Ready for more roundtablin'?
We've assembled the 1st Ohio Battery staff – writers Sam Blazer, Kyle Morrison, Dan Dukart and senior editor Rob Mixer – for a panel discussion on what the Blue Jackets must do to make the playoffs for the second straight year, why they could miss the dance, and their trade deadline plan of attack.
We embrace debate on this site, friends, so drop a comment below and let us know what you think of our opinions.
If the Blue Jackets make the playoffs, it will be because ____.
SB: They get scoring from their middle-six forwards. The defensemen are offensively inclined enough that they will pitch in goals no matter what. Savard is due for a few as well as Johnson. What I would like to see is Atkinson, Foligno, Jenner and Wennberg step up. Those players can do it and it won’t be long before one of them or all of them put points on the board.
KM: They get the right kind of help down the stretch. That can be internal in the form of a healthy and productive Cam Atkinson, a line combination that maximizes the talents of Alexander Wennberg and Oliver Bjorkstrand, a healthy Ryan Murray stepping into the top four and looking like he did at the start of the season, or everything clicking for Sonny Milano. Or, it can be external. My wishlist is an established top-six forward like Derick Brassard, Thomas Vanek or James van Riemsdyk, a mobile, bottom-pairing, right-shot defenseman and a solid fourth line winger.
DD: The club starts playing with the identity that made them so successful a season ago. That team was fast, hard-nosed, and aggressive. It was difficult to play against Columbus. Also, they make the playoffs when they get their scorers going. It’s funny to think about people complaining about Oliver Bjorkstrand being streaky - that implies he had a streak. I hope Cam Atkinson and Boone Jenner will be streaky on the back half of this season.
RM: Health is their biggest benefit. I think they’ll add a forward or two at the deadline, but beyond that, they need to get two of their big guns back in the lineup (Atkinson, Dubinsky) to get a truer sense of what they’ve got.
If the Blue Jackets miss the playoffs, it will be because ____.
SB: They continue to play their top players too much and have no trust in the other players. This is contingent on the Blue Jackets middle-six stepping up. Once the players get healthy and build a rapport, I don’t see how they don’t straighten it up but it remains to be seen. There are a lot of players making a lot of money that aren’t performing. The star players need to be ridden but they also need to be used much, much less.
KM: Sergei Bobrovsky can steal games, but with the state of the guys playing in front of him, he’s not good enough to steal the season. Nobody is. That said, the Jackets are in a good enough spot to still perhaps back into the playoffs, but a few more injuries could really tip the balance there. But I’m with Sam – I’d be shocked if they don’t make it.
DD: They can’t score goals. It seems like getting high-quality scoring chances is a chore, and most shots seem to be one-and-done (meaning, no rebound). In the corners, this team seems easy to play against, and losses to basement-dwelling Buffalo and Vancouver heading into the bye week exacerbated these concerns.
RM: This offensive dry spell continues. They need to get the power play up to a respectable rate to help make up for the lost 5-on-5 offense, which has taken a nosedive over the last 10-12 games. If that doesn’t happen and the 5-on-5 scoring doesn’t rebound, the Blue Jackets will be in tough to be playing postseason hockey.
Make your prediction: What will the Blue Jackets add at (or before) the trade deadline to bolster their roster?
SB: They’ll get a center. It won’t be a flashy name but it will be a name that people know. Names like Tyler Bozak make sense. A player to fill a need and a player to hopefully slot players into their proper position. The depth at times has been atrocious and if they need to scratch a Lukas Sedlak some nights to put more talent in the lineup, so be it. But they should add a center on an expiring contract and I believe they will.
KM: I think they’ll add a forward, but not necessarily a center. I see Jarmo getting a winger who can slot in on the middle six and on the power play. Plenty of names out there who fit the bill, and we’ll have a better idea of who’s selling in a couple of weeks. And with Jack Johnson wanting out, Jarmo will probably look for more help on the back end. Nobody glamorous, but a steady veteran presence to provide what Kyle Quincey did last year. Scott Harrington is fine for a couple of games, but he’s a liability out there. Pure speculation on my part, but I think a guy like Alex Petrovic could be a great fit there. He’s a talented righty on a team-friendly deal who’s fighting for ice time in a crowded blue line for a non-contending Panthers squad. He’d be fantastic alongside a guy like Murray or Nutivaara.
DD: I think the club adding a defenseman is contingent on trading Jack Johnson. If they move him, I could see them adding a depth guy on the blue line. If they don’t, though, I think they’ll look at adding a center. Tyler Bozak comes to mind, though I’m not sure Toronto wants to make that happen. I don’t think management feels particularly good about having Dubois and Alexander Wennberg facing other team’s top centers in the playoffs. Dubinsky is serviceable and Sedlak has been solid, but that has to be the weakest center depth chart among expectant playoff teams, no?
RM: They need a forward and a defenseman, with the assumption that they’ll fulfill Jack Johnson’s request to be traded by Feb. 26. Every year, there are veteran defensemen available on the rental market, and there’s a good chance the Blue Jackets can find one who hasn’t had such a negative possession impact as Johnson has this season. It’s been a complete stumble backward after a strong 2016-17. Up front, they know they need skill. That’s why they swung hard for Matt Duchene and sniffed around some other potential pieces.
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