Jibblescribbits recently sent me an e-mail asking about the Jackets UFA's and some other questions...thought I would post em up just to see what you guys think of the answers. He is doing it for all the teams in the League...so if you're interested go to his blog :)
1)There is only one UFA that I could see the Avs having any possible interest in from the Blue Jackets 4, and that would be Berard. You mentioned in your blog you thought he was injury prone and blind, I am taking it you wouldn't recommend signing him...at what price would he be worth it? And when healthy can he still play well?
*Berard had back surgery and since he came back he's not playing well. Back in the day he was an offensive d-man. I do not recommend signing him at all. What price would he be worth honestly not a lot maybe $600,000. No more. He really is blind in one eye...I'm not kidding.
2)Since there's not a lot to relate to the Avs here, I'll just ask you about the Jackets. Eyeballing it for next season it looks like you guys will be able to sign one decent FA, What do you need? Defense, or forward? Goalie? Who are you eyeballing for FA?
*Honestly we need a lot a top line center, 2 top 4 d-men, and a goalie wouldn't hurt. My guess is that we will go for a blue liner. I wouldn't mind us getting Hannan or Preissing...but to be honest it's really hard for me to think about who we should get when we don't have a GM and I have no idea what style he wants.
3) (NOTE: asked before the hiring of Howson) The big story in Columbus isn't on the ice, but management that they cleaned house (finally) and are hiring new management. You have been profiling potential GMs on your site... who do you want them to hire? and who do you think they'll hire? (and why?)
*Well, if that Bryan Murray stuff was true I would say him, but since it's not I think I would like them to hire Dave King. He was our first coach and knows the organization and is a very smart hockey man. Who do I think they will hire? Scott Howson, the Assistant General Manager for the Edmonton Oilers. Only because he is a salary cap expert. Next season we will have 2 of our most paid players become UFA's and he will have a lot of room to work....so that's my best guess.
4) What happened to Rick Nash. He was great one season, and seems to have disappeared, making a brief cameo in the world championships. Is it just an off season, or is he regressing? What about other potential goal scorers like Zhederev, Modin and Vyborny? shouldn't they at least be scoring more goals.
*Rick Nash...he is a great player. At times he can be very lazy. This year with Hitch as his coach he is becoming a well rounded player. Playing on the power play and the penalty kill. Hitch developed Modano the same way. He is injury prone and so he hasn't played as many games as we would like him to. But, mark my word he is not regressing he is progressing very nicely. Vyborny is our best player...he makes great decisions on the ice...and is an amazing play maker. Zherdev is a big cancer on our team, he is lazy, has no work ethic and is selfish. I honestly think he doesn't want to succeed with our team...because Hitch doesn't put up with his crap. Modin, has the potential to score more goals if he had more to work with...who knows what line combinations we will have next year. *honestly this past year was awful with injures and a new coach we didn't really have a lot of flow*
5) Every Avs fan has a soft spot for Adam Foote. He is now Columbus captain, and deservedly so. How do you feel about him? He gets kinda lost there, does he still play well, or is the new NHL showing his weaknesses?
*Adam Foote I absolutely adore him. I love his style I love the way he acts on the bench cheering guys on. I love when he is injured in the press box watching the game. I think he plays well, and still plays his gritty style. You can tell that he is getting older but I still enjoy watching him play and besides how can you not love Foote?
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
5 Questions from Jibblescribbits
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2 comments:
1) Berard's got the same problems he had before he came to Columbus -- blind in one eye and not very strong defensively. He was brought in to be an offensive PP specialist, and he managed that for about half a season before he got hurt. Since then, he's had back surgery a couple times, and the problems have reoccurred after he was supposedly healed. I can't see him coming back to play in the NHL again.
2) Yep, #1 center, #1 d-man and a depth d-man, maybe a goalie if Pascal's health is not 100%. I doubt they'll pick up the first two, though. Columbus has lots of cap room, but the poor performance in the last few years has led to declining attendance, so money is tight. Also, in the past, the owners were pretty willing to open up the pocketbook for Doug to sign FAs, and most of those deals didn't pan out. I don't see them making any big signings until 08-09, when the Foote and Feds contracts are off the books.
3)I wanted Jarmo Kekelainen from the Blues, but I'm pleased with the choice of Howson.
4) Nash had some conditioning/lingering injury issues, and has also been hampered by the lack of a #1 center to feed him the puck. The second half of last season, though, you could really see him growing as a hockey player under Hitch. He started playing defense, started being used on the PK. He's a much more complete player than he was pre-Hitch. It would be nice to see the goal scoring come back up, though. Modin had some struggles at times, but he picked it up late in the season. I'm glad they held onto him. Vyborny is probably the most consistent player the CBJ have...truly underrated NHLer. The less said about Zherdev, the better. He's a headcase with off-ice issues and poor work ethic on-ice.
5) Foote was solid in 05-06 but had a pretty disappointing year last season. Just looked slow and out of position a lot, and his decision-making didn't seem up to par at times. MacLean apparently tried to trade him at the deadline, but he wouldn't waive his NTC. Guess age and accumulated injuries are catching up to him. Just hope this isn't the curse of the CBJ 'C' as Luke Richardson also went to shit when he became captain. Foote is a leader on the team and pretty much the only experienced defenseman on the current roster, so I do hope he sticks around and has a rebound season.
Hmm interesting thoughts about Foote Sarah. That's kind of the impression I got. He's a bit slow and getting old, but is still a leader and commanding locker room presence.
Too bad about Zhederev. I went to a couple Blue Jackets games when I lived in Columbus and he looked very talented and like he was going to be a very good player.
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