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The Impressive Rise Of The Columbus Blue Jackets

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Raise your hand if you had the Columbus Blue Jackets ripping off 12 straight wins and rocketing to the top of the NHL as the league’s best team.

You’re not alone.

Outside of those who built the team or are currently playing for them, few had the Blue Jackets “making any noise” in the East. Coming off a poor showing in the World Cup of Hockey, bench boss John Tortorella was the odds on favorite to be fired first this season. What a difference a couple of months make.

The “first fired” honor would end up going to Gerard Gallant, who was let go by Florida. Tortorella, meanwhile, is guiding the Blue Jackets to one of their best runs in franchise history.

But there were a couple victories that stood out along the way:

  • Thumping Montreal 10-0 in Columbus back on November 4th. It was significant for two reasons: first, they blew out a Habs team on an eight game winning streak. Second, it signaled the turnaround for the Jackets was underway. Though at the time it was their third consecutive victory, Columbus recovered from an 0-2 start and were then 5-3-2 after its first 10 games. Since then, the Jackets are a staggering 18-2-2.
  • In the battle of the Metropolitan Division this past week, the Jackets slapped the defending champ Penguins in the face with a 7-1 romp that gave them sole possession of first place.

Columbus is undefeated in the month of December, and with only three games remaining before the calendar turns over to 2017, they have the possibility of running the table in the final month of 2016.  The Jackets have rightfully received a lot of press for their performance.

Puck Daddy’s Sean Leahy writes that the cunning signing of Sam Gagner has paid dividends for the Jackets. Currently, Gagner has 26 points (14-12) and has been one of the better value based signings in years (one-year, $650K).

October 28, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center <a rel=Eric Seeds from Blue Jackets blog The Cannon argues that the Jackets are for real, no matter what pundits say. Seeds points out a number of the catalysts for the teams rise. First, netminder Sergei Bobrovsky has been healthy and dominant. Back in August, it was reported that the Jackets had sunk significant resources into ensuring Bobrovsky’s training was top notch. So far, so good. His numbers (21-5-2, .935 save percentage) should remain strong should he remain healthy and not run into the bumps of the past–which usually centered around getting injured.

One other point: the emergence of 19-year-old Zach Werenski. Much has been written about the dynamic defenseman from the University of Michigan who stands as one of the better bets to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie. Werenski has helped the power play tremendously, and has shored up a blue line with other young talents like Seth Jones.

Fans and other teams are taking notice, but it doesn’t concern Tortorella, who has been vigilant in keeping attention off of his streaking team, especially since there are some who think the Jackets might not be as strong as they look.

Regardless of how it turns out, the Jackets’ rise in the Eastern Conference has been a treat for the hockey world to watch–and rewarding for a fan base that has only seen two playoff appearances in the organization’s sixteen seasons.

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Cory Schneider, Ben Bishop Struggling

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It’s been a tough first few months for all three of Team USA’s World Cup goaltenders.

Jonathan Quick hurt his groin in the first period of the Kings’ season opener and isn’t expected to be back until February at the earliest. Cory Schneider has performed well below his career averages. Ben Bishop has also struggled, and is now hurt as well.

When the New Jersey Devils traded for superstar forward Taylor Hall in June, it gave them a second superstar on the roster. Many believed that the combination of Hall’s scoring and Schneider’s goaltending would bring the Devils back to the playoffs for the first time since their 2012 Stanley Cup Finals appearance. It’s not worked out so far, with Hall missing eight games and Schneider’s play falling off.

This is Schneider’s fourth season in New Jersey and third as starter. In the two previous seasons, he has a 0.925 SV% and a 2.21 GAA. Both numbers demonstrate Schneider is a top-flight starter in the NHL. Schneider and the Devils started off decently, with a 0.941 SV% and a team record of 4-2-2 in October. Schneider had a 0.893 SV% in November, and has fallen even further in December to 0.881.

It’s not clear what’s happened to Schneider. The Devils did move their second-best defenseman in Adam Larsson to acquire Hall, but based on his career numbers Schneider should be much better than 28th in league SV%.

The Devils are part of the Metropolitan Division, which is the best in the NHL this season. They’re already 10 points out of a playoff spot, and unless Schneider picks up his play and starts stealing games, the Devils will be out of the playoffs once again.

