We're a baker's dozen games into the NHL season and the Blue Jackets are off on the right foot. What better time, then, to gather some of the 1st Ohio Battery staff to break it all down? Let's do it.
The Blue Jackets just finished their best-ever October. Did you expect that?
Jeff Svoboda: No, I did not. I'm not surprised the team appears to be pretty good – not just because of its record but the way it possesses the puck, not to mention an attacking personality, a versatile blue line and a guy who might again be the best goaltender in the league. But I didn't think things would come quite as easily this year as they did a year ago. And in fact, they haven't necessarily come easily, but despite some obvious areas of potential improvement, the team has gotten the job done on the scoreboard twice as many times as not. A year after the first 70 games of the season seemed so charmed, I expected more early turbulence. Maybe it's still coming. But for one month, you have to like where this team is at and also know it can play better.
Sam Blazer: They always had the capability to be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference but it never felt like with their tough schedule, this was a possibility. They’ve been a great team at 5-on-5 and are similar to a cat with a little ball of yarn during most games, they just play around until they get down to business. If anything, this should scare teams; not because of the cat analogy but because this team is nowhere near full strength and they can be so much better than what they’ve shown thus far.
Dan Dukart: I can’t say I’m shocked. I wrote that, given that the Jackets had an October with seven home games and largely stay clear of their division (only three of 12 games vs. the Metropolitan), they would have an opportunity to bank some points. Something feels different this year. John Tortorella warned in the offseason that this year would be bumpier than the last, and he’s been right. This team has been hampered by injuries and was clicking at a league worst 8.6% (3-for-35) power play through Wednesday (they were better last night). Artemi Panarin has scored exactly one goal in 13 games. Pierre-Luc Dubois hadn’t registered a point since the opening night win. Sonny Milano, the team’s leading scorer, has played 6:30 one night, 3:17 the next, and then was a healthy scratch on Monday. It doesn’t make sense that they’re winning, but give credit where it’s due. This team is finding a way to win games.
Kyle Morrison: Honestly, yeah, but I didn’t expect the contributions to come from where they have so far. Artemi Panarin added some tantalizing offensive talent to this lineup, but he’s made waves as a playmaker instead of a sniper. Sonny Milano has lit up the score sheet (although he’s been invisible sometimes) and Josh Anderson looks like he’s made a big jump as well. I expected the Jackets to come out of the gate strong and not stumble like they have in previous years, but the fact that they’re one of the league’s top 5-on-5 teams is a surprise.
Artemi Panarin has one goal in 12 games but is leading the team in scoring. Cause for concern, or is he just overdue?
KM: He leads the team in points and he’s passed the eye test with flying colors, so no, there’s no cause for concern in my opinion. The goals will come. Maybe not on that face-off circle one-timer he became famous for in Chicago – this team doesn’t have players who can create space like Patrick Kane does – but his skill is head and shoulders above anyone else on this team. He’s looked great no matter who he’s paired up with in the lineup, now it’s just a matter of finding line mates that can play with him.
DD: Weird...I wrote about this, too. Not to go all "psychological hockey coach" on you, but some of the most tired adages in hockey exist because they’re true. Here’s two: I’d be more worried if he wasn’t getting chances. Once he scores, the floodgates will open. He’s clearly the team’s most dangerous player. He can manufacture offense out of nothing, and though he doesn’t have Patrick Kane to dish him the puck, it’s only a matter of time until he finds chemistry with the most gifted players no the Blue Jackets (namely, Zach Werenski on the power play). Right now, it’s clear that he’s frustrated that he’s not scoring goals, but as soon as he starts to heat up, the Jackets will be that much more dangerous.
SB: I am not too worried about Panarin. Goal scorers are naturally streaky and because of it, people freak out when there is a drought. A lot of great articles about streaky goal scorers have been written, but one of the most compelling points out that even the best shooters in the league don’t score in nearly two-thirds of their games played. You may see a goalless streak of 10-plus games a couple of times in a season. I would only be worried about Panarin if he wasn’t shooting the puck.
JS: Can't it be both? Haha. The guys above me have answered this pretty thoroughly and I also broke down Panarin's play in my SvoNotes column Wednesday, but I'm also feeling a little bit of each answer to the question. Is he simply overdue? Clearly. He's not going to finish with the eight goals or whatever it is he's on pace for. At the same time, he's gonna have to have one heck of a hot streak to get to the 30 he's had the past few years as well. He's clearly pressing a bit, and the team still seems to need some time to get used to his style of play. Those things should work themselves out, but how long will it take? If he's at four goals on the year at the end of November, there would be legitimate concern there.
Joonas Korpisalo (1-2-0) has been fine at times and has struggled, too. Do you trust in him to start 20-25 games and win at least 10?
SB: I have faith in Korpisalo and I say that with very little confidence overall. His performances haven’t been bad, per se, but the games he has been given have been pretty brutal. Playing him in the St. Louis game was like throwing fresh meat to wolves. He has shown that his athleticism and positioning can be top notch, but allows far too many “screamers” to be relied upon very often. To ensure that a fresh Sergei Bobrovsky goes into the playoffs, they need to play Korpisalo a lot, for better or for worse. I think he will win at least 10 games this year.
