the other hand, both sides have a lot to lose if the threat of another lockout rears its' head, and for every stick in their arsenal, they also possess quite a few carrots - particularly realignment and participation in the 2014 winter olympics. DBJ is right when he says this is a dangerous game, but it's also one that I think can be "won" by both sides.

In somewhat more fun news, the proposed new arena in Seattle is moving forward, and they still hope to bring the NHL in, while the Oilers also released concepts for their proposed new arena.

Icethetics IceHL logo contest is up and running, and fan voting has begun!

Phoenix's Martin Hanzal was suspended one game for a nasty hit on Dustin Brown Tuesday night, but Justin Bourne argues it wasn't enough.

Over at Ten Minute Misconduct, Jeff catches up with some of the recent happenings around the league, and will also be taking part in a new site for the Hockey Writers called "Overtime", where his first post on the arcane subject of NHL rules is a must read.

Given Patrick Kane's recent adventures, it's interesting to see Ellen Etchingham's look at the history of the NHL and alcohol.

Hey, want to learn more about frequent Cannon commenter Zekebud? Of course you do. Check out this neat interview at #CBJ.com

Winding it down, DBJ says goodbye to the player that got him to start watching the Blue Jackets, Puck-Rakers think that Aaron Johnson is moving on, and the Dispatch has a new Cannon Fodder podcast ready to go.

That's it for now - have a great morning!

NHL General Manager of the Year: Why Paul Holmgren deserved to be a finalist

Eric T. — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:11:17 -0000

General Manager of the year is a strange award.

For a trophy like the Vezina or Hart, it's clearly about who did the best this year; players who have had strong careers may get a little extra bonus in some voters' minds, but they are still judged predominantly on their actions from this year.

But a general manager's impact is often spread over multiple years. David Poile has been nominated every year, and it's not because he has made incredible moves every year -- I'm pretty sure last year's nomination wasn't an award for acquiring Jamie Lundmark, Ryan Parent, and Aaron Johnson.

Poile gets nominated every year because every year the Predators have finished with at least 99 points despite having a bottom-10 payroll. That certainly is impressive, and at some point he will probably win the award. After bolstering the team with a flurry of in-season moves, I would guess that this will be the year. But when eight of the nine nominees have been from teams with lower-tier payrolls, the award is in danger of becoming a Moneypuck consolation prize rather than a recognition of which GM actually made the moves that did the most for the team that year.

I don't like that. The question voters ask themselves shouldn't be who did the most with the least; it should be who did the most, period (or maybe question mark).

Given how the voters have clearly established a precedent, I can't quite call the omission of Paul Holmgren from the list a snub, but no other GM reshaped his franchise so dramatically or successfully this year.

This isn't easy for me to write. I'm not a big Holmgren fan, and I still don't like some of the moves he made. But there's no question that his impact on this year's team was enormous. Let's go through the significant moves he made this year:

Signed Matt Read as a free agent. Read scored 24 goals for the Flyers as a rookie this year.
Traded a third-round pick for Ilya Bryzgalov, signed to a 9-year, $51M deal. I didn't like this at the time and I think it still has to be graded as a loss for Holmgren, but Bryzgalov did play some great hockey down the stretch and we know the potential is there for this to pay dividends.
Traded Jeff Carter for Jakub Voracek, a 2011 first-round pick, and a 2011 third-round pick. The Flyers got lucky on draft day, but this move would be reasonable even if they had to settle for Dougie Hamilton, and they put themselves in position to have a future star fall to them.
Traded Mike Richards for Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, and a 2012 second-round pick. Simmonds scored 28 goals this year without a particularly high shooting percentage. Holmgren gets full credit for identifying a player who could contribute more than his old team was getting from him. This trade can't be scored as a win until/unless Schenn develops into an upper-tier player in his own right, but for the current year the $2.3M of cap space saved easily makes up for the loss of Richards' defense.
Signed Jaromir Jagr to a one-year, $3.3M deal. We projected him to be a 20-goal, 60-point player over a full season; he missed a few games, but his 82-game pace was 21 goals and 61 points. That production alone is worth more than $3.3M, and when you add in the anguish in Pittsburgh, the off-ice hilarity, and the Masterton-worthy focus and commitment, this has to be seen as a great move.
Signed Max Talbot to a five-year, $8.75M deal. This seems like a lot to commit to a grinder, so I have mixed feelings about this move for the long run, but he pairs well with Sean Couturier on a shutdown line and scored 19 goals this year. I doubt he'll repeat his 16.5% shooting percentage any time soon, but there's no question that this signing worked out well for them this year.
Didn't sign Ville Leino. This is clearly a win.
Traded a 2012 second-round pick and a 2013 third-round pick for Nicklas Grossmann. Rentals make me nervous in general, but Grossmann has been solid, filled a position of need, and signed an extension at a reasonable price. This move helped the team.
Traded a future second-round pick and a 2013 fourth-round pick for Pavel Kubina. Kubina hasn't been nearly as useful as Grossmann, so this one looks like a loss. Not a Bryzgalov humangous-big problem, but it counts against him.

