TEAM PREVIEWS: COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Introduction:

I swear... these will be done before the first month of the season is over.

The Blue Jackets are a tough team to preview. Coach Ken Hitchcock really made this team buy into a system last year and at times was wildly successful. This season new pieces like Fedor Tyutin, Mike Commodore, RJ Umberger, and Kristian Huselius were added to an already complicated puzzle.

The question facing the Blue Jackets is whether the stars that played a patient game last year will continue to do so AND be able to convince the new players to buy into the same system. Make no mistake, this is not a playoff team; not yet anyway. They are a GOOD team however and one that is going to give much of the Western Conference fits this season.

Key Departures:
Nikolai Zherdev
Ron Hainsey

Zherdev was really starting to click on this team, and was finally starting to get some chemistry with Rick Nash. He was dealt in an apparent desperation move to shore up defense, but also likely because his "Alexei Kovalev-like" style of play didn't really fit with Hitchcock's plan. They will miss his creativity on offense.

Hainsey is a bit of a loss as he was a serviceable point man and it is unclear whether Klesla is ready to step up into that role and Tyutin has only been OK there in New York. He is replaceable however and the rapid addition of Mathieu Schneider by Atlanta should tell you everything you need to know about the rest of the league's opinion of him.

New Faces:
R.J. Umberger
Kristian Huselius
Fedor Tyutin
Mike Commodore

The additions of R.J. Umberger and Kristian Huselius account for the 80th attempt at surrounding Rick Nash with linemates that complement him. Lets see if it works or if next season we'll see 81.

Tyutin and Commodore are both serviceable, dependable defensemen. Tyutin is not the offensive D-man they thought they were getting however. He is a good checker and is rarely caught out of position. Commodore is a stay at home d-man, and a good one. He hits. Hard.

The Offense:

About the only sure thing on this team is Nash. Huselius was a should have could have been in Florida before becoming a star in Calgary alongside Jarome Iginla. Umberger had a fantastic playoff with the Flyers but failed to impress during the regular season. As such my recommendations are a little all over the place. Also I will be debuting a new format here. Since most drafts have already happened I'm going to phrase this all a little differently:

You Should Be Happy You Drafted:
Rick Nash

Rick Nash has 5 NHL seasons under his belt and he is only 24. What? I'll say it again. Rick Nash has 5 NHL seasons under his belt and he is only 24. Nash is JUST NOW entering the prime of his career and he is already one of the most valuable fantasy players in the game. Nash will give you, if he stays healthy, points across every category. Nash is money. Health is his only concern.
FACT: In only his second season Rick Nash scored 41 goals. He has yet to hit that number again, but came the closest last year with 38 tallies.

You Want to Keep An Eye On:
R.J. Umberger
Kristian Huselius
Jakub Voracek

Umberger is a serviceable center. We never really saw what he was capable of in Philly as they are one of the deepest teams in the league at center. Now R.J. gets to be one of a half dozen people who have tried to serve as Rick Nash's center. Maybe it will be magic. Maybe it won't.
FACT: Umberger had 15 points in 17 playoff games for the Flyers last season.

Huselius will be drafted in most leagues due to his strong play alongside Jarome Iginla for the last two seasons. My problem here is that Nash has yet to show that he can carry someone the way Iginla can and Huselius has yet to show that he can do it on his own. He's really streaky too, so keep that in mind when deciding whether or not to grab him off of waivers.
FACT: Huselius was suspended from the Swedish national team after a woman accused he and two other Swedes of forcing her to have sex with them. The case was dropped but suspicion lingers.

Tough to say what you can expect of Voracek. He's an unknown quantity but scored a goal and added an assist in his first NHL game.
FACT: Voracek has 101 points in 59 games last season in the QMJHL.

The Defense:

There's not much here of fantasy value, though they have steadily improved the quality of blue liner in front of Pascal Leclaire. You will want to keep an eye Rotislav Klesla, whose development is the only reason I can think of to let Hainsey walk, and Fedor Tyutin as the season progresses.

The Powerplay:
Rick Nash
RJ Umberger
Kristian Huselius
Rostislav Klesla
Fedor Tytuin

A solid first unit that will have to find chemistry to be successful. Give it time and hope for the best.

The Goalie(s):

Pascal Leclaire is the presumptive starter here and he earned that with stellar play last season. He's a quick butterfly goalie who has the potential to absolutely steal games from the other team. Leclaire's only concern is a lengthy list of medical ailments. Between concussions and ankle problems Leclaire has missed significant time over the last two seasons. When healthy he can be lights out.
FACT: Leclaire had 9 shutouts last year. Bet you didn't even know the Blue Jackets won 9 games.

Fredrik Norrena or Steve Mason would get the go ahead were Leclaire to go down. Norrena is capable of great things, as he showed two years ago, but is inconsistent at best. Mason is believed to be a future number 1 goalie for this franchise. So you might want to handcuff your brilliant pick of Leclaire with one of these dependable net minders.

The Verdict:

Columbus is a decent team, that's still missing a few pieces before they can be considered a playoff caliber team. Take Nash and Leclaire without thinking twice and pay attention to their fortunes to see who else is worth your games played.