Proposal: First 3 moves you would do as the new CBJ GM ?

[majormajor]

I can't fathom why Jiricek hasn't been up most of the season as well. this is a start

Agreed on most of what you wrote except for this part. Jiricek is simply not NHL ready. Too many things to work on, probably another year away.

One of the biggest issues in Columbus has actually been that they've been promoting young players too early. Sillinger was about two years too early, and Jiricek shouldn't have touched the NHL this year.

They need to take notes from the Wings on how they've handled Seider and Edvinsson and company.

 

[GAGLine]

There are 3 very obvious areas where they need to improve:

1) Goaltending - They were 2nd worst in GAA (3.63) and 11th worst in SV% (.900)
2) Power play - They were 2nd worst at 15.1%
3) Penalty kill - They were 7th worst at 76.3%

If I were GM, I'd start by replacing the coaches. Vincent was a last-minute choice. They don't owe him anything. I think Berube could be a good fit as HC, and he could help the organization decide on the assistants.

I'd also look into upgrading Elvis. I don't know that they can trade him. Maybe Tarasov can handle a bigger workload, or maybe they buy out Elvis and bring in someone better. Talbot could be a good stopgap until they can find someone longer term.

Lastly, I'd add some players who are good defensively/on the PK, guys that the coach can rely on. This team has a lot of young talent. Let that talent mature and give them solid vets to lean on. One of those players I'd bring in would be a center, for sure. Someone who can be defensively responsible, play a top 6 role, and insulate the kids for a year or two.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Talk Jeff Carter out of retirement, proceed to give him an 8 year 300 billion dollar deal.

Sign Jansen Harkins for 8 years 66 trillion deal.

Trade 12 1st rounders for Accari and Neito.

 

[CanadienShark]

Gift everyone of value to Montreal or San Jose for scraps.

 

[stevo61]

Has anyone suggested trading anyone desirable to Montreal for nothing? Seems like an original idea

 

[Dead Coyote]

I feel for the Jackets fans reading this thread. So many uninformed hurr durr takes.

Realistically Columbus just needs to stop getting incredibly unlucky with injuries and keep developing their draft picks. They may not immediately jump to contenders but give it a few more years and there's no reason they shouldn't be much better than they are now.

The best way to fix things is through coaching, scouting, and player development. So I would focus on that.

It's possible that their pro scouting isn't up to snuff as they've made a lot of deals that didn't work out for them with hindsight. Provorov and Severson are okay but not amazing. The Bjorkstrand deal was awful at the time and now. Also quite possible that those were Jarmo's brainchildren, but he's already gone. Davidson definitely isn't who you want replacing him though I don't think.

The Gaudreau signing was okay but a little expensive. More importantly though you don't want to see a 20 pt decline when a player is in their prime. Also a pretty risky contract to give out to a 5'9 player at 10m per until he's 35 but that's neither here nor there.

The Danforth signing was fine but he's not really what they need. Neither is Kuraly. Giving a NTC to Kuraly of all people has to be one of the most headscratching moves.

The Gudbranson deal I don't think is as bad as people make it out to be but he and Elvis also should not have NTC. The Wennberg buy out was a little strange but I understand they operate at an internal cap so it probably makes more sense. That was also ages ago though.

Laine is Laine. I don't think it makes sense to move on from him. He could still be an incredibly productive player for them and has been. Much like Texier I think you have to let him work things out. And it's unlikely anyone is willing to take a risk on him right now anyways which means you won't get proper value.

On the other hand Columbus's amateur scouting has been pretty good. They've hit on a lot of picks and have a promising future.

Getting pro scouting up to speed would help them a lot- one thing Arizona did is find goalies in Europe or performing well as backups and give them deals and a chance to come over and prove themselves. It worked out pretty well for them, getting Raanta, Kuemper, and Vejmelka. That's a big problem with Columbus right now, but there's a lot of goalies out there who might shine with more time and play.

#2 most important thing would be coaching. Torts is an awful idea for a developing team. Right now they're still in the develop and draft portion. They don't need a playoff coach or someone who can get the most out of aging players or 4th liners. They need someone who can help them develop prospects and get them into the NHL and develop them. Fortunately I hear there are several coaches around without jobs that could be good at that.