It wasn't a perfect year. The Bryzgalov contract and the Kubina move don't look great, and there are several minor moves that were frustrating but didn't hurt the team this year (having to release or waive guys like Joonas Lehtivuori, Blair Betts, and Andreas Nodl to make room for free agents like Jason Bacashihua; giving James van Riemsdyk an unnecessarily risky extension; picking Derek Mathers over Tomas Hyka because they seemingly didn't realize until BSH wrote about it that Hyka couldn't be signed as a free agent).

But despite my distaste for his overall approach, I have to admit that Holmgren's series of dramatic moves this year was generally successful. Compared to Dale Tallon improving Florida's goal differential from -34 to -24 by adding $8.8M of payroll, I have to think Holmgren was worthy of a nomination.

2011-2012 Season In Review: Final Scoring Chances Totals

Matt Wagner — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:00:14 -0000

After tracking scoring chances for the Jackets all season, it's time to look at where things shook out for the club in all three modes of play (Even Strength, Power Play, and Penalty Kill), including the performances by those who are...no longer with us.

Where previous editions did not consider players with less than 10 GP, I figured I'd list anyone and everyone who wore a Blue Jackets' uniform this season for the sake of argument.

Even Strength:

Best Forward: Vinny Prospal (+37)

One of only two players to dress for all 82 games, Prospal ended the season with 358 chances for and 321 against at even strength, by far the largest margin on the club. Among forwards, Antoine Vermette was a +13 as a Jacket, Alexandre Giroux had a +10, Derek Dorsett a +9, and Cam Atkinson a +8 rating.

Best Defenseman: Aaron Johnson (+18)

Believe it or not, at even strength, Number FIve was Alive. Recording 219 chances for versus 201 against, some of this was a consequence of matchups, but it still was an impressive showing. Kris Russell had a +17 rating in 12 games with the club, while Nikita Nikitin was a +12 over his 51 game run. David Savard recorded a +7 rating over 31 games, and Dalton Prout ended up a +1 in his five game run to close out the year.

Worst Forward: Jared Boll (-31)

Admittedly, Boll is not a guy who you consider a major offensive dynamo, especially at even strength, but with 56 chances for and 87 against, our goaltenders saw a lot of rubber flying their way when #40 was skating. Perhaps not surprisingly, Colton Gillies was close behind at -28, while Derek MacKenzie had -21. Interestingly, Derick Brassard was a -19 on the year, but his numbers were improving dramatically as the year went on - I would attribute a lot of the early deficit to his mishandling by Scott Arniel.

Worst Defenseman: John Moore (-58)

Moore made some big strides in his first real taste of the NHL, but it's worth observing that his learning curve did come at a cost. Frequently pushed into a middle pairing role that he may not have been 100% ready for, he did still have 194 chances for compared to the 252 against in 67 games.

James Wisniewski was involved with 213 chances for and 256 against at even strength for a -43 rating, Marc Methot had a -26 (172/198), and Jack Johnson was a -23 over his 21 game run in Columbus. Grant Clitsome was a -16 before heading to Winnipeg, and Fedor Tyutin finished as a -10 (269/279) after his hand injury.

