2007-2008: Another Rebuilding Year?

All signs point to yes. With no major free agent signings (yet), a new GM and a new(er) coach, it’s going to take at least another season to right the ship.

The Jackets have been pretty quiet on the free agent front, picking up a couple of budget players and not springing for the stars. Despite the availability of a number of great players that could make a dramatic impact on the Columbus squad, the Jackets’ front office has kept out of the bidding.

The biggest reason, heck, the only real reason, is money. Sure, Columbus doesn’t have the cashflow of the Rangers, Flyers, or other major market team. We don’t have the history of Detroit or Toronto, or the close-to-home vibe of Edmonton. Frankly, for your Joe Free-Agent, there’s no draw to Columbus other than money.

As they say, the Columbus cash is tied up in a few players, namely Nash, Fedorov, and Foote. Only one of those three is really being paid at market value, and he’s under the age of 30. The other two are on the final laps of their careers and are paid more based on veteran status than on actual on-ice value. It’s important to have a proven veteran or two on our team, but only if they’re contributing to the bottom line. Like I’ve said time and time again, Fedorov is one of my favorite players, but I don’t think his price is worth his on ice performance. 42 points in 73 games isn’t shabby, but another player could probably do it for half the price.

Foote is the same way. 12 points and a -17 rating in 59 games. That’s not $4.6 million worth if you ask me. Especially when Anders Eriksson had 23 points and a +12 rating in 79 games.

These two players are pretty much un-tradeable for the simple fact of their salaries. No one wants to take on that kind of money pit for two players that are on their decline.

So from a fan’s perspective, we’re waiting out those two contracts. The front office’s hands are tied until those contracts expire, which I believe will be at the end of next season. Then maybe, maybe, we can draw some real talent to Columbus. Until then, we’re relying on a proven coach to turn the team around. The new GM is helpful too, if for nothing else than the fact that the old one’s system wasn’t working, so the odds are now in our favor. We have yet to see what kind of results our Edmonton product can create. Hopefully he’s got a sharp enough eye for talent that we can get some cheaper players into Nationwide soon. More likely though, it’s going to take a while to get into a new era of CBJ hockey.

As a franchise-long fan of the team, I’m excited about the changes being made at Nationwide. I’m looking forward to better cohesiveness on the ice brought on by a solid coach, and I’m completely open to the fresh ideas and strategies being brought in by the new GM. Even if these are the exact cards the franchise needs to get back on track, they will take time to work. Like many Jackets fans, my patience is growing thin, but is being bought back by the changes in the last year. While I don’t expect a cup this year, or even necessarily a playoff berth, I want this team to stay in the playoff race into the new year. Embarrassingly enough, that would be a substantial improvement. If we keep our eyes on the small victories, we can make it through this season and be ready for the turn around this team is bound to have. After all, we’re due.

The Trade Deadline and the Jackets - What's coming?

While we can only guess at what GM MacLean might be planning, chances are good that some trades will be made within the next two weeks. The NHL trade deadline is February 27 at 3pm EST.

Just about any player is able to move, but the ones that are most likely to leave Columbus are the Unrestricted Free Agents. Modin, Carter, and Berard all have this status, meaning that at the end of the season they are free to sign with any team of their choosing. Given that all three of these players are pretty solid, chances are good that another team will be able to bid higher than Columbus will. If MacLean thinks that they're going to leave, it is to his advantage to trade them away now in so that he gets something in return. Otherwise, those players can walk without Columbus getting anything for them.

Despite the fact that no Blue Jacket appears on TSN's rumor list, there has been talk of teams such as Carolina, Pittsburgh and Vancouver, all of which need an extra boost into the playoffs, wanting to pick up Carter. Tampa Bay has expressed interest in Berard, but his slow recovery from his back surgery makes his potential trade unlikely to happen until the last possible moment.

According to a Dispatch article, seven teams had scouts inside Nationwide for Sunday's game. Detroit, Colorado, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, and both New York teams all sent staff to check out the Blackhawks and Jackets for potential pick-ups.

Since the Jackets' season is pretty much shot at this point, and the only thing left to do is try to irritate as many teams as possible by making them work their way into the playoffs, we can be assured that there will be a few trades through Columbus. I do hope that MacLean makes a substantial effort to keep some of these guys though. I would love to retain Carter in particular, and Modin is a great player who knows how to get to the cup (no wonder other teams want him). But most importantly, MacLean needs to be conscious of what Hitch needs to create a winning team- that is, who can work with his system and who cannot.

I'll be keeping an eye on TSN's Trades page, and let's see what the team looks like at the end of February.