As it stands…

With sevety games played, we’re currently in sixth place, three points out of fifth and five points ahead of ninth.  Given the remaining schedule, I’m pretty sure we’re going to end that hideous playoff drought, althjough it’s not a lock.

The rest of the schedule:
3/18 v. Chicago: Winnable, but could go either way.  We’ve won one, lost one, and lost another in a shootout this year, so I’d expect at least a point here.
3/21 @ Florida: Haven’t played them yet, so I only have the rosters to go on here.  Florida isn’t very deep at forward, so if we can shut down their forwards (especially Booth) and their defenders, who are pretty good at scoring, this should be a win.
3/24 @ Tampa: I sure hope this is a win right here, although Tampa is very top-heavy and could get a quick goal or two.  I’m gonna go with a win here.
3/26 v. Calgary: Like Chicago, we’re 1-1-0-1 against the Flames this year.  Unlike Detroit or San jose, however, they’re still scrounging for every point they can get.  A win isn’t out of the question, but I’m going to project no more than one point.
3/28 @ St. Louis:  This one depends on how they’re doing.  If they’re still in the race this’ll obviously be a lot tougher, but if they fall back into their doldrums then they’ll be pushovers.  I think they have what it takes, and since we already lost there once this season I’ll say we’ll lose there again.
3/29 v. St. Louis:  And here’s where we get our revenge.  We’ve split with them at home this year, so I’ll say we can take the edge with a win.
3/31 v. Nashville: We’ve played them at home twice and won twice.  While they are fighting for a playoff spot, so are we.  I’ll chalk up two points here.

4/3 @ Nashville:  Unfortunately, we haven’t won in Nashville this year.  I have a bad feeling that trend will hold up.
4/5 v. Chicago:  Best case scenario, this game is for fourth in the West.  I’m predicting overtime at the very least, but we’re doomed if it goes into a shootout.
4/8 @ Chicago: Same situation, but on the road it goes against us a little bit more.  Both games are no more than one point.
4/10 @ St. Louis:  Really?  We still have three games to go against these chuds?  Jeeze.  Well, if CBJ is as annoyed with them as I am, this is two points.
4/11 v. Minnesota:  We close against a Minnesota team that’s hanging on for dear life.  They play a defensive game, one that I think we can win, but settling for one is a possibility.

Best Case Scenario: 17 points in the remaining games, for a total of 95 points.  Unfortunately, Vancouver has a weak schedule coming up (three games against Colorado left), so we’d need a lot of breaks to overtake them.  Chicago, on the other hand, has a lot of great teams left to play, and I feel comfortable making the bold prediction that we will finish second in the West.

Worst Case Scenario: 8 points in the remaining games, for a total of 86 points.  We miss the playoffs yet again, and continue to scrounge for lottery balls on players that we’ll just leave in Syracuse when they can so clearly help us right now (coughFilatovcough).  It would be even worse if they were high-scoring affairs, since the last thing this franchise needs is for it’s goaltender to lose any sort of confidence late in the season.  Just look at what happened to Montreal.

Maximum possible points remaining: 24, for a total of 105 and the Presidents’ trophy (assuming every team with more points than us doesn’t win a single game from this point on).

Armageddon: Phoenix can max out at 88 points, and the Islanders (worst team in the NHL) can tie us at 78.  Note that I don’t take into account the fact that no more than one team can win a game, meaning  even if those team won out there would undoubtedly be teams ahead of us in line to replace them at the bottom.

Your (and my) Columbus Blue Jackets

Backman, Christian (D #5)
Not the best of the defensive acquisitons this offseason, but he’s +5 so he can’t be that bad.

Boll, Jared (RW #40)
Not a great player by many standards, but he’ll find love in the fantasy hockey circuit as long as penalty minutes are counted.

Brassard, Derek (C #16)
He’s the reason we never get a playmaking center, although I’d love to see him play a bit more often and not get hurt.

Chimera, Jason (LW #25)
A steady presence, although not as productive as his teammates; up until this season, the quintessential Blue Jacket.

Commodore, Mike (D #22)
He resembes Brian Campbell in more ways than one.

Dorsett, Derek (RW #15)
Three points in forty-three games, with 138 penalty minutes, doesn’t deserve a roster spot on a team that already has the enforcer role filled (see Boll, Jared).

