Bleacher Report - Articles by Nate Santoianni

CBJ Draft Day

Nate Santoianni — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:05:09 -0400

It’s been an entire year since our last draft posts. This year will be much different than last. Don’t look for the CBJ to have a banner day like in ‘08. They’re picking at 16 so about the only thing that will be changing is the table position on the floor. Howson might try to drop back a little in the first to pick up a second rounder. It all depends on how the cards fall between picks 1 and 15.

I would imagine that Howson will pick up either a defenseman or a center. I would like to grab a defenseman, but I won’t be surprised if Howson goes after the best guy they can get at one of those two positions.

I will be interested to see what kind of trades go on this weekend especially during the first 11 picks. I don’t think Columbus will be very active on the trade front during the draft, but we might see some minor activity over the summer.

It should be a good time to check out the locker room and see some of the players again. I’m pretty amazed at how fast the off-season is going so far.

Couple free agency bits… It seems as though Mister Malhotra may not be back with us next year. And there is nothing new on the Nash front. If Malhotra falls through I look for us to make a push to retain Williams. I would be fine with either guy, but Williams can finish better. Novotny is gone so that frees up a little bit of cap space, but not much. If anything it opens up a spot for someone to come up and fill. Personally I would like to see Picard make the team if he is resigned. I’d love to see a line of Dorsett, Murray, Picard. I think this line could create alot of energy for us with some toughness as well. I won’t take a way too much from this upcoming draft, but I’ll have some more as things come up this weekend.

Hopefully we can get a new Blue Jackets BuzzCast Podcast up soon enough. The first one went really well, and we’ll some more cool stuff to talk about for the next one.

Let’s see what happens in Montreal…

Columbus Blue Jackets | 2009 NHL Draft | Montreal

Posted in Bluejackets buzz Tagged: 2009 NHL draft, Columbus Blue Jackets, hockey

Blue Jackets-Red Wings: Wow, What a Ride!

Nate Santoianni — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:36:13 -0400

Last night the CBJ were swept in their first-round series by the Detroit Red Wings.

The final score was not 4-1 or 4-0. It was 6-5, and the final goal was scored by Detroit based on a terrible call.

Now the call wasn’t an issue as to whether it was a penalty or not.

Technically it was a penalty, but the idea was that the game was being officiated as “let’s have the players decide.”

Vermette, for example, was boarded in the third, with no call. Lots of grabbing and holding on both teams, and no calls. Fair enough—but in the dying minutes, Columbus gets called for too many men.

Then all hell broke loose. Trash, beer, anything imaginable was getting chucked from the stands, and the fans were infuriated. There had to be some Browns fans in the crowd, because—well, does anyone remember the littering on the field after a bad call?

Either way that’s the end of the playoffs for the CBJ, and the beginning of the offseason. All that means for us is that we can get back to analyzing the CBJ and what they can do to be better next year.

After a surprising offseason last year with moves and signings the CBJ made the playoffs. Now that they’ve made it and learned from it, what will happen this year?

Blue Jackets Buzz will be a place to read up on the draft, and analyze free agency as we push on through the summer.

We’ll also be keep tabs on the playoffs to see how the rest unfolds and which team winds up skating with Stanley.

X Marks The Spot: Columbus Blue Jackets

Nate Santoianni — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:09:19 -0400

A historical night for the Columbus Blue Jackets: They clinched their first playoff berth ever with a shootout win against the Blackhawks.

My only gripe about this game is that the play was sloppy from the CBJ perspective.

I felt that they were playing too timid and trying to force plays. The better playoff teams keep the play smart, and simple. Know your system and make quick, smart decisions and I think they need to further simplify their play in order to be successful.

It’s nice to know that with 92-points they have a better chance of hanging on to the sixth spot.

I feel like I’d rather play against Calgary at this point then anyone else up there.

That being said, we’ll now need to make sure Vancouver doesn’t win out the division.

If that happens, then it’s going to be a tough battle against players like the Sedins, Sundi, and Luongo.

Let’s hope for the best now into the post-season, but I must say it’s pretty nice to know that they’re guaranteed a spot.

Now, we need to start a new cheer in Nationwide Arena.

WE WANT THE CUP! WE WANT THE CUP!

Columbus Blue Jackets Buzz: Homestretch

Nate Santoianni — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:27:17 -0400

Well, as you have noticed we haven’t posted on here in quite some time.

Now we have UV working—and I don’t mean ultra-violet.

You guessed it. I mean Umberger and Vermette.

These guys have really stepped up in the last few games for us.

The Vermette trade is looking like a nice move so far. Thank you, Scott Howson! We got rid of our glass goaltender and we have a solid top-six center now!

Nothing against Pazzy at all, but I think the change will help him. We just couldn’t rely on him in the long-run. Plus, you have Mason in place and LaCosta and LaLande down in AHL rounding out the goalie depth.

Speaking of trades, does anyone else think that Klesla should go? Personally, I think we should get him off the books and use some of our money to sign a better D-man option for us. We will see about that in the offseason most likely.

Klesla just isn’t himself anymore. Last season he started to look stronger and more confident, playing a more simple, smarter game. Now he looks hesitant, only making nice plays every once in a while, and more often looking like a deer in headlights…

So, as we get down the stretch here, 11 games left. We could potentially move up further in the standings. But with three more versus Chicago, and three more against St. Louis, these inter-divisional games are looking even more important.

We will hopefully have some good updates after the Florida trip...

Quick must watches for CBJ fans:

Jake Voracek: CBJ’s highest scoring Rookie - 35 pts.
Steve Mason: Calder watch.

Daily Buzz: Columbus Blue Jackets Can't Let Up As Playoff Race Heats Up

Nate Santoianni — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:40:06 -0500

The Columbus Blue Jackets are in uncharted waters. Never in the history of the franchise have our boys been in sixth place this late in the season.

Not that it is a comfortable position—the Jackets are only two points ahead of eighth place Minnesota who has two games in hand on our boys—but still, it’s a heck of a lot nicer view than staring at the backside of the ninth-place team.

That being said, the Blue Jackets are about to play their most important road trip in franchise history. Don’t take this phrase lightly—I’ve never made such a claim before (this isn’t Puck Rakers after all).

Tonight it’s third-place Calgary (76 pts), then Thursday it’s ninth-place Edmonton (63 pts, 23 games remaining) and finally, on Sunday they finish with fifth-place Vancouver (68 pts, 23 GR).

After all this, they’ll face the Kings at home on Mar. 3—the day before the trade deadline. How they fare during this trip will greatly affect how the rest of the season plays out.

In a perfect situation, the Jackets will nab four regulation wins that will vault them to 74 points (and probably fifth place). Call me crazy, but sitting at fifth place at the trade deadline screams huge success—Especially for our franchise.

The Jackets need to (as stupid as this sounds) play their game over the course of the next week. They are going to be facing three very competitive teams and a talented Kings club.

If they play simple, check hard, and play a north-south game for 240 minutes, then they’re all set.

Ugh uh huh...anybody else queasy?

Other Tidbits

• Not that I feel sorry for them, but who’d have picked the Ave’s to be in last place in the conference? True, they’ve been riddled with injuries to Sakic, Stastny, J-M Liles, and they didn’t exactly back the right horse with Andrew Raycroft did they?

• It seems that the offseason trade with the Rangers may be leveling out. After a shotgun start, Nik Zherdev is back to his old self. Flashes in the pan, but still lacking consistency.

He’s on pace now to finish the season with 59 points (two pts under last season). Zherdev’s “replacement”, on the other hand, is set to finish with 60 points and is also the leading factor contributing to Nash’s potential 80 point season (previous high was 69 pts).

• Ovie seems to have shifted his feud from one Penguin (Geno) to another (Sid). In previous seasons, Sid and Ovie have spoken with respect about one another. Not so much any more—and it couldn’t be better for the fans!

The two "best" players in the league now enemies. That’s the stuff of dreams for a league desperate for new fans and headlines. Me? I’m taking Ovie’s side—I think Cindy is a punk that runs his mouth.

Still, I wish nothing but good fortune for the guy the NHL has decided to back as the face of the league.

• “And with the first pick of the 2009 NHL draft, the New York Islanders select: John Tavares!” At least he’ll be going to a good hockey market—would kind of suck for him to get swept into Atlanta or Nashville or something. Not that there aren’t diehard, well-educated fans in those market.

I mean, I wouldn’t exactly call Columbus a hockey Mecca.

Daily Buzz - Looking Ahead

Nate Santoianni — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:27:59 -0500

I told you in our Post-Break Outlook that the Jackets needed to string together some wins to separate themselves from the pack. After a 2-3-0 skid the Jackets are now 7-3-1 (15pts) since the All-Star break. They currently sit in 6th place – tied for points with Vancouver who has a game in hand on them. It’s not the cluster that we saw at the break, but still only 5 points separates 5th place Vancouver from the 11th place Kings.