#3 is tied into the previous two, but their defense is probably the other elephant in the room outside of goaltending. Coaching in a good system and developing your D prospects like Jiricek and Ceulemans will go a long ways towards fixing that, but one thing that can help is having more guys like Gudbranson- guys who are veterans, stay at home good defensive defenseman (this is not necessarily about Gudbranson anymore) who can mentor and lead the future guys in the room.

 

[majormajor]

I feel for the Jackets fans reading this thread. So many uninformed hurr durr takes.

Realistically Columbus just needs to stop getting incredibly unlucky with injuries and keep developing their draft picks. They may not immediately jump to contenders but give it a few more years and there's no reason they shouldn't be much better than they are now.

The best way to fix things is through coaching, scouting, and player development. So I would focus on that.

It's possible that their pro scouting isn't up to snuff as they've made a lot of deals that didn't work out for them with hindsight. Provorov and Severson are okay but not amazing. The Bjorkstrand deal was awful at the time and now. Also quite possible that those were Jarmo's brainchildren, but he's already gone. Davidson definitely isn't who you want replacing him though I don't think.

The Gaudreau signing was okay but a little expensive. More importantly though you don't want to see a 20 pt decline when a player is in their prime. Also a pretty risky contract to give out to a 5'9 player at 10m per until he's 35 but that's neither here nor there.

The Danforth signing was fine but he's not really what they need. Neither is Kuraly. Giving a NTC to Kuraly of all people has to be one of the most headscratching moves.

The Gudbranson deal I don't think is as bad as people make it out to be but he and Elvis also should not have NTC. The Wennberg buy out was a little strange but I understand they operate at an internal cap so it probably makes more sense. That was also ages ago though.

Laine is Laine. I don't think it makes sense to move on from him. He could still be an incredibly productive player for them and has been. Much like Texier I think you have to let him work things out. And it's unlikely anyone is willing to take a risk on him right now anyways which means you won't get proper value.

On the other hand Columbus's amateur scouting has been pretty good. They've hit on a lot of picks and have a promising future.

Getting pro scouting up to speed would help them a lot- one thing Arizona did is find goalies in Europe or performing well as backups and give them deals and a chance to come over and prove themselves. It worked out pretty well for them, getting Raanta, Kuemper, and Vejmelka. That's a big problem with Columbus right now, but there's a lot of goalies out there who might shine with more time and play.

#2 most important thing would be coaching. Torts is an awful idea for a developing team. Right now they're still in the develop and draft portion. They don't need a playoff coach or someone who can get the most out of aging players or 4th liners. They need someone who can help them develop prospects and get them into the NHL and develop them. Fortunately I hear there are several coaches around without jobs that could be good at that.

#3 is tied into the previous two, but their defense is probably the other elephant in the room outside of goaltending. Coaching in a good system and developing your D prospects like Jiricek and Ceulemans will go a long ways towards fixing that, but one thing that can help is having more guys like Gudbranson- guys who are veterans, stay at home good defensive defenseman (this is not necessarily about Gudbranson anymore) who can mentor and lead the future guys in the room.

Well said.

The imbalance of amateur scouting over pro scouting is a huge part of the problem. They've got a constant flow of quality new ELC players coming in every year, and while that sounds like a great thing, they've been one of the youngest teams in the league every year for almost the whole Kekalainen era.

Those young players are always in the process of figuring things out. You can't have a tight team culture with high accountability if you've got the kid-gloves on, trying to protect the young guys from harsh treatment - on Portzline's latest podcast he said there was some directive to stay hands off with the young guys.

And the kids are taking up roster spaces that on other clubs could be given to mid-twenties players that are ready to take a step (e.g. Gustav Forsling, Dakota Joshua, etc..). It's hard to say much about our pro scouting (aside from the Bjorkstrand disaster) because they rarely get roster spots to work with, the team is always largely RFAs.

