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.