School is now in session boys and girls. Training camps are open all over the league, including in Columbus, and the first exhibition games are just days away. Exciting times are coming, ladies and gentlemen.
The Jackets had their first practice yesterday and two players singled out by head coach Todd Richards, according to the Columbus Dispatch's Shawn Mitchell, for their play were F Cam Atkinson and D David Savard. Atkinson is recovering from a high ankle sprain that hobbled him late in the season. For the second year in a row, Atkinson spent time during the summer working out among a group of players led by Martin St. Louis. The two vertically-challenged wingers have apparently formed a bond, one that is highly appreciated by Atkinson.
From a post in the Dispatch by Columbus beat writer Aaron Portzline:
“I told him two years ago when I first met him that I wanted to be like him, that I wanted to be a big impact player in the NHL,” Atkinson said. “There was a little awe at first, maybe, but the ice broke pretty quickly.”
Atkinson and St. Louis have had long talks, shared text messages and keep an eye on each other’s games, Atkinson said.
“What Marty has done for me, I can’t even explain how much it means,” Atkinson said. “We’ve done a lot of work on positioning and leverage, how to get around guys quicker and how to gain an advantage against bigger guys along the wall.”
I can't think of a better player for Atkinson to model his game after. The Jackets need to be more prolific in the goal scoring department if they want to make the playoffs. Along with a full season from Marian Gaborik and the addition of Nathan Horton, seeing Atkinson's point production take a jump would be welcome news.
Savard has performed well in the AHL but has failed to lock up a regular role in Columbus. He'll need a strong camp to do so this year as the Jackets blue line is pretty much set with the returns of James Wisniewski, Jack Johnson, Nikita Nikitin, Fedor Tyutin and eventually Dalton Prout, who is recovering from abdominal surgery. Tim Erixon saw 31 games with the Jackets and would seem to have a good shot at a spot while 2012 first-round draft pick Ryan Murray will also come to camp looking to make an impression. Savard faces an uphill battle to make the team but so far word is he is off to a good start.
Another name mentioned after day one was that of Finnish defenseman Ilari Melart. The 6'3", 227 pounder is physical and mean and apparently has yet to learn to distinguish between opponents and his teammates. Melart reportedly played to the whistle and beyond and that kind of nastiness could be useful if channeled properly.
Melart was signed to a one-year, two-way contract by Columbus this past spring. The scouting report says he is a solid stay-at-home defender that improved his offensive game in Finland last year. He is expected to start the year in Springfield but if injuries crop up again this year like the did last, Melart could put himself in position to be one of the team's first call-ups.
Tim Thomas
I wrote a while back about the possibility of Thomas joining the Jackets to provide a safety net in the event Sergei Bobrovsky's play regresses significantly and/or an injury strikes the reining Vezina Trophy winner. That possibility appears to be a remote one now that his agent has come out and said there have been no talks with the Jackets and that Thomas is looking for the right fit in terms of playing time. Chances are if Bobrovsky follows up last season's play with another strong performance whoever is the Jackets understudy won't get a lot of playing time. That's not a situation Thomas is looking for.
Jared Boll Extended
In a somewhat surprising move, the Jackets extended the contract of winger Jared Boll for three more seasons. Boll is set to earn an average of $1.7MM starting with the 2014 - 2015 campaign. By signing this extension, Boll forgoes the opportunity to test unrestricted free agency next summer.
Don't get me wrong, I like Boll as a player. He is physical, stands up for his teammates is unafraid to drop the gloves with anyone in the league and is a leader. However, $1.7MM is not a small price to pay for basically a fourth line role player.
Boll, like many Blue Jackets, struggles to help his team in the puck possession department. He has posted substantial negative Fenwick and Corsi On-Ice ratings in each of the last two seasons.
If you are a disciple of advanced metrics like GVT, you won't find Boll's numbers to be too impressive. Boll finished with a GVT of just 0.3 last season and was a -1.7 in 2011 - 2012.
Again, I like Boll but for a club that doesn't typically spend to the cap ceiling to make that type of commitment to this player seems like a mistake. Columbus has to manage their assets effectively and Boll, by many accounts, is nothing more than a replacement-level player and should be compensated accordingly. His $1.7MM cap charge seems to be about double what he should have been paid.
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • 
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