Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Welcome to the Neno's Place!

Neno's Place Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality


Neno

I can be reached by phone or text 8am-7pm cst 972-768-9772 or, once joining the board I can be reached by a (PM) Private Message.

Join the forum, it's quick and easy

Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Welcome to the Neno's Place!

Neno's Place Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality


Neno

I can be reached by phone or text 8am-7pm cst 972-768-9772 or, once joining the board I can be reached by a (PM) Private Message.

Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.
Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Many Topics Including The Oldest Dinar Community. Copyright © 2006-2020


    Columbus Blue Jackets

    jedi17
    jedi17
    Moderator
    Moderator


    Posts : 10738
    Join date : 2013-02-20

    Columbus Blue Jackets Empty Columbus Blue Jackets

    Post by jedi17 Thu Feb 02, 2017 9:47 pm

    Where do the Blue Jackets need to improve before the Trade Deadline?
    February 2, 2017, 10:01 AM ET [3 Comments]
    Paul Berthelot
    Columbus Blue Jackets Clb Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • RSS • Archive • CONTACT
    With the calendar turning over to February attention turns trades and the trade deadline. We are less than a month away from the March 1st deadline so it’s an excellent time to start thinking about what the Blue Jackets need to improve upon and positions they have to address. 
    The Blue Jackets for really the first time ever are clearly in a buying position. Regardless of how this month plays out the Jackets will be looking to make moves to improve the team as they push towards the playoffs. The problem though is they do not have any glaring weaknesses on the roster. A lot of what’s been written recently is that the Jackets need to make small tweaks such as acquiring a depth centre and a back-up goalie. 

    The Jackets have constructed a roster built around depth so they do not have a glaring hole on the team. They have four lines that can score and four lines you can trust, for the most part, defensively. The name tossed around the most with regards to Columbus has been Martin Hanzal. He fits into the ideology of the team, bringing size and skill. I talked about Hanzal earlier in the season and thought he would be a great fit in the bottom six, taking the spot of Lukas Sedlak. That was done early in year when Sedlak was more of an unknown. 

    At this point Sedlak has had a chance to establish himself in the NHL and he looks like a pretty competent player. He has 12 points in 47 games, which is nothing to write home about but is good enough for a fourth liner when you consider what else he brings to the table and the fact that he gets no special teams time. Sedlak plays against weaker competition but thus far he has crushed it with a 54.06% Corsi. That’s second on the team behind Brandon Saad among regulars. 

    One area that’s keep being brought up with the Jackets is their inability to win face-offs. They rank 28th in faceoff percentage at 47.6%. Looking at the five worst faceoff teams in the league; all five are currently in a playoff position, including the two teams that went to the final last season in Pittsburgh and San Jose. Face-offs in the grand scheme of things don’t matter. It’s not worth paying a massive price to acquire Hanzal because he wins 55.3% of the draws he takes. 
    Hanzal could step in and take the spot of William Karlsson but I don’t think the team wants to do down that route because of Karlsson’s age and because he is one of the most trusted players on the penalty kill. 

    As for the back-up goalie, that presents a larger issue but still not one that is in dire need of fixing. Joonas Korpisalo has been below average this season with an .893 save percentage in five games. Anton Forsberg wasn’t any better with an .852 in his lone start of the season. It’s a very small sample and both goalies are young and have had proven success before. Korpisalo put up a .920 sv% in 31 NHL games last season while Forsberg had a .914 sv% in the AHL last season and a .949 sv% in the AHL playoffs. 

    If the Jackets were to acquire a back-up goalie they should look to do so on the cheap. There is no reason to go all out for a player like a Marc-Andre Fleury or a Ben Bishop. They will cost far too much in trade and the Jackets already have a great starter in Sergei Bobrovsky. The Jackets should be looking at goalies like a Jaroslav Halak or an Andrew Hammod, someone you could claim on waivers for nothing. If asset has to be given up it shouldn’t be more than a 5th or 6th round pick or a low-end prospect.  

    So what do you think the Jackets should do? Should they look to add or be content with what they have? Have your say in the comments. 

      Current date/time is Thu Mar 28, 2024 8:48 am