Dubielewicz, Wade (G #34)
I hope he’s still not torn up about not getting on the Islanders anymore, and from the looks of him last night I think he finally got over it.

Gratton, Chris (C #77)
I was absolutely shocked when I found out we signed him…I had no idea he was still an active player.

Hejda, Jan (D #8)
He’s been a quiet force as a Blue Jacket, as he’s on pace for his second straight season with a plus/minus of at least +20.

Huselius, Kristian (LW #20)
One of the better free agent signings in the entire league from last offseason, and a huge reason we’re in playoff position.

Klesla, Rostislav (D #97)
The first draft pick in team history, and (sadly) the first of many picks to fail to live up to his potential, although there’s still time left.

Malhotra, Manny (C #27)
Even though he’d have long been replaced by brassie had he not gotten hurt, he’s doing a capable job filling in at the top guy in the faceoff circle.

Mason, Steve (G #1)
he got the shaft in this year’s all-star voting, but he’ll make it up over the next 10+ years.

Methot, Marc (D #3)
A respectable player, but nothing more than a third-pairing filler until he shows more.

Modin, Fredrik (LW #33)
Always underrated, Modin is one of the better shooters in the conference.

Murray, Andrew (C #17)
He’s been in the system forever, but has yet to play his hundredth career game…that’s a problem given that he was drafted eight years ago.

Nash, Rick (LW #61)
The main reason I’m taking the time out of my life to do this is to tout the abilities of this star.

Novotny, Jiri (C #12)
I remember him pretty well from the Sabres…he showed flashed of talent but hasn’t put much of anything together yet.

Peca, Michael (C #19)
Another former Sabre, he’s well past his prime but has always been a great locker room presence.

Rome, Aaron (D #24)
He plays here and there, but not enough to merit anything more than this sentence.

Russell, Kris (D #10)
He’ll be on the top pair soon enough, and we’ll be better for it.

Torres, Raffi (LW #14)
He missed a lot of time, and hasn’t been very productive since he came back.

Tyutin, Fedor (D #51)
He was definitely worth the price of Nik Zherdev, even without Backman.

Umberger, R.J. (C #18)
Not quite the playmaking center we needed, but he’s been a great presence on the team this year, especially with the man advantage.

Vermette, Antoine (C #50)
I wasn’t thrilled that he was the best we could get at the deadline, but so far he’s been a great player for us, especially against Chicago last night.

Voracek, Jakub (RW #93)
He’s having a respectable year, but he needs to start shooting a bit more.

Williams, Jason (RW #29)
He;s been a decent trade pickup, with ninteen points in his twenty-six games as a Blue Jacket.

Quick Hits on the Rest of the League

Anaheim Ducks
I’m a huge Pronger fan, and Giggy is good, but they’ve really fallen off since their cup run.

Atlanta Thrashers
The poster children for those who believe southern expansion was a horrible idea.

Boston Bruins
I’m not really sure how they got so good so fast, but they’re definitely the East favorites right now.

Buffalo Sabres
My hometown team, and my first exposure to quality hockey.

Calgary Flames
Our likely first-round opponent, which is good since we owned them last time out.

Carolina Hurricanes
I stopped caring when Francis stopped playing.

Chicago Blackhawks
Another possible first-round opponent, and another victim of a recent shellacking.

Colorado Avalanche
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Dallas Stars
NO GOAL.

Detroit Red Wings
We’re rather successful against them, which is something we will hopefully be able to use in April.

Edmonton Oilers
The essence of mediocrity.

Florida Panthers
Another waste of a franchise that’d be better placed up north, although maybe if the team keeps improving the revenue will follow.

Los Angeles Kings
They finally replaced Wayne Gretzky…now it’s time to replace Kelly Hrudey.

Minnesota Wild
It’s a testament to the state of Minnesota that this team has sold out every game in their history with so little relative success on the ice.

Montreal Canadiens
It’s like the New York Yankees, but with twice the championship drought and half the steroids.

Nashville Predators
Are they still headed to Hamilton?

New Jersey Devils
It’s funny that when Martin Brodeur goes down they suddenly become an offensive powerhouse.

New York Islanders
Garth Snow is still messed up from the beating Steve Shields gave him ten years ago.

