There’s a strange narrative coming from the front office and even some of the local media about criticisms from both the fan base and the national media. Jarmo Kekalainen and John Davidson took it on the chin when they were forced to end the Babcock relationship before the season even started. They issued apologies and expressed regret. But since then, as the temperature was cranked up by both the Elvis and Jiricek fiascos, they’ve resigned to a more defensive posture.
After Aaron Portzline of The Athletic published an article exposing Jiricek’s frustrations with his treatment by the team, John Davidson took to 97.1 The Fan’s Rothman & Ice show, saying, “When [Jiricek] was asked to go down, all of a sudden things blew, it’s like a volcano went off. And everybody from around the sports world with hockey have their opinions. But for me, I don’t get it. I swear to god I don’t get it.”
Davidson went on in a recent article in The Dispatch: “People are going to hear what they hear, read what they read, think what they think and have opinions, and that’s what makes the hockey world go ’round,” Davidson said. “But some of it, as far as I’m concerned, is folly. If you want to talk about our third periods, this and that, that’s factual. Go for it. Goals against? Talk about it. It is what it is. It’s the truth. Let’s face the truth here … but let’s tell the truth, too.”
In that same article, Brian Hedger argued that the Blue Jackets, in fact, are not a bad team:
One of the biggest misperceptions about the Jackets is: “They’re terrible.”
They’re actually not terrible. They’ve become a tough out most nights, despite 13 late collapses.
Hedger received a lot of criticism on X, which he did not take kindly to. He spent that day lashing out at fans who challenged his narrative, saying that the team is near .500 since their early season woes. That may be true, but given the fact that there are 25 teams that have a total record of .500 or better this season, I’m not sure that’s something to hang your hat on.
That brings me to my point. Fans have every right to be upset about the current state of the team. It seems that there are those out there who wish to gaslight the fan base into thinking that significant progress has been made this season. Sure, individuals are developing – Chinakhov, Fantilli, Marchenko, and Voronkov, to name a few. But it’s hard to look at the results and statistics and think the team as a whole is much better off than last season.
Here are a few facts on the current state of the team:
- Since Jenner’s return from a fractured jaw, they are 2-4-1 (.357).
- The penalty kill continues to backslide with no end in sight. After ranking second in the league early on, it has been dead last at 69.1% since November 30th.
- They are 25th on the power play at 15.1%. Last season, they ended at 18.3%. They haven’t ended a season above 20% since 2014-15.
- On defense, any improvement this season has been marginal, even after adding Severson and Provorov. In all situations, they are giving up only 0.36 fewer goals against per 60. That is good for 31st – the same as last season.
This current “rebuild” was not originally billed as that – they called it a “retool.” But now the fans need to be patient because rebuilds take time? The signing of Johnny Gaudreau and then the additions of Severson and Provorov were supposed to make this team competitive sooner rather than later.
In Jarmo’s 11-year tenure in Columbus, the team’s points percentage has slipped to .528, good for 24th in that time frame. Is that the best stretch of hockey in the franchise’s existence? Sure, but the bar is also very low. He’s the third longest-tenured GM in the league now, only surpassed by Doug Armstrong of the Blues and Kevin Cheveldayoff of the Jets, two teams that have seen significantly more success over the last 11 years.
23 seasons into their existence, the Blue Jackets have managed one playoff-round win and one play-in-round win. They have the worst points percentage of all 32 NHL teams since the year 2000 and the least amount of playoff success. To be lectured by the front office and local media about how fans are impatient and uninformed is a slap in the face to the most loyal fanbase in the NHL. Over the last several losing seasons, fans have continued to show up and even sell out Nationwide Arena.
So, what right do fans have to criticize this current front office? They have every right. Fans who pay their hard-earned money to support their team are allowed to demand more consistent success after 23 seasons of losing. Isn’t the goal to win a Stanley Cup?
The fans deserve a better product on the ice, and they deserve to not be chastised by the front office or the local media.