What you have to be aware of though is the number of games remaining at this point. The Jackets are in 6th, yes – but they’ve also played more games than the teams surrounding them. Scariest of all is the Stars, who sit 1 point back (from Columbus), but have played 2 less games. Their play since the departure of Sean Avery, and the resurgence of Marty Turco has been reminiscent of their juggernaut last year. Though, on the bright side (for Columbus fans) is that the second leading scorer for the Stars – Brad Richards – could be out for 6-8 weeks… that hurts.

Onto TRADE TALKS! – we keep creeping closer and closer to the March 4th trade deadline. Mathieu Schneider is already out of the picture – but with only a handful of points his only value was veteran experience. Here are the names that most intrigue me, and their potential suitors:

10. Doug Weight, New York – I’m starting off this party with some boring old farts. Guys that still have some production, and plenty of playoff experience. Currently Weight is out for about 5 more weeks – putting his return past the trade deadline. Could he still garner some interest? – Maybe. The only way a team takes a gamble on Weight though is gonna be for a bag of pucks. Let’s say Weight to Florida for a 3rd round pick.

9. Keith Tkachuk, St. Louis – The Blues are currently 7 points out of the playoff picture, and Tkachuk is a UFA come July. Tkachuk is having a decent season and could interest some playoff contending teams – he would of course have to waive his no-trade clause. Look for him to go to a team looking for 2nd or 3rd line depth – as well as leadership. For no particular reason, my gut says Washington.

8. Mark Recchi, Tampa Bay – Recchi is on pace for a 50+ point season. With his production and playoff experience (along with a cheap price tag and UFA status this summer) he could raise some eyebrows of clubs looking for veteran depth too. One team to me that screams a lack of veteran experience is Chicago. Yep, send Recchi to Chi-town.

7. Nik Antropov, Toronto – Leafs Overlord Brian Burke has made it well known that the asking price for this monster center/wing is a first round draft pick. That’s a pretty steep price for a guy that will be UFA come July. If Antropov is shipped it will be to a team that he’ll resign with in the off-season. I’m sure the prospect of Nik makes Hitch’s chops wet, but don’t expect to see him here – you know what would blow people away? How about a blockbuster deal involving swapping the Sedin twins (also UFA) to T.O. for Antropov and maybe some other goodies. Regardless, I’m saying that Antropov is heading to Vancouver or Montreal.

6. Jay Bouwmeester, Florida – Last summer it seemed almost a sure bet that Jay would be dealt at some point this season or the Panthers would risk losing him to free agency. Now… it’d be a tough pill for the fans to see Jay shipped out in the thick of a playoff race. There is still some time to sort out the standings, but don’t be shocked to see the deadline pass without seeing Jay’s name in the headlines. Since I’m on a role for crazy trade-mates though… I’ll send Bouwmeester to Edmonton for a pick and a player.

5. Ryan Smyth, Colorado – Word is that the Aves are looking to cut payroll and the GM is asking teams to submit bids. I honestly don’t see a deal being struck this year. Smyth’s production has been pretty good this season, but he’s making s crap-load of money – $16.5 mil over the next three years. Is there anyone looking for a scoring winger? Let’s say this has to go down, I put Smyth to Pittsburgh for Ryan Whitney. Yes, I just said that.

4. Chris Pronger, Anaheim – Seems crazy, but the Ducks could miss the playoffs this year. With 61 points and the fewest games remaining, it’s starting to look like a reality. If that’s the case Pronger could be moved for a longer-termed gain (he has only 1 year remaining on his contract). Pronger would be pretty enticing for a team looking to really beef up their blue line for the playoffs as well as the following season. Pronger to the Rangers in a deal involving Petr Prucha. Ha ha ha ha!

3. Alex Kovalev, Montreal – Boy, here’s a guy who’s had a seesaw ride the past two seasons. From being booed, to worshiped, and now benched – this high potential winger is likely done in Montreal after this season. If the Habs decide to ship Kovy at the deadline don’t expect it to be to the Pens, a team with a desperate need for talented wingers. No, I’m sending Kovy to Edmonton… maybe for Erik Cole?

2. Kari Lehtonen, Atlanta – The former no. 2 overall pick has not exactly performed as such. Still, Atlanta could find some use for Kari. The rumor I’ve heard is sending him to the Flyers in return for a prospect – maybe Van Riemsdyk or Claude Giroux. Seems like a win-win, the Flyers get the tending they need for a playoff push, and Atlanta continues a strong rebuilding campaign. Honestly, if there’s any team that scares me (in four years) it’s Atlanta – two first-rounders in ’08, a likely top-5 this year, as well as a slew of prospects (Angelo Esposito anyone?).

1. Olli Jokinen, Phoenix – The Yotes have seemingly put a for-sale sign on their prize take during last year’s draft-trade frenzy. A team looking to gobble up Jokinen is not doing so for his playoff experience though (zero games). Olli’s probably one of the more intriguing players on the block; only a year left on his contract at $5.5 mil – not bad for a true number one center. You’ll hear the boys at the Dispatch argue that he’s not on the radar, but they said the same thing at the draft (and we still made a push to acquire him). I’d wet myself, but don’t go into a comma if the Jackets end up as possible suitors. It’d be a multi-player deal on our end: let’s say Jokinen for this year’s number one pick, Rusty Klesla, and Maxim Mayorov.

Posted in Bluejackets buzz Tagged: Nik Antropov, Olli Jokinen, Season Outlook, Trade Rumors

Columbus Blue Jackets Trade Talk and Videos

Nate Santoianni — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 14:26:00 -0500

I’m starting to wonder what will happen with the Blue Jackets regarding the trade deadline. It’s obvious they should go after a No. 1 center, and stretch the talent across the lines more.

One factor that may play into the trade deadline now is that Modin is now out. We’re not exactly sure how long, but we should know by the end of the day. Hopefully it’s not too long without Freddy, but he will miss the big game against the Stars tomorrow. It’s good we have Derek Dorsett coming up—he should bring some necessary toughness to the lineup tomorrow night.

I’m curious to see the rumors start chugging, with the trade deadline a few weeks away now. Let’s see what happens. Now, check out some videos from the Colorado Avalanche shutout!!

Daily Buzz —Columbus Blue Jackets: Dan the Man And the Stretch

Nate Santoianni — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:05:32 -0500

It has been a while since we’ve posted on here. It comes with the amount of other stuff going on in our lives I guess.

So back to hockey eh? Tonight we’ll be blessed with another classic Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets games. Every game is important now. We simply can’t lose especially to Dallas and Saint Louis…Okay I’m over that right now, but honestly you factor in those games plus the four losses to Phoenix this season? It’s a different outlook. Let’s press on though…

How about Danny LaCosta? This guy came up from the minors and pitched two huge wins for us. One of them was a shutout!

I actually have videos of some shifts during the 3-0 win over the Avs. They shall be posted sometime this weekend. Mason is back from the Mono crisis, but we need Dubielewicz to play better… This guy did not impress me that much.

Maybe it was his pads, but then again we did get smacked by the Pens after that. So sorry, but Wade you better pick it up. Otherwise you remain on the helmet line.

Now the last bit to this post before I sign off to finish my Friday and head to the game! Down the stretch we have quite a few teams within a few games of each other from a points perspective.

Here are the teams we really need to watch out for:

Nashville
Dallas
Los Angeles
St. Louis (a possible spoiler)
Minnesota
Edmonton

If we continue to win games then we should be okay, but now is when fans need to pay attention to who else is losing and winning. I’m still not sure what will happen because the race is so close…

Posted in Bluejackets buzz Tagged: Columbus Blue Jackets, Dan LaCosta, Steve Mason

Columbus Blue Jackets: More Gloom Ahead at Trade Deadline?

Nate Santoianni — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 11:25:53 -0500

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been 1-2 since my post-break outlook. That was not exactly the boost that I had in mind.

Standout goaltender Steve Mason has been officially diagnosed with mono—though it has been reported that he was suffering with the virus for quite some time and should be “over” the more trying parts.

This hurts.

Backup goalie Wade Dubielewicz starts tomorrow in Pittsburgh against the offensive juggernaut that is Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who are first and second, respectively, in the NHL scoring race?

Worried?

Yeah, a bit.

What about beyond this? Do the Blue Jackets stand a chance at making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history?

Certainly, but the pack is starting to separate. What was a six-team bottleneck has turned into only the Edmonton Oilers, Blue Jackets, and Phoenix Coyotes on the outside looking in.

On the bright side though, the Blue Jackets are only four points out of the fifth spot in the Western Conference.

The trade deadline is less than a month away. Last year, four points out of eighth, the Blue Jackets were sellers. A season ago, the Washington Capitals were also four points out—but they were buyers, and subsequently made the postseason.

Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson has said that the Jackets will be buyers at this year's deadline.

I’ll believe that when I see it.

Howson is holding a pair of sixes and treating it like a full house. If you really want a top center Howson, you have to be willing to part with Kris Russell.

For the love of God, this fan base cannot stomach another “wait till next year.”

For the first time in Blue Jackets franchise history, television ratings and ticket sales are growing! Now is the time to get in the playoffs—even if it means a first round exit.

What I fear most is that the deadline will pass the Blue Jackets as it has done so many times before. Howson will get some offers, but he’ll pass, because as would probably say, “They wanted too much."

Toronto Maple Leafs' Nick Antropov will go elsewhere, and even our “backup” plans (Doug Weight, Chris Kelly, etc.) will find homes somewhere other than Columbus.

Howson needs to take a step back and look at what he’s got. Yes, the Blue Jackets are well-positioned to potentially have a strong team in, oh, three years.

But Blue Jackets fans cannot and will not, wait that long. They need to make the playoffs now.

The Blue Jackets need to strike while fans are still tuning into Fox Sports Net to watch the team's games.

Act now!

Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Post-Break Outlook

Nate Santoianni — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:10:42 -0500

I promised a post-break outlook for our boys, and here it is.

In the first game after the All-Star break, the Blue Jackets netted two points over the Red Wings. I’d normally be a bit upset that we gave another Western team a point, but being the Wings, it doesn’t really matter. They could take the rest of the year off and still make the playoffs.

The Blue Jackets now sit with 51 points—ninth place in the Western Conference standings. Seventh and eighth place Minnesota and Edmonton also have 51 points, as does 10th place Vancouver. On top of that, fifth and sixth place Phoenix and Anaheim sit at 53.

That’s a pretty tight pack. Any team that puts together a solid run in the next couple of weeks will have a definite advantage. Every game is now a must-win. For the Jackets, things could not be looking better. I can’t believe I just said that.

Of the next eight games, seven will be played at home, and only two of those games will feature a team currently “in” the playoffs (San Jose and Detroit). This could very well be the stretch that will separate the Blue Jackets from the pack, and finally solidify them a postseason slot.

If Columbus can manage a 6-2 run during this time, they’ll finish with 63 points and 27 games to go. If they can accomplish this, they’ll only need about a 13-9-5 finish. That will get them 94 points and should be enough for a playoff spot.

Why do I think the Jackets can do this? It’s simple. We are witnessing the best season in franchise history. Rick Nash is on pace for a career-high 82 points and probably significantly more than that if he continues his current production pace.

Additionally, we are finally seeing some strong production from the blue line. Last season the Jackets had one defenseman with more than 20 points, Ron Hainsey, who finished with 32. This year, three are on pace for 20-plus points. Kris Russell is on pace for a career-high 25, while Fedor Tyutin and Mike Commodore are each on pace for a 30-plus point season.

Throw in rookie Jake Voracek, who is on a pace for a 40-point rookie campaign, phenom Steve Mason, and the brilliance of Ken Hitchcock, and this starts to really look like a playoff team.

I can’t think of a brighter time to be a Blue Jacket fan. Everything seems to be coming together. The team is finally buying into the Hitchcock system, six players are on pace to have career highs in goals, assists, or points, and the schedule could not favor the Blue Jackets more.

Nationwide Arena is finally becoming a place that offers support and energy for the team. With more than half of the remaining games at home, the Jackets really have an advantage.

Look for the Blue Jackets to finish with 94 points, good for seventh place. They’ll play Detroit and the series will go to seven games. The Jackets will win game seven. Fire the cannon!

Blue Jackets-Red Wings: Rick Nash Gets the Hat Trick

Nate Santoianni — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:37:53 -0500

So the Wings come into town on a snowy, icy night.

It took a while to get there… I missed a bit of the first.

They weren’t really dictating the pace of this game, it was really back and forth.

After driving through the grass behind a cement wall on 71 to get past a merging cluster $%^&—don’t tell anyone; there were others that did it too—anyway, after the driving fiasco, I got to the game.

Nash was huge tonight—four points and a hat trick. I was amazed. The guys seemed fragile under the Wings’ pressure at times, but they skated away allowing Detroit only one point. So we move up in the world for now.

I’m still not going to get over my head like some other media—eh hem. They did all right tonight.

I think the Chimera at center experiment didn’t work too well. That line just didn’t seem right together. Please add updates as necessary—but Nash dominated tonight, enough said.

Oh and I forgot my camera, was going to post some videos and tonight would’ve been great. Dang it! Maybe next time…

Blue Jackets Get Homered, Leave Calgary with a Point

Nate Santoianni — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:49:35 -0500

I hate when people complain about getting “homered” by the refs—call it a courteous gesture to my striped brethren. The officiating in the Jackets’ last game against the Flames was simply astonishing. I could run down the full list—the cross-check that warranted only a double minor was curious. In addition to that—the delay of game on OKT for knocking the net off, even though he was sent flying in by a Flames forward. After that, there was the “offside” call on Nash’s second long pass—weak.

How about the lack of drive in the last minutes of the game? For the second straight game, the Jackets blew a one goal lead in the third, only to try to take it to overtime. They weren't trying to win the game—rather, not lose it. Didn’t work in Edmonton, but they managed to squeeze into OT tonight.

Once it went to the shootout, I figured they’d be fine. Mason has been a sieve lately, but that’s been on the scramble. He was great in the Vancouver shootout, but got beat on a nice move from Bertuzzi.

The break couldn’t have come any sooner.

Blue Jackets Hot and Cold

Nate Santoianni — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:04:34 -0500

This is a quick rundown of who is hot and cold right now for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Many might argue that the whole team is playing well, and they are, but there are a few bad bulbs in the box still.

Let’s take a look at the top five hot, and top five cold guys in the present locker room.

BLUE JACKETS boasting HOT STREAKS:

1. Mike Peca - This guy is playing really well right now. He’s been stepping up his game offensively and working very well with young Jake the Snake and Nik. He has played real well on the PK as well helping them stop teams power plays at critical times.

2. Freddy Modin - This guy has really held on tight during Nash’s absence and he has been skating well and playing strong. It would help if he would shoot the puck more though because the guy has one hell of a threatening shot!

3. Jake Voracek - He has really played well given his limited ice time. Keep in mind he potted a goal from a near impossible angle on Raycroft the other night. I really hope he keeps it up because when he is on fire it just adds to the dynamic offense that the blue jackets can have.

4. Manny Malhotra - I can honestly say that this guy right here spells the “DEPTH.” He has filled in tremendously during the injury onslaught that the jackets are battling through. He is picking up points while playing well on special teams and winning critical faceoffs. This is the Manny that we will need if there is to be a playoff push. But honestly, you still never know with this team.

5. Jan Hejda - Among Howson’s roster moves, this guy is one of my favorites and probably one of the most underrated guys on the team and in the league. He has really built a solid anchor back there with Mike Commodore as a good shut-down pair. He throws a lot of punishing hits and really makes some solid heads-up plays in his own zone. On top of that he protects the crease well by getting guys out of the way, something we aren’t really accustomed to with our D-men.

BLUE JACKETS riding out the COLD:

Keep in mind this list is very difficult to make…

1. Christian Backman - What can I say about him… In the Avs game he turned the puck over twice in his own zone on the power-play which nearly resulted in a shorthanded goal. Thankfully, Mason saved the day with that one.

2. Jared Boll - Only thing with Jared is he needs to actually hit the guy when he goes into his checks.

3. Mike Commodore - He needs to back-check a little faster, guys have been getting around him lately.

4. RJ Umberger - I wish he’d forecheck a little bit more, make some of those great passes, and take a strong shot like he can. Get this guy going and we’re definitely a better team.

5. Steve Mason - I know I’m going to probably get crap for this one, but the kid is going to hit a wall at some point. He’s letting out bigger rebounds. Thankfully Waived Dubielewicz should provide some healthy backup. And surprise, Leclaire is out for the season. We need to give Steve the Stone a break now…

Posted in Bluejackets buzz

Daily Buzz: Wednesday, Jan. 21

Nate Santoianni — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:45:03 -0500

Greetings, Jackets Land. Hope this finds you well, especially if you are in some filthy Godless country.

Another couple of days and another couple of W's and L's for the Jackets. Losers Friday to the Devils, winners against the Canucks, and losers against Ales Hemsky (4 points). Calgary tonight and it’ll be another tough one.

Steve Mason is clearly exhausted after 14 starts in a row; just not as sharp as we saw him earlier (especially in December).

I’d honestly be surprised to see the Jackets pull off a win tonight, especially as they played last night and Calgary did not. The way the Jackets manage to dig down lately though, I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if they won too. Either way, a three-game sweep of western Canada would have been great, but I’ll take 2-of-3.

