At this point I'm wondering if the BlueJackets still don't have a handle on properly developing highly skilled prospects - specifically Sillinger and Chinakhov, secondarily Boqvist & Bean.
It appears that throwing Sillinger & Chinakhov directly into the deep end (NHL) is taking it's toll, as they've both looked overwhelmed at times.
Maybe going to Cleveland, once they get back to playing, would help their confidence.
Getting beat up by Carolina and Tampa doesn't help much.
Another thing I wonder - is the coaching staff overwhelmed ?? They can't seem to solve the problem of allowing multiple goals closely bunched within a couple of minutes. Seems to happen way too often.
What's going on now was always supposed to happen, and always going to happen. The team is playing a hard schedule of games as opposed to the easy early schedule and the slump has come. The two young rookies that earned a spot on the NHL club are in a slump or physically overmatched, and the young defense is falling apart.
But to trade everyone over 22 years of age (a slight bit of hyperbole here) no matter what little you get for them, including your only proven goal scorer in Patrick Laine is foolish. COVID hit the team as these games came up, and that should affect everyone's view of these games.
So the team is bad as we all knew it would be. It might get better, or it might not. But doggone it we have a ton of prospects now. If you trade everything away now for more draft picks, marginal prospects, and have Boone Jenner as the only veteran leader left you are turning the CBJ into Ottawa South or Arizona East (Or Quebec City Southwest or Houston Northeast) or Buffalo (the worst it could ever get).
For now the only thing to do is be patient until the trade deadline is a week away and see what happens. But don't burn the whole franchise down for nothing of value at this point.
BTW, who thinks the CBJ will get anything better than a 3rd round pick for Liane at the deadline?
