CBJ Opinions

  As the league moves in the quiet and calm of midsummer, there is no better time to assess the moves that have been made by Jarmo and Co especially that this offseason is one of significant importance both the future of the team and the how it may impact the current front offices standing with ownership. So, without further ado, let’s jump into it. Coaching Probably the hardest move Jarmo had to make was made almost as soon as the season ended and that was to end the Brad Larsen experiment. He bucked traditional thinking by hiring him over more proven options on the market and never really worked, especially in year 2 when it seemed like Larsen completely lost the room. So given that Jarmo only has 2 seasons left on his current contract and needing to prove he can build an on-ice winner and fast, he made the right move by firing Larsen. This is an organization that needs to see results and couldn’t afford to go into another season with an out of left field big brain hire and they ...

 With the draft finished and the opening rush of free agency largely behind us, the obvious thought now is to wonder what the roster will look like come opening night. While the Jackets did make some big moves, bringing in Severson + Provorov and drafting likely future number 1 center Adam Fantilli, the outlook of the roster is now even murkier as the Jackets have yet to make a move to clear up some space. But it is never too early to take a stab at how the roster will look like on opening night so let’s dive into another opening night roster prediction. Forward Line 1: Gaudreau – Jenner – Marchenko Although the Jackets drafted Fantilli to be the one to fill the 1C for the foreseeable future, it is more than fair to say that he won’t open the season centering the top line. Look instead for Babcock to roll with one of the Jackets more offensively effective lines from last season to begin this season. The 3 of Gaudreau/Jenner/Marchenko showed decent chemistry towards the end of the s...