This will be another one of those attempts to fill in the blank as we wait for the season to get started, with a few dates and numbers for you to keep in mind thanks to our friends at Hockey-Reference.com and the record book on the Blue Jackets website.
All projected dates are based on the regular season schedule, assuming that all of the current roster players play on the regular lineup.
Numbers:
1 – R.J. Umberger needs 1 shorthanded point to tie Mike Sillinger and Sergei Fedorov for 3rd on the all time shorthanded points record for the club.
2 – Steve Mason needs 2 shutouts to hit 20 for his career. To put that in perspective, Dwayne Roloson has 28…and he’s 19 years older. On the other side of the ice, Derek Dorsett could tie Rick Nash for the top of the all time shorthanded assists list with a pair of helpers. CBJ alumni Jason Chimera is also looking at the number 2 – he’s two goals away from 100 career goals.
4 – If he can get back onto the ice this season, Kristian Huselius needs 4 more multi-point games in a Jackets uniform to move into 4th all time for the Blue Jackets.
5 – With 5 goals, Antoine Vermette will move from 10th place in CBJ all time goal scoring up to 8th, bumping Tyler Wright and Manny Malhotra, and tying with Juice.
7 – If Kris Russell can score 7 points this season, he’ll pass Ron Hainsey for 3rd on the all time blueliner’s scoring list.
8 – Antoine Vermette needs 8 points to register 300 career NHL points. That could also help Steve Mason get the 8 wins he needs to pass Marc Denis for the most wins by a CBJ goaltender.
9 – R.J. Umberger needs 9 power play goals to tie Geoff Sanderson for 3rd on the all time record, and 13 would move him past David Vyborny into second place.
10 – Again, if he plays this season, Kristian Huselius needs 10 goals to hit the 200 career goal marker.
11 – R.J. Umberger needs 11 assists in a Jackets’ uniform to tie for 4th all time with Ray Whitney and Jake Voracek. If he collects 21, he’ll move into third, bumping Nikolay Zherdev.
12 – Rick Nash is 12 points away from 500 for his career. Is that a silver anniversary, or wood?
19 – Jeff Carter is 19 goals away from the 200 mark, and if past performance is any indicator, is likely to hit it around the team’s New Year’s Eve matchup with Washington…could be a fun way to ring in the new year.
20 – Vinny Prospal needs 20 more points to hit the 700 point mark. Fedor Tyutin needs 20 goals to pass Rusty Klesla for the all time goal scoring lead among CBJ defensemen.
41 – It’s a bit of a long shot, but Rick Nash could hit 300 goals this season if he can pot 41. That’d be an equal amount of production to his Rocket Richard trophy season, but he also hit the 40 goal plateau in 2009, so it’s clearly not impossible…
288 – Jared Boll could tie Jody Shelly for the all time leader in CBJ Penalty Minutes with just under 5 hours of feeling shame. Doubtful, sure, but you never know…
Dates:
October 22, 2011 – Facing the Senators in Ottawa, Fedor Tyutin will celebrate playing in his 500th career NHL game, while Rick Nash will be putting on his skates for the 600th time in a Blue Jackets uniform.
October 25, 2011 – As the Jackets skate out to face the Red Wings at home in Nationwide, Jared Boll will play in his 300th career NHL game.
November 25, 2011 – Facing the Buffalo Sabres at home in Nationwide, Vinny Prospal will skate onto the ice for his 1,000th NHL game. Given that it’s a home game, don’t be surprised if the Jackets do something special for the occasion.
November 29, 2011 – As the Jackets start their first Western Canada road trip of the season in Vancouver, former WHL star (and Alberta native) Kris Russell will play in his 300th NHL game.
December 6, 2011 – Skating into Montreal to face the Canadiens, Kris Russell will play his 303rd game, and pass Jan Hejda for 2nd overall in games played by a defenseman for the Blue Jackets. (The leader, unsurprisingly, is Rostislav Klesla, with 515.)