What a change of excitement by the Blue Jacket fanbase. Beginning of the off-season and Jacket Backers were running around like their hair was on fire due to the excitement of trades that brought Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski to town. Now on the cusp of the start of the regular season, fans have different names at their lips.
The youth who have arrived is Cam Atkinson (22 years old), Ryan Johansen (19 years old), David Savard (20 years old) and Maksim Mayorov (22 years old) all find their names on the roster and looks to have prominent roles with the club.
As reported by the Dispatch, head coach Scott Arniel has said that Atkinson will be on the second line with Antoine Vermette and R.J. Umberger. Atkinson has never disappointed from the time he was in Boston College to the time he signed late last year and scored the game winning goal for the Springfield Falcons in his first professional game to scoring a hat-trick in the prospect game this summer to this pre-season camp. What Jacket fans are now seeing is that the puck loves him and he loves the puck. Even at 5'7”, he's more than willing to go to the front of the net and take a beating to score. He understands voids on the ice and is always ready to receive the puck. What is underestimated is his ability to pass which he does well especially from behind the net.
Most are thinking that Johansen will be on a third scoring line with Derick Brassard on the wing along with another player like Matt Calvert, Mayorov or even Derek MacKenzie when he comes back from injury. Expect Johansen to still be on a trial period in this first part of the season. If he doesn't look overwhelmed, he'll stay. If the water is too deep, they will send him back to the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League and also allow him to play in the World Junior Championships around Christmas.
Savard is ready ,as I wrote about yesterday. Savard could even be on the top power play when they hit the ice on opening night and may be on the second pairing beside Marc Methot though Grant Clitsome's experience may win out there. Savard has continued on a steady climb for his game and his career. His determination and work ethic have served him well and now should serve the Blue Jackets the same way.
Maksim Mayorov shuttle back and forth between the AHL looks to be over. By all accounts it looks as if he has finally got over the hump and will find himself in Columbus this entire year. Mayorov deems himself a scorer but also knows that to retain his spot in the Jackets lineup card he will need to play a physical and defensive minded game. Unlike many Russian players, he can and is willing to play whatever style the coaching staff deem fit. Mayorov looks to be on a line with Sammy Pahlsson's “checking” line but just as was mentioned before, he also could find himself along side Johansen and Brassard. His versatility didn't hurt when it came time for Arniel to make final cuts.
Do you think this might be a different team than last year? With Atkinson, Johansen, Mayorov, Savard, Jeff Carter, Vinny Prospal, James Wisniewski, Radek Martinek and even Aaron Johnson all being players that weren't on the opening day roster last year. I'm not even counting backup goalies Curtis Sanford, Mark Dekanich or winger Calvert, for that matter, who also wasn't on the opening day roster that was in Sweden. That's nearly half of the 23 man roster that has turned over. Whether it will come out on the better side of the ledger for the Jackets is up for debate but being different isn't.
Other News:
2005 Blue Jackets' first round draft selection, Gilbert Brule, was waived today by the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers acquired the center on July 1st, 2008 when they sent Raffi Torres to Columbus. Brule is scheduled to make $1.85 million this season in the final year of his contract.
Aaron Johnson, in a little bit of a surprise, was left on the roster as most likely the 7th defenseman during the Wisniewski suspension. Don't be surprised though if Kris Russell isn't being shopped around. Based off his performance in camp and the emergence of Savard, he is expendable. A likely team that would call GM Scott Howson is the Oilers to see what it would take to get Russell as they have several defenseman injured for extended time.
By the way, Ales Hemsky has injured his shoulder he had surgery on. Anyone still want Howson to trade for him?
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