Rumor Roundup

Not much out of Tampa these days. The idea that Vincent Lecavalier would be moved is absurd. Not because it would be stupid of Tampa, but because it would be stupid of EVERY other team in the league.

Don’t get me wrong, Vinny is a spectacular player. The kind of guy that you’d want to build a franchise around. Aside from that though, NOBODY deserves an 11-year contract. It is the stuff of supreme retardation.

Yeah, if Vin stays healthy and productive, maybe you get some good value out of it, but contracts aren’t written that way. Vin is slated to get $10 mil per season for seven seasons starting next year and then he’ll make $8.5 million. Maybe that’ll be a discount eight years down the road for a 36-year-old guy.

My point is that players are not indestructible. Look at Peter Forsberg. He was probably one of the top five most dominant players during his hey-day. What if the Avs signed Foppa to a 10-year deal after his 106-point season in 2002-03? They’d be up shit creek without a paddle, that’s where.

Hell, look at Rick DiPietro! What has he played, six games since his 15-year contract was signed in ‘06? How’d that work out?

Speaking of Foppa, word out of Sweden is that he’s training again—I think with MODO. That led to a typhoon of articles out of Denver proclaiming (once again) that Peter the Great would be coming back to the Rockies! Uh, yeah. Too bad for the Avs Foppa has stated that his workouts have not gone very well and his foot is still bothering him tremendously. No return for you!

I’ll sound off after the game later this week to give an outlook of what the season could/should/might look like after the All-Star break.

Nate, if you’re reading, sound off—hope you’re doing well.

Posted in Bluejackets buzz

Columbus Blue Jackets' Halfway Awards

Nate Santoianni — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:14:09 -0500

With the season just over the half-way point, the Jackets sit at 21-18-4.

It’s been a roller-coaster season with lots of pleasant and not-so-pleasant surprises.

Let’s get right down to it and start handing out awards.

First we have some of the team awards:

Best Performance: January 2, 2009

I’m going to go with the 6-1 romp of the Colorado Avalanche on January 2 at the Pepsi Center. The Blue Jackets used to be dog meat in the Pepsi Center, so this win was especially nice: Nash had a four-pointer, including his first penalty-shot goal.

Worst Performances: December 6 and 23, 2008

The Jackets have been the prototypical mediocre team, playing their best against the best, and worst against the worst. The two goalless losses to the Kings in December stung the worst. On Dec 6 and 23 the Kings served up double helpings of 3-0 losses. How did we not score against—who is their goalie again?

Unexpected Performance: January 9, 2009

On January 9, the Jackets played the Capitals at the Verizon Center—and they did so with something like 11 regulars in the lineup. Out were the likes of Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Kristian Huselius, Raffi Torres, Jason Chimera, and to top it all off, reports came out that Mason was questionable… ugh.

I remember calling my fiancée on my way home from refereeing that night and asking how bad it was. “Two to nothing,” she said. “Oh, well that’s not too bad…” I said. Then she continued, “Oh, and Boll just scored, so now it’s three-nothing.” “Wait…three…but—are we winning?!”

In the end, the Jackets earned the 3-0 shutout win in arguably one of the hardest places to play. Previously, the Caps were 18-1-1 at home this season. Wow. Mason stopped something like 43 shots and goals came from (Turnover) Tyutin and Jared Boll. Unexpected? Yeah.

Talk about some wild games—how about some player awards? The Jackets have certainly had an interesting time trying to build up team chemistry with what seems to be turnstile-like personnel movement.

With new players coming in via trade or free agency and the plague of injuries, I’m shocked the players don’t have to wear nametags.

Best Player Performance: Nikita Filatov, January 10, 2009

This is a tough call, as Mase has played unbelievable hockey. I’m going to go ahead and give it to Filatov for his Jan. 10 performance against the Wild though. It wasn’t that Niki got the first hat trick for a Jackets’ rookie—it was that he did so with only 9:59 minutes of playing time.

It’s no secret that Hitch has a difficult time trusting rookies, and Filatov is no exception—but to put away a goal for every three minutes you are on the ice is just spectacular.

Worst Player Performance: Pascal Leclaire

Sorry, Pazzy—you’ve been playing like a sieve back there. I won’t cite any specific games because there are just too many to mention.

The fact that Pascal has had five games (out of 12 played) where he has allowed five or more goals against is just…well, INCONCEIVABLE!!

Apparently he’s still not over his ankle injury and he’s now on the IR.

Good, But Not Great: RJ Umberger

The Jackets have been in search of a top-line center since October 7, 2000. After eight years, the game plan was to use the 19th-overall pick in the 2008 draft (thank you Foote) to secure one.

I remember sitting at the draft party when the announcement was made. But I don’t remember feeling much. Kinda thought we got the shaft, to be honest.

RJ hasn’t played like a top-line centerman, but he has played well for us this year. To date, he has 23 points (13 goals) in 43 games.

Maybe not worth a first-round pick, but at least he’s putting the puck in the net. If he picks up production a bit he should have set a personal season-high point total this year.

What the Deuce?!: Derick Brassard

On December 17, Derick Brassard had 25 points and was the favorite to win the Calder Trophy. He’d been playing fantastically and recently had been seeing significant time on the top line with Rick Nash.

On December 18, the Jackets faced off against the Stars. Late in the first period Stars forward James Neal nailed Fedor Tyutin with a clean, but hard hit. In a fit of sheer retardation, Brassard decided that he would take Neal on.

The fight lasted all of five seconds—after three good shots to the face you could clearly see Brassard saying, “STOP, STOP!” He left the ice and didn’t return to the game.

Turns out that Brassard suffered a season ending (?) dislocated shoulder, which required surgery. It would be a long-shot for Brassard to be back, even if it’s in (whispering) late April or May.

Straight lunacy. You could see where he was coming from on this—up and coming guy, wanting to stand up for a teammate… but for Pete’s sake! You could see how pissed off Hitch was, and at one point you could clearly see him say (presumably to Boll)—“THAT’S YOUR JOB, GODDAMNIT!”

MVP: Steve Mason

Mase will win the Calder, the Vezina—and, if the Jackets make the playoffs, he’ll win the Hart. I believe that to date, Mason is leading in GAA, save percentage, and shutouts—and that’s all done backstopping the Jackets!

Talk about a diamond in the rough, too, a third-rounder!

Iwill say that goalies are a crapshoot, though—how’s that second-overall pick from 2002 coming along for Atlanta?

Columbus Blue Jackets Daily Buzz: January 12, 2009

Nate Santoianni — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:54:04 -0500

Since we last spoke, the Jackets have won two out of two with their GREATLY diminished group of players.

There’s been some great stories out there: Filatov’s hat trick, Voracek’s playmaker (three assists), plus Mason of course.

One thing that I’m VERY curious to see is how Hitchcock reacts to Filatov’s flurry of goals. With a curious statement, I’d like to say that you should be both horrified and elated. I say that you should be horrified because, despite the current roster, Filatov played only a bit over eight minutes Friday, and just under 10 minutes Saturday.

Hitch clearly still has trust issues with him (and Voracek)—even though the line with Peca was simply dominant. I honestly don’t expect to see much of a blip in Filatov’s ice against Colorado. Maybe I’m wrong, hopefully I’m wrong.

Of course, the jubilation should come from the fact that despite the challenge of only playing a handful of shifts, Niki was able to make himself seen and felt by the opposition. Get this stat—Filatov scored a goal for every three and a third minute of ice he saw.

Filatov needs to stay in Columbus. Period. If Syracuse was in the same situation as they were last year then I might have a difference of opinion, but given that they manage to scrape together six-game losing streaks I’d rather see him stay here—provided he sees ice time.

Brass is gone for the season. We have the spot, and the chemistry between Jake and Pecca seems to be strong—why not let him stay? Additionally, and some may view this with skepticism, at least here Nik can use the stick he wants!

For those new to this issue, in the AHL all players (with three exceptions per team) are required to use the RBK sticks. Filatov’s preferred brand is the Bauer Vapor XXXX.

Syracuse gives the exceptions to the “veterans” and tells the rest to tough it out. Call me crazy, but if a pure goal scorer says, “this is the stick I need,” you say, “Here you go”.

On a different and less pleasing note, it has been reported that Rick Nash was retro-added to the IR. I wouldn’t read too much into this one. Nash was questionable for Tuesday as it was—he’ll be able to play Friday if he feels up for it.

In my eyes, why rush a return? Columbus has played really great hockey and Colorado is just as banged up—no Sakic, Stastny, or Foote. No reason for Nash to return if he’s not at 100 percent.

And—I’m whispering now—I think it’s good for our guys to play a couple games without Nash - teaches that they still have to come to play. I remember some games last season where if Nash didn’t score, nobody did. Brutal times, indeed.