Over the past three seasons with the Lightning, Bishop has averaged a 0.922 SV% and a 2.20 GAA. He’s been a Vezina finalist twice in those three years. Bishop racked up 77 wins over 186 games in those three seasons. This year, however, his record has fallen to 9-10-2. Andrei Vasilevskiy has much superior numbers in nearly every category compared to Bishop this season. Bishop has a 0.906 SV% and a 2.82 GAA in the final year of his contract, while Vasilevskiy has a winning record to go with his 0.921 SV% and a 2.49 GAA.

Bishop left Tuesday night’s game versus the Red Wings, and his status is not known. Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Bishop could be out anywhere from two days to two months. His injury may only be fast-forwarding to the inevitable handing-off of the starters job to Vasilevskiy. With Bishop’s contract up after this season and Vasilevskiy signed for another three seasons after this one, the Lightning appear to have shown their plan. Not to mention, only one can be protected from the expansion draft. That will be Vasilevskiy.

With Bishop hurt again, Smith wondered if his trade value would be affected. Smith quoted TSN’s Craig Button, a former GM, who said that it wouldn’t be an issue “so long as teams are satisfied that it’s not long term.”

The Stars would definitely be interested in acquiring a new starter, but there are other options like Marc-Andre Fleury. The Lightning need Bishop to return as soon as he can and be the dependable starter of years past. That gets the Lightning more wins and better potential trade value, while improving Bishop’s chances at a big contract in free agency.

Pacific Division Notes: Brown, Gaborik, Bieksa

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Former Los Angeles Kings team captain Dustin Brown was scratched from this afternoon’s road contest in Boston. According to Jon Rosen of L.A. Kings Insider, Brown is battling an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.

Brown, who was stripped of the captaincy and replaced by Anze Kopitar this last summer, has had a moderate bounce-back campaign after the worst season of his career in 2015-16. Through 30 games Brown has contributed 14 points to the Kings attack and he’s already halfway to his points total from last year when he tallied 28 in 82 games. He is a five-time 20-goal scorer and netted 18 in the strike-shortened 2012-13 season.

With the expansion lurking around the corner, it’s been wondered whether the Vegas Golden Knights would gamble and take Brown, who is almost assuredly going to be left exposed by the Kings. While he is still capable of playing a physical role on a team’s third-line and obviously would provide the new franchise with veteran leadship, Brown has another five seasons left on his pact with an AAV of $5.875MM. Some have suggested the price tag would simply be too high for Vegas but if the Kings were willing to retain salary then it’s at least feasible the two sides could work out a trade following the expansion draft.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division on this Sunday:

  • Rosen also pointed out that it appeared right wing Marian Gaborik would be a healthy scratch today for the Kings based on what he saw at this morning’s warm-ups. That premise was confirmed by Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Gaborik, who has been prone to injuries throughout his career, has missed all but nine games this season after hurting his foot while representing Team Europe in the recent World Cup of Hockey. He has potted just a single goal to go along with three helpers in those nine appearances and it could be that Kings head coach Darryl Sutter is growing impatient waiting for the Slovakian sniper to find his offensive game. Gaboriak is averaging just 14:28 of ice time per game, a rate that is 3 1/2 minutes below his career average. Like Brown, Gaborik is in the midst of an expensive, long-term contract that has four seasons remaining beyond 2016-17, and comes with a cap charge of $4.875MM.
  • Kevin Bieksa has spent the vast majority of his 11-year career as a reliable, two-way top-four blue liner. Now in his second season with Anaheim, the 35-year-old Bieksa is averaging less than 20 minutes of ice time per game for the first time since his 39-game debut campaign in 2005-06 while with Vancouver. As Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register writes, Bieksa is not only adjusting to a lesser role but he is adapting his playing style to mask the fact he is no longer a player in his prime. Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle has encouraged the veteran blue liner to embrace the adjustments: “I think every player has to become somewhat of a chameleon,” Carlyle said. “You have to change with the game and what’s going on with it. I coached Kevin Bieksa when he was in his first year pro out of college. He was not a player, I can tell you, that many people would have believed was going to be an NHL prospect. He worked and he committed. “His personality is one that he’s a striver. And he’s done that and he’s done very well. He’s had a great career. … There’s never ever been a doubt that this guy’s not going to try. He’s going to give you everything he’s got.” As Stephens noted, Bieksa has played less than 15 minutes in each of the team’s last two contests and is skating on the third-pair. Bieksa understands the situation he is in, and as always is willing to whatever it takes to help his team: “To be a good teammate, sometimes you have to take a role that maybe you don’t like,” he said. “But if that’s what they think is in the best interests of the team, you take it, accept it and you do the best that you can.” With a plethora of NHL-caliber defenders in the organization and little cap space available to upgrade the roster elsewhere at the deadline, there have been some suggestions the team could look to move Bieksa, who has one year left at $4MM, to create added flexibility. He does possess a NMC, which adds a further layer of complexity to making a deal beyond his salary and age, however.

