Foote has Got to Stay

I'm afraid that the Jackets are married to Adam Foote for the next several years whether they think his price tag is too high or not.  As the only viable leader, and also the only legitimate NHL defender on their roster, the Jackets cannot let him go and watch their defensive game struggle without his presence.  They just have not developed NHL defenseman.  

Klesla will be be good, but he doesn't look like he's going to be a top pair player.  Hainsey has played a good offensive game, but doesn't shut down in his own zone.   Hejda has been a great acquisition, but his play has evened out in recent weeks and perhaps his success may be linked to his pairing with Foote.  Russell potentially could be an excellent offensive blue-liner, but he's too slight of build to shut down the opponent's top three.  OK Tollefsen... he's got the right nose, but the rest of his game will probably mean that his NHL career is soon forgotten.  Methot has shown promise as a strong defender and a people mover down low, but at this stage there's really no telling if he'll develop into a true top four defender, or just a dependable part-time guy.

So here are the Jackets, who could probably trade Foote for a nice package of future benefits, but they seem to have only one option, and that's to pay this guy more than he'd probably get anywhere else because they don't seem to able to replace any of the attributes that he brings to the team.  Keep that "C" on the 52 sweater for a few more years.

Is there really a question of what to do at this point?

I don't want the Jackets to make the playoffs this year.  That is, I don't want the Jackets to make the playoffs this year if Fedorov, Vyborny, and Peca are all still in the red, white, and blue.  

As the Jackets give up three more first period goals tonight, it must be obvious to all watchers that this team is not playoff-worthy.  I'm not a season ticket holder, so I don't feel that pinch in my wallet every time the Jackets lose.  I don't feel like the organization owes me some kind of blockbuster just to prove that they want to win.  No doubt they want to win, they're just not good enough, and if they mortgage the farm this season to make a desperate push that may or may not provide a first round drubbing by the likes of the Red Wings or Stars, the fans may not have a true Stanley Cup contender in this town for a very long time.  

The future of this franchise rests on the shoulders of Nash, Zherdev, Brassard, Brule, Klesla, Russel and LeClaire.  As these young players mature and emerge as true NHL stars, this franchise has an opportunity to not just be a playoff team, but a real championship contender.  In the long term, Foote, Fedorov, and Peca will be players who passed through town in the infancy of the franchise.  They will be forgotten sweaters on Hall of Fame resumes for a couple of those guys, but Nationwide Arena is never going to feature a statue of Foote, nor a number 91 jersey hanging from the rafters.  It's time to turn those players into the commodities that they really are.  Turn them into prospects and draft picks.  When we finally emerge as a real contender, let's do it with such a surplus of talent that our organization is the envy of the league.  Let's not trade a few wins this year for many wins later in the life of the franchise.

Be sure to hang on to Voracek, Legein, Mason, Methot, and Lindstrom and trade the rest of the minors if you want to.  But do not give away our future on the slim possibility that we're going to make the top eight this year.  

In reverse, if Foote's not likely to sign, and we can actually get a top prospect and a high draft pick for him, then why is he still in a CBJ sweater?  Further, if the Dispatch's Aaron Portzline is right, and the Jackets could get as much as a first rounder for Fedorov or Peca, then why do we still have both of them on the roster?  There doesn't seem to be much of a debate on this as far as I'm concerned.

Talent is not the Problem

Perhaps the victory over Detroit was just the wake-up call that the Jackets front office needed to realize that this team is not short on talent.  As the Jackets toss another two points away against one more inferior opponent, I think that we're down to our last possible option for this version of the Jacket's problem.  It must be leadership.  

I am an enormous fan of Ken Hitchcock.  I wonder if he wakes up in the morning hoping that a job is going to open up in a market that would appreciate his abilities so he could get out of here and be taken seriously again.  Do his hockey buddies call him and ask him what he's doing toiling for the Blue Jackets, expecting that at some point he's going to skip town in favor of a "real job?"

That being said, someone in that locker room should point out that games against teams below us in the standings (LA, Chicago, St. Louis) are still worth two points.  Further, you don't get a bonus point for beating teams ahead of you in the standings.  Currently, the Jackets are a mere three points out of the 8th spot and an eventual assassination at the hands of the Red Wings. (Don't be fooled, in a true playoff atmosphere, the Jackets would get shelled against Detroit)  In the last four games, the Jackets have managed just two points.  Which means that if they could only have scraped together one win and one OT loss against inferior opponents they've got the necessary points to at least be tied for that last spot.

If this team had better leadership, the inconsistent play would not be such an issue.   The blame should rest squarely on the shoulders of the players with the 'C' and the 'A's' on their sweaters.

Who Played in the Blue Jackets Uniforms Tonight?

Of course the Red Wings are missing two of their top flight defenseman right now, but even without them all season this is a 70 point team instead of an 80 point team.  I can't recall a game like the Jackets played tonight.  A 5-1 victory over one of the most talented, and unquestionably best teams in the league?  These are not the same Jackets that laid eggs against LA and Chicago.  These Jackets seemed to acknowledge that getting the puck in the net is better than just putting it on goal.  These Jackets figured that Detroit could be had if you effectively move the puck out of your own zone.  These Jackets looked superior all over the ice.  These Jackets made it look easy.  

I don't know whether to be elated right now that the Jackets are still in the playoff race and they're coming off a signature win or if I should be cranked because this kind of game has always been there and this is one of the few times that we've seen it.  In the past, when the Jackets picked up a big win it was always because they outworked and outhit the opponent.  they may have won the game, but you always got the feel that the training staff would be working overtime just to get these guys back out on the ice for their next drop.  Tonight, Chimera's grizzled mug not withstanding, the Jackets won like a team with skill.  Let's hope they don't get lulled to sleep in the euphoria of the big win.

Trade Deadline

With the 26th looming, GM Scott Howson says that he's only talking contract with Adam Foote and his agent.  After two years of Foote underachieving, and one year of solid play, are we really sure that we want to give him another three year deal only to see him slow down even more?  I realize that Hitch loves his leadership and when (if) this team finally does make the playoffs Foote's experience will be necessary, but we can no longer count on him to be our top defenseman.  He's a second pair defenseman on nearly every other Western Conference team.  If he expects to get a contract equivalent to his current deal, I for one say trade him now.  This team is not likely to make the Stanley Cup playoffs with or without him and for a team that has struggled with leadership, why would we want to keep the guy who's been the Captain for the last two years?  Doesn't a change of leadership seem to make sense?  

It's time

It's time for fewer excuses

It's time to decide on Foote's future in Columbus

It's time to admit that 80-85 points this season is a success

It's time to get something for Fedorov ... anything for him will do

It's time for a nasty road trip

It's time for Vyborny to go home

It's time to tell my son that the Jackets lost by five goals 

It's time for a fan-written blog with regular updates