Paul Berthelot: Oliver Bjorkstrand snipes a goal from an impossible angle Oliver Bjorkstrand scores impossible goal.

Paul Berthelot: Oliver Bjorkstrand snipes a goal from an impossible angle
Oliver Bjorkstrand scores impossible goal.
- Paul Berthelot

Bring on the Bjork ....on a side note the net was sliced apparently

Well, here we go.

I might be the only person on this site to say this, but I think the CBJ will be a playoff team this year. Here's why:

1. Bob will play well in net, and is really healthy this year. If he is injured there are three people who can back him up and steal games, just pick the right one.

2. We now have a top D pair that played a full season mostly together and can eat minutes, something the CBJ hasn't had in a while, if ever. The rest of the defense will be a dumpster fire half the season, but if they can be healthy by the time money time comes around, there will be 6 solid d-men on the ice every night. This will be the year when everyone in the league will find out that Murray was the best player in the 2012 (?) draft, not Yak, or any others named.

3. The top nine, if not the top 12, will score a lot of goals, even with no #1 Center. This is a good, maybe not great, but good offensive team. If the defense can get the puck up to them they will be in the top half of the league in goals scored, more than good enough to get the 90+ points needed for a slot.

4. The coach is good enough to do the job. Everyone hates Torts, I get it. He's supposedly teaching an outdated system to win in the not hitting NHL of 2016. He's a hothead who hates the media and abuses players in public. Other than his meltdown in Vancouver, which was a complete embarrassment, is all of this true? Frankly, I don't think so. He is a good veteran coach who got the word from on high when he was hired that he needed to change some of his ways or he would spend a lot of years on NHL Network doing commentary. He will have the team play well this year.

5. The President and GM are still in place and are good at their jobs. The brutal results of the past two years are not the fault of John Davidson and Jarmo, and they have two or three years to prove they know what they are doing. The new players coming up will show the front office knows what it is doing, in spite of the haters who want to complain that paying the going rate for good players is way too much money.

6. We have money to spend at the deadline. Sadly Jared Boll is gone, and even worse, David Clarkson, who I believe was damaged goods when Toronto traded him here two years ago, will spend the season and the rest of his contract, on LTIR, freeing up cash to get one or two players at the deadline to put us over the top or even make us a threat to win the Conference. We will be buyers, and not constrained by being so close to the cap we can't do anything.

I have other reasons why I believe the CBJ will win this year, but that's enough for now. Comments?

Well, here we go.

1. Bob will play well in net, and is really healthy this year. If he is injured there are three people who can back him up and steal games, just pick the right one.
I agree 100% with this

2. We now have a top D pair that played a full season mostly together and can eat minutes, something the CBJ hasn't had in a while, if ever. The rest of the defense will be a dumpster fire half the season, but if they can be healthy by the time money time comes around, there will be 6 solid d-men on the ice every night. This will be the year when everyone in the league will find out that Murray was the best player in the 2012 (?) draft, not Yak, or any others named.

This is my biggest issue with your logic. I think Jones will be paired with Werenski alot. This is good because Murray and Savard make a very nice 2nd pair and Johnson & Nutivaara make a very interesting 3rd pair. I think that is a solid D not a dumpster fire.

3. The top nine, if not the top 12, will score a lot of goals, even with no #1 Center. This is a good, maybe not great, but good offensive team. If the defense can get the puck up to them they will be in the top half of the league in goals scored, more than good enough to get the 90+ points needed for a slot.

I agree top 9 not so much top 12 if they play Campbell.

4. The coach is good enough to do the job. Everyone hates Torts, I get it. He's supposedly teaching an outdated system to win in the not hitting NHL of 2016. He's a hothead who hates the media and abuses players in public. Other than his meltdown in Vancouver, which was a complete embarrassment, is all of this true? Frankly, I don't think so. He is a good veteran coach who got the word from on high when he was hired that he needed to change some of his ways or he would spend a lot of years on NHL Network doing commentary. He will have the team play well this year.

I don't get the hatred for Torts. I love his honesty and we have not seem the tirades. I think his plan will work.

5. The President and GM are still in place and are good at their jobs. The brutal results of the past two years are not the fault of John Davidson and Jarmo, and they have two or three years to prove they know what they are doing. The new players coming up will show the front office knows what it is doing, in spite of the haters who want to complain that paying the going rate for good players is way too much money.

They draft well for the most part, not fond of the early contracts they gave out.

6. We have money to spend at the deadline. Sadly Jared Boll is gone, and even worse, David Clarkson, who I believe was damaged goods when Toronto traded him here two years ago, will spend the season and the rest of his contract, on LTIR, freeing up cash to get one or two players at the deadline to put us over the top or even make us a threat to win the Conference. We will be buyers, and not constrained by being so close to the cap we can't do anything.

I agree with everything except the sadly Boll is gone. Should have been gone 2 years ago.
- jkumpire