We all have to start somewhere, right?
Our staff roundtable is going to be a weekly series from us. This is the first edition of it. Tell us what you think! Any topics you think we should cover? Shoot us a tweet or an email.
Sam: This weeks topic will be about the Blue Jackets, are they any closer to a Stanley Cup after this year?
The Coach: Maybe. The answer depends more on what management has learned than with the actual talent itself.
Nick: You say management as if ownership isn’t partially responsible
The Coach: If they still think they are close to being a Cup contender, then they are no closer than they were before the season.
Paul: I don’t think they are a cup contender but i think they are closer than last season.
Sam: It also depends how they fair in the draft. This season may not be a loss after all.
The Coach: If we are going to parse every management/ownership/coaching/player difference to the minute detail, then this roundtable will last approximately 797.4 hours
Paul: Seth Jones can be a a #1 on a Cup team. If the team plays well out of the gate they likely don’t make that trade.
Nick: I think they’re farther away from the playoffs now. They’ve improved on defense by acquiring Jones, but he and Murray (and hopefully Werenski) still need a few more seasons to become legitimate top pairing defensemen
Matt: Is it possible to evaluate position-by-position? I think the defense has clearly improved because of Jones, but I don’t know if forwards are any better yet.
Nick: Another new worry is Bob’s health. We haven’t seen a full healthy season from him and his performance does not equal his cap hit
Paul: The forward group has potential to be good, if some of the young guys like Bjork, Milano etc can hold down spots next year.
Jeremy: I think the forwards are worse, just because of the loss of Johansen. But how much longer will they be worse before the young guys step in to fill the void?
Nick: The forward group is so up in the air. Is Dubinsky a number 1 center on a playoff team?
Paul: They could give the team some nice skilled bottom six guys.
The Coach: So much comes down to the lottery. A win, and a legit top line talent and you have more or less replaced Johansen’s talent.
Sam: Bingo.
Matt: Maybe Jenner’s emergence helps. I still don’t think there’s a clear elite talent there. Lots of very good players, but no great ones. And the aging core (Dubinsky, Hartnell, Foligno) face declines over time to weaken that set.
Paul: Yup. Getting Matthews would answer a lot of questions.
Matt: Short-term, putting real talent in 3rd and 4th line spots can help cover up the lack of top-end talent. Depth over single pointed power. I’m not sure that put’s the team in a cup contender spot, though.
The Coach: I think that is where the lessons learned come in. If they fill in depth spots with upgrades, then nothing was learned. They are short foundational players at forward right now. The Saad trade was a start, but they need to add at least one more forward of that caliber, through the draft or a similar move.
Paul: I agree with that. They have plenty of good players who on a Cup team are second and third liners. Need to get that elite talent up front.
Sam: They are caught almost in a no man’s land.
The Coach: The irony of the whole “Brick by brick” marketing strategy was they built a house with no foundation. Jones, Murray, Saad, and a healthy Bob is one forward short
Sam: That was an area the Toronto Maple Leafs were in for so long, the Jackets can’t just restart this. They will need to “rebuild” on the fly. So yes, I think this year is putting them closer to a Stanley Cup, given they have a good pick in the draft.
Matt: I think my real answer for right now is “no closer to a Cup.” However, I agree with The Coach: the more important evaluation happens just before the start of next season. How will the team change in response to this year?
The Coach: A top three pick used on an elite forward, clearing out veterans for value/upside younger players, and we are talking. A tough lottery result, and more “win now” types added, and the team is further from a Cup.
(Ken enters chat room late)
Ken: HEY GUYS I’M HERE WE CAN START. Oh wait. Edit that out.
(Editors note: I didn’t)
Sam: We aren’t done just yet. Talk to us Ken !
Ken: From a roster standpoint I believe the Blue Jackets are closer to a Cup than they were last year. The output of that roster however is not that of a team with projections towards winning the cup. I think next year will more or less be the new generation’s defense to own with veterans filling gaps. There will continue to be growing pains and evident youth. Surprisingly I feel like the coaching staff might feel less sure of what they have in this roster than they did earlier in the season, as seen from the recent experimentation in the lines and defensive pairings.
Sam: It is a little column A and a little column B. This team is getting better in some regards, the bricks look to be there. They just need to be brought together by say… Auston Matthews? That should work just fine.
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