Now that Manny Malhotra has decided to test the free agent market, he has forced the hand of Scott Howson to look for other options for a THIRD LINE Center. The reason it has come to this that because of the desperate need for a center last year, Malhotra spent most of the season on the top line with Rick Nash and Kristian Huselius. Obviously, Malhotra has been feeding him Kool-Aid and has convinced him that he deserves more than 3rd Line Center money.

Well, Manny, that Kool-Aid might have tasted good going down, but it may sting a little coming back up. With the climate of the free agent market, my guess is that you will be offered very similar money to what the CBJ is offering and because Howson won't wait for you to make up your mind, you will have to up root your family and move to another town. That is your right but, I think it is a lapse in judgment that will make your life a lot more painful than it had to be.

With Manny most likely out of town, who will Howson target as his replacement. 3 names come to mind for different reasons and they are the following:

Marcel Goc - This former 1st round selection of the Sharks in 2001 was given his pink slip recently by the Sharks. He is a defensive minded center that would be perfect in a checking line roll. He will never give you much offense but Blue Jacket fans are use to that. What the CBJ won't miss out on is in the face off circle. Goc won 58.2% of his faceoffs last season. Also, the 25 year old German center only made $775,000 last year. Should mean that the Blue Jackets could get him on the cheap. Problem with Goc is that he has had to deal with injuries that last 2 seasons that have limited him to 55 games this last season and 51 the season before. With the injury prone nature, Goc will have some risk with him but with what he brings and at the price, the CBJ better take a long look.

Mike Zigomanis - Another injured plagued player that is great in the face off circle winning north of 60% of his draws over the last 2 years. The problem, he only played in 55 games over the last 2 seasons. When healthy he could add a little more offensive pop than Goc but the injury bug is a definite concern. Ziggy only made $650,000 last year and with the injury concerns, I wouldn't expect much of a raise. The best possible scenario is to grab both Goc and Zigomanis to have your 3rd and 4th line centers set in place plus leaving enough money to still sign Jason Williams that probably is best at wing but could serve as a decent fill in at center when injuries come around.

John Madden - If Madden is signed it would go away from Howson's game plan of bringing in late 20's free agents (like Goc & Zigomanis) but he would bring in some veteran leadership and a tenacious checker. He also won't let Ken Hitchcock down on the penalty kill either. He is 36 and his offensive output took a nose dive last season. He made $2.9 million last year and would need to take a hair cut on his salary for Howson to sign. If Madden would take $2 million a year for 2 years, Howson needs to hand him the pen.

Here are my suggestions. I know there has been other ideas thrown out there in LaRose and Cole as well as others. Remember, this isn't a fantasy team. Budget is a huge thing as Howson is going to want to save money so he can sign a defenseman that can at least get this team's power play in the teens in league rankings.

Nash Update - Reports are out that Howson and Rick Nash's agent met today in Toronto. Ground work was laid out for a contract. Won't probably get done tomorrow but expect it to be done by mid-July. I also think that there is enough of an understanding by both parties that it let's Howson know what kind of money he will have to work with going forward. I know this kills Maple Leafs fans as these things were getting hammered out in your backyard. I would put the odds of Nash resigning at 90%. Jacket fans can breathe a little easier but until the ink is on the paper, you never know.

Fire The Cannon!

Eric Smith
Eric.Smith@HockeyBuzz.com

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