New York Rangers
We have them to thank for the addition of a salary cap, and that’s a good thing.

Ottawa Senators
Thanks for Vermette…how’s Pascal doing?

Philadelphia Flyers
It took them a while to catch up to the rest of the league, but they’re doing good nowadays.

Phoenix Coyotes
I love Wayne Gretzky to death, but he could put on the skates and still be the best player on that team.

Pittsburgh Penguins
They’re 8-1-2 since they switched coaches…they should be 8-2-1, but they play in the East so it doesn’t matter as much.

St. Louis Blues
They’ve quietly snuck back into the playoff race with the second-best goalie in the NHL named Mason.

San Jose Sharks
At some point they became a great example of a model franchise…let’s hope that doesn’t last.

Tampa Bay Lightning
The New York Mets of the hockey world…one championship season surrounded by almost twenty years of uselessness.

Toronto Maple Leafs
They still haven’t won another since 1952, the year he was discovered.  (Editor’s Note: I am not a Tragically Hip fan by any means, but the Sabres fan in me loves to see them wallow in their own filth)

Vancouver Canucks
Watch your collective back…once you lose you’re headed to Calgary in the first round.

Washington Capitals
They can have all the Alex Ovechkins in the world, but defense wins championships.

Starting Off

Hey there!  Yes, that’s a corny way to start a blog, but since I’m guessing my readership won’t be astronomical I can’t say I care much.  For those of you who don’t know (probably all of you), my name is Jeff, and I have a secret that you may have guessed: I’m a huge Columbus Blue Jackets fan.  Unfortunately, I don’t live in Columbus, so I have very few outlets to express my love for the Blue Jackets.  My friends usually give me some variation of, “What’s wrong with you?” when they find out my favorite team.  I guess what I’m hoping to do with this is to, if nothing more, just let out my pent-up comments and hope that some interested party will hear them and take some remote interest.

I guess I’ll start with a little info about me.  As I said earlier, my name is Jeff.  I’m a 22-year-old overnight security guard with a lot of time to kill on most workdays.  I live in the Buffalo area, and count the Sabres as my second-favorite team.  I’m also a football nut and an avid poker player.  I took up golf last year, and I fell in love with it.  That’s all I’m interested in sharing right now, but other tidbits will more than likely pop up eventually.

I suppose it’d be good to tell you why I’m a Blue Jackets fan.  I can trace that back to the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, when we (from hereonin meaning the Blue Jackets, if you couldn’t gather as much) selected a young man named Richard Nash first overall from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.  I always had an affinity for left wings, and when I saw this guy play I thought to myself, “Wow, he’s Eric Lindros with a stable brain!”  I had never liked younger players very much until he came along, and when he became the youngest player to lead the NHL in goals the next season (albeit with only 41), I knew I had my favorite player.

At that point, I started looking at the rest of the team.  I didn;t know many of the players, althoguh there were a few exceptions.  As a Sabres fan, I was a big fan of Geoff Sanderson, who is still one of the top goal scorers in franchise history.  I remembered Marc Denis being hailed as the heir-apparent to Patrick Roy in Colorado, but as I soon learned that was a gross overestimation.  They had also recently signed Todd Marchant, who had roots in Buffalo (being Buffalo-born myself, I take interest in local prospects).  Aside from that, however, this team was a bunch of washouts and no-names to my eyes.  I stuck around, however, knowing that things would get better.

Soon enough, the names started coming in.  Adam Foote was first, a blue-collar defenseman who brought everything the leam lacked.  Sergei Fedorov was acquired in a  trade, and he brought the savvy veteran leadership to a team full of players who were growing into what he had been in Detroit.  Frederik Modin and Anson Carter were also solid additions that helped the team grow.  Unfortunately, the leadership didn’t bring a whole lot of wins with it, and as you well know we still have yet to make the playoffs.

This season, however, has brought me a whole lot of joy.  Steve Mason has been absolutely brilliant in goal, and the acquisitions of Kristian Huselius, R.J. Umberger, and Mike Commodore have been vital to the team’s current place in the standings.  This season will (very hopefully) bring an end to the eternal playoff drought of the Blue Jackets, and I will finally get to see my favorite team perform on the game’s biggest stage.