 

[biturbo19]

For me...the first and foremost thing would be...to hire a good, proper coach. I'd be dialing up Alain Vigneault first and foremost to see if he'd sign on for it.


1. As far as roster moves...i'd be exploring options to unload Elvis. Not sure if it's feasible. But even if i can't move him, i'd be shopping around for a more dependable starting goaltender or at least someone dependable to play in a tandem. Which would obviously be extra complicated if Elvis salary can't be moved...but has to be done.

2a. I'd be looking for a veteran two-way Top-6 Center. Lindholm would be a candidate due to some prior chemistry with Johnny. But i'd actually really zero in on someone like Chandler Stephenson. All that playoff experience and pedigree, plays the right way, and seems to find decent chemistry with pretty much anyone he's stuck with. Not sure he'll even hit the market, but i'd be hoping he does and making a robust pitch for him, even if that means "overpayment".

2b. Up front in general, i'd be looking to sort of consolidate all of the "middle-6" or "Top-9" collection into something more coherent and purposeful. There seems to be just too much of youngish players without a defined spot or role. I'd identify guys like Kent and Marchenko that i want to build around, and guys like Sillinger, Chinakov, Texier that i'd be shopping around in some combination with others to try to bring in some more established players where you know what you're going to get. Whether that's a more clear Top-6 Forward, or a more clear 3rd Line matchup type player (especially if i land AV as coach). To me, it just looks like they've got too many irons in the fire at one time. It's a bit of a "crabs in a bucket" scenario with too many youngish aspiring Top-6 Forwards all scratching and clawing for those same opportunities...and nobody is really getting out. Identifying the "keeper" projects and the "sell" projects, and converting that to either "established Top-6" or "established 3rd line matchup guys" would go a very long ways in helping those "keeper" projects hit that next level imo.

3. I'd keep Provorov tbh, and just work on trying to find another quality Top-4 RHD. Easier said than done, especially while overpaying Gudbranson and Severson on the books and probably not moveable. But that'd be a priority on the back end.




I think there's a deceptive amount of potential in that roster right now. NHL caliber coaching, steadier goaltending, and some purposeful reorganization of the lineup could go a really long ways and have yourself a "breakout" team next year. I don't think it's a real "blow it up" scenario. Especially not with a lot of the contracts and prime aged players they're already locked into.

 

[thebus88]

Get Merzlikins and Laine off the books and use the money in a couple different ways.

Need to acquire a RHD to play with Werenski on the top pairing.

Also need AT LEAST 1 TWO WAY player who can play CENTER on each of the top 3 lines consistently.

 

[majormajor]

2b. Up front in general, i'd be looking to sort of consolidate all of the "middle-6" or "Top-9" collection into something more coherent and purposeful. There seems to be just too much of youngish players without a defined spot or role. I'd identify guys like Kent and Marchenko that i want to build around, and guys like Sillinger, Chinakov, Texier that i'd be shopping around in some combination with others to try to bring in some more established players where you know what you're going to get. Whether that's a more clear Top-6 Forward, or a more clear 3rd Line matchup type player (especially if i land AV as coach). To me, it just looks like they've got too many irons in the fire at one time. It's a bit of a "crabs in a bucket" scenario with too many youngish aspiring Top-6 Forwards all scratching and clawing for those same opportunities...and nobody is really getting out. Identifying the "keeper" projects and the "sell" projects, and converting that to either "established Top-6" or "established 3rd line matchup guys" would go a very long ways in helping those "keeper" projects hit that next level imo.

Definitely some "crabs in a bucket" going on.

Personally I think Chinakhov is close to lift off, and Texier is a good checking line player. It's Sillinger that I can't really make a case for.

 

[dirtydanglez]

tank it and sell off whoever you can. likely stuck with the nmc's and severson. invest heavily in scouting.

 

[Xoggz22]

tank it and sell off whoever you can. likely stuck with the nmc's and severson. invest heavily in scouting.

Already done. They are beyond that. It's now about finding the right pieces using the assets they have.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Has anyone suggested trading anyone desirable to Montreal for nothing? Seems like an original idea

It's really good comedy too. Fresh, edgy, Netflix-special worthy.