Islanders Activate Seidenberg, Place Pelech On IR

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As reported earlier today, Dennis Seidenberg has gotten some great news to start December. The team has removed him from their injured reserve list and he’ll make his return tonight against the Washington Capitals.  To make room, the team has moved Adam Pelech to IR retroactive to November 28th with an upper-body injury.

Seidenberg had hoped that he could return by Sunday against the Red Wings, but he’ll in fact make it back into the lineup less than three weeks after suffering a broken jaw on a Michael Matheson shot. The veteran defenseman was off to a great start in New York after signing a $1MM deal with the team this offseason. The deal followed a buyout by the Boston Bruins of the last two seasons of his four-year, $16MM extension he signed just after the start of the 2013 season. The 35-year old has eight points in fifteen games this season after suiting up for Team Europe at the World Cup and Germany in Olympic qualifiers this summer.

His return comes at the expense of Adam Pelech though, who was moved to IR following his injury Monday night. Though originally just reported as soreness, he’s obviously in enough pain to keep him out for the minimum of seven days (which would rule him out until Tuesday’s matchup against the New York Rangers). Pelech had originally been an injury replacement for Travis Hamonic, who was originally given a 4-6 week timeline but came back within eight days of his injury.

The Islanders have had a revolving door on their blueline this season, with injuries happening to several players and at times dressing seven defensemen. They’ll look to get back a little bit of stability with the return of Seidenberg, who will make three solid pairings for the team as it looks to get back into the playoff hunt.

 

Kings Activate Marian Gaborik From IR

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The Los Angeles Kings have activated right wing Marian Gaborik from IR, according to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. Gaborik is expected to take the ice for warm-ups and head coach Darryl Sutter will make the decision of whether the Slovakian forward will make his 2016-17 season debut tonight. A broken foot suffered during the World Cup of Hockey kept sidelined Gaborik all season.

No announcement of a corresponding move has been made but the Kings don’t need to clear a roster spot to accommodate Gaborik. With the 34-year-old winger back in the lineup, the Kings have 21 skaters – 14 forwards and seven defensemen – and two goaltenders.

Currently tied for 15th in the NHL in scoring, the Kings could certainly use the infusion of skill Gaborik brings to the table. A seven-time 30-goal scorer, Gabroik’s production has tailed off in recent seasons, however. He tallied just 12 goals in 54 contests during the 2014-15 campaign but netted 27 in 69 the season before, suggesting he still has something left to offer.

Now entering his 16th NHL season, the 34-year-old Gaborik has scored 386 regular season goals in 933 games. He was originally drafted third overall in the 2000 entry draft by the Minnesota Wild and has also spent time with the New York Rangers and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Injury Notes: Couturier, Gaborik, Cunningham

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The Philadelphia Flyers’ nightmare season continues. Today, the team will recall Scott Laughton from Lehigh Valley to replace Sean Couturier, who will be out for 4-6 weeks with a left knee injury. According to Sam Carchidi, Couturier will be examined this afternoon in Philadelphia but has already been placed on injured reserve.  The 23-year old centerman had eight points in twenty games this season.