Power Play:

Best Forward: Vinny Prospal (+149)

Recording 166 chances on the man advantage to just 17 against, Vinny was a leader for the team in this category as well, though the standings are a bit closer in this category. Rick Nash recorded 165/19 for a +146 rating, R.J. Umberger was a +112, Brassard a +105, and Jeff Carter a +88 before departing for L.A. Mark Letestu ended the year as a +75 on the power play, Ryan Johansen a +58, Derek Dorsett a +33, and Cam Atkinson a +32.

Best Defenseman: Fedor Tyutin (+122)

The Russian Machine was incredible on the power play, driving 134 chances for to just 12 against, leading the team's blueliners by a good margin. James Wisniewski was next on the list with a +86 rating (95/9), Nikitin recorded a +82, Clitsome a +47, and Jack Johnson a +40 rating. David Savard produced a +38, and Aaron Johnson an even 20.

It's really hard to judge a "worst" forward or defenseman when PP time is a fairly limited commodity, but of players who drew more than a small handful of PP shifts, Brett Lebda had a relatively meager +7 rating (9/2), and Alexandre Giroux a +6 (7/1).

Saying a player like Ryan Russell or Dane Byers had a 0 rating isn't terribly surprising - they logged less than ten seconds of PP time a game, if that.

Penalty Kill:

Another area as much the domain of specialists and monitored assignments as the power play, PK is a tricky area to judge.

Given his role, the -4 for Cody Bass is actually pretty decent, as was the -13 for Colton Gillies. On the other hand, consider that despite fairly limited use in the penalty killing rolle, Rick Nash was a -22 - almost as low a rating as Ryan Russell's -29, who was a dedicated PKer for his entire time in Columbus.

Fedor Tyutin had the worst overall PK rating at a -70 (13/83), followed closely by Derek Dorsett with a -66. Samuel Pahlsson ended his Columbus career as a -61, Derek MacKenzie a -58, Nikitin a -51, Vermette a -47, and John Moore a -40.

The Battle of #7

Since I figured people would be interested in this statline, here's a look at Jeff Carter vs. Jack Johnson:

J. CARTER
38GP ES: 162/179 (-17) PP: 96/8 +88 PK: 4/9 (-5)

J. JOHNSON
21GP ES: 102/125 (-23) PP: 47/7 (40) PK: 3/37 (-34)

Obviously there are some differences with Johnson being a much heavier PKer than Carter was for much of his time in Columbus, but the stat lines aren't as different as you might expect - and I find it interesting that Johnson was on pace to produce more offensive scoring chances at both even strength and on the power play if he'd been able to play an equal number of games. There are a lot of other factors in this trade that will be debated for "who won", but it seems like as a player generating offense, the Jackets may have gotten the better side of the deal.

The Big List:

Here's the complete list of compiled chances. Feel free to ask questions!

