5 Pressing tasks for Don Waddell as he takes over the Columbus Blue Jackets
Don Waddell was hired as president, GM and alternate governor of the Blue Jackets this week. He has a lot get done, with only about three months to do it.
The biggest question we entered the offseason with has been answered. We now know who our GM is.
Don Waddell takes over every meaningful aspect of hockey management for the Blue Jackets. With a wealth of experience, knowledge, and a history of building competitive hockey teams, he was the clear front running candidate the moment he was made available.
Leaving one of the best teams in the NHL for one of the worst teams in the NHL, may look daunting at first. But, this team could be vastly better next season with just a little bit of tweaking.
Waddell has his work cut out for him, but it's not as bad as it may look from just a glance at last season's standings. Here are 5 things that need to be dealt with head on, as soon as he settles in.
1. The NHL Draft
Waddell's hiring on Tuesday comes one month to the day ahead of the NHL Draft. At this point, the scouting staff that worked under Jarmo Kekalainen should already have their reports mostly compiled.
The group will hold their final meetings in the days before the draft, to combine their thoughts and put together their final list. In years past, we've heard tell that they usually have 100 players on their list; typically taking whichever one is left at the top when they come to the podium.
I don't see this strategy changing too much, in spite of Waddell's hiring. The best general managers in the league typically rely heavily on their scouting staffs for this event. That's why they employ scouts to begin with.
Where things might get interesting here, is in Don's plan with the team. Does he see value in moving picks around? Does he try to make an impact trade on the draft floor, to land help for the upcoming season?
This will be the storyline to watch throughout the two days of the draft, to be held in Vegas on June 28th and 29th. Making moves at the draft, could help him decide what to do with some of the players not currently under contract here. Which leads me to task #2.
2. What to do with all of the RFAs?
Right now, as of this moment, per capfriendly.com; the Blue Jackets have 10 restricted free agents. No fewer than 7 of them are NHL regulars - and almost all of them are vital to this team's future.
The easy solution here, would be to sign all of them and just move along. But it's not that easy.
For example, if you're Don Waddell, what do you do with a guy like Alexander Nylander; who came in and played really well for this team ... but has a history of not playing all that well in his career?
What about Tyler Angle, a prospect you've probably never seen play? Or Marcus Bjork, a veteran pro who played the entire season in the AHL this year?
Even the guys who are obviously going to be re-signed, have situations that need worked out. Do you give Kirill Marchenko a long-term deal at this point? Or is a bridge deal better, to give you time to gauge his overall upside?
What about Kent Johnson, or Cole Sillinger, or Yegor Chinakhov?
The RFA situation will be fascinating to watch. In my opinion, this is a glaring example why the Blue Jackets have struggled over the last couple of years. Jarmo drafted really well for this team, but a lot of these guys have had wild ups and downs.
Getting them all playing together, with consistency, is what is going to push this team up the standings. Waddell has to make decisions on some of these guys now, before he's really had a chance to feel their situations out.
I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. And, we're just getting started here.
3. What to do with the coaching staff?
I touched on the incohesiveness of this team on the last page. It's the elephant in the room.
The Blue Jackets have a talented roster. In fact, I think there are a lot of teams in the league who would love to have this much talent on their hands. The problem here is, they just haven't found a formula for success.
A lot of that falls right onto the shoulders of the coaching staff.
I'm not just talking about Pascal Vincent here. He's only part of the coaching staff, and he was thrown into his role as bench boss just days before training camp started. So, it's unfair to blame this team's downfall fully on him.
He was somewhat given a vote of confidence by Waddell, who seems to be taking the "feel it out" approach here. Which makes sense.
Minnesota Wild v Columbus Blue Jackets / Jason Mowry/GettyImages
But, it's still a decision that has to be made. Does he hang onto Vincent and give him a chance to run it back, with a full summer of planning? It would give him time to evaluate the roster further, without the pressure of "new coach, win now".
More to the point here, I think something has to change about this team's defensive zone play. That falls on assistant coach Steve McCarthy.
Like Vincent, Waddell mentioned McCarthy in his introductory presser. The two know each other because McCarthy played for Waddell's Atlanta Thrashers. So, maybe there's enough familiarity there to save Steve's job for now.