For Laughton, this won’t be the first time he’s set foot on NHL ice, but it will be the first this season. The 22-year old former first-rounder played 71 games for the Flyers last season, recording 21 points but was injured early in training camp and had been playing in the AHL since his return. Eight points in eight games at the lower level as he shook off the rust, and proved that he’s ready for an NHL return. As Carchidi reports, he’ll be available to dress tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, though there has been no indication whether or not he’ll get into the lineup right away.

  • Marian Gaborik is back with the Los Angeles Kings and aiming for Saturday to make his season debut, according to Kings beat reporter Elliott Teaford. The 34-year old sniper has been out since suffering an injury at the World Cup in Toronto in September, breaking his right foot in a game against Sweden. The Kings will hope that he’ll come back fresh and looking to show that last year wasn’t what to expect going forward. The former 40-goal man only scored 12 goals and 22 points last season, the lowest point total of his career. He also played in only 54 games, a mark he’ll hope to eclipse this season (the Kings have 62 games remaining).
  • Sarah McLellan of AZ Central is reporting that Craig Cunningham is still in stable but critical condition after suffering a heart attack on the ice Saturday night. Cunningham was playing for the Tucson Roadrunners when he collapsed on the ice and needed to be taken to a local hospital.
  • Tyler Myers has officially been moved to the injured reserve, retroactive to November 11th, reports Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun. The defenseman suffered a lower-body injury just three days after he was last activated from the IR. The hulking blueliner has played in just 11 games this season, scoring five points.

Notable NHL Players Who Made Comebacks

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In light of Eric Lindros’ comments yesterday about former Philadelphia Flyers’ GM Paul Holmgren suggesting he attempt a comeback to the NHL in 2012, five seasons after retiring, let’s take a look at few notable NHLers who did come back after some time away:

Richard Zednik and Clint Malarchuk – Zednik and Malarchuk survived two of the scariest on-ice incidents in NHL history. In 1989, Malarchuk, then a Sabres goaltender, had his cartoid artery sliced by a skate. His life was saved by the trainer Jim Pizzutelli, who was a former US Army Medic who served in the Vietnam War. Nineteen years later, Zednik had his exterior cartoid artery sliced by the skate of Olli Jokinen. Both men survived and ultimately returned to the NHL the next season, though neither man played much longer.

Gary Roberts – After playing parts of 10 seasons with the Calgary Flames, Roberts was forced to retire at age 30 because of nerve issues in his neck. However, he began working with a chiropractor on a new form of physiotherapy and was able to return to the NHL after missing the 1996-97 season. The Flames traded his rights to Carolina, where the travel would be better than in the Western Conference, and he played 11 more seasons with a handful of teams before retiring in 2009. He founded the Gary Roberts High Performance Centre and Fitness Institute in Ontario, where he trains several high-end athletes including Steven Stamkos and Connor McDavid.

Saku Koivu – The longest-tenured captain in Montreal Canadiens history made an unforgettable comeback in the 2001-02 season. In September of 2001, Koivu was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He missed nearly the entire season, but made a triumphant return in the Canadiens’ third last game of the season. He was welcomed back with an eight-minute standing ovation by fans, and had two assists in three games as the Canadiens clinched a playoff spot. They went on to beat the first-seeded Boston Bruins in six games before losing to the upstart Carolina Hurricanes, who were on their way to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. Koivu won the Masterton Trophy that season for dedication to hockey.

Mario Lemieux – Lemieux retired after the 1996-97 season. While he was still dominating the NHL, scoring 50 goals and 122 points in 76 games that season, he stepped away from the game at age 31. He was just a few years removed from his battle with Hodgkin’s Disease, a form of cancer. The Hockey Hall of Fame waived the mandatory three-year waiting period and immediately inducted Lemieux. He was part of a team that bought the Penguins to keep them in Pittsburgh in September 2000. Four months later, the team announced that he would be returning to the lineup. In his second NHL debut, Lemieux had an assist on his first shift and ended up with a goal and two assists versus the Maple Leafs. Lemieux went on to captain Team Canada to gold at the 2002 Olympics and 2004 World Cup. He scored 229 points in 170 NHL games over the next five seasons, including a 91-point performance in 2002-03, before an irregular heartbeat sidelined him once more.

