Player exit interviews took place at Nationwide Arena today. This is probably at least a few weeks earlier than expected for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and that is unfortunate. This season, they played at roughly the level we expected them to, really deserving a better fate in the end. But the bar was set too low.
If you had told us before the season that this team would finish the year with 40 wins and 92 points, I think we would have been okay with that. That's a slight improvement over last year, and in many cases it would be good enough for a playoff spot.
That was not the case this season. The Eastern Conference turned into an absolute gauntlet, and despite being tied for the 14th-best record in the NHL at the final horn of their last game, the Jackets missed the playoffs for the 6th season in a row.
Obviously, everyone is disappointed in the outcome. From the fans, through the locker room, coaching staff, management and beyond. We wanted playoff hockey in Central Ohio this year, and we thought GM Don Waddell had assembled the group to get us exactly that.
He went out and tweaked his roster last summer, trying to find another couple of wins, and a handful of points in the standings. We were excited, and cannot say it didn't work. But, lets be honest: this was about making the playoffs, and they did not do that. They were not constructed well enough to maintain the pace set around them.
The rebuild was declared finished with one trade.
The moment Waddell went out and traded away one of his top prospects and a draft pick to acquire a couple of veteran forwards, the rebuild was finished. Acquiring Charlie Coyle with one year left on his contract-along with Miles Wood-signified to this fanbase that it was time to climb out of the bottom and make a playoff push.
That's why, when this team came into training camp, we were all aboard the "playoffs or bust" train. Nobody can blame the fanbase for having higher expectations.
Last year, this team came out and overachieved, pushing for a playoff spot right down to the wire. With (arguably) the deepest roster we have ever seen in Columbus this year, with six guys capable of playing down the middle, an NHL ready goaltending prospect, and good depth on defense.
But it didn't work. A big part of that reason is that every team around them were quicker to adjust and improve, while the Jackets mostly ran it back with the same guys who fell short last year.
The big issue: they did not aim high enough.
Even in the preseason, our dreams were of a wild card spot. With all of the talent here, and the moves made last summer; we were hoping this team could get into the 7-or-8 seed in the East. Again, I think we would have been fine with that outcome.
But, there was no margin for error here. Everything that went right last year, had to go right again this year. The players Waddell added over the summer were not brought in to lead the way. Coyle and Wood are depth players on a contending team.
The Blue Jackets were not a contending team. So, maybe we shouldn't be surprised that they fell short at roughly the same time they did last year. In the end, they were exactly what we should have expected them to be: a team with a superstar on defense, one dangerous offensive line, and a handful of bottom-six guys trying to play above their heads.
I'm not sure how Waddell can salvage things, but I do know that one thing is certain: the goal has to be higher next season. We can't support this team coming back with the aim of trying to secure a wild card spot.
Working from the top back through everyone, the Blue Jackets organization needs to raise the bar for this fanbase. It's time to stop being okay with just having an NHL team. We want a team that goes out and tries to win it all.
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