And finally, Mason is getting quite a bit of attention (outside of the Columbus crowd). There’s a great write-up about him at TheHockeyNews.com. It seems that Portzline may not be as crazy as the pundits suggested when he uttered the suggestion that Mason (gasp) could win Vezina.

THN goes so far to say that he could also challenge for the Hart as well. Winning the Calder, Vezina, and Hart trophy would be a first time accomplishment for any player—the last player to win the Calder and the Vezina was Tom Barrasso back in 1984.

Keep the faith.

Columbus Blue Jackets: The Daily Buzz

Nate Santoianni — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:43:17 -0500

It’s been a while since I’ve sounded off, but with the holidays, purchasing my new home, and a wedding to plan, it has been a busy couple weeks. Counting Rick Nash, the Blue Jackets have eight regulars that are injured. In my opinion, the biggest blow is (former) Calder Candidate Derick Brassard — his shoulder injury puts him out of action for the rest of the season.

As far as I can remember, I haven’t commented on the Brassard issue — it completely stinks. I applaud the kid for standing up for a teammate, but Derick is not a fighter. He got his ass whomped before begging for mercy — watching the game on TV, you could clearly plead with his attacker, “Stop, stop!”. It still makes me sick to my stomach that he’s out the remainder of the season.

The good news (scoff) with all of this is that it should tighten down the dressing room. To clarify, now you’ve got the rest of the team realizing they need to step up. It should create some nice chemistry, or at least respect and trust. It looks like players are going to get a shot to prove their mettle to the club, which is another positive.

I honestly didn’t think Filatov would be seen in a Blue Jackets sweater this season — I think my exact words were “pending an onslaught of injuries”. I’m happy to report that the Columbus Dispatch has stated that he is headed to Columbus. My guess is that he’ll get significantly more icetime than the eight minutes he was getting in October — especially considering his dynamic performance in the World Championships.

Fredrik Modin has really stepped up his game, which is more great news. It’s like he was channeling Rick Nash last night against Detroit. I thought Modin should have had two or three goals.

I’ll check back more frequently after more developments occur - word is that Torres is no longer in pain, and that he is simply conditioning. Also, Chimmer is hopeful for a quick return. Hopefully, his crash into the boards didn't result in a high ankle sprain.

On the trade front, my vote is to get ahold of Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins. I think a fair trade is Staal for Umberger (a true wing and fills a Pittsburgh need), in addition to our second round pick in 2009.

Daily Buzz: Blue Jackets Epiphany

Nate Santoianni — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:54:04 -0500

“I think I just had an apostrophe!”

~ ”I think you mean an epiphany”

“Lightning...has just struck my brain!”

I’ve just had one of those moments where everything in the world seems to make sense. I’ll get to that in a moment.

In one of the few games I’ve been able to attend this year, the Jackets showed what they are made of. It was kind of boring offensively in the first and second, but it was great to see Mason in action. 48 shots, my Lord.

Onto my apostrophe (that’s from Hook by the way). So we were sitting in the corner of the lower bowl only feet from the crazy dancing Swedish guys—clearly soccer fans, clearly hooligans. But you know what? Their antics got that section excited! It made us feel that it was OK to act nuts and root for your team.

So what happened in the third? With the Sharks attack in our end, we went ballistic with every save, every hit, every...well anything. And the result was a Bluejackets team that dug down and thwarted a Shark power play in the last four minutes of play.

Where are my ramblings leading? From some of the comments from people around, I gathered that they were not impressed by the dancing Swedes and the “refs” behind the glass. They didn’t cheer for a minor hit or a sharp angle save.

These are things that they expect because they are fans that have followed the game for ages. You don’t cheer for something that should be routine (hitting) is their belief.

But you know what? Our boys respond to a loud crowd. We need to get as many drunken idiots packed into Nationwide as possible. Get people in there that don’t know a blueline from a clothesline.

Draw them in with dollar PBR or something—that’s what the Cinci Cyclones do. What will you get? Any minor body check, any shot, any time they clear the zone, you’ll get them hootin' and hollerin' and cheering for the Jackets.

Nationwide is too quiet of a place. Too easy for away teams to come in and feel comfortable, non-threatened. We need soccer hooligans, college frat boys, red necks—we need to pack Nationwide with enough people to turn our golf clap into a roar of bloodthirsty mayhem!

Because I’ll tell you this, even if they’d lost last night, the third period of that game where the fans were really in the game, was the best period I’d ever experienced. I’d go back just for that in a heartbeat.

Nationwide, Blue Jackets—get with the program.

Posted in Bluejackets buzz Tagged: Daily Buzz, NHL Fans, Steve Mason

Daily Buzz: And I’m Pissed Off

Nate Santoianni — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:40:00 -0500

Lots of stuff out there, so I’ll try and cover a bunch and keep it short.

The CBJs are really starting to piss me off. Particularly coach Ken Hitchcock. When is he FINALLY GOING TO LEAVE THE LINES ALONE!? I look up last night and who do I see centering the top line? Our budding superstar Derick Brassard? RJ Umberger?

Nope—Michael Peca, the guy who has recently been seeing time playing on the fourth line. Great call Hitch. How’d it work out? Nash held without a point? Go frickin figure! Maybe play Nash with a couple of decent setup guys —say…Brassard and Huselius!

You know what else pisses me off? We’ve got forwards in Syracuse chomping at the bit to get a chance to play in the NHL and what do we do? We play Clay F’ing Wilson at wing. A guy that’s played not more than a fistful of games at that position in his professional career.

Why not bring up Mike York who is having a great year in Syracuse? Or Tommy! Sestito? There’s a big body that we could use. I’m not even going to mention You Know Who because he’d just sit on the bench.

When will Hitchcock finally give the younger and BETTER players the ice time that they deserve. I like Chimera, but playing him more than Derick Brassard will not put points on the board.

Mats Sundin

This is my first time comenting publicly on Mats Sundin in ANY respect. I was silent while all of Canada was publishing articles with artificial countdowns, fake “inside information” and stating that August…no, September…no, December would bring Mats’ decision at last.

Well, not that I really give a shit where he goes, but if it’s anywhere but Vancouver, Columbus could see the benefit of salary cap windfalls. Of the teams that the big Swede is RUMORED to be interested in, Vancouver is the only one with definate cap room for him. Personally, I’m hoping he goes to New York and they dish one of their 6-7M players our way. Not that we could afford it since our attendance is somewhere in the low nine thousands lately…

Sean Avery

Here’s another guy that I haven’t commented on, but again, here’s another guy that I don’t give a rat’s ass about—except for the first game we played where Commodore hammered him. I paid attention then.

Well, it seems that Dallas has finally “officially”—well, not released him, but has said that he won’t be playing anymore. Unless they can find a suitable trade partner (maybe for a bag of pucks)—they’ll have to eat every bit of his four year $16 M contract… yikes.

My guess is that we have not seen the last of this guy in an NHL uniform. A team with deep veterens will invariably take a chance, hoping that they will keep him in check like he “was” in New York. Either we’ll see a Todd Bertuzzi effect, or…well, you know.

Steve Mason

‘Nother thing I stopped caring about is the fact that the Jackets are carrying three goaltenders. It’s clear what the outcome of that is. Steve Mason is the number one goalie—period. Pascal is made of glass, so he’ll get 15 games out of the rest of the season, playing once a week, and Fred Norrena won’t see the ice in a Jackets uniform ever again. Sign that contract in Sweden Fred, you’re not going to get the nod here.

Columbus Blue Jackets (Boo Jackets)

Nate Santoianni — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:21:08 -0500

Houston we have a problem…

The Blue Jackets have managed three losses in a row on a West Coast road trip. The power play continues to baffle me, and it seems no adjustments are taking place. The penalty kill was supposed to be the best in the NHL. They are ranked 24th and ranked 30th in the powerplay.

I no longer fault the coaches, except for the lack of adjustments made. I am now putting equal blame on the players. I watched as much as I could handle of these games before turning them off. Let me just say out of 180 minutes of hockey on TV, I watched maybe 15 minutes. These guys are no longer playing like they can, and it doesn’t take long to see during a game if we’re going to win or lose.

Let’s revisit some phrases mentioned early in the year…

We will be a tough team to play against. My question is where is the toughness and where is the team? We will have a top four penalty kill. My response is how bad to you want it? Because it looks like no one wants it, except maybe the fans.

We traded Z for two defensemen who can really move the puck. My response is why did we let Hainsey go again?

We have some solid goaltending in Leclaire and Norrena. My response is Leclaire gets injured and seems to forget how to play sometimes. Oh and who is this Norrena guy?

We have a good leadership group and the point-man is our captain in Rick Nash. My response: is Nash the right captain? He shows no emotion, and I honestly don’t see him as a leader. Claude Noel, maybe you should use Nash as your point-man on the powerplay, eh?