With that said, it has to be made clear right away, whether it's with this coaching staff or not: giving up 300+ goals against for the fourth consecutive year, cannot happen. This team will have another lottery pick next summer, if it does.
You know what, I'm just going to say it: the commonality in the three previous seasons? Steve McCarthy was hired to run the defense. That's been the problem, from an outsider's perspective. The scheme is wrong.
Let's go onto another task that might help with this team's goals against average.
4. Make a decision on Elvis Merzlikins...
This one, in my opinion, could be the most meaningful change the Blue Jackets could make this summer. Elvis Merzlikins has all the talent in the world, but things are no longer working for him in Columbus.
Don Waddell might have tipped his hand already here, having mentioned several times that he needs to find a way to help get Elvis back on track. He also mentioned trying to trade for him.
Waddell also mentioned in this interview when he was GM in Carolina he worked on a deal with Jarmo Kekalainen that would have sent Elvis Merzlikins to the Hurricanes. https://t.co/rlmcTGcJDo
In my opinion, running it back the wrong way to go here. It's been three seasons of downward spiraling from the talented Latvian goaltender, and to be honest, it's hard to look at his declining play and not see that he's a big part of the reason this team has been struggling.
It's a touchy, difficult situation.
We all know the tragic story of why Merzlikins has seen his play decline. I feel terrible for the way things have worked out for him in Columbus. It's been wholly unfair.
But, at some point, you have to look at this from a logical perspective and make the change. A buyout makes the most sense for the team and the player. Here's why.
The Blue Jackets would be able to go in a different direction in goal for the upcoming season. There are some good options available via free agency this summer, if they're looking for a veteran backup or depth piece.
For Merzlikins, he gets paid out half of his contract, which will give him the financial freedom to sign a less expensive "show me" deal elsewhere. He can bet on himself, and I believe that if he can regain his confidence - that "show me contract could be the kick he needs - he will regain his form as a starting goaltender in this league.
I don't see how continuing into next season with him back makes sense for the Blue Jackets. From the outsider's perspective, it feels like Elvis and the rest of the team are on two different wave lengths. They just look more comfortable in front of the other goaltenders who have played here.
Part of that may be due to Merzlikins' firey personality. He can make a dynamic save - only to follow it up with an angry response to someone skating through his crease. Then, he's prone to a soft goal soon after. We've seen it all play out just like that, too many times over the last three years.
It wouldn't surprise me if the team has just soured on that whole situation. Whatever direction they go in here doesn't fix everything. There's still an elite shooter hanging around here.
5. Getting Patrik Laine back on track...
Patrik Laine has been out of the Blue Jackets lineup since December 14th. An early season concussion, followed up by a broken clavicle; ultimately turned into a stint with the NHLPA's Players Assistance Program.
All of this combined into a lost season for the Finnish sniper.
This situation is something I've thought about quite a bit since Laine entered the program in January. Trading him now doesn't make sense - it would be selling really low on a very high end asset.
The one exception here would be Laine coming to the team and asking to be traded. If that's the case, the Jackets should absolutely do the right thing for the player. His health and future are what matters most, full stop.
However, if Laine still wants to play in Columbus, the first step has to be keeping him healthy. There aren't ways to prevent the opposition throwing dirty hits. Or an unfortunate tumble into the end boards.
But, one thing they can do that would absolutely help him, would be putting him back into the correct role.
Look, Patrik Laine isn't your #1 center. Sorry Pascal, that's just not going to happen. Laine isn't going to be your #2, or #3, or - dare I say it based on his ice time for a few games - your #4 center, either.
Put the big man back on the wing. Give him his own line, with players who can get him the puck with time and space. And for the love of all things, let him use that patented one-timer. That's what made him the #2 overall pick in the 2016 Draft.
I don't care if he's not great defensively. I don't care if he isn't physical. I just want to see him score 40-50 goals, which we all know he's capable of doing. You can get that out of him by giving him smarter minutes, on a line that isn't the top line (Johnny Gaudreau's line can handle the heavy matchups).
This is the key to fixing that whole situation, in my opinion. It's an easy fix if approached intelligently. Quit trying to jam a round peg into the square hole.
Don Waddell may not need to do much to fix the Blue Jackets. But, these situations all need to be dealt with in some way this summer. Even if the outcome is no major change - we need to have some kind of direction here.
Otherwise, we'll be in for another long season next year.
