Let’s start with the good news: All the players acquired from the New York Rangers in a trade for Rick Nash played well in other leagues during the lockout. Brandon Dubinsky had 16 points in 17 games for the Alaska Aces. In the KHL, Artem Anisimov had 30 points in 36 games. Playing for the Springfield Falcons, Tim Erixon had 22 points in 33 games.
Also in the KHL, newly acquired and likely number one goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky put up excellent numbers. He posted a record of 18-3-2, with a 1.94 goals against average, and .932 save percentage. Impressive.
The “let’s wait and see” news: Adrian Aucoin spent more time in the board room than on the ice, it appears. He’s been brought on largely to mentor the Blue Jackets young defensive group, but he will be expected to play, too. As one of the older players on the roster, losing a half of season could really hurt him. Likewise, Nick Foligno has been off the radar during the lockout, so we’ll see how quickly he gets up to speed in the shortened season.
The bad news: First round pick Ryan Murray busted his shoulder and is out for the season. It’s unknown if the injury will have any long-term effects, but a dislocated shoulder does make the injury more likely to occur in the future. Hopefully he’ll spend his time off studying the game and his rehab will go smoothly.
The other bad news is that it’s January, and we’re just now talking about playing hockey, but I digress.
Check out our profiles on five of the key Blue Jackets additions, and if that isn’t enough good news, don’t forget the Blue Jackets will also take a look at standout prospect Boone Jenner during training camp.