Trying to find a correlation between Stanley Cup winners is tough to do. Each team is uniquely on their own and how they're individually built varies on a case-by-case basis.
As the Columbus Blue Jackets head into the offseason, they need to take a harsh look at their lineup and what needs to be done to make it even more dangerous, particularly when looking at the top teams in their own division. Most Cup winners have a group of centers that are tough to match up against. Either they score with the best of them or they grind you down to a pulp.
This most recent iteration of the Blue Jackets was more of the latter.
So, what are they missing that most other teams have?
A world-class sniper is the position that comes to mind. The Penguins have Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin, the Kings have Marian Gaborik, the Capitals have Alex Ovechkin and the Blackhawks have Patrick Kane. All of those players (well, not Ovechkin) were in their own world offensively when their teams won a championship.
Would adding an elite forward, or a "sniper" as GM Jarmo Kekalainen stated, put the Blue Jackets in the Stanley Cup conversation?
The Case For:
The Blue Jackets have decent wingers all throughout their lineup. Brandon Saad fills his role as a first-line wing but it feels like a piece is missing on the opposite side. The future belongs to both him and Alexander Wennberg -- they're both young enough to be difference-makers in the league for a long, long time, but they need to find a partner that fills the role opposite of them.
Nick Foligno is a player that comes to mind. He played the role admirably this past season and his numbers bounced back after a dreadful 2015-16. He is approaching 30 (the common age where heavy-minute forwards start to see a decline in production) and may need to be protected against stiffer competition in the years ahead. Similarly, in-house candidate Josh Anderson could be ready to step up and fill the role, but going from third-line duty to the first line may be a bigger task than he is ready for. Oliver Bjorkstrand deserves mention as well, despite not yet playing a full season in the NHL.
It's a lot of uncertainty for a necessary position.
Looking outside of the organization may end up being the way to go. Filling the role will take a special player. The star players listed earlier aren't just good players, but they're game breakers -- their skill can single-handedly change the outcome of a game.
TJ Oshie is a name that comes to mind, but he's also getting older and would need a long-term deal with big money. Ilya Kovalchuk is a name that constantly gets brought up and he was elite while in the league previously, but isn't a solution beyond the next couple of years.
The case for getting a sniper is a case for filling in the final piece of the puzzle. Acquiring one would accelerate the team's build, for better or for worse.
The Case Against:
The Blue Jackets just aren't there yet as a team. They're above average with few faults in their make-up, but they fall just below the level of the Penguins or Capitals.
When exactly does a team make that move, you may ask?
It can be said time and time again: the opportunity can pass a team by and they won't know when their window was open. Taking risks in the NHL is a necessity. The Blue Jackets have done it before when trying to acquire big player after big player when their window wasn't necessarily open (see Gaborik, Marian).
Any semblance of consistency for the team has been blown up after a good year. Slow and steady has a chance at winning the race: wait for the right opportunity to strike and allow others to make the mistakes around you.
The Veridict: We'll See
It all depends on how the Blue Jackets view their window as a contender. They could view themselves as needing to take the next step and sell off a young player for an established piece.
Kekalainen has never been afraid to make a difficult deal. There is no reason for that attitude to change in the face of a compelling offseason with plenty of activity going on around the NHL.
The window for the Blue Jackets may not be open just yet, but another organization desperately wanting a consistent winner could swing a trade for a superstar forward.
The window is going to be in the eye of the beholder.
