Paul Berthelot: The Blue Jacket Forwards were Remarkably Average Last Season The Blue Jackets have an average group of forwards.

Paul Berthelot: The Blue Jacket Forwards were Remarkably Average Last Season
The Blue Jackets have an average group of forwards.
- Paul Berthelot

I can't wait to see what Bjorkstrand can do with a full nhl season under his belt, on cap friendly I have the line up as following assuming Dubois is as publicised.

Saad-Wennberg -Atkinson`
Jenner- Dubois-Bjorkstrand
Hartnell-Dubinsk-Foligno
Calvert-Karlson-Clarkson

Campbell,Anderson

Murray-Jones
Johnson-Savard
Werensky-Goloubef

Prout

Bobrovsky
Korpisalo (I wish but will be in minors because of bonuses)

I can't wait to see what Bjorkstrand can do with a full nhl season under his belt, on cap friendly I have the line up as following assuming Dubois is as publicised.

Saad-Wennberg -Atkinson`
Jenner- Dubois-Bjorkstrand
Hartnell-Dubinsk-Foligno
Calvert-Karlson-Clarkson

Campbell,Anderson

Murray-Jones
Johnson-Savard
Werensky-Goloubef

Prout

Bobrovsky
Korpisalo (I wish but will be in minors because of bonuses)
- Alexzanki

I have a few minor changes to this lineup

Saad - Wennberg - Atkinson`
Jenner - Dubinsky - Bjorkstrand
Hartnell - Dubois - Foligno
Calvert - Karlson - Anderson

Campbell, Clarkson (Hopefully he goes to LTIR, if not I'm cool with him in the 4th line)

Murray - Jones
Johnson - Werenski
Savard - Prout

Goloubef

Bobrovsky
McElhinney (Most likely will not resign him)

If Dubois is NHL ready, I want to see him between Hartnell and Foligno. I think he will benefit more from being between two veterans. I moved Prout up from 7th D-man just because Torts as happy with Prouts growth throughout the season and I expect to see him there. So with Prout moving up, I moved Werenski up with Johnson because I just don't see Prout as a player who can get him the puck consistently and Johnson should be able to work with Werenski pretty well. I put Savard down with Prout because I think it might work to have at least one puck moving D-man on each line and I think Savard might be a better fit with Prout than Werenski. It's weird having 4 rookies in this lineup, but I'm kinda excited to see these guys.

I'm not buying all the fancy stats, however that is another story for another day.

However, I personally think the charts show one thing that destroyed the Jackets last year: Ryan Johansen's horrible play was the major problem last season and that is why he was traded.

I would like to see what the fancy stats for the previous two seasons were; I have little doubt that RJ was the engine that drove the machine in those years, especially in 14-15 when everyone was hurt.

RJ was expected to be that superstar player the CBJ needed in 15-16, and he was nowhere to be found. If he had been that super player everyone thought he would be, or even as good as he was in 14-15 Foligno would not have had such an awful year, and Saad would have shined like he did in Chicago.

Poof! There goes a large part of the problem the team had last year up front, and it would have changed everything last season. Sadly for whatever reason (illness, injury whatever happened last summer) RJ tanked and took the team with him.

I do not want to be too negative toward the young man, because nobody knows what his illness was or what happened to him in season. that will always stay in-house and none of us will know.

He was not the only problem, but he was the biggest problem, it led to a disaster last season, and a bunch of other problems that probably will not get fixed this season either. But at least we got a #1 D-man for him, and now have a solid #1 pair in defense this year if both players are healthy all season.

Excited to see what this team can do! They are a dumpster fire with a lot of talent I hope it works!

JMFJ

I'm not buying all the fancy stats, however that is another story for another day.

However, I personally think the charts show one thing that destroyed the Jackets last year: Ryan Johansen's horrible play was the major problem last season and that is why he was traded.

I would like to see what the fancy stats for the previous two seasons were; I have little doubt that RJ was the engine that drove the machine in those years, especially in 14-15 when everyone was hurt.

RJ was expected to be that superstar player the CBJ needed in 15-16, and he was nowhere to be found. If he had been that super player everyone thought he would be, or even as good as he was in 14-15 Foligno would not have had such an awful year, and Saad would have shined like he did in Chicago.

Poof! There goes a large part of the problem the team had last year up front, and it would have changed everything last season. Sadly for whatever reason (illness, injury whatever happened last summer) RJ tanked and took the team with him.

I do not want to be too negative toward the young man, because nobody knows what his illness was or what happened to him in season. that will always stay in-house and none of us will know.

He was not the only problem, but he was the biggest problem, it led to a disaster last season, and a bunch of other problems that probably will not get fixed this season either. But at least we got a #1 D-man for him, and now have a solid #1 pair in defense this year if both players are healthy all season.
- jkumpire

I don't believe that Johansen was the biggest problem. I think the biggest problem was defense. It was rare if they could make a decent enough first pass out of the defensive zone, let alone get it to the forwards from the point. I think Johansen and every other forward struggled because they could never get the puck.

The other problem the Jackets had/have is how they play. Watching the Jackets play is like seeing semi-controlled chaos on ice. There really isn't a play that they have that isn't "Stand in front of the net and (frank)ing pray it goes in or it's just sitting in the goal mouth so we can tip it in." or "Get somebody open so he might not miss the net."

I'm not buying all the fancy stats, however that is another story for another day.

However, I personally think the charts show one thing that destroyed the Jackets last year: Ryan Johansen's horrible play was the major problem last season and that is why he was traded.

I would like to see what the fancy stats for the previous two seasons were; I have little doubt that RJ was the engine that drove the machine in those years, especially in 14-15 when everyone was hurt.

RJ was expected to be that superstar player the CBJ needed in 15-16, and he was nowhere to be found. If he had been that super player everyone thought he would be, or even as good as he was in 14-15 Foligno would not have had such an awful year, and Saad would have shined like he did in Chicago.

Poof! There goes a large part of the problem the team had last year up front, and it would have changed everything last season. Sadly for whatever reason (illness, injury whatever happened last summer) RJ tanked and took the team with him.

I do not want to be too negative toward the young man, because nobody knows what his illness was or what happened to him in season. that will always stay in-house and none of us will know.

He was not the only problem, but he was the biggest problem, it led to a disaster last season, and a bunch of other problems that probably will not get fixed this season either. But at least we got a #1 D-man for him, and now have a solid #1 pair in defense this year if both players are healthy all season.
- jkumpire

RJ had heart problems

http://www.thehockeynews....urrent-illness-unrelated/

Edit : I agree with what you said and I understand where Jarmo is going with this . Last years 0-8 start was back breaking , let alone Bob coming out saying he has confidence problems, then we learn that the goalie coach didn't thoroughly work with him during the pre season. I think Torts threw RJ under the bus ( and still believe it to this day) , if he was indeed suffering from something , it disappeared in Nashville because he played really well for the preds (not that getting is Jones in return is a bad thing either). I will even go as far to say that Torts set up RJ to fail by playing him on the third line and sometimes even benching him.

That being said , going into last year I expected Foligno to drop back to his 20 goal tendency , Duby is paid for what the market value of a second centre is paid (even if his shot suppression is down , but the entrie team stunk so yeah) . And I expect Jenner ,Atkinson and Saad to generate around the 20 goal mark.

So yeah , Paul is right , that goaltending and defence have to step up from last year, the offence should be fine.