John Moore Actually had a very good year. Considering that John got a whooping 5 games at Springfield where he was expected to be for most of the season, and then played 67 games at Columbus which was a little above where he was thought to be ready. The previous year, JohnnieMoore had a +/- rating of -27. This number was of some concern for a lot of Blue Jacket fans, so when the plan was for Moore to return to Springfield and mature his game, most fans were quite happy. And then came the devastating season for the Columbus blue liners. John Moore was recalled from Springfield and never returned.
After playing a few games, he viewed a few games from the press box, but mostly he played. And honestly he played pretty well. Again, the Blue Jackets defensive corps writhed and bucked as one defenseman and then another missed time. Fortunately, John didn’t have any serious injuries, but he was passed from one partner to the next like a square dancer without deodorant. Aaron Portzline in his Report card column said “Moore had two goals, five assists and a minus-23 rating, but his plus-minus ratio was really a tale of two seasons. He was minus-3 in the first 41 games, respectable given how horrible the club was to that point. But he was minus-20 in the final 41, suggesting the gas tank was low. … There were noticeable strides made by Moore in his own zone, especially in the first half of the season.
He did not get overwhelmed when pressured, and he seemed to want to carry the puck most nights. … Moore had only one point – an assists – in the final 26 games of the season. … When he left Nationwide Arena after this season, there was an understanding by Moore than he needs to continue developing his physique, to get stronger in his chest and trunk. He’s going to be a big-minute defensemen with that skating stride.” While I have no doubt that all this is true, I think there was also an effect of changing so many partners.And of course there were a lot of times when the Blue Jackets offense kinda left it up to the defense to hold on to the game as to say the least, the Jackets offense was not a game controlling one.
You know, sometimes you get vibes, and I felt good when Johnnie Moore was on the ice. He saw some pretty good offensive D-men, so there is no reason that he does not have an example in how to score. He was only 21 this past season and he could have worn down toward the end, but I am looking forward to John Moore as a Columbus D Man next year.