Player

EV+

EV-

EV DIFF

PP+

PP-

PP DIFF

SH+

SH-

SH DIFF


.	2	R. MARTINEK	7	31	32	-1	2	0	2	0	12	-12
.	3	M. METHOT	45	172	198	-26	1	0	1	13	51	-38
.	4	J. MOORE	67	194	252	-58	2	0	2	10	50	-40
.	5	A. JOHNSON	54	219	201	18	20	0	20	5	37	-32
.	6	N. NIKITIN	51	236	224	12	89	7	82	12	63	-51
.	7	J. CARTER	38	162	179	-17	96	8	88	4	9	-5
.	7	J. JOHNSON	21	102	125	-23	47	7	40	3	37	-34
.	8	M. MAYOROV	10	24	22	2	1	0	1	0	2	-2
.	9	C. GILLIES	38	68	96	-28	1	0	1	0	13	-13
.	10	K. RUSSELL	12	61	44	17	18	1	17	0	1	-1
.	11	M. CALVERT	13	43	41	-3	1	0	1	0	0	0
.	13	C. ATKINSON	27	108	100	8	38	6	32	0	1	-1
.	14	G. CLITSOME	51	160	176	-16	54	7	47	6	15	-9
.	15	D. DORSETT	76	203	194	9	38	5	33	6	72	-66
.	16	D. BRASSARD	72	258	277	-19	117	12	105	2	2	0
.	17	M. LETESTU	50	172	189	-17	83	8	75	3	23	-20
.	18	R. UMBERGER	77	293	303	-10	124	12	112	8	46	-38
.	19	R. JOHANSEN	69	171	180	-9	61	3	58	0	3	-3
.	20	K. HUSELIUS	2	10	8	2	3	0	3	0	0	0
.	21	J. WISNIEWSKI	49	213	256	-43	95	9	86	4	39	-35
.	22	V. PROSPAL	82	358	321	37	166	17	149	1	1	0
.	23	B. LEBDA	27	99	114	-15	9	2	7	1	8	-7
.	24	D. MACKENZIE	66	87	108	-21	1	0	1	14	62	-58
.	25	R. RUSSELL	41	77	81	-4	0	0	0	1	30	-29
.	26	S. PAHLSSON	61	138	154	-16	2	0	2	7	68	-61
.	28	A. GIROUX	9	32	22	10	7	1	6	0	0	0
.	29	A. JOUDREY	1	0	1	-1	0	0	0	0	0	0
.	32	C. BASS	14	21	29	-8	1	0	1	1	5	-4
.	33	T. KUBALIK	8	20	18	2	3	1	2	0	0	0
.	34	D. BYERS	7	9	14	-5	0	0	0	1	5	-4
.	40	J.BOLL	53	56	87	-31	2	0	2	0	0	0
.	43	D. BOYCE	20	28	40	-12	0	0	0	1	6	-5
.	47	D. PROUT	5	18	17	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
.	48	C. GOLOUBEF	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
.	50	A. VERMETTE	60	196	183	13	62	3	59	11	58	-47
.	51	F. TYUTIN	66	269	279	-10	134	12	122	13	83	-70
.	58	D. SAVARD	31	110	103	7	41	3	38	1	3	-2
.	61	R. NASH	82	347	356	-9	165	19	146	9	31	-22
.

2011-2012 Season In Review: Player Grades

Andy Newman — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:00:23 -0000

In today's look back at the Blue Jackets awful season, I'm going to look at three things: player grades, good and bad transactions, and the Highlight of the Year.

Follow along on this journey. I'll try not to make it too painful.

Player grades. Instead of going one by one, I'll lump them together, calling out the ones I see fit.

A - Really?

B - Vinny Prospal, Ryan Johansen, John Moore, Nikita Nikitin, Curtis Sanford, Mark Letestu, Derek Dorsett, Derick Brassard, Jack Johnson, and Cam Atkinson.

This felt like a lot of players to list, saying they played above average on a team that finished 30th. But the fact of the matter is, each of these guys had solid years and on a good team would have been praised. It's encouraging to see so many young names on the list, because that's the future. On a terrible team, when your young players are your best players, there's at least some cause for hope. All of these players should look to have a bright future in Columbus, including the mentorship roles of Prospal and Sanford.

C - Rick Nash, R.J. Umberger, James Wisniewski, Fedor Tyutin, Marc Methot, Colton Gillies, Derek MacKenzie, David Savard, Darryl Boyce, Jared Boll, Allen York.

This is why the season sucked. All of your big names had average years at best. I cut Wiz a break considering his injuries and the promise he showed when healthy (and not suspended). Derek MacKenzie is a good 4th line center but he's just that, a 4th liner. It makes me nervous to slowly see him elevated to Manny Malhotra status. David Savard and Allen York played above their heads, and did pretty well, but they need to be in the AHL getting real development. This team will never compete with Detroit or Vancouver until they respect the developmental system.

C is Not for Captain. Rick Nash and R.J. Umberger, while hitting somewhat respectable point plateaus at the end of the year, just didn't matter when it counted.

D - Steve Mason, Aaron Johnson, Brett Lebda.

These guys shouldn't be playing regularly in the NHL. Make of that what you will.

F / Incomplete - Jeff Carter, Radek Martinek, Kristian Huselius.

The F is mostly for Carter. Martinek and Huselius just didn't have a chance.

Good Transactions / Bad Transactions

Good: Acquiring Mark Letestu, Nikita Nikitin, and Jack Johnson.

These might prove to be some of the best moves Scott Howson has ever made. Great, solid players that should be fixtures on this team if they get the right pieces put around them.

Bad: Darryl Boyce, Colton Gillies.