KM: Korpisalo has certainly struggled so far, but he’s had just three games in net, and none of them have been at home, or even in this time zone. Compounding his struggles, his teammates were only rested for one of those games. His two losses both came against good teams (Chicago and St. Louis), on the second half of a back-to-back. Weary legs and hostile crowds give being an NHL goalie – already a tremendous task – an even higher degree of difficulty. Don’t lose faith in the kid just yet. Could anyone really say they’d rather have Curtis McElhinney in net?
JS: Boy, this is a tough one. I want to say yes because I've seen him play really well at the NHL level, but there are still legitimate question marks about his ability to do it on a night-in, night-out basis when a team is depending on him. He passed the test two years ago but honestly didn't really do it last year. While he's gotten the short end of the stick this year a few times as far as the situations of his starts, has he done much to inspire a ton of confidence? If he has to be the starter for any long stretch of time, do the Jackets go .500? I'm not sure. And if this team gets into January and isn't seeing progress, I wonder if a move gets made.
DD: To echo what Kyle said, Korpisalo has gotten the short end of the straw in each of his three starts. It’s difficult to play on the road in the NHL, it’s even more so to do it on the second half of a back-to-back. It’s a tough spot, no doubt. Still, that’s the reality of being a backup in today’s NHL. If the narrative were flipped, and he had played three home games and they had all been with a rested team in front of him, yeah, I’d be a bit concerned in his ability to win 10 out of 20-25 games. As it stands now, though, I have a good amount of confidence in Korpisalo to do his job, and for him to do it well.
What are your thoughts on the Blue Jackets’ depth, specifically the fourth line: would it be prudent, given how John Tortorella is deploying his lines, to go with 11 forwards more often?
DD: It’s a weird time to be a depth player in the Columbus organization. Long gone are the days of Jared Boll and Gregory Campbell, and this infusion of youth and skill means that any fourth line will by definition seem a bit different than prior renditions of (what many fans think of) a fourth line. That said, many players in the organization lack a clearly defined role, as if they arrived a year too early, or too late. Sonny Milano is not a fourth-line player. He doesn’t possess the shutdown mentality required by coaches to play that role. Lukas Sedlak and Pierre-Luc Dubois could make up two-thirds of a really solid fourth line, but Sedlak’s injury keeps that from happening for the time being. The thought of rolling just 11 forwards with depth players like Markus Hannikainen and Zac Dalpe sitting there is, no doubt, a tough decision for Tortorella. On the one hand, playing 11 forwards allows your best playmakers to play more, and gives a bit more flexibility through the lineup (See: Tampa Bay Lightning/Nikita Kucherov). On the other, what’s the point in having that depth if it’s going to sit in the press box? I would sit tight with 12 forwards, and work through this awkwardness of defining this fourth line, while the season is still young.
JS: Gee, it's almost like letting four of your most dependable forwards go has had a ripple effect on trying to fill out the lineup. Who could have seen this coming? OK, so the big issue here is this team is kind of put together in a weird way. I think Sonny Milano and Pierre-Luc Dubois have shown they are legitimate NHL players to this point, but that they are also going to go through some growing pains. And obviously, both possess the skill to be more than fourth liners (and Milano certainly doesn't have the defensive chops to do it, either). Now, your "fourth line" doesn't have to be a shutdown line -- for the Jackets, I'd argue any line with Brandon Dubinsky and Boone Jenner is gonna be a shutdown line more than anything at the bottom of the depth chart -- but it also has to be trusted to play more than three minutes per game. My long answer is I don't know. John Tortorella is going to have to figure out some things with the bottom of the lineup guys, and he's issued the challenge to them to stake their claim to spots. I do think we're gonna see more coaches go with 11/7 if it keeps working like it is in Tampa, and if Torts has to jumble things around, he might end up there more than you think.
KM: Did you know that Zac Dalpe went to Ohio State? Sorry, we’re legally required to say that every time he’s brought up. Anyways, the bottom six is a little concerning right now. Pierre-Luc Dubois and Sonny Milano are in a weird spot right now, too. They’re still learning the game, so they’re mistake prone and still acclimating to the speed of the game at this level, but their skillsets don’t really make them ideal candidates for that fourth line grinder role. Lukas Sedlak’s injury hurts, too. Tyler Motte played well in his club debut, and could see more time on the fourth line when Cam Atkinson gets healthy. Right now, that line is jumbled up, but rolling just 11 forwards isn’t something you want to see too frequently with any team. With that said, the days of having complete trust in a fourth line are long gone – Mark Letestu and Derek MacKenzie aren’t walking through that door.
SB: There is really no reason for the current iteration of this team for the Blue Jackets to be playing with 11 forwards. While Tortorella may not trust Sonny Milano and Pierre-Luc Dubois on the same line, the amount of time he has given them hasn’t allowed the two of them to give enough of a sample. If you don’t want to play them together then break them up and use them throughout the lineup. They surely have enough offensive skill to stay afloat. Putting them in advantageous situations offensively should be easy enough given the other well rounded players in the lineup. The emergence of Tyler Motte should only bolster that claim and allow for the depth to really shine. Are an extra 10 minutes of Scott Harrington that valuable to the Blue Jackets? Let your offensive forwards be offensive.
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