Boll breaker

The Dispatch is reporting that Jared Boll has a broken hand.

"It was kind of what happened to (Dan) Fritsche at the end of last season," Boll said yesterday as he arrived in Columbus with a cast on the hand. "The doctor said it was a clean break. It didn't even require surgery."

Sounds like it should be healed up and ready to go by camp but as I mentioned in the comments yesterday I hope the Jackets training staff tape his gloves on during camp to make sure he's 100% healthy come the regular season. We need him and his hands ready to go when the games count.

This should open the door even wider for guys like Dorsett and Sestito to do the heavy lifting in preseason games with veteran guys like Tollefsen and Commodore to back them up.

The Dispatch also reported that Raffi Torres is in town to begin workouts with conditioning coach Barry Brennan. I'm not sure what it is but I just don't get a warm and fuzzy over Torres' progression with this torn ACL (or what is MCL?). I hope they stay nice and patient with Torres and if it means missing camp and the start of the regular season to make sure he's 100% then so be it.

I keep reading and hearing that he should be ready by camp so lets keep our fingers crossed.

For you autograph junkies out there according to the Jackets web site Derrek Brassard will be signing autographs on Saturday, August 9 from 1-2 p.m. at the Giant Eagle located at McCutcheon & Stelzer - 2900 Stelzer Road in Columbus.

They've also added Jakub Voracek to the autograph lineup with Sestito and Dorsett over at the Columbus Zoo on Aug. 6 from 6-7 p.m.

Bravo to the Jackets and these players for getting out in the community and promoting this great game and franchise this offseason. I know they are in town so why not but I can't remember this many players getting out into the community so often in the offseason. Then again the Jackets have never had this many young players stay in Columbus over the summer. The "Boll effect" continues to steamroll.

Marian Gaborik wants out of Minny according to this blogger. Granted its a blog and we all know how much credit we can gives those guys *snicker* but there sure seems to be a lot of smoke around this Gaborik situation. Seeing that he'll be a UFA after this season this is one rumor I see having some legs.

I'm not sure I buy this KHL threat though. Sure its an option and players are most certainly going to use it as leverage but the stars want to play with the stars in the best league in the world and for the time being that is the NHL. No start up league is going to conquere that in a year.

I'd be shocked if Gaborik is a member of the Wild this time next year. If he's not signed to an extension the Wild may have no choice but trade him by the deadline as they can't afford to let a guy like that walk for nothing.

The Nashville Tennesean is reporting that the IIHF will make its ruling on the status of disputed Predators star Alexander Radulov in mid-August. If one were to connect the dots here one would also conclude (or at least think) that the Nkita Filatov situation will also be ruled on.

Terri Fry of ESPN.com wrote an article today ranking the league's coaches in terms of Elite, Proven, The jury's still out, Suspect & How the heck can we know yet. Here is where Hitch fell:

Proven

Ken Hitchcock, Columbus

Even more than Babcock and some of the others, Hitchcock is the quintessential worked-his-way-up coach who used to crack up the writers on the Western League circuit when he looked more like -- and sounded like -- John Candy. Somewhat inflexible and grating on veterans who wouldn't mind opening it up, he is still a great ambassador for the league and has Cups -- Memorial and Stanley -- on his résumé.

I love to see him add "first coach to take the Columbus Blue Jackets to the playoffs" this season to that résumé.

Update: CBSSports.com takes a look at some players stock - they had this to say about Huselius:

Kristian Huselius, LW, Columbus A four-year, $19 million deal got Huselius to pull up stakes in Calgary and bolt for Columbus. We will have to wait until the 2008-09 season to witness whether it was a smart move or not. Huselius was traded from Florida to Calgary during the 2005-06 season and his career then began to take off. He had career seasons in 2006-07 and 2007-08 with the Flames and it primarily had to do with playing opposite Jarome Iginla. Well, Iginla is staying in Calgary and now Huselius is being asked to improve an average Blue Jackets' offense. He is situated behind Rick Nash on the depth chart at left wing and Columbus doesn't nearly have the talent at center that Calgary does. It would not surprise us if Huselius struggles to break 50 points next season.

You never can tell with the Jackets offense so really can't blame the skepticism. Jackets and guys like Huselius will have to prove it on the ice.

Bill Clement over on hockeybuzz weighs on his offseason views and believe it or not -- nothing negative on Jackets signing although Redden and Hainsey made his list:

Worst Signing Rangers – Wade Redden (6 yrs/$39m) The term of 6 years is absolutely stunning. You’ll never meet a nicer guy than Wade Redden and that’s part of the problem. Unless he somehow can start the season playing like he did 5 years ago the Garden fans will let him hear it and when that happens, the “good guy” will feel even more pressure. Pressure that will be extremely difficult to handle. Expectations are often a curse for certain players and I think they will be for Redden. This is one of those times I really hope I’m wrong.

Most Desperate Signing #1: Maple Leafs – Jeff Finger (4 yrs/$14m) Finger is 28 with one full NHL season to his credit. Last season? 19 points and $900K. Leafs got the Finger all right.

#2 :Thrashers – Ron Hainsey (5 yrs/$22.5m) Hainsey is 27 and has only played 3 years in the NHL. Top season is 34 points. He made $900k last year. This signing pretty well tells you not many UFA’s had Atlanta in their cross-hairs.

Hey we missed out on Redden but that also meant we missed on some "worst of" lists. I'll happily take the consolation prize in Tyutin and move forward.

The Hockey News speculates that the Jackets will be better than most give them credit for:

Columbus Blue Jackets: It must be hard being the only team to have not made the playoffs in their short history, but I think they’re going to be better than what many give them credit for.

Everyone knows Rick Nash can score, but has he ever had anyone else to support him in his area of expertise? The Jackets are hoping Kristian Huselius can do just that, while R.J. Umberger will be counted on to reach 20 goals for the second time in his career.

If Pascal Leclaire can improve on his breakout 2007-08 season – or at least show it wasn’t a fluke – Columbus will always be in a position to win games. The defense that will be supporting Leclaire is not all-star caliber, though it is underrated. Fedor Tyutin was let go by the Rangers too easily and Kris Russell should be ready to step into the NHL spotlight, which will be easier to do on a smaller market team.

While my own expectations for the Jackets aren’t through the roof, they should be closer than the 11 points they missed the playoffs by last season. Look for them to be in the thick of things right into April, 2009.

Hey some positive press -- I'll take it!!

-LTL