These aren't bad in the Jeff Carter sense. But I wanted to stay away from moves made last off-season. Neither of these players were terrible and they filled a role when needed. I'm calling these bad transactions because this is the kind of depth the team should have had in the first place, not scrambling after the fact. Waiver pick-ups are part of the game, but when they're brought in and expected to play a big role on the team, something is off.

Highlight of the Year

Like always, the Jackets leave us with just enough hope for the next season. This year it comes largely in the form of Cam Atkinson. It's disappointing that I won't get to see my Rookie of the Year prediction come true, because in the right situation, he would've been among the top of the list.

I present to you: Camsanity. The Cam Atkinson Hat Trick.

2012 Blue Jackets Season Wrap Up: The End Of The Tour

Matt Wagner — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:31:11 -0000

At the end of the tour
When the road disappears
If there's any more people around
When the tour runs aground
And if you're still around
Then we'll meet at the end of the tour
The engagements are booked through the end of the world
So we'll meet at the end of the tour

After the Jackets' 7-3 victory in their season finale, the mood in Nationwide Arena was an odd mix of pleasure, frustration, and regrets.

There would be no crowd. The ice surface still remains, silent, for at least a few more days. Members of the equipment staff ducked in and out of each hallway, gathering sticks, pads, tape, jerseys, and other equipment.

In a strange bit of "bittersweet but appropriate", the only members of the media who arrived at the appointed time for press access on Easter Sunday were myself and 97.1's Lori Schmidt, who shared her thoughts at her blog, Fear The Hat.

This was the vehicle these were the people
You opened the door and expelled all the people
This was the vehicle these were the people
You opened the door and expelled all the people
This was the vehicle these were the people
You let them go

The first player we had a chance to talk with was Derek Mackenzie, who was in a reflective state of mind. Finally given medical clearance to practice and play after passing concussion testing, he's in the same spot as many fans. He doesn't really know what the summer will bring, though the Unrestricted Free Agent is very interested in returning to Columbus.

"We started something. I want to finish the job here."

Not every player was there - and of those who were, some had their own priorities. Rick Nash, for example, spent some time talking to teammates after meeting with both GM Scott Howson and interim head coach Todd Richards, but it was understood that he would not be meeting with the press. R.J. Umberger spent over a half hour discussing matters with the GM and coach, but then had to get out the door because his family was expecting him for Easter Sunday.

Cam Atkinson is one of the few who will be playing again soon - as part of the Springfield Falcon's clear day roster, he'll be heading to Massachusetts along with Ryan Russell and Maksim Mayorov to help them in the last chance playoff push - though the Falcons' loss to St. John today makes that road even harder.

James Wisniewski stayed long enough to give defensive partner Jack Johnson some fairly serious ribbing from the sidelines as he met the press, but needed to leave soon after so he could take care of issues with his car. Like a pro, however, Johnson kept his cool and just kept answering questions through the commentary.

We forget that even though these players get to travel around the country playing hockey and basking in the crowd, they also have lives away from the rink, and sometimes that takes a major toll.

Curtis Sanford, for example, never saw his family this season. They remained in Owen Sound, 500 miles away. Unsurprisingly, he hopes to return to Columbus next season in a mentorship role. He's seen what this town can offer, and he would love to share it with his family.

For Shawn Hunwick, once he finished his meetings, his goal was to load up his truck as quickly as possible. After all, he needs to get back to Ann Arbor for his Astronomy class tomorrow morning.

For the record? It's a lucky truck.

"My brother drove it around Boston after he went pro", Hunwick said, "It's been good for me - and it got me down here the last 10 days."

He doesn't know if the Jackets will take a look at him in the offseason. He isn't sure if another NHL team is interested. He might not even end up in pro hockey - once he finishes his degree, he plans to polish up his resume and keep an eye on the job market.

Then there's the partner who asked coach Richards to make sure Hunwick got into the game - Steve Mason, who appreciates the struggles of the position. He's felt the roller coaster of this season, and continuing to find the consistency that both he and the fans have craved for so long.

