Appropriate almost eerily so, that over a month ago, the theme for next year was released and it spelled out the key to success for the Blue Jackets. The Jackets have become a no name team. With the departure of Rick Nash, no “star” names remain. Any success will have to come from the on the ice battles of each player on each line on each line shift.
We have what most of us expected, 20 goal scorers in place of a 30+ goal scorer. 550+ games experience replacing 674 games of experience. Names most of us will have to struggle to spell/say replacing the easy N-A-S-H. We also obtained players with playoff wins of experience, replacing a Captain who sorta checked out following the 4 games of no wins playoff experience.
Obviously Rick Nash will always be a part of Blue Jacket history. He did good things for Columbus, both on and off the ice. There were times he took the team on his shoulders and carried them. There were times he did not. I am not going to bash Nash. I never wore his skates/carried his burdens. But it is time to move on.
The irate fan responses have started. There evidently were fans who expected to get 2-3 stars in the Nash trade and are irate because it didn’t happen. Maybe these are rabid fins, maybe these are casual fans, but they just aren’t being realistic with all the auras surrounding the trade.
Tom over at the Dark Blue Jacket wrote an excellent piece {Link} reflecting on the trade. He ends his post with the following paragraph.
I want to root for a team that’s built the right way, with increasingly talented players up and down the roster who want to be here and want to win here. In fact, I have absolutely no problem with rooting for the plucky underdogs, a position in which the Blue Jackets apparently have chosen to cast themselves for at least the next season. The 2012-13 Columbus Blue Jackets will have to play every shift harder than their opponent. They are going to have to pass, shoot, skate, block and hit better than they thought possible in order to succeed. Every last one of those players. They’re going to have to have some darned good coaching. And I look forward to cheering that effort on.
The Blue Jackets are taking steps, maybe some are baby steps, but if we can field a team the gives effort and good hockey, that is a step in the right direction. I’m with Tom, I can follow a team that tries, and from all the bios of the players that have been obtained this summer, I believe character has been enhanced and I look forward to “JOINING THE BATTLE”