The Next Step in the Evolution of the Blue Jackets: Changing of the Guard

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Rebuilding is never fun, but it's something every NHL team eventually has to go through. You simply can't be good forever without facing some hard times (yes, even you, Vegas Golden Knights - it will come).

The Columbus Blue Jackets are in year four of a rebuild, and though it may not seem like it, I do think they're through the worst of it. How soon they climb out of that rebuild and start to contend, is up to an incoming GM who has a lot of talent to work with.

In the meantime, I think this team could do itself a massive favor towards the future. They would be wise to change their ice time philosophy for the remainder of the season. Call it the changing of the guard.

They somewhat forced their own hand on Friday, by dealing away two players who had become crutches over the course of the rebuild. It was easy to roll out a guy like Jack Roslovic on the top line; or throw Andrew Peeke on the ice in heavy defensive minutes.

Roslovic had the skill to play higher in the lineup in spot duty, so when you needed to sit one of your young players for making a "Harlem Globetrotters" mistake, you had that option.

Peeke could fill into the lineup when you wanted to send your top prospect to the AHL for seasoning. Or, if you wanted to scratch one of those Globetrotters for whatever reason.

But those options are gone now, and on Saturday, the team had to play some of the young guys more, right? Wrong.

The Jackets lost 2-1 to the Nashville Predators, in a game that was ultimately decided by the first 15 minutes. The Preds owned a 19-0 shot advantage, and a 1-0 lead to that point.

The teams played a mostly even game for the next 45 minutes, but the Blue Jackets just weren't able to overcome the deficit. By the end of the game, it was somewhat easy to see that they relied too heavily on a few of the usual suspects. You know who I'm talking about...

Zach Werenski led the team with 24:32, which is fine for a #1 defenseman. But they played Boone Jenner way too much. He was second on the team, playing a whopping 21:38.

Now, I get that Boone is the captain. He's reliable in all situations; whether you need a faceoff, a strong offensive zone shift, a defensive zone start, or a power-play goal. You can always count on Boone.

The problem here is, we know that we can count on Boone. We need this team to figure out if they can start to count on the other guys. The guys who are going to be at the top of the lineup when this team starts to contend.

Vegas Golden Knights v Columbus Blue Jackets / Jason Mowry/GettyImages

I also have to mention, Boone is a guy with a long history of injuries, including back problems - bad enough that the team often talks about limiting his minutes when they can. What better time that right now, when the games don't matter any more?

Why not throw red-hot Cole Sillinger's line on the ice in more meaningful minutes? Or, give the Russian line a heavy look in the offensive zone?

Better yet, let's give Trey Fix-Wolansky a more realistic chance to make a difference. This could be his last opportunity with this team, and he's proven that he deserves a serious look. They played short a forward on Saturday, and he still only got 12:08.

I don't care about wins and losses for the rest of this season. Sure, watching the team win is more fun than watching them lose. But, at some point, they have to turn the heavy minutes over to their younger players.

It's the next step in their evolution as a team.

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Zach Werenski led the team with 24:32, which is fine for a #1 defenseman. But they played Boone Jenner way too much. He was second on the team, playing a whopping 21:38.

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