The Columbus Blue Jackets need people to fill in their lineup. It could be in the bottom six, it could be higher up in the rotation; regardless, there are spots to be had. Every player is aware of it, and Columbus' man behind the bench says thoss are still very much up for grabs.
"These are three pretty important games for a number of people," said head coach John Tortorella said. "On our back end as far as figuring out who we are, basically I would have to say our sixth defenseman, and what is our fourth line and maybe even part of our third line and who fits in the first two lines. There's still a lot of questions that need to be answered."
Forwards Sonny Milano, Emil Bemstrom, Marko Dano and Jakob Lilja all have a realistic shot to make the team. All four of them have their own specific skills that they can bring to the club. Although it isn't out of the realm of possibility that a defenseman or two may not make the club.
"It depends how they play," Tortorella said. "If six (defensemen) are better than the other two, then six are going to play. If it's a dogfight, and one guy struggles and the other guy is ready to go…it all depends on how the players play."
Leaving his mind open, Tortorella isn't showing his cards and it's going to make for an interesting last couple of games. The Blue Jackets will be sporting a new-ish look this season, but with it, the unknown could bring success. Buckle up, everybody.
