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.