As several players finished wrapping up sticks or bagging gear for shipment to their offseason training, homes, or stranger destinations, a few more media members stopped in for brief soundbytes, but left soon after. The few guys left were the grinders, the muckers, and the required. Brett Lebda, Aaron Johnson, and Jared Boll would be some of the last players to meet with Howson and Richards, trading jokes and giving each other good natured grief as they relaxed in the hallway outside the locker room.

There is a sense of pride that they finished better than they started. Satisfaction at the trade union beatdown they administered by the end of last night. But it's still packing up in April, when every player wanted to be playing until June. For many, the goal is to go home, rest up, then start preparing in mind and body for the next challenge. For more than a few, they hope that they have made their mark in Columbus, and that either the Blue Jackets or another NHL club will be interested in their services. Each hopes to be here (or another NHL camp) in September with a fresh start, a clean slate, and a new chance.

For the man who has to make those decisions (among many others), though, the job is just beginning. It's a very open question if Scott Howson will still be here in Columbus, but for now he's the man in charge, and he's working on deadlines. Heading to Europe to scout at the U18 World Championship tournament, he'll be evaluating players like Nail Yakupov and Filip Forsberg, among others. He's also looking at making sure the team's RFA players are qualified and re-signed - he was quite firm that Nikita Nikitin, Derek Dorsett, and Jared Boll would all be addressed before July 1st - and to make decisions on players like Sanford and Mackenzie before they reach the open market.

He also had to keep track of the health issues for his players, and for a team plagued by so many injuries it had to be satisfying that all but three - Kristian Huselius, Mark Dekanich, and Radek Martinek - were medically cleared to practice and play at the end of the season. No offseason surgeries, no major question marks. Had the team been able to go on, everyone would have been ready to compete.

Oh, and there's the matter of Rick Nash. When asked about the situation with his team captain, Howson stated that the two met in Denver - and that they planned to talk again in the next few weeks.

Have all the changes over the last 20 games been enough to change his mind? Did the performance of the team give him reason to think that perhaps he could be part of a winner here? Will the rifts between the star and the management heal?

These are the questions that will occupy everyone from fan to franchise over the next several weeks - but we may not truly know what this team is going to look like next season until the very end of training camp.

Blue Jackets Game Preview 82: The End of the Road in So Many Ways

Dan P. — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 13:38:16 -0000

New York Islanders at Columbus Blue Jackets

April 7, 2012 - 7:00pm EDT
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponents Blog: Lighthouse Hockey
Get Tickets

Where to start? I guess the best place to begin is the end. This is it, folks.

The end of a miserable, miserable season. A season that began with lofty expectations--even if not necessarily realistic--and then fell into an abyss so deep, we were left twitching like Ed Harris. A season that saw the face of the franchise ask to be traded, and that left an awkward feeling all around when he wasn't dealt at the deadline.

And, to that end, tonight marks another end: most likely, the end to the Rick Nash era in Columbus. It is expected that Nash will be traded some time this off-season. And, what's even worse is that, due to a lower back injury sustained in Thursday night's game in Colorado, Nash may not even play tonight. Maksim Mayorov has been recalled, just in case.

It would be terribly ironic if Nash isn't able to go tonight--he's played in all 81 games to this point--and it would be an almost completely not surprising final sucker punch to the gut for a fanbase that has absorbed more than their share this season were they not able to properly say good-bye to #61.

One hopes Nash gets enough treatment to get that one last chance to play for the fans that have supported him (and, frankly, that he's supported in return) for so long. One more goal would net him 30 for the season, a nice feat considering how badly things went from the start of the year.

I'm going to offer a bold prediction, however. While April 7, 2012 will most likely be the last game of Rick Nash's tenure in Columbus for now, I don't think we'll have seen the last of him in a Blue Jackets' sweater. At the end of it all, somewhere way down the road, Rick Nash will be a Blue Jacket again, and when he's done his #61 will go up into the rafters next to Mr. Mac before it's all said and done. But then again, I'm a hopeless nostalgic optimist.

Wait, no I'm not. Sheesh, now I'm confused.

