CBJ Opinions

  For as long as the Blue Jackets have existed, a true top line center has seemingly eluded the team. Everyone from a way past his prime Sergei Fedorov to borderline 4 th liner in Manny Malhotra has been thrown into the spot to attempt to solve this seemingly never-ending problem. In recent years, the Jackets have moved to address the spot by drafting Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger as well as plugging Jenner and Roslovic in but to this point, none of these options have emerged as viable as of yet. With the Jackets assured of a top 4 pick in the upcoming draft, the Jackets seem likely to finally address the issue at hand by drafting one of Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson or Smith. But there may be another option out there, one with a significant resume and may be available to boot. Let’s take a look at Elias Lindholm and what acquiring him could mean to the Jackets.      Lindholm is an elite two-way center who just one season ago, centered one of the most complete and dy...

During his end of the season interview, Kekalainen noted the Jackets would like to add some experience to the dressing room. Coupling this notion with the fact that the Jackets are overloaded with middle to bottom 6 forwards, this would seem to ensure that the Jackets are likely to move on from a couple players in order to revamp the makeup of the roster. Let’s take a look at some of the candidates who the Jackets may consider moving on from. Jack Roslovic This one is probably the most obvious when looking at the roster. Roslovic has one more season left on what likely was a 2 year prove-it deal and while he has had many opportunities to cement a spot on the lineup, he has failed to prove himself. The game to game and even shift to shift effort and consistency was constantly lacking and he couldn’t even hold down a top 6 center role despite all the injuries the Jackets had to deal with. He’s also not young anymore and going into a contract year he looks to barely have a hold on a roste...

As the trade deadline wound down for the Blue Jackets following the moves of Nyquist, Korpisalo and Gavrikov, an interesting rumor popped up. Kevin Hayes, the much-maligned forward floating in and out of John Tortorella’s doghouse, was not only linked to Columbus, but details about what a potential move could look like emerged as well. Now, in the world of the NHL, trade details typically don’t ever become public until the trade is finalized. The context surrounding these reports seemed to imply that a move is all but likely. Given this presumption, let’s look at the player and what he could bring to the Blue Jackets. Before diving in on the player, what is the reason the Jackets are even considering another forward? For starters, the Jackets are known to be looking to add to their lacking veteran presence and experience on the team. Hayes is no stranger to the playoffs having played in north of 50 playoff games for 3 different teams. Additionally, although he is known for being a wing...