Injury Notes: Hammond, Letang, Pietrangelo

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After dealing for Mike Condon today to give himself some insurance, Ottawa Senators’ GM Peter Dorion says that Andrew Hammond is out for at least another week dealing with a groin injury. Hammond was placed on injured reserve last week.

While Hammond is out with a known injury, Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen reports that the Craig Anderson situation is “very fluid”, meaning the goaltender may miss additional time during the year. Condon will fly to meet the Senators in Ottawa for tomorrow’s game against the Canucks.

Snapshots: Murray, Sceviour, Plager

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Matt Murray is finally going to make his 2016-17 debut, it might just have to wait a few more days.  Even though the goaltender has been “going full-speed now for almost two weeks” he won’t start this Saturday versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Instead, according to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Murray will get one of the west coast back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday. The Penguins visit the Ducks and then the Kings in some inter-conference action.

Murray is coming back from a broken hand he suffered during the World Cup when he backstopped the young guns (Team North America) in the tournament. While the Penguins claimed Mike Condon off waivers earlier in the season to replace Murray, they’re hesitant to lose any of the three solid pieces they have in net. They view them all as considerable assets, and don’t want to lose any for nothing.

  • Colton Sceviour will be moved up in the lineup according to George Richards of the Miami Herald. After getting a season-high 15 minutes in the Panthers latest loss at the hands of the Maple Leafs on Thursday night, the former Dallas Star will replace Kyle Rau on the second line. The Panthers are without Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad and Jussi Jokinen due to various injuries and have had to move pieces in and out of their top-six in recent games. While Jon Marchessault is thriving on the top line, the unit of Rau-Trocheck-Smith weren’t as effective against the Maple Leafs.
  • The St. Louis Blues will retire number 5 in honor of Bob Plager this season. Plager has been with the club for almost 50 years since his addition as a player on June 6th, 1967, holding almost every position possible: player, head coach, director of scouting, director of player development and others.  Plager’s #5 will join Al MacInnis (#2), Bob Gassoff (#3), Barclay Plager (his brother and #8), Brian Sutter (#11), Brett Hull (#16) and Bernie Federko (#24) among retired numbers for the Blues.

Off-Season Stories Providing Immediate Results

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In the world of professional sports, the off-season has turned into a period of perpetual risk. When even the slightest move is scrutinized and analyzed with such severity, teams are trying harder and harder to minimize those gambles.

This summer saw a few key story lines for some of the leagues biggest franchises, and many of them are providing early dividends. Let’s take a look at some of the most talked about players of the summer, and where they sit just a few games into the seasons.

Auston Matthews – Toronto Maple Leafs:

The first big name to drop, Matthews was selected first overall by the Maple Leafs after they held on to their #1 spot in the draft.  Seen as a franchise-type talent who could make an impact right away, Matthews proved he could play at this level at both the World Championships and the World Cup, before setting an NHL record in his first game with four goals.

With six points in his first four games (and two more assists tonight), the 19-year old Arizona-born centerman has already made an impact. He was made the second star in the first week of the season, and saw his jersey sales skyrocket to the top of the league. While it’s extremely unlikely he’ll continue at this pace for his entire rookie season, the Maple Leafs have to be please with his play thus far.

Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning

Expected to hit the open market and garner the most interest of any free agent in the history of the NHL, Stamkos instead decided to sign back with the Lightning at the beginning of the summer. GM Steve Yzerman committed long-term to the 26-year old, handing him an eight year, $68MM deal just before free agency started.

Stamkos hasn’t taken the money and sat back, with four points in his first four games (and another goal tonight). The former 60-goal man is off to a blistering start and will again battle for the Rocket Richard trophy. Fans everywhere will wonder what he could have done for their team had he decided to head somewhere else.

Jimmy Vesey – New York Rangers

The biggest (deserved or not) story of the entire center was the saga of Jimmy Vesey, a college standout who refused to sign with first the Nashville Predators, and then the Buffalo Sabres.  After months of speculation and build up, the winger decided to go to New York, where he would play with former teammate Kevin Hayes.

Though he had just one goal through his first four, Vesey has two more tonight, making people wonder just how effective he truly will be this season.  The pendulum of “top-six winger”-“third line ceiling” that we heard all summer isn’t determined yet, but his three goals are already more than most Rangers fans expected through five games.

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