After a breakout season in 2008-2009 that saw the Columbus Blue Jackets make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, much was expected of them last season. After all, the Jackets went from 73 points in 2006-07, to 80 points the next year, to 93 points a couple of seasons ago. There were some who even believed that the Jackets could be a 100 point team. Uhhh...not quite...The Jackets regressed last season to 79 points, finish last in the Central and 14th in the Western Conference.
The bad vibes began with their number one goaltender, Steve Mason. Remember when we were talking about Mason as a possible candidate to make the Canadian Olympic team in Vancouver as a third goalie? It was understandable at the time since he was a 2008-2009 Calder Trophy candidate, but he was a shell of his former self last season. He went from a 2.29 GAA to 3.05, his save percentage went from .916 to .901 and he had half the shutouts from the year before. He needs to get back to his rookie numbers in order to give this team the best chance to rebound.
Some people will say that Rick Nash regressed as well and they are technically right as he went from having 40 goals and 79 points two years ago to recording only 33 goals and 67 points last season. He may have had fewer points, but he was able to mesh well with former Senator Antoine Vermette and Kristian Huselius. All three players were able to put up over 60 points and Vermette had a career year.
The problem with this team is that they have a lack of depth past the first line and will have to rely on career years from a trio of young guys. Jakub Voracek showed positive signs of progression in the first couple of years of his NHL career. The big question mark will be the kind of production they can get from Derrick Brassard and a returning Nikita Filatov, as he returns after being loaned to the KHL for a season.
Defensively, the Jackets are pretty thin as well as none of the Top 6 are game-changers. Fedor Tyutin is starting to develop into a very solid defenceman and Kris Russell is slowly working his way up the depth chart as well, but simply put, the talent just isn’t there. This is why it’s so imperative that Mason finds his form again between the pipes.
Two players to watch out for in camp are Derrick Brassard and Rostislav Klesla. Brassard had a great sophomore season as he put up 25 points in only 31 games, so he was expected to pick up even more points last year. But in 79 games, he only managed 36 points. Can he find his form from two years ago? Klesla had a solid 2007-2008 campaign for the Jackets and was on his way up the depth chart. But injuries have hampered his career in the last couple of seasons limiting him to only playing 60 games in 2 years. Can he stay healthy long enough to give some depth to an already weak defensive corps?