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Columbus Blue Jackets: 2019 Postseason Trophy Candidates

By Lansing Murphy

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 21: Head coach John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets poses after winning the Jack Adams Award as 'the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success' during the 2017 NHL Awards and Expansion Draft at T-Mobile Arena on June 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 21: Head coach John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets poses after winning the Jack Adams Award as 'the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success' during the 2017 NHL Awards and Expansion Draft at T-Mobile Arena on June 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Jack Adams and GM of the Year

Columbus Blue Jackets
NEWARK, NJ – JUNE 30: (l-r) Columbus Blue Jacket executives Jarmo Kekäläinen and John Davidson attend the 2013 NHL Draft at the Prudential Center on June 30, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

These awards are quite possibly the most ridiculous trophies in sports. They are selected purely on preseason expectations and not the actual job either the coach or GM does during the year.

Coach John Tortorella has an incredibly challenging coaching job ahead of him. He has a team with high expectations and huge off-ice distractions with the Bobrovksy and Panarin situations.

If Torts can get this team to play well through all of that and navigate his team to a Metropolitan Division title ahead of the last two Stanley Cup Champions, he deserves serious Jack Adams consideration. But, in all likelihood, the three Jack Adams finalist will come from teams that have low expectations to start the year.

Along the same line, the Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen should be in line for the GM of the year if he can navigate this squad through the Panarin and Bob saga. If Kekalainen can either sign one of them and get a good return for the other or sign both of them, he deserves the award.

That effort on top of how well he has drafted, notably Pierre-Luc Dubois, should put him in consideration for the award. Again, like the Jack Adams, the GM of the year award is based solely on expectations. That puts both Jarmo and Torts at a big disadvantage for these awards.

Next. Perfect Pair? CBJ and Toronto could be Trade Partners. dark

The 2018-2019 version of the Columbus Blue Jackets are looking at a huge season ahead. They could implode with all of the drama going on around the team or they could dominate the regular season and make a deep run in the playoffs. If the latter happens, expect one of these trophy predictions to come to fruition.

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