We haven’t done of these in a while, eh? Luckily, you, the readers, have come through in the clutch to give us some awesome questions. The bye week is a boring time and we need some hockey talk to get you through this tough period.
Let’s go!
why is mike fail so amazing
— Mike Pfeil (@mikeFAIL) February 20, 2017
Mike probably didn’t expect me to answer this but he is really one of the best follows on Twitter. He is funny as hell and his videos are constantly the best things on hockey twitter. Not to mention his writing over at Flames Nation makes him invaluable to that site. His penalty kill work is important and should be read any time he posts an article about it.
Plainly, Mike is the man.
https://twitter.com/RK_Stimp/status/833709292511428610
While obviously this question was posed in jest, the Jackets haven’t been the same team since that fateful streak. The problem from fans and outsiders were the expectations place on this team. They weren’t going to win every game after that streak. They also weren’t going to lose every game either.
It is somewhere in-between and no one wants to admit that they are in some gray area. The Jackets are good and they have some great players to back that up. They likely won’t go on a double digit win streak again this season and that should be an okay development for fans. As long as the frame work is there, they should be able to take care of business in the playoffs.
Which leads me to our next question…
Do the #CBJ make the playoffs? If so, why? https://t.co/0tdZkDkLlK
— Larry Turowski (@TheRealLarryT) February 20, 2017
Yes, the Blue Jackets are going to make the playoffs. A growing sentiment among some fans is that Jackets still have a chance of not making the playoffs. While there is a chance that it could happen, don’t bet on it. After years of disappointment, it is okay to be wary of this team. They’ve given themselves such a big lead, they would need a colossal collapse for them to miss out. We are talking worse than the team’s start last year, which was historic in it’s own right. Even then they would have some leeway.
Rest easy Blue Jackets fans, you should be worrying about home ice in the playoffs.
https://twitter.com/lfoxcbus/status/833709129260793856
Important but not as important as you might think. Every single team is going to be riled up in the playoffs, it isn’t going to be like pulling teeth. In the case of a possible Blue Jackets and Penguins match up, it is negligible. Both teams are going to be playing out of their collective minds. It’s going to be rough and tumble, whether it is a home crowd or a road crowd won’t matter. People are going to be riled up.
If they end up in the first wild card slot and face off against the top team in the Atlantic division, that may be an advantageous match up. The Jackets have done well against the Canadiens, what should be they be afraid of whether they’re at home or on the road?
Let’s just drop the puck already.
Savard, Calvert, Karlsson. Most likely to end up in Vegas? #CBJ
— Phil R (@PostGradPhil) February 20, 2017
Fun question to end the mailbag. There is going to be zero chance that the Jackets leave David Savard exposed in the expansion draft. They’ll likely expose Jack Johnson and at his price it is tough to say whether or not he’ll be selected.
While Matt Calvert and William Karlsson are two names that will come up a lot when talking about the expansion draft, Josh Anderson and Joonas Korpisalo should be talked about more. Anderson is going to need to be protected and with his skill set, you’ll need to ask yourself how valuable to the team he really is. His little goal scoring streak is nice but it isn’t anything special. Multiple players have come in and given similar production. George McPhee may have visions of a potential Milan Lucic though and that could mean movement. Given his relatively young age, he would be a tantalizing pick up.
The major downfall of recent expansion teams has been the goaltending. It has been very bad. The Jackets searched for nearly a decade for a franchise net-minder. Even then they had issues with Steve Mason once he was their franchise cornerstone. Joonas Korpisalo may not be a franchise type goaltender but as a back up and depth option, he is one of the best options in the league. The Jackets are only going to protect one goaltender and it’s going to be Sergei Bobrovsky. Korpisalo could end up on the chopping block because of it.
Think of the current good times Jackets’ fans. It’s about to be a great couple of months.
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