Before I jump into the pregame, I had a “twilight zone” moment. New of Patrick Roy wanting to come back to the NHL. How “alternate dimension” would it feel to see Roy sitting at a table with Yzerman and Draper while being interviewed by Osgood?!! Roy, to his credit, made a huge splash when he coached for the Avs. He was the first coach to pull a goalie during the pregame (joking). But he did it way earlier than we were used to! I think he wants a level of input/control that probably wouldn’t work in Detroit, but it’s fun to speculate. It was a trade by Sakic that sent Roy fuming overseas. He was livid that he wasn’t spoken to about it. Probably not the best fit, but enjoy the alternate reality dealing of imagining Roy coaching for the “Winged Wheel”.
Detroit has had unexpected success against Columbus this season. The Red Wings lead the season series 3-2 over a Blue Jackets team that has been tough to beat for the past several seasons. The team had a tough run in this bizarre, shortened season. A trade that brought Laine into the fold hasn’t yet manifested into the offensive boost Jarmo had hoped for. Full marks to JK, he’s done a lot for this team.
Detroit has had outstanding goaltending and tonight could be the season’s debut for Joe Veleno. If you watch his interview from yesterday (above) he worked really hard on his defensive game in Sweden. It sounds like he and Zadina have both been focusing in that direction. If he’s had the same type of improvement, those two on a line with Vrana could be a lot of speed with two solid back checkers and a winger waiting to be sprung in the neutral zone. With just six games left, the players are eager to make an impression and go out feeling positive. The optimism on the Detroit side seems to be the polar opposite of what Columbus is feeling right now.
Jarmo Kekalainen pushed hard to give Columbus it’s first taste of post season success. He spent high draft picks bringing Matt Duchen and Ryan Dzingel to town just a couple seasons ago. It was an effort to try and get Artmei Panarin to stick with the club. Sergei Bobrovsky was in net and having career years, everything looked good. Unfortunately, all four left in free agency. The Jackets, though, made the post season without them and seemed to be a team that was going to keep building. Back end talent, for sure, to be envious of in Seth Jones and Zack Werenski. But, this year just didn’t get going. The captain was traded, and the club may move on from Tortorella in the post season. If Jarmo can’t get a commitment from Seth Jones before he becomes a UFA after next season, a rebuild could be on the way.
The lack of respect for CBJ mystifies me. Year after year it seems like free agents or roster players want to go somewhere else. It’s a Midwest team, and the Midwest just isn’t as exciting as either coast or much of Canada in terms of fans and lifestyle. Take home pay is better, but Columbus just isn’t cashing in on that perk either.
When Detroit was on the way down, Columbus was smiling and on the rise. The two franchises seem to be sitting eye to eye once more. The Blue Jackets sit two points behind Detroit in the standings, both teams with 50 games played. As the Red Wings start to transition out of “trimming the roster” mode and into building, CBJ may well start trimming in significant ways over the next 12 months. Rumors of Tortorella not returning have more to do with cost cutting (currently at 2.5 million) than performance. JT has chilled out a bit. Perhaps a prolonged separation from “Brooksie” is good for everyone in the industry. If you try to by a bridge in Brooklyn, Larry may well be the troll that guards it. He commutes via a fully electric rascal over to MSG.
If the team can convince Jones to stay, the “rumorists” say that Werenski could be made available for a “true number 1 center”. But, everything has to be balanced with the budget realities. Columbus is one of many teams contemplating a lower “internal cap” to counteract over a year of lost revenues and more possibly on the way.
If there is some sort of “fire sale”, it’s going to be first round picks and high end prospects to start the conversation. I don’t know that Detroit has the assets to get Werenski. There’s some “pressure” to try and get something for Laine this summer. But, if too many important names disappear from the roster, Jones will likely be gone as well. It’s a tough line to walk, and an unfortunate turn from a post season contender that had a lot of promise not that long ago.
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