As World Cup of Hockey practice continues at Nationwide Arena, some news from the front office may be grabbing more headlines. Today, the Columbus Dispatch reports that Jarmo Kekalainen, John Davidson and Bill Zito have all received two-year contract extensions that will expire at the end of the 2018-19 season. While this is good news for three of the most important people in the Jackets’ front office, is this good news for the fans who have to experience the product out on the ice?
The extension allows us to look back at what this front office has done during their tenure. They haven’t been afraid of making moves when necessary, and have always tried to be forthcoming to the fans about why something was done. Those are nice sentiments, it doesn’t fully explain other moves that have left fans and pundits alike baffled.
The first head-scratcher comes courtesy of the Nathan Horton signing, a good move on paper that never ended up panning out as the player’s body just wasn’t built to withstand the NHL anymore. Unfortunately for the Jackets, his deal wasn’t insured and he was subsequently traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for David Clarkson. Fans were told that they needed to get a player who could contribute on the ice; problem is, Clarkson has barely seen more ice than Horton.
Kekalainen and co. have been routinely criticized for the contracts they have given to players like Nick Foligno, Brandon Dubinsky and Sergei Bobrovsky. The verdict in all these cases is complicated. While Foligno and Dubinsky haven’t performed up to some observers’ expectations, their underlying numbers have been good and at least defensible. Bobrovsky, who has a Vezina Trophy to his credit, continues to lack consistency. They either can’t get him on the ice enough or the player can’t find his game. If things don’t turn around quickly, the contract could become an albatross.
Could these deals have been prevented or improved? If the CBJ had moved some of these players, would such imagined changes improve the team? Is the front office trying to manage expectations for a team that has been dealt a tough hand? It would seem that some of these moves (or the outright size of contracts) could have been prevented with analytics and foresight. But how could the Jackets toss aside or trade someone like Bobrovsky after the goalie became a household name in Columbus? Management not only have to deal with building a good team, they also have to walk the PR high wire that has become the CBJ perception in this city. You start a season by losing eight games, you’ve already lost what little interest you had to the amateur football team across town.
They have preached patience and they will get it from some, how much longer it will last though is anyone’s guess.
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