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Ryan Johansen
Edmonton is having about as bad of a season as anyone could have imagined, are in desperate need of a center, and want to shake things up so it's worth a shot, I guess, but unsurprisingly the Blue Jackets told the Oilers to fly a kite.
Things between the Jackets and Johansen seem to have cooled down now that the contract dispute is over, so it makes no sense for the Jackets to even consider moving their franchise player; especially given he's locked up for the next few seasons.
Again, you can't blame Edmonton for asking, but we'll file this under the 'not happening' category.
Takeaways From Tampa:
- This win was impressive on quite a few counts but none more so than the way Columbus started this game. Playing against a team that has trailed after a period just twice in almost 30 games all season, Columbus came out, potted a couple goals and put the pressure on Tampa Bay. The Jackets have been forced to play from behind so many times this season and they've rarely found a way to win when put in that situation, so the best way to overcome that is to avoid it all together. The Jackets did that, put the game in the hands of their franchise goaltender and he did the rest.
- Speaking of Bobrovsky, he wants to play out this season and use it to prove he deserves to be paid like one of the NHL's top goaltenders. His start to the year wasn't great (albeit the Jackets were/still are missing a ton of bodies), but he's really starting to put it together. During this three-game win streak he has stopped 109-114 for a .956SV%.
- How about the play of David Savard? He scored the eventual game-winning-goal on a power play in the 1st period, and had a few hits and blocks (including one that saved a goal) while playing over 23 minutes. Very impressive showing from the 24-year-old.
- Jack Johnson didn't fare very well in possession - largely because Tampa Bay trailed and were on the attack almost all game - but he was a big part of this win. He assisted on Savard's game-winner and played big minutes in all situations while logging almost 28 minutes of ice in the win. Considering all the off-ice crap he's going through it's nice to see him do well.
- Kerby Rychel tracker: he played 10:56 in the win. He's now played between 10:26-11:20 in all four games to start his NHL career.
- Brandon Dubinsky is reportedly close to returning, and may be able to play Tuesday when Columbus hosts the struggling Flyers. If the Jackets can win that game they'll pass the Flyers in the standings and, depending on how Washington fares vs Tampa Bay, they could be as little as six points out of a playoff spot.
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