Finally, It is also fan appreciation night, and to that end Cannon-ites, if you're going to the game, come find Mr. Wagner and I during the first intermission. We'll be taking up residence in the concourse just outside of the Cannon. Stop by and say hello, and let us thank you for sticking with us through this year.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(28-46-7, 63 Points; 5th division, 15th conference)

R.J. Umberger	Derick Brassard	Cam Atkinson
Vinny Prospal	Mark Letestu	Maksim Mayorov*
Ryan Russell	Ryan Johansen	Derek Dorsett
Colton Gillies	Darryl Boyce	Jared Boll

Jack Johnson	James Wisniewski
Brett Lebda	Nikita Nikitin
Aaron Johnson	Dalton Prout

Steve Mason

Shawn Hunwick

*Call this the reverse-Rick-Nash-jinx, if you will

New York Islanders
(34-36-11, 79 Points; 5th Division, 14th Conference)

Matt Moulson	John Tavares	Kyle Okposo
Josh Bailey	Frans Nielsen	Michael Grabner
David Ullstrom	Marty Reasoner	Nino Niederreiter
Micheal Haley	Jay Pandolfo	Matt Martin

Mark Streit	Milan Jurcina
Travis Hamonic	Andrew MacDonald
Matt Donovan	Steve Staios

Al Montoya

Kevin Poulin

Season Series

04/07/12 - NY Islanders at Columbus

Head to Head

NY Islanders Columbus

2.38 (27) GPG 2.36 (28)

3.01 (27) GAPG 3.14 (28)

18.7% (8) PP% 15.0% (27)

81.1% (22) PK% 76.5% (30)

Matt Moulson, 36 G leader Rick Nash, 29

John Tavares, 50 A leader Vinny Prospal, 37

John Tavares, 81 Pts leader Rick Nash, 58

Matt Martin, 111 PIM leader Derek Dorsett, 223

17-18-5 Road/Home 16-21-3

4/5 vs Winnipeg, W 5-4 Last Game 4/5 @ Colorado, W 5-2

6-4-0 Last 10 6-4-0

Game Notes

Top-Heavy Trio - The Islanders struggle to score almost as much as the Blue Jackets do. However, their problem is a much different animal. Whereas Columbus really scores (if you can call it that) by committee, the Islanders do it with one deadly top line. On the season, the Isles as a team have scored 193 goals. Their top line of Matt Moulson, John Tavares, and Kyle Okposo, have combined for 90 of those goals, or almost 47% of the team's total. The Jackets will need to be especially sound defensively against this combo. It also is one of the reasons the Isles have such a good Power Play unit, despite their otherwise pedestrian stat lines.
Cammy Cam - The Jackets haven't had much to get excited about, but one thing that should have fans looking forward to next year is the steady blossoming of rookie winger Cam Atkinson as he gets more minutes down the stretch. The numbers overall are skewed a bit by Thursday's hat trick, but Cam now has 11 points in his 26 NHL games (5G, 6A). In his last five games, however, he's been especially effective, with the three goals to go with four assists. In other words, seven of his 11 points have come in the last five games. Definitely a positive step going into next season.
30 for 61 - If he can go, a goal for Rick Nash would net him his fifth straight 30-goal season, and seventh in the last eight. If he doesn't play, he will leave the Jackets (assuming, of course, he is traded) with a team-record 288 goals, 258 assists, and 546 points. No one else will get close to those numbers anytime soon. It's been a real pleasure, Rick.

What a long, strange trip it's been. I have a weird feeling in my stomach that I'm never going to see Rick Nash in a Blue Jackets sweater again. My old Rick Nash third (the old tie-up ones from which the current logo was patterned) will remain in my closet, but it won't ever be the same wearing it after tonight.

Again, we here at the Cannon can't thank you all enough for reading all season long. Here's to better times to come!

NY Islanders		Columbus
2.38 (27)	GPG	2.36 (28)
3.01 (27)	GAPG	3.14 (28)
18.7% (8)	PP%	15.0% (27)
81.1% (22)	PK%	76.5% (30)
Matt Moulson, 36	G leader	Rick Nash, 29
John Tavares, 50	A leader	Vinny Prospal, 37
John Tavares, 81	Pts leader	Rick Nash, 58
Matt Martin, 111	PIM leader	Derek Dorsett, 223
17-18-5	Road/Home	16-21-3
4/5 vs Winnipeg, W 5-4	Last Game	4/5 @ Colorado, W 5-2
6-4-0	Last 10	6-4-0