Blue Jackets’ 2015-2016 Schedule Released

After teasing us yesterday with the home opener schedule, the NHL finally released the full schedule today. Let’s take a look, and then do some breakdowns! My first reaction is that it is a very, VERY nice schedule!

There you go. First thoughts?

• First, the bad. By my count, 18 back-to-backs. What else is new? All involve travel, but by my count, only three involve a time zone change, and all three are from Eastern to Central. St. Louis, Dallas, and Chicago are the three I noticed, none of which is brutal.
• The Jackets can’t afford a slow start, but late October into early November is going to be brutal if for no other reason than travel and number of games. After starting the season with four of seven at home–and no real long travel for the three roadies–they embark on a stretch that will take them all over the map: west to Minnesota and Colorado, all the way back east for New Jersey and Washington, back home for one game, and then all the way out west for a California swing. Oh yeah, and there are FOUR back-to-backs in that stretch.
• Now, onto the good! One silver lining from that last bullet: the NHL finally heard my complaints, and put the California back-to-back games AGAINST BOTH THE LA TEAMS. Hallelujah!
• I like how it finishes. If the Jackets are pushing to make the playoffs, the finish doesn’t appear to be back-breaking, other than the Cup champs on the final day of the season.
• It’s going to be tough early, but I believe it’s good to get that kind of brutal stretch out of the way early in the season, when legs are fresher and the team isn’t worn down. Also, when you look at how the season finishes, the Jackets will have done a lot of their heavy lifting before the All Star Break.
• Speaking of, the back-to-backs are actually pretty front-loaded. Of the 18 I count, 13 come before the All Star Break. That means that the schedule isn’t all that punishing in terms of being condensed with travel after the break. And, read on for the best post-Break part!
• In addition to finally getting the California trip right, the NHL schedule mavens have done the Jackets another HUGE favor: their Western Canada swing comes immediately after the All Star Break, meaning the team gets a FULL WEEK OFF between games before heading out West. This is a total coup.
• The best time to make hay? The Jackets have a stretch right after the All Star Break and the Western Canada swing where, between February 9th and March 24th they play 15 of 20 games at home, including TWO five-game home stands. Given where this falls in the season–when teams are starting to make their final pushes–having this much time at home is simply amazing!/

All in all, I like this schedule. The Jackets still get crunched with back-to-backs, but some of the biggest gripes I’ve always had have been mitigated. The stretch right after the All Star Break is super manageable from a logistical point of view, and the Jackets will get plenty of rest in February and March given the dearth of travel on their schedule.

I like it. What do you all think?