Last but not least…The Christmas season is upon us, and that means holiday predictions. I have jumped the wagon for this season. Granted, I’ll still watch the boys play and root for them. Basically, I am saying that the Columbus Blue Jackets will miss the playoffs once again.

There are three reasons why: First, there is a lack of urgency/desperation/emotion/heart, whatever you want to call it. Second, your special teams are not even terrible anymore, they are non-existent. Finally, you simply lose the games that you should be winning without a doubt.

Let me end this bit by saying that I hope I can write you all looking back on this and laughing. Maybe I'll even be saying, what was I thinking? Here’s to hoping fellas…

Posted in Bluejackets buzz Tagged: blue jackets, blue jackets playoffs, Fredrik Norrena, Pascal Leclaire, powerplay, Rick Nash

The Steve Mason Show

Nate Santoianni — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:03:37 -0500

Steve Mason will get the net against the best team in the National Hockey League. They have the most points, most goals, most goals per game, the largest goal differential, and the third fewest goals allowed.

As I said, Mason will get the net. The question burning in everyone’s mind is: when will it be “officially” his net and what will it take to make the announcement. Couple schools of thought on this, and I do not really know which one is right -

First: Mason has already gone through something of a trial by fire. He saw two games in Syracuse before making his glorious 3-0 start with the Jackets. What I think management may be doing now is giving him a trial by hell-fire. If you look at the last couple weeks, it seems that management is trying to determine just how far they can push the kid. Here they are with a baby-faced goaltender and they throw him to the likes of Alexander The Great and now to the frenzied Sharks - and let us not forget that Vancouver was ranked third in the West when we played them Monday. If Mason pulls out another spectacular performance tonight, there will be little excuse for NOT having the “you need to find a place talk”.

On the flip side, maybe it was management’s intention to use Mason simply as a catalyst to get Freddy Norrena back on his game. Now I am not much of a conspiracy guy, but hear me out. Let’s say you are on the management team and you are trying to think of how to get Norrena back up to par. He certainly played well when he thought he was fighting for the number one spot, maybe introducing some new blood (Mason) might just be the spark he needs. The problem though is that Mason has been doing everything in his power to show that not only does he deserve Freddy’s job, he deserves Pascal’s job too. Could his consecutive starts against powerhouse teams have sinister motives? Probably not, but hey, that is why Al Gore invented the internet.

Either way, it is about time management got off their asses and told this kid that he is here to stay. Stringing three goaltenders along was cute for about three days - but when you have got a guy like Norrena who has not played a game in over a month - you need to do something about it. I am sure Freddy’s agent is shopping him in Europe, so it is not like he would be on the street, but for gosh sakes, let the guy have his dignity.

Same with Mason. This kid has stood on his head for the team and proved that he is one of the most (maybe the most) important guy on the team right now. The kid is 6-2-1 lifetime and he is living out of his suitcase in a team-owned apartment. That is not a sustainable situation for a 19 year old kid.

I am on the Steve Mason bandwagon. I have been investing in his hobby (code for buying all of his hockey cards) since he started getting attention before the WJC last year and hope and expect him to be THE premier goaltender in Columbus.

Posted in Bluejackets buzz Tagged: Freddy Norrena, Pascal Leclaire, Steve Mason

Columbus Blue Jackets Daily Buzz: Stefan Legein, Kristian Huselius, et al

Nate Santoianni — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:45:11 -0500

Since we last spoke, the Jackets have lost to Phoenix (again) and the Wings, then went on to beat the Caps and the then-third-ranked Canucks.

Not bad—but we need to stop droping games to the 'Yote.

Nash has been playing like a superstar again. He now leads the team in points (as he should) with 23. He ought to look over his shoulder, though—Brassard sits with 19 points and Huselius sits with 18.

Speaking of Huselius, the quarter poll of the season usually means an assessment of free agent signings. Huselius’ name seems to be dragged into the conversation quite a bit. The reason that he is a topic for discussion is his four-year, $4.75 million deal.

If you listen to the guys in Columbus, they say he’s worth the price tag. Others, such as The Hockey News, label him in the “overpaid” category. Either way, I think it’s a tough call to make if you consider everything.

First, we could look at the numbers, woo ha. There are bargains and busts all over the league. It’s tough to really tell how far a dollar goes. In Detroit you’ve got Zetterberg making $2.9 million this year, while in Ottawa they are paying $6 million this season for third liner Mike Fisher. Both cases are pretty extreme, but you have to understand what is out there.

We lost out in the Ryan Malone sweepstakes, but he’s been playing like a dog down in Tampa—certainly not worth the $6 milliion that he’s making this year! Huselius was brought in to provide a playmaking wing for Rick Nash—who incidentally has yet to score more than 70 points in a season. This year he’s on pace for 78 with Kristian on pace for 64. Is 142 points worth $11.25 M? Maybe not.

On the other hand you have this to consider—free agency is the one time when players have the say in where they go. You get zero points for being the highest bidder or the first to make an offer if you are not on that player’s list.

Look at Marian Hossa. There’s a guy who could have pulled in $10 million this season on a multi-year deal. Instead, he signed for $7 million for one year so he could win a Cup. Let’s face it, for Columbus to get a playmaker for Nash, $4.75 million might not be that bad.

On to other news—looks like 2007 prospect Stefan Legein has the itch to play again. I always thought he’d be back one way or another, just a matter of time. Lots will offer up their unsolicited opinions as to why he “really left” or why he’s “really” back—I’ll just say that I’m glad he was able to figure out whatever it was needed figuring.

According to TSN, he’s been skating with the St Catharines of the Golden Horseshoe Junior League, and Monday he’ll begin working out with Brampton of the OHL. He’ll then head to Columbus after New Year’s with the final stop at Syracuse where he’ll test his mettle.

Personally, I’m excited to see him play. He’s a bit on the small side, but the new NHL is built for his game. Also, and you’ll have to take this with a grain of salt, his scouting report going into the draft had him pegged as having a strong work ethic and being very dedicated to improving his game.

I’ll check back later.

Blue Jackets-Coyotes: What Will Happen Tonight?

Nate Santoianni — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:54:36 -0500

So my posts will continue to contain caution about the team’s play.

Tonight, a few things to note… Jake Voracek gets promoted to the second line. So this will closely replicate the training camp roster.

Let’s see if Modin-Umberger-Voracek can generate some chemistry and play as well as they did in camp.

The top line rolls on with Nash-Brassard-Huselius. Hopefully they can put some on the board tonight.

Phoenix has lost a good bit of games recently and they may come in playing desperate against the Jackets tonight. The last game they won was the 5-2 upsetting game against the CBJ.

Mason looks to get the start after posting his first shutout in the NHL. The coming days/weeks could finally seal the deal for Norrena, but they’re currently still carrying three goalies.

We shall see what happens again tonight. So I’ll ask the question again… Will we see Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?

Posted in Bluejackets buzz Tagged: Derick Brassard, Jake Voracek, Steve Mason

Daily Buzz: Jackets Quarterly Review

Nate Santoianni — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:18:33 -0500

With the season almost a quarter way through, it’s time to look back and reflect. Lots of great news, none of which is new; and lots of bad news, none of which is a shock. There’s a lot that can be covered, but I’ve decided only to focus on our young-ins and acquisitions.

It seems that the search for a play-making center for Rick Nash may have FINALLY come to an end. After weeks of proving that he is worthy, Derick Brassard has been moved up to the top line where he has helped Nash fuel a five-game goal scoring streak.

Now, he only had a hand in three of them, but he is certainly the reason for many of the chances that our captain has capitalized on. As a front-runner for the Calder Cup ROY, Brassard would be the first to bring the honor to Columbus.

The down side of this is, of course, the wicked secondary scoring from the goat line has dried up. Budding star Jake Voracek has struggled of late and has been moved to the third and fourth lines. Still though, he’s getting some decent chances playing with Modin and occasionally Andrew Murray. The kid just needs to shoot more. That’s it.

The great thing about Jake and Derick’s play is that it allows Filatov to get tons of ice time and experience in Syracuse. If he (Filatov) had been taken by the Islanders (who traded the pick to Toronto) then he’d have been thrown in right away. Kind of an ace in the hole as it were.

Boy, isn’t it nice to have players that are developed in your system?? Makes filling the top scoring lines a heck of a lot easier! How’s this for next year?

L1: Nash - Brassard - Voracek

L2: Huselius - Umberger - Filatov

Mason too has shown that he’s here to stay. Last night he posted the team’s first shutout of the year. Hitch has already announced that he’ll start on Wednesday against Phoenix.

He’ll have a chance to make up for the four goals allowed on 29 shots that was his last appearance against the Yotes. I really hope he shines there. I love the size and skill he has; hopefully his confidence won’t waiver.

What does this mean for Pazzy and Norrena? This all depends on how Mason plays on Wednesday, so only time will tell.

