Offer sheets, Peca possibly back and more..

Hopefully by now everyone's heartbeats have returned to normal. The Jackets certainly blew it up over the past few days and now the dust is starting to settle and I like what I see.

On to the news of the day.

Ottawa and offer sheets. Rumor monger Bruce Garrioch if the Ottawa Sun is at it again this time he has the Jackets as one of the teams that are preparing offer sheet.

I call hogwash. I think that rumor may have had some legs if we failed to land Huselius but with him in the fold 1. I don't see Howson parting with the picks to make an offer and 2. I don't think there is enough room in the budget to make a big enough offer that Ottawa wouldn't match.

I've read from Ottawa fans that in Vermette's case Ottawa would be willing to match up to 3.9 million.

Assuming the Jackets payroll is between 48 to 50 million - they have 39.47 million committed towards 19 players. Factor in 8 million between RJ Umberger and Pascal Leclaire and the Jackets are at 47.47 million which would bring their roster to 20 players.

We will probably carry around 22 bodies.

I think you see where I'm going with this.

To give up assets plus add 4 million to the payroll for a Vermette just isn't going to happen. The Jackets just aren't going to splurge that much - heck 48 to 50 million is the most they've ever spent.

Howson may add another forward on the cheap via UFA (Peca anyone?) to round out their bottom 6 but unless they make a trade (not completely out of the question) that moves some salary we can pretty much call this offseason a wrap until camp.

Speaking of Peca - Puck-rakers has just reported that its likely Peca will re-sign with the Jackets, possibly tonight.

I talked to Peca this afternoon, and he confirmed his desire to join the Blue Jackets. He also said he wants to sign for more than one season and "be a part of something special."

A deal could be announced soon, NHL sources say, perhaps as early as today.

I was against Peca earlier in the offseason but at this point I can see why he makes sense at this point. After failing to bring in another top 6 center Brassard will get his chance with Umberger to hold down one of those center holes.

Peca would be brought back as a 3rd line center who join Nash and others as part of Hitch's leadership core. He's likely to play 10 - 13 minutes a night doing what he does best which is to play as a defensive shutdown center playing key minutes on the PK and taking important face offs. He also adds veteran depth down the middle when the inevitable injury occurs.

I would expect him back on a two year 3 million dollar deal with incentives.

Columbus media. Major props to the Columbus Dispatch and to 1460thefan.com for their coverage the past few days. They really kicked some ass.

On the flip side I turn on the local news this morning and not one friggan mention of yesterday's trade or the Huselius signing. Man when will the team get its due. I guess when it starts winning.

According to Puck-rakers the Jackets trainer Chris Mizer is out and that Minnesota Wild trainer Mike Vogt has been hired.

Its funny but little changes like these hardly cause a ripple out of the confines but internally its the little things that can go a long way.

Welcome to Columbus Mike Vogt -- please keep our players healthy!!

The Jackets have announced their Development Camp. It kicks off Monday July 7th and will run through July 11th.

Roster highlights include Jackub Voracek, Stephan Legein, Maxim Mayorov and Cody Goloubef.

Bummer about no Filatov but it was expected that he'd miss the camp due to visa issues. I am really excited about getting a look at Mayorov though. I wonder if we can just keep him over here once it concludes?!

Here is the link to the full roster.

The schedule is as follows:

Monday, July 7 - 5 to 6 p.m.
Tuesday, July 8 - 10:30 a.m. to Noon
Wednesday, July 9 - 10:30 a.m. to Noon
Thursday, July 10 - 10:30 a.m. to Noon
Friday, July 11 - 10:30 a.m. to Noon

Practices are open to the public.

Don't miss this read from Syracuse Crunch scribe Lindsay Kramer. A snippet:

Columbus' trades speak to the team's draft history, and what it says isn't pretty. The Blue Jackets have been around nine seasons, so that's nine drafts and nine very high selections.

I would argue that at least four of them, based on the trades or their production in Columbus, have underachieved for where they were picked: Zherdev, Brule (both traded), Klesla (good, not great) and Picard (still in minors). Leclaire is on the fence. If you don't think he's a franchise goalie, he was a miss. If you think he will be a playoff-caliber goalie for the next five years, it's a hit.

Nash, obviously, is a stud. Brassard looks like one, but we'll see. Voracek and Filatov, Columbus loves. But, they also once had franchise-savior eyes for Brule and Zherdev, too. Columbus may have gotten good players for those last two, but did they get equal value for the potential of the spots where they were drafted? Hmmm, we'll see. For so called offensive defensemen, the 38 combined points of Tyutin and Backman are underwhelming. Seems to me that Columbus is stuck in the position of over-paying dollars or talent-wise for solid, but not difference-making, players (see: Adam Foote, Anson Carter, etc).

Day 3 free agent round up. Pittsburgh signs a couple of wingers to 1 year deals in Satan and Fedotenko. Smart moves for those players when you think they'll be playing next to either Sid the Kid or Malkin - just look what Crosby did for Sykora. Good for the Penguins as well as they get a couple of guys who can put the puck in the back of the net on short term deals.

Also Marc Denis has found a new home with the Montreal Canadiens. This is a 2 year 2-way deal that will most likely see him be the starter in Hamilton and add some depth between the pipes for Montreal. I wish Denis all the best -- he's one of the good guys out there who could use a break. Montreal also added some toughness in George Laraque on a 3 year deal valued at 4.5 mil.

After failing to re-sign Campbell (a 1st and Bernier was a heck of a price to pay for a rental - remember that come trade deadline next season) the Sharks do find a puck moving d-men - albeit an aging one - in Rob Blake. He signed a 1 year deal at 5 mil.

Finally after letting Jagr, Shanahan & Straka walk the Rangers add another wing in Markus Naslund after tradding for Zherdev yesterday.

Still a few big name UFAs out there -- Sundin, Jagr, Dmitra, Shanahan and Morrison are all hanging out there on the market. All I'm sure have offers and are taking their time to decide the best fit for them.

-LTL