In the last couple of games it feels like something is missing for the Columbus Blue Jackets. If you look closely you can see what that is….Offense
The Columbus Blue Jackets began the 2017-2018 season with a record breaking streak but have cooled drastically in the last couple of games. For the last couple of games Coach John Tortorella has only dressed 11 forwards and suited up an extra defenseman to fill the void.
This is just another example of the immediate need for a quality center on the 4th line. Not that long ago we had that center in number 45, Lukas Sedlak.
Prior to a fairly serious injury in late October, Lukas was off to a great start. During the first 8 games of the season Lukas was able to score 2 goals and help the offense overall by being a threat with his ability to move the puck.
All of that was put on hold when Sedlak injured his ankle during a practice. The loss was made even more difficult by the announcement that he will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks.
While the stats may show that the Columbus Blue Jackets haven’t taken a huge hit, if you watch the team they just look a little off. This may have be due to fielding 7 defensemen, but I think that it is due to the balance that Sedlak seemed to have created on the team as a whole.
When Sedlak was in the game all of the lines were established and everybody could learn to work within their makeup. Now that he is out, the gap has made it so that the lines remaining are in constant flux as Coach Tortorella tries to give everyone some rest without fielding four full lines.
This makes it difficult for the lines to get the familiarity that comes with playing with certain people over a long period of time. Several important players, including Artemi Panarin, have had to try to learn to work with a new team while not being able to settle into a comfortable groove with any specific player.
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So what do we do?
Torts has attempted to make some adjustments by trying different people at center for the 4th line. None of them have been able to come close to filling the shoes of Lukas Sedlak. While 4-6 weeks sounds like a short time in the hustle and bustle of the outside world, it is an eternity in the hockey world.
Unfortunately, the CBJ don’t have the time to just ride out the injury and pick it back up when Sedlak is back. The team needs to find a way to roll four lines and they need to do it quick or we could see the bank of points we socked away at the start of the season dry up quickly.
Next: Top Liners Need to Produce
Let me know what you think the answer to the offensive woes are. We are already letting our defense become rovers instead of sitting back at the blue line. Is there something that Torts is missing? Your chance to show how smart you are is just below in the comments.