In response to the NHL trade deadline day, it was back to status quo for the Columbus Blue Jackets (CBJ).
That means the CBJ were—as they have been in eight of their previous nine years— sellers rather than buyers. This mode is the cumulative effect of seasons lost. In this particular season, it is the most frustrating of all prior seasons, as expectations were at their highest, given that the CBJ made the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in their history.
However, after a season filled with setbacks including Mike Commodore's puzzling "conditioning issues" and downfall; the regression of super sophs Derick Brassard, Jakub Voracek, and Steve Mason; the asymmetries of Ken Hitchcock's plodding, and the defense-first system versus the pedal to the metal, post-lockout systems employed by the NHL's elite teams, the CBJ found themselves falling far short of where they and their loyal fans intended them to be.
They fired their coach a month ago, signaling a seismic change in direction of the team.
Slowly but surely, gone are the days of plodding, physical, veteran-laden players. Instead, the emphasis is on speed and athlet ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Ed Cmar
NHL Trade Deadline Analysis: Columbus Blue Jackets
March 5th, 2010 by Ed Cmar Leave a reply »
Advertisement