What is there to say about this year’s Columbus Blue Jackets? I think we’ve pretty much said everything there is, ad nauseam on The Cannon Cast. (Heard everywhere you get your podcasts, remember to subscribe, rate, and share!
That’s why it was so refreshing to hear from ole pal Elaine as she dropped knowledge on the latest Cannon Cast about the AHL this season, the Cleveland Monsters six-game winning streak, and offered insight into potential future Blue Jackets like Carson Meyer, Tyler Angle, and Gavin Bayreuther who debuted Monday night.
I’m excited for the prospects of Daniil Tarasov and as Elaine said, he is really good. She was surprised by just what she saw in Cleveland.
“I like to kick, stretch, and kick! I’m a gooood goalie” – Daniil Tarasov, probably#CLEMonsters #CBJ pic.twitter.com/rlqcWFVz2b
— Elaine Shircliff (@imaraindancer) April 15, 2021
I’ve been a John Tortorella supporter for his tenure — Rachel covered this really well a couple months ago — but that time has come to end things, probably mutually. Tortorella is a coach at heart and it’s easy for me to say he’s probably had enough anyway. Maybe he has. Maybe he’ll stay with the organization upstairs, work for another team, or get back into a TV gig. He seemed to like that latter option following his Vancouver Canucks coaching career.
While we all want wins, and while I’m not actively advocating for losses, I am not all that stressed about the clunkers we saw in Dallas. A bit of a better effort against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday but the team is clearly done for the season. Ultimately, draft positioning is where this team is heading and while you don’t want to finish last in any division ever, there remains the stronger possibility of higher draft positioning as a result.
#Canucks and #GoKingsGo jump #CBJ in standings with wins tonight, dropping Blue Jackets to fifth-worst in the NHL.
Hearing the draft lottery will be late May or early June. pic.twitter.com/qO2zC5CGWW
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) April 21, 2021
This feels a whole lot like Jarmo’s way of saying, “This time, we will make sure there is no spoiling the tank down the stretch,” without actually saying it.
They are merely “evaluating;” while steadily increasing their draft lottery odds at the same time. #CBJ
— Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) April 21, 2021
I posed the question below on a Cannon Cast episode recently and is it really the worst thing if Columbus is deeper in the lottery?
Over under 1.5 more wins for Columbus this season?
— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) April 21, 2021
At the trade deadline, Columbus was among the clear winners for compensation received — five draft picks including two first-rounders — in exchange for captain Nick Foligno, David Savard, and Riley Nash.
Jack Roslovic has had a bit of a revitalization in Columbus, and on the latest Cannon Cast, Elaine thought he could be the future first-line center for the team. With another goal on Tuesday night, he now has 10 goals and 20 assists in 40 games. His 30 points are a career-high.
#CBJ Jack Roslovic has set a career-high in points with his first-period goal. He’s at 10-20-30 in his 40th game.
Roslovic’s previous career-high (12-17-29) was set last season in 71 games with #GoJetsGo
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) April 20, 2021
So at this point let’s just have fun with it. It’s been a weird season and not the most fun for the Blue Jackets and their fans. Once these remaining regular season games are over, it’ll officially be the Blue Jackets’ off-season. The Jackets have more draft picks now than just over a week ago, and we’ll watch the reset commence.
But first, we’ll have the always awesome Stanley Cup playoffs. In addition to lots of other ex-Blue Jackets, we’ll have Nick Foligno, Riley Nash, and David Savard skating towards a chance for Lord Stanley this summer. That could be interesting! I think I’m personally on the Panthers bandwagon the rest of the way, but I’m looking forward to the playoffs and how that shakes out.
Last week I also had an awesome chat with Nick Olczyk, the son of Eddie Olczyk, who is a broadcaster in his own right for the ECHL’s Indy Fuel. He also an Associate Producer for NBCS Chicago, and he explained how he literally breaks down and makes the highlights we see on TV during intermissions. Nick also talked about ‘Edzo,’ Doc Emrick, and a lot more.
On the subject of fun, I’ve been having more fun having these conversations and it’s great to pick the brain of experts in their fields. So try not to sweat the small things. Here’s to hockey and a full, normal season next fall in Columbus!