But here’s how I see it playing out—if Mason gets another win Wednesday with less than 3 GA, Norrena is done. He’s not going to be trade bait because nobody will want him. Neither is Pazzy. Not right now anyway.

Here’s how it shakes up:

Assuming Mason shows the good stuff on Wednesday, Norrena will be put on Waivers and possibly sent down to Syracuse—though I’m not sure if his contract will allow that. Nobody will claim him.

Mason and Pascal Leclaire will then split the starting goaltender’s role with Mason getting the 60-40 split. This is all Pazzy can handle because right now he’s playing like he’s made of glass. Though, he is still a talented goaltender.

Look for Hitch to get Pazzy some winnable games, especially close to March. Then off he goes, hopefully in return for somebody that can move the puck on defense or a first round pick. I’m thinking he goes to either Ottawa or Edmonton for probably more than he’s worth.

Lots of maybes in that equation, but I definitely think that it is a situation that could happen.

What’s to come for April? If the Jackets can string together another couple of months like November, then the playoffs are almost guaranteed.

They still need to be better than seven other teams though. That means the likes of: Nashville, Calgary, Edmonton, Colorado, maybe even Dallas. Don’t gasp, Dallas just lost Brendan Morrow for the SEASON and they’ve been playing like balls for a month.

Seventh place finish. Second in the Central behind Detroit. Screw Chicago and Versteeg.

Posted in Bluejackets buzz Tagged: Blue Jackets game review, Daily Buzz, Derek Brassard, Fredrik Norrena, Jakub Voracek, Pascal Leclaire, Steve Mason

Jackets-Thrashers: What Could Happen Tonight?

Nate Santoianni — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:29:07 -0500

The Jackets are playing the Atlanta Thrashers tonight.

My guess is that Jared Boll will get scratched because he’s just not cutting it right now.

Mason will get the start tonight.

Hopefully we won’t get destroyed by another former player like we did when Z came back to town.

Now we can beat the likes of Montreal and Buffalo, yet we lose to the Oilers and Coyotes.

Let’s see who shoes up tonight…Will it be Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? I would like to think that the CBJ will play well tonight, but honestly, you never know.

We could see that playoff berth/winning team, or a team going for John Tavares. What will happen remains to be seen.

This is a game that is a must-win and a definite can-win game.

Posted in Bluejackets buzz Tagged: blue jackets, Steve Mason

Colombus Blue Jackets: In Filatov We Trust

Nate Santoianni — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:32:08 -0400

The Nikita Filatov Saga is finally over. Nay Sayers who doubted Filatov’s ability to get himself to North America are now hushed. Jackets nation, myself included, all had it in the back of our minds. We’ve suffered so many blows and setbacks; from lack-luster first-rounders (see: Brule, A Picard, Klesla…) to season-hindering injuries (Modin).

Are the Columbus faithful finally about to be rewarded for our years of torment? On a wing and a prayer, I’m saying yes. Columbus is in the best position that we have ever been in – we have true depth at forward, defense, and goal, a coach and GM who are on the same page, and we have real elite prospect talent in the system.

With the loss of enigmatic Nikolai Zherdev, Columbus fans are ready to give their hearts to a new kid out of mother Russia – Nikita Filatov. Of course, time will tell with Nikita – will we make the big club out of training camp, will he play in the AHL, hell, he could even be headed for Sudburry to play in the OHL.

The one thing that we know will hold true though is that this kid can play, and he seems to have the drive that we’ve always been looking for in our Russians. Everyone knows that Nikita can play, if you don’t believe me then check out his youtube videos. What has got me all in a dither is his attitude and drive to play the game. Take this beauty:

"I'm prepared to do whatever Columbus asks me to do and if that means playing juniors for a year, I will do that," he said. "I realize I just have to get stronger and bigger and I think I'll be ready." ~ Nikita Filatov

This kid has never wavered on his commitment to come to the North America and play in the greatest league in the world. Columbus GM Scott Howson picked up on this at the draft combine where he (along with about every other GM) spoke with Filatov in the interview sessions.

Still, as convinced as he was, you can still hear the collective sigh of relief that Filatov is breathing in the sweet air of freedom in North America: "We're glad Nikita is here," general manager Scott Howson said. "He has been committed to this all along, since we drafted him.

He said all along that he wants to play in the NHL.” Expect the no. 28 CBJ jerseys to start flying off the shelves of the Blueline in Nationwide Arena once we get a taste of this kid in the preseason.

Will a Number-One Center Please Stand Up?

Nate Santoianni — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 03:18:19 -0400

It was no secret that the Columbus Blue Jackets were in a desperate search for a number-one center this off-season.

The very wording of this suggests that being positioned as the first center on the depth chart does not automatically qualify you as a “number-one center”. In the end, it looks like the starting center for the Blue Jackets will be RJ Umberger—certainly not an elite center, but even more certainly, an upgrade.

There were lots of names thrown out during our quest. Lots of names that, in my opinion, were not worth the price we were willing to pay.

Patrick Marleau’s name, for example, was thrown in the mix. Talk was that we might be willing to offer our first pick overall in 2008 plus a player for Marleau.

I was horrified by that information. Marleau may be a competent player—but he is (in my eyes) by no means an elite center. In fact, as an interesting note, Marleau fared worse this season in point production than our late Sergei Fedorov.

More names were thrown around, and I was constantly underwhelmed at who we were “targeting.”

Then it hit me. As I started looking at all of the centers across the league, I realized that there weren’t be more than a handful who could truly be considered as elite, playmaking centers.

So, I give you my list—the true number one centers that are in the NHL.

Now, before anyone shouts, I had some flexible criteria but my only set rule was this—the player has to be in his prime or close right now. One past season of greatness or signs of greatness to come does not make you a CURRENT number-one center.

I tried to factor in the talent around the player, as well as the system that they are in. I think I’ve had some success, but this is subjective so take it with a grain of salt.

In no particular order:

Ryan Getzlaf, ANA

Marc Savard, BOS

Eric Staal, CAR

Brad Richards, DAL

Pavel Datsyuk, DET

Henrik Zetterberg*, DET

Anze Kopitar, LA

Jason Spezza, OTT

Olli Jokinen, PHX

Sidney Crosby, PIT
Evgeni Malkin, PIT

Joe Thornton, SJ

Vinny Lecavalier, TB

*I know Z often plays wing with Datsyuk, but if he were on any other team he’d be the number one center in a heartbeat.

So there you have it. 13 names, 11 teams. Again, it’s a subjective list. I only included those players who I considered ELITE. Think of it this way—if there were a league-wide draft, these would be the guys (at Center) that are picked first. These are the A+ players.

Again, there are lots of “A” players who can step in and play the top spot—but the Gomezes, Marleaus, and Brieres of the league would all take a back seat to any of these players.

NHL 2008-2009 Season Preview: Impact Rookies

Nate Santoianni — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:07:26 -0400

As the beginning of training camp looms, one can’t help but wonder what this year’s batch of rookies will bring to the NHL.

Who among this batch of teenagers is going to rise above the rest and make the league take notice? I’d like to try and answer just that question.

What I’m about to present to you is my list of top 10 rookies for the 2008-2009 season. This is not a rating based on potential, but on immediate impact to either the team or the league, so bear that in mind as you read.

10. Blake Wheeler, W

NHL Club: Boston

Former Club: University of Minnesota

Wheeler is said to be deceptively fast and can move the puck at high speeds. He could be riding shotgun next to Kessel, and if he does then he could be a very dangerous player; the two played together in Minnesota during the 2005-06 season.

Projected 2008-2009 Stats: 50 games, 25 points

9. T.J. Oshie, C/W

NHL Club: St. Louis

Former Club: North Dakota Fighting Sioux

Oshie’s scouting report touts him as a player who plays with a lot of energy and competes every night. That sounds like something you’d hear about a grinder, but the guy can put the puck in the net as well. In addition, Oshie will be 21 when the season starts, giving him a leg-up in the maturity race among other rookies.

Projected 2008-2009 Stats: 60 games, 20 points

8. Ville Leino, LW

NHL Club: Detroit

Former Club: Jokerit Helsinki (FIN)

Leino, signed as a UFA this off-season, was the SM-liiga’s player of the year last year—he scored 77 points in 55 games. If Leino can quickly adapt to the pace of the NHL, then Detroit has acquired a seriously significant scorer.

Projected 2008-2009 Stats: 75 games, 35 points

7. Thomas Hickey, D / Drew Doughty, D

NHL Club: Los Angeles

Former Clubs: Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) / Guelph Storm (OHL)

I lumped these two together because they are both highly touted shut-down defensemen that will seriously impact the LA Kings. Last season the Kings allowed 266 goals against (third worst in the league). With the loss of Rob Blake the Kings will greatly benefit from the defensive abilities of their young defensemen.

