Zak MacMillan: Losing Scandal?

I'm a Penguins fan, but I've been following the Blue Jackets for the last five or six years as they rebuild. They seemed to have a solid management team in JK and JD. I really thought that they would turn it around. Not so. Bad moves with the roster and a TERRIBLE call on Babcock. I hope Waddell can change the course of the team but he needs to change the culture and that's tough and it takes time. I think Columbus had a reputation as a place you didn't want to go to as a player. A lot of guys have bolted or made it clear they are not happy there. Some had questionable reasons but in the end that doesn't matter a whole lot when that is what the fans and other players see. They need to make the young talent want to stay there and convince them that the franchise is on the right track. Trading Laine was a good start. If Merzlikins becomes a malcontent then find a way to get rid of him. Get people on the same page and convince them there is a plan in place that will work. Not easy to do but if the Penguins did it in the 1980s then ANYONE can do it. Columbus sometimes reminds me of the Penguins organization back then.

Cool article and good question. Looking at the Jones trade from the Chicago side, it’s generally a win for the Hawks. They have the best player from the whole trade (not knowing what Jiricek really is at this point).

CHI fans like to hammer on Jones mostly because of his contract, but I think he’ll be a lot better this year with a bit more of a complete team and familiarity with Vlasic. It was definitely a high price to pay, but ultimately a decent enough trade.

I good friend of mine is a big Jackets fan and he was livid what Atkinson and Foligno were traded.

is anyone really all that shocked about Laine? He does not exactly have a Mark Messier - Bobby Clarke type reputation. the guy floats around scores a ton when interested, but does he really care if the team wins or loses? Has he ever cared? I would not want him around young players.

Zak,

When this hit there were many CBJ fans that were livid about it. I am pretty sure the trades of these players were not because of this meeting, but who knows for sure and there is a lot of anger over what Laine and Elvis have become.

The trade that brought Laine to Columbus was awful for both sides. It seems like the best player in the deal was Jack Roslovic, who played his best and was a good teammate. Dubois had every chance to be a great player in Columbus, and blew it up himself, just as Laine did, only he did it a little quicker.

There are so many people who think the CBJ got fleeced in the Laine trade with Montreal. IMO it's a 100% win for Columbus. Elvis gets one last shot at becoming a decent NHL career, and we got rid of a player that was an albatross around the team's neck. They may not make the playoffs this year, but they will be a much better team if the massive injury bug goes away, something GMDW I hope has been trying to fix.

Cool article and good question. Looking at the Jones trade from the Chicago side, it’s generally a win for the Hawks. They have the best player from the whole trade (not knowing what Jiricek really is at this point).

CHI fans like to hammer on Jones mostly because of his contract, but I think he’ll be a lot better this year with a bit more of a complete team and familiarity with Vlasic. It was definitely a high price to pay, but ultimately a decent enough trade.

I good friend of mine is a big Jackets fan and he was livid what Atkinson and Foligno were traded.
- Chunk

Chunk, I just do not understand what is wrong with Seth Jones. From what I read and see about him he is playing awful hockey on the Hawks. Even in his last year with the CBJ his numbers were not as horrible as they seem to be in Chicago. Is it just the team he plays on, or is these something else going on with him?

And meanwhile Craig Button is ripping his shirt on some podcast implying that playing for an organisation like Columbus is what caused Laine's mental tropes and it's not a Laine problem but an organizational problem when in fact JK and Torts have brought a continuity the franchise had never enjoyed in the past.

It's troubling Jarmo didn't listen to guys like Foligno and Atkinson, I single out those two because of the seniority and the fact they bled for this team. So in a sense, I believe them when they say some players accepted losing.

Aaron was quoted as saying
"I'll tell you what I think of this whole situation, starting off with Laine and -please subscribe to hear the rest of my sentence-"

Good article and it certainly sheds light on the CBJ situation!

Chunk, I just do not understand what is wrong with Seth Jones. From what I read and see about him he is playing awful hockey on the Hawks. Even in his last year with the CBJ his numbers were not as horrible as they seem to be in Chicago. Is it just the team he plays on, or is these something else going on with him?
- jkumpire

His biggest problem (IMO) is that he was brought to a Hawks team that was going downhill and asked to pick up where an HOF defenseman left off (who was at the end of his career). He was never going to be able to replace Keith, but that's what everyone kind of was expecting. Add to that a dogpoop coach for the first couple years, trying to fit in around a Toews and Kane that though the team was good enough to actually compete and were also pissed off all the time and a constantly revolving partner and you get a guy that is/was likely pretty fed up.

I think he really likes Vlasic because he is really steady and sound defensively. I expect a really good year from both considering another year of familiarity, a consistent coaching message, and a forward group that doesn't consist of 50% AHL players.

Oh yeah, and everyone and their mother wants to throw Bowman through a plate glass window for giving up two extra 1sts and signing him to a giant contract when he really shouldn't have or didn't need to.

So very sorry to hear the tragic news about Gadreau. My sincere condolences to his family, the Blue Jackets organization and to all of their fans. How heartbreaking.

RIP! Johnny and Matthew. Condolences

RIP! Johnny and Matthew