What Columbus Really Needs for Next Year
By gary2
What the Columbus Blue Jackets REALLY need for next year is players with character, Player leaders with character and the desire to take the Blue Jackets to a place they’ve never been, and both with a blue collar work ethic. Sure, they need players with skill and talent. Sure they need a goaltender that consistently anchors the team. AND sure they need not to have some of the players they currently have with the skill set and baggage they apparently have. While we as fans, don’t know the players intimately, I believe the Columbus fans as a whole have a pretty good reorganization of these types of players.
RJ Umberger is a fan favorite and has been. If you choose words to describe him, you choose “hard working and blue collar”. Remember the soccer incident @ Nationwide with the St Louis Blues, responsibility and leadership,. So maybe we have 1 player who fits the bill.
I remember when it was announced the K Huselius had injured himself and would miss a lot of the season. Scott Howson had his choice of of about 4 free agents. He choose Vinny Prospal. There was some concern about his age and he was coming off a year when he played only 29 games due to injury. Good choice, how did he respond, playing 82 games, and being one of the few bright spots early in the season. [he made all the lines he played on better, Ryan Johansen scored his 3 GWG on his line] Needless to say, Columbus fell in love with Vinny. VP even called out some team mates for not practicing seriously and hard.
Allison over at Heart of a Jacket wrote a blog in November, PROSperity re VP. Then in February FTC had a blog on the resigning of upcoming free agent Vinny Prospal. Included in the announcement was a statement that after VP retires, he will be retained in the Blue Jacket organization. With 15+ seasons and 1060 games of experience, a great resource.
There are others on the team who play hard, and have character. Derek Dorsett is one. He is know for giving it all, all the time. He actually credits V Prospal with inspiring him to improve and up his game this year. Apparently Jack Johnson and James Wisniewski fit the bill for character, professionalism, leadership and skills. And yes, there are others, others who we do not know so well, but have the required character and skills.
This off season, Scott Howson needs to make the right deals to change the Blue Jackets. He has VP ready to be part of his staff, wouldn’t hurt to ask such a resource about the character of potential acquisitions. The same is true of some of the other key players mentioned, not to ask their advice about a trade per Se, but to seek insight into a potential acquisition’s character.
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