Columbus Blue Jackets: Saturday Round Up

THN.com takes a look at 10 reasons to get excited about 08-09 and guess what? The Jackets make the list:

Will the Columbus Blue Jackets make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history? If I’m a betting man, I say no. However, if they do, it will all come down to Ken Hitchcock’s coaching.

The Jackets are definitely getting some attention this summer.

Here is another read about the Jackets' moves this offseason (thanks for pointing this out, Skraut) from Dobber Hockey:

The Jackets will be much improved. Does that mean playoffs? Possibly, not in the tough West there are no guarantees (after Detroit and Dallas). Brassard, Huselius, and Jakub Voracek will inject some needed “sting” into the Jackets offence. Their overhauled defence is much deeper, and they have solid role players. Pascal Leclaire is for real; he is a very strong technical goalie. So can captain Nash carry this team to their first playoff birth?

Be sure to check out the rest of it. They have a very sweet picture of Nash—still love those jerseys!

  THN takes a look at where Filatov may play next season:

The Sudbury Wolves have drafted Nikita Filatov in this year’s CHA import draft, what do you think the chances of him actually playing for the Wolves in the 08-09 season?  Shawn Skiffington, Sudbury, Ont.

Shawn, I’d put the chances at about 50-50. Columbus has a lot of skilled wingers right now—Rick Nash, Freddy Modin, Kristian Huselius—and you can probably pencil in rookie Jakub Voracek as a top-sixer too.  Assuming all is well, they may want to ease Filatov in to North American hockey by letting him run up some big numbers in Sudbury.  Filatov already speaks excellent English, so there won’t be as much of a culture shock. He’ll also be surrounded by talent on the Wolves—Jared Staal, Eric O’Dell, and incoming rookie John McFarland are all blue-chip prospects.  On the other hand, if Filatov comes to Blue Jackets camp in the fall and blows the doors off, coach Ken Hitchcock may just have to find a place for him. – Ryan Kennedy 

Personally, I'd give him about a five percent chance to play in Sudbury. I really think Howson will want to keep his options open with Filatov, and have the ability to call him up throughout the season should he not make the team out of camp. This season is just too important, and the Jackets just don't have enough skill to bury him in Juniors for a season.  The flip side is that if he were sent to Juniors, that would not burn a year off his contract. With young studs like Brassard, Voracek, and Russell coming up for contract renewals in less than three years, buying that extra year of eligibility would be something to consider.  Howson will do what is best for the team. If Filatov comes to camp and clearly isn't ready, then they'll ship him to Juniors. If he shows he has the ability to contribute now or sometime this year, he'll most certainly play in the AHL—if not the NHL—right away.  Quite frankly, I can't wait to see what this kid's got in camp.

The Dispatch continues its phenomenal coverage of the Jackes this offseason today. Porztline is all over this Filatov IIHF suspension stuff. There is a nice spread here and some detailed blog posts here.  I won't get into all the nitty-gritty details, but essentially nobody seems to be worried about Filatov making the jump to North America, and the threat of suspension from international competitions won't deter him from chasing his dream to play in the NHL this year.  

Not sure who else caught this one but Chicago has named 20-year-old Jonathan Toews captain.   I realize that Toews is a great young player and that ultimately Chicago saw this kid as its leader for years to come—but captain already? From an outside point of view, it just seems rushed. The kid only has one year in the NHL, and has plenty of growing in his game to do.  Hopefully it works out—but remember, Rick Nash has five years in this league and just now appears ready to shoulder the responsibility of being an NHL captain.  

Finally a reader pointed out that Pittsburgh fans seem intent on invading Nationwide when the Penguins come to town on Thursday March 12.  Well, Jackets fans, we can certainly return the favor, and travel the three hours east to Pittsburgh on Friday February 6!  I know I'm planning on it.  -LTL