Projected 2008-2009 Stats (Combined): 140 games, 20 points, + 2

6. Derick Brassard, C

NHL Club: Columbus

Former Club: Syracuse Crunch (AHL)

While not technically a rookie (17 NHL GP), Brassard is going to have a significant impact on the Blue Jackets' roster next season. Because he was hampered by a jaw injury last year, management decided to keep him in the AHL after 17 games in the NHL. Once he recovered he put up fantastic numbers. He’ll be the club’s No. 2 center.

Projected 2008-2009 Stats: 80 games, 45 points

5. Fabian Brunnstrom, LW

NHL Club: Dallas

Former Club: Fajestads BK (SEL)

The most sought after (unsigned) free agent on the market was Fabian Brunnstrom, and Dallas won the bidding for his services. Compared to countrymen Peter Forsberg and Mats Sundin, if Brunnstrom lives up to his lore, then he can really add some offensive depth to the Stars.

Projected 2008-2009 Stats: 80 games, 50 points

4. Kyle Okposo, C/W

NHL Club: New York Islanders

Former Club: University of Minnesota / Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL)

Okposo debuted in nine games with the Islanders, notching five points. Certainly not a bad start. The fact that he is compared to Jarome Iginla, and also that his name in Nigerian means “Thunderstorm,” does not bode well for opponents. He will be the face of the Isles for years to come.

Projected 2008-2009 Stats: 80 games, 45 points

3. Jakub Voracek, RW

NHL Club: Columbus

Former Club: Halifax (QMJHL)

The Blue Jackets’ luck may finally change. After years of underwhelming first round draft choices (Picard, Brule), Voracek may finally be a prospect worthy of a first round selection.

Jake came out of a fantastic season with Halifax with one goal in mind—make the NHL. This offseason, Jake can be seen in the Blue Jackets’ facilities working out with other prospects such as Derick Brassard. To date, Jake has added 20 pounds to his frame and has trimmed down his body fat. He now stands at 6'1" and 200 pounds.

Projected 2008-2009 Stats: 80 games, 55 points

2. Kyle Turris, C

NHL Club: Phoenix

Former Club: University of Wisconsin

Turris was the No. 1 rated skater going into the 2007 draft, and there is good reason for it—the kid can flat out play.

Scouts compare him to Joe Sakic, and after seeing him play I’m not surprised. Look for him and Mueller to ignite next season.

Projected 2008-2009 Stats: 80 games, 65 points

1. Steven Stamkos, C

NHL Club: Tampa Bay

Former Club: Sarnia Sting (OHL)

Not much needs to be said about his talent potential—what I will mention is that, unlike many first overall picks, Stamkos is not going to be the only one with talent on the team. The revamped Lightning are chock full of helpers for Steven—there is a very good chance his linemates will be Vinny Prospal and Ryan Malone…not bad.

Projected 2008-2009 Stats: 80 games, 75 points

Columbus Blue Jackets 2008-09 Season Outlook

Nate Santoianni — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:23:32 -0400

All signs point that the Jackets are pretty set in their roster for the 2008-09 season. There may be a few tweaks, some re-upped contracts, etc.—but I don’t see them adding another significant player to the roster.

So Jackets fans, I present you with your COLUMBUS…BLUUUUUUUE JACKETS!

Forwards

Top Line: Nash - - Umberger - - Huselius

Secondary: Modin - - Brassard - - Voracek

Depth: Chimera - - Peca - - Torres

Depth: Murray - - Malhotra - - Boll

Reserves: Tommy Sestito, A Picard, D Dorsett, S Legein, N Filatov

In my eyes, the top line was easy. Huselius is more of a set-up man than a pure goal scorer (something you usually see in a center) so he belongs with Nash one way or another.

Modin is a left-winger and will provide a sturdy base for the two young guns on the second line. Torres and Peca played together in Edmonton and will be a greater checking line and the last trio will give us some decent grinders.

The reserves—these are the guys who will fill in when Modin is injured (75 percent of the season). The question marks here are Legein and Filatov, both are young, small, fast, and good with the puck.

Legein may get a look in the spring, and Filatov is a total mystery—I can easily see him playing in either the AHL or the OHL (remember that there is no age restriction for Europeans for the AHL). For the rest, if they make it they’ll play only a few minutes a night on the fourth line.

Defense

D1: Commodore - - Hejda

D2: Klesla - - Tyutin

D3: Backman - - Tollefsen

Reserves: K Russell, M Methot, A Rome, Wilson

Not much to explain here—I’m not too confident in my prediction on the top, Hejda and Rusty played very well together. Still, I think it’s pretty set.

Russell will spend almost a full season in the AHL where he can develop. Rome and Methot will rotate with Tollefsen. Wilson will get a couple shots if he can develop his puck-moving abilities a bit in the 'Cuse

Goal

G: Leclaire

G: Norrena

Reserve: S Mason

Again, not much explanation is needed. I really don’t see Mason getting much time in the NHL unless Leclaire or Freddy get hurt. I’d like to see him play a full, solid season in Syracuse and come up the following year when Norrena’s contract is up.

Summary

The Blue Jackets have a lot of question marks for this team, both good and bad. Let’s start with the bad news .

Bad: There is still no No. 1 center in terms of pure talent. Umberger is good, but I’m thinking about Nash’s production in the World’s while playing on a line with Heatley and Getzlaf.

There are also lots of injury questions. Torres is coming off a shortened season (32 games) because of his knee and Modin only played 23 because of all sorts of afflictions.

Peca may have suffered some pain last season from the leg injury he suffered with Toronto. Tollefsen had offseason neck surgery, and while the recovery of Steve Mason’s knee is on schedule, it still makes me nervous.

Good: Nash had a career high in points last season with mostly inferior linemates. This year he’s paired with a budding star and an established playmaker with no major injury history. Look for him to set another personal best.

The second major spotlight is on Brassard and Jake (Voracek). Brassard had a chance last season, but was hindered by a jaw injury—he lost a lot of precious body weight and never quite recovered until the AHL playoffs where he was a dynamo.

As for Jake—at this point we can only dream of his potential. Third is our new Russian prospect—Nikita Filatov. The kid is bursting with potential and could be wearing a Jackets’ sweater at some point next year.

Overall: If the Jackets’ “good” can come through then the team is looking forward at their best season in franchise history. With 94 points next season, we’ll taste the playoffs.

What about the rest of our division? What about them?

Chicago is stronger and Detroit is a powerhouse and Nashville is a pest(although if they loose Radulov it'll be a major blow to their offense), but can’t four teams from the same division make the playoffs?

If you answered “no” then please reference the Eastern Conference—specifically the Atlantic Division. We’ll play the Wild in the first round and beat them in six. Then we'll lose to the Wings, but—we got there!

Steven Stamkos and Other New Faces Cause Changing of the Guard in the NHL

Nate Santoianni — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:17:33 -0400

As the dust of free agency settles, I’m left in a state of pontification regarding the state of the NHL. This Free Agent season was by far a very slim one in terms of talent.

This free agent pool had many old names though. Names that, five to 10 years ago, would have had GMs salivating and clawing to get their hands on. It seems that only a few years removed from sport domination, names like Owen Nolan, Brendan Shanahan, and Todd Bertuzzi are viewed as high-risk players past their primes.

I remember when Bertuzzi was an absolute terror—in ’02-03 he managed 97 pts and 144 pim—now he’s the victim of a buyout.

How about Owen Nolan back in the late '90s? Does anybody remember “The Point”? The Finnish Flash (Teemu Selanne) has certainly lost some sparkle, and homegrown Mike Modano is now a checking-line center.

Jaromir Jagr wasn’t able to arouse much long-term interest domestically, and Joe Sakic will soon be a memory for Denver.

This sort of changing of the guard has made way for some of the best incoming talent the NHL has seen since the Soviet Exodus.

The Staal brothers have pushed the Suter family aside, and the Crosby-Malkin 1-2 has the shades of the Gretzky-Messier Oiler dynasty.

Most teams are (wisely?) moving away from the grizzled veterans and are placing the fate of their team in the hands of the future. Most can’t even buy a beer in the States.

Rick Nash has been the face of the Blue Jackets since the day he was drafted and Alexander Ovechkin hopes to bring a title to Washington. Teams like Phoenix and Chicago are now in the hands of youngsters like Pete Mueller, Kyle Turris, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews. For a point of reference, these kids weren’t even born when Shanahan stepped on the ice as a Devil.

The fate of the NHL however does not rest in the gloved-hands of kids. There are still those who saw the NHL through the turn of the century and continue to dominate.

I call these guys the “tweeners”. They are not old men, but they are not kids. Lecavalier is still the man in Tampa, though a new prince is coming to town. Iginla, Thornton, Hossa, and Datsyuk are still big dogs in a big park.

These guys are in their prime, playing the best hockey they’ll ever play. Too, these may be players that, in a few years, may have the same dust-covered name come 2013 Free Agency…