Almost no news this past week, right? Should make for an easy mailbag.
Let’s dive right in.
@BuckeyeStHockey can Wennberg adequately fill the hole left by Johansen in your guys opinion
— Brett Sidoryk (@iamTwigggy) January 7, 2016
That is the big question, right? There is no guarantee that the Jackets win the draft lottery and fall into Auston Matthews, who would immediately be the number one center on the team. Draft next year not withstanding, Brandon Dubinsky can fill in at number one center very easily. He scores at a good rate and is a good possession player but won’t have the point output of a Ryan Johansen.
Wennberg is progressing nicely but it is nearly impossible to project how good he can be. He is playing at a current half a point per game pace, which projects to around 40 points per season as it stands. He isn’t shooting out of his mind either so he has room for growth. He also never takes penalties and draws a bunch, which is a boon for a team that is leading the league in penalties at the moment.
They will have adequate centers for now in the short term but the lack of a true #1 center will be concerning in the long term.
https://twitter.com/breakfast_jesus/status/684932097748922368
Hmm, an interesting question. What exactly are the needs of the Jackets at the moment?
They probably need a dynamic scorer now that Johansen is gone. I believe that they have an opportunity to fill that in-house. Oliver Bjorkstrand remains a good sniper, Sonny Milano is a playmaker, Kerby Rychel could bang around down low and be a Scott Hartnell type but those players will both take time to develop.
Looking at the UFA list for the next offseason, Anze Kopitar is the player that I would enjoy the most on the Blue Jackets but they would have no chance due to their cap situation. One can dream.
@BuckeyeStHockey any chance we see Boone Jenner back in his old Center position now that Johansen has been dealt?
— Kevin Zukerman (@KevinZukerman) January 7, 2016
Today Aaron Portzline said that the Jackets like him at left wing. I would think that at some point in his career he will be moved back over to center. He seems like a player that would fit in perfectly as a second or third line center. Right now with Dubinsky, Wennberg and Karlsson all occupying slots as centers, I don’t see him filling in until injury presents itself. Tough to say where the Jackets see him slotting in long term.
@BuckeyeStHockey Hartnell next to go?
— Todd Witt (@ToddWitt15) January 7, 2016
One would surmise that with the salary cap situation being the way that it is that the team would want to move one of their aging contracts for some relief.
If it isn’t Hartnell moved then one would think that Tyutin would be next to be moved as both are on the other side of thirty and have contracts worth more than 4 million a piece. That is going to be valuable money to lock up younger players that look to be the future of the team.
So yes, Hartnell and his contract may be the next to go trade deadline time if they are thinking about the long term ramifications of the deal.
https://twitter.com/lfoxcbus/status/684910816211132417
One could look at that and say that isn’t the best outcome, but I believe there is more than meets the eye here. Jones, at this very moment, may not be the better player but projects long term to be the better player. This may be a sneaky tank move where it doesn’t improve the team this year but it makes them better long term.
Wisniewski similarly wasn’t a part of the team’s plans. That gave them some financial flexibility while looking for a different right handed defensemen to take his place.
Is any of this ideal? No. They are taking the long way around but they are wanting to make the team in the image they want, and as of right now it has a pretty good long term outlook.
https://twitter.com/hugwins/status/684910999070203904
Chychrun has dropped on a lot of people’s boards inexplicably as he didn’t play in the World Junior Championships. From reports, Chychrun is very dynamic and a difference maker on the blueline. Everything you can want in a top five pick.
If the Jackets keep up with their current pace they will land somewhere in the top 5 on the draft board. If you have the number one pick you should draft Auston Matthews. He would be the center of the future for any team that drafts him. Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi rocketed up a bunch of scouts boards because of their strong play and should translate into great scorers in the league.
Finally you have Matthew Tkachuk, who I wasn’t necessarily impressed with but seems to be a consensus top five pick for many. His skill set is good but nothing sticks out as great just yet. All in all, the top five is good and you really can’t go wrong with any of them as they all stick out in one way or another.
UNTIL NEXT WEEK MMMMM BYE.
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