As mentioned yesterday, at the suggestion of The Dark Blue Jacket, I will be giving my own answers to the questions Aaron Portzline asked of GM Scott Howson from yesterday’s Dispatch.
And here we go…
Question: Given the expectations surrounding this club heading into this season, how surprised are you to be closer to last place than a playoff spot in the Western Conference?
The quick start was a very pleasant surprise, but there were early problem signs on (what Porty called) “The Tennis Trip”. The team defense has not performed consistently or anywhere near the level they were able to last year. Compounding the issue has been a revolving door of injuries, while not substantial “big name” type of players, there has consistently been a role players out of the line-up.
Q: What player, what aspect of the club, has been most surprising?
Tough to answer because there have been pleasant surprises; Dorsett and his importance to the team, Torres and his scoring+energy combination, and the big disappointments; Brassard who might need to sit and watch, Mason and his wildly inconsistent play. The expected great players Nash, Umberger, Vermette, Voracek, were expected to be great, but has it been consistently enough? The lack of consistency is my biggest surprise, offensively and defensively the team doesn’t know who it wants to be it seems.
Q: Why is coach Ken Hitchcock the right coach for this club right now?
Hitch is the right man because he brings more identity to the Blue Jackets than they ever had prior to his presence. I would argue that more people in Columbus, and the hockey world at large, know about Ken Hitchcock than Rick Nash. As a fan, I recognize that the Jackets are not playing the style of hockey they did last year on a consistent basis. When they are forechecking as we witnessed last season, this team is very difficult to beat, but when there is seemingly a different team on the ice every night this season, it is difficult to place blame.
Q: You have one of the youngest clubs in the NHL. Does he work well with a group like that?
With Hitch’s vast knowledge of the game of hockey, I don’t know who is better for installing an identity and properly educating players the right way to play the game. Hitch is about discipline yes, but I think with the balance of veterans and young guns, it shouldn’t be an overbearing issue like some would make it out to be.
Q: Do you feel like you over-estimated Derick Brassard, expecting him to be a No. 1 center this season?
At risk of sounding like team management, I don’t believe Derick has been overestimated, but is still struggling to adjust after missing over half of last season. Derick seems to be a player with a lot of passion and determination but hasn’t quite found the stride that he had going last year. There is an obvious level of talent, and I still believe he will be centering a line with Voracek and Nash on the wings in the future.
Q: How close did you come to making a deal over the last few days, before the NHL’s holiday roster freeze went into effect on Saturday?
We all know that Howson has not been the type to make deals just to make deals. He has slowly and steadily brought this team to respectability, going from a bunch of random pieces not worth much, to a team with plenty of “bullets” when it comes time to make deals. I do expect a move in the near future especially if the losing streak continues, if for no other reason than the Jackets could very possibly be sellers at this years deadline.
Q: Do you consider talking during the next week, even though you can’t make a move until after Dec. 26?
Of course there will be conversations had during the holiday freeze. As mentioned above, I expect a deal eventually, but it probably won’t happen right out of the roster freeze. Maybe we should all hope for Mrs. Howson to make Scott’s eggnog a little stronger this year and he will come up with a sweet deal landing a great veteran defenseman.
Q: Any thought given to a minor league call-up?
Based on how the CBJ played last year with half of a minor-league roster in the games against the Avs and Sharks, I should hope so. I’m a bit surprised someone like Picard hasn’t found his way to more playing time in Columbus this season. It says a lot about the d-men we have in the ‘Cuse that only Mathieu Roy has had meaningful time in the ‘Bus, but I think a lot of it is also an effort to make sure none of them are improperly rushed to the NHL level.
Q: You made one change to your blue line last offseason, adding defenseman Anton Stralman. If you had it to do over again, would you have done more to upgrade the defense?
I would have liked the CBJ to add a better stay-at-home type of d-man. Getting Stralman has been important to the drastic improvement of the power play, but then again, who could’ve predicted that Jan Hejda and Mike Commodore would not be performing anywhere near the level they did last season? Getting a player like Pronger was not an option as it would severely handicap any chance of keeping all of our youth who’s contracts are coming due in the near future. Without re-hashing all the players we didn’t sign, I would have expected the Jackets to be putting claims in on some of the d-men going through waivers, just as a flyer even.
Q: Could this club use another strong veteran presence in the dressing room?
Frankly, I don’t know. It’s easy to say this team misses Michael Peca or Manny Malhotra, but do any of us really know? This is supposed to be Nash’s team now and if the product on the ice is a result of that, then yes, we need a veteran presence to re-center the group and be an off-ice leader. At this point, I don’t think a move to sign Peca or any other veteran would make much sense. The onus is on Nash, Umberger, Torres, Modin, Pahlsson, Chimera, Juice, Hejda, Commodore to take the reins and get this thing right.
Q: You talk about “going through the process” and “working through it”, but isn’t that what last season was about? Didn’t you feel like you’d already gone through all of this?
There is no end to the process of development, just like growing older, everyday we all learn something new, or should. The Jackets will always be learning, especially on a very young team, the process is never really over. There were lots of new lessons last year, how to deal with success being a big one, but now the Jackets are getting a whole new education. Teams know what to expect from them and the fans have a certain level of expectation from the players and coaches.
Q: Do you need an enforcer?
No. I have always thought that enforcers were a bit overrated.
Q: [Why or] Why not?
Yes, this team has struggled to stand up for itself a lot in the past, but there have been more and more signs that the right guys (non-skill positions) are increasingly willing to go to bat when necessary. This is a part of the process of building a young team into a contender.
Q: Sitting here, five days before Christmas, do you still feel as if that’s a playoff-caliber club?
I know that the Jackets are capable of making the playoffs, and I really believe it. The Blue Jackets have a load of potential talent, but will they be able to tap into it in time? If they can start catching a few simple breaks, it could change in a hurry and we could be right where we were last March, going through one of the greatest weeks in franchise history.
If the play continues like this, it’s not likely the CBJ will be playing in late April this year. On the other hand, in the most extreme situation, take a look at what the Penguins firing of Michel Therrien and subsequent hiring of Dan Bylsma was able to do. No we’re not as good as the Pens, but if the right move is made at the right time, a lot of good can happen.
In summation, don’t expect any rash moves, but I think this club will find a way to push for a spot in the playoffs.
