Columbus Blue Jackets: Oh what a night!

Whew! Where do I start?

First, how about that Scott Howson? No, he didn't fill every hole and every need, but did he ever make us a better, more competitive team the last two days.

The man has a plan. That plan in a nutshell was to add competitive players while in the process shoring up our defense, offense, and shipping out players who didn't fit the direction of this team.

Check, check and check.

To summarize:

In: Umberger, Torres, Commodore, Tyutin, Backman, Huselius
Out: 19th pick, Brule, Zherdev, Fritsche, Hainsey

That's six new faces ladies and gentlemen.

The moves:

1. Jackets acquire center RJ Umberger + 4th for 19th pick + 3rd
This has been hashed out quite a bit already, but with Umberger we gain desperately needed help down the middle. RJ is a 26-year-old 6'2" 200lb center who recorded 37 assists and 50 points. Umberger will slot into the top six spot. The 19th pick was acquired in the Foote deal, so essentially this was Foote for Umberger and swap of picks. RJ is an RFA that will need signed.

2. Jackets acquire winger Raffi Torres for Gilbert Brule
The Jackets gain a top six forward who can play left or right wing. Torres is a 26-year-old 2126lb winger who has put up two 20 goal season, including 27 in  the 2005 season. Last year he had a rough year with an ACL injury that limited him to just 31 games.

The Jackets see him as physical winger who can change games with scoring or by hitting. He's signed to two more years at an average cap hit of $2.5 million. In return the Jackets gave up a former No. 1 pick in Brule, who has had his ups and downs in Columbus and could use a fresh start. Torres figures to play a wing on the second line.

3. Jackets sign defensemen Mike Commodore to a five year, $18.75 million dollar deal.
The Jackets nab one of their top two targets in Commodore. Commodore is a physical stay at home defenseman who does not take nights off. He's a right handed shot who figures to play upwards of 22 minutes a night against the other teams' top lines.

He is also the kind of player who isn't afraid to stick up for teammates. Commodore is a great locker room presence. He sounds very excited about his role in Columbus. The Jackets overpaid for Commodore, but that's the name of the game in free agency. He'll be a top four defenseman here.

4. Jackets acquire Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman for Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche
The big blockbuster of the day. It's no secret the Jackets needed help on the backend, even after the addition of Commodore. They needed puck-movers. They got two of them in Tyutin and Backman.

Tyutin is the key to this deal for the Jackets. He's a 24-year-old defenseman who is above average in every facet of the position. He can score, hit, block shots and handle the puck. He's also signed to a tremendous four year deal that kicks in this season. He will figure into the top four of the defense and see time in every situation. He was the key to this deal.

Backman is a 28 year old defenseman who will help the Jackets transition the puck. He has offensive upside, but has yet to show his potential. He only reached a high of 18 points in his five NHL season career. Backman figures to play in the thirrd pairing and will see time on the powerplay—probably the second unit. He's got one year left on his deal at 3.4 milllion.

In return, the Jackets gave up the 2003 No. 4 overall pick Nik Zherdev. Zherdev's story is well publicized throughout Columbus. As I mentioned earlier, the Jackets love his talent, but hate his competitiveness.

He is only signed for one more season at $3.25 million. Zherdev's inconsistency and disconnection towards his teammates ultimately led to the Jackets moving in a new direction.

Dan Fritsche is a 2003 second round pick who is a guy that worked hard every night and is a committed professional. At the end of the day, there just was no longer room for Fritsche in this lineup so he was moved.

5. Jackets sign Kristian "juice" Huselius to a four year, $19 million deal
With Zherdev and his 61 points moved for Tyutin, Hueselius and his 66 points became a hot target to fill the void. The Jackets managed to get their man.

Huselius figures to play on the opposite wing with Rick Nash. His most effective play came in Calgary when he rode shotgun with Jerome Iginla. Huselius is a fantastic stick handler and playmaker who sees he ice very well. He should be able to create space for Nash and get him the puck. He's very good on the powerplay and get this—shootouts!

He's also underrated defensively. He's not going to take over games, but paired with a guy like Nash he should be an effective player. The biggest knocks on him are his streaky point scoring and his lack of physical play. He adds much needed skill to the lineup after Zherdev's departure. At 29, Huselius will be 32 when his deal expires.

Projected lineup as of today:

Nash Umberger Huselius
Modin Brassard Torres
Murray Novotny Boll
Chimera Malhotra Voracek

Dorsett

Commodore Hejda
Tyutin Klesla
Backman/Russell/Tollefsen

Leclaire
Norrena

I think the Jackets are going to run with Brassard at the No. 2 hole. Look for one more forward to be acquired—perhaps re-signing Peca—to fill that third center position.

This lineup, while not perfect, is leaps and bounds better than it was. It's a well rounded lineup that brings you more scoring, hitting, puck movement, and competitiveness.

The additions of Commodore, Tyutin, and Backman gives the Jackets desperately needed size and sandpaper. All three players are better puck-movers than what they had, although they are not the pure offensive flare that fans had hoped to acquire.

For the powerplay, there are a lot of options here. Tyutin and Russell figure to be the first unit powerplay defensemen. Brassard may also be counted on to run the point of the powerplay. A combo of Backman, Klesla, and Commodore would most likely be used on the second unit. The Jackets have lots of options.

For the penalty kill, it will be Commodore and Hejda as the top shutdown pair. Klesla and Tyutin will be the second unit penalty killers with perhaps Tollefesen (if he's in the lineup) and Backman rotated in.

Talk about size! I stole these stats from a poster who put this in the comments (thanks anonymous!):

Nash: 6'4 218
Boll 6'2" 206
Chimera 6'2" 216
Malhotra 6' 2" 21
Modin 6' 4" 217
Murray 6' 2" 210
Novotny 6' 3" 209
Torres 6' 0" 215
Umberger 6' 2" 200

Tyutin 6'3" 210lbs.
Backman 6'4" 210lbs.
Klesla 6'3" 220lbs.
Hejda 6'3" 230lbs.
Commodore 6'5" 230lbs.
Rome 6'1" 205lbs.
Tollefsen 6'2" 210lbs.
Methot 6'2" 200lbs.

Now of course this lineup isn't perfect. We still don't have that No. 1 center and it's looking like the dice we are rolling the dice on Brassard in that No. 2 hole. We also don't have that true No. 1 undisputed offensive d-man to run the powerplay.

What we do have now is a team and an identity. Hitch has plenty of molding to do of course, but it's clear the direction we are headed is a big strong checking team who is one difficult team to play against. A team that has character and the ability to play the same consistent hockey night in and night out.

We also can't forget the rookie impact. Voracek may be on the fourth line starting out the year but he could quickly move up the lineup. Filatov is a guy who could step in at camp and just force his way right on this team with no Zherdev to pick up bad habits from.

The good news is that those guys are not going to be counted on. The biggest risk here is Brassard and heck, you can't rule out Howson making another move for a top six center.

Still some work to do—especially in getting Leclaire and Umberger under contract, which I fully expect to occur.

All in all, I'm very pleased with the make over of this team. I think Howson did a good job filling the massive holes in our lineup with good young players who can help now and later.

He put it all on the line the past few days in terms of his legacy as a GM and I think he scored. Wins will be the ultimate decider, but these aren't Footes and Fedorovs he acquired here. This is a good young lineup that will battle every night for wins and for one another.

As one poster commented, the stench from this roster has been cleared.

We also can't forget Howson did this while still retaining that sixth overall pick and just about all of the depth in our system -- that's extremely important.

I tell ya—my favorite move is getting Tyutin. I really think this guy is going to be really good player for us and his contract is so sweet.

Is it a playoff team? With Hitch leading this group, I really think for the first time we've got a helluva chance. If some our rookies like Brassard and Voracek can step up and contribute then I really like our chances.

Discuss—what's your reaction after day two?

-LTL