Jackets take back seat again on national TV

The NHL just released their national TV schedule for both the US and Canadian viewing audiences and really to no one's surprise the Jackets are shown just once on Versus on February 3rd against St. Louis at 7 p.m.

I believe its written into the Versus contract that they must air at least one game with every team per season. Hey at least its a home game *gasp*.

They'll also get 1 game in Canada on TSN against Edmonton on November 5th - again a home game.

The worst team in the NHL last season - the Tampa Bay Lightning - air a combined 10 times. Crosby's Penguins are on 20 while Ovechkin and the Caps get 13.

Its no secret why we aren't on national TV more -- that's what happens when you've stunk since your existence and don't have marquee players by the name of Crosby or Ovechkin -- still doesn't mean I have to like it. In fact it pisses me off.

Looking through the schedule rather quickly I think its safe to say that combined we have the lowest national exposure of any NHL franchise.

It would be real nice for once if the Jackets could put together a playoff season and start earning some good exposure for the franchise and the city.

You can find the full schedule here.

THN.com pointed out 3 teams they think will underachieve in the NHL this season...and no, the Jackets certainly weren't one of those. The 3 named were Montreal, Minnesota and the NY Rangers. I found this comment about NY particularly interesting:

Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka went back to Europe, Brendan Shanahan still hasn’t been invited back, Nikolai Zherdev – host of a notoriously bad attitude and work ethic – was added for a steep price that included under-appreciated defender Fedor Tyutin and finally Sean Avery, love him or hate him, was lost for nothing to free agency.

Oh man its going to be something to see how this Z show plays out on Broadway.

THN ranks the Central division as 4th worst out of the 6 in the NHL:

4. Central. I know, I know, the presence of the Red Wings alone makes the Central a division to reckon with. The burgeoning Blackhawks and never-say-die Predators also help in that regard – and the fact that more than half of Detroit’s regular season losses came at the hands of teams in their division is a fact that’s nothing to sneeze at, either.

The Blue Jackets and Blues are playoff dark horses, but even then, both of those franchises have a handful of young talent to build around. In sum, there could be many more Cups bound for the Central Division and not just to Michigan. Just not for a couple more years.

I think everyone is a little to quick to be jumping on this 'hawks wagon. They have some nice young talent but I'm not convinced their goaltending (even with Huet) and defense (ranked 20th in goals against last year) are playoff caliber. I certainly won't rule out the Preds as they somehow find ways to win. After the Wings the Central is going to be a dog fight all the way to the end.

Check out this link to the Penguins new arena. They also have some sweet vids of what it will look like.

-LTL

TSN's Bob McKenzie weights on Zherdev...and Boll, Russell and Mason!

First he weighs in on Nikolai Zherdev's trade value:

For all the talk about the possibility of Nikolai Zherdev (pictured left) getting traded, the real question is, who would want him? I am not saying Zherdev is beyond hope but we are talking about a player who was despised by his teammates last season. The good news, so far, is that Zherdev has been working hard off the ice to be a better teammate and it's been duly noted his off-ice demeanor has been better than it was. Now, the bad news. Zherdev has played very poorly on the ice, although he was a bit better in his last couple of outings. The truth is, there is no market for this guy right now. That's not to say that won't change but the Blue Jackets are not aggressively shopping Zherdev right now because there's no market and they know it.

....and then turns his attention to Boll, Russell and Mason:

Jared Boll is going to be an interesting rookie to keep an eye this season. The Plymouth Whaler grad is a fourth-line left winger who fulfills the role of energy player and tough guy. He's not a heavyweight per se, but he has a good attitude, works hard and has an innate understanding of when his team needs him to do something to create a spark or generate momentum, like when he leveled Carolina Rod Brind'Amour with a hit on the weekend. Count on Boll to be in the middle of everything for Columbus this season and to quickly generate a reputation as an unpopular player with everyone in the league but his teammates…

Kris Russell has made the grade on the Blue Jacket blueline. He dominated for them early – he was arguably their best defenceman early in camp - but in the last couple of pre-season games, the going became a little more difficult for the diminutive puck mover with outstanding hockey sense. He will play for them, but it remains to be seen whether he'll find his time and space limited as the level of the games goes up…

Underage goalie Steve Mason will spend at least another week or two with the Jackets before a decision is made on whether to send him back to London of the OHL. Mason excelled in camp - a 1.78 GAA and .913 save percentage in three games played (135 minutes) – and because the veteran goalies (Fredrik Norrena and Pascal Leclaire) are coming off injuries and inconsistency, Mason is being kept around as insurance and to get a better read on his pro ability. It would be a surprise if Mason isn't sent back to London within the month, but that will be determined by the play of all three Columbus goalies.

Tell ya what, not much in this league gets past Bob McKenzie (pictured right) - even for a team way under the rador in the Jackets. He is by far one of my favorite hockey journalist out there. A true master of his craft.

I will say though that I somewhat disagree with his assesment of Zherdev. A few teams get off to a slow start and have difficulty finding the net may get a little desperate and come knocking on the Jackets' door with a good offer for #13.

GM's are a largely egotistical bunch and a lot think "I can turn him around".

Can read more from McKenzie's blog here.

-LTL

TSN previews the central + Jacket fantasy news

Here's what they had to say about the Jackets:

›Keys To A Successful 2007-08 Season:The course to the postseason is clear: the young stars have to elevate their game. Zherdev has plenty of upside and all he has to do is show it night in and night out. Nash, who almost single-handedly helped Canada win gold at the World Hockey Championship, should use that experience to bring more productivity and a winning attitude in Columbus. Gilbert Brule, who managed 19 points in 78 games in his rookie season, should also improve along with youngster Dan Fritche. Leclaire also has something to prove, as he'll compete with Norrena for the No. 1 job in net. While making the playoffs will be a tough task, having veterans Peca, Adam Foote and Sergei Fedorov (with a Hart Trophy, four Selke Trophies and five Stanley Cups between them) will at least make it a positive learning environment. Any way you cut it, the Blue Jackets are still a very young team. And their young players will have to play like seasoned veterans if they want a shot at the postseason.

›Young And Restless:Derick Brassard's season in Drummondville was limited to just 25 games with a dislocated shoulder, but should get a full season of development this year as the club's top prospect. Brassard, the sixth overall pick in the 2006 Entry draft, has the makings of a solid playmaking centre who can put the puck in the net. The Jackets already have their fair share of youngsters trying to find their game with the big club, so the team can afford to wait and let him mature en route to the NHL.

›Market Watch:Veteran winger David Vyborny has been Columbus' most consistent forward over the last two years, leading the team in scoring each season (64 points in 2007, 65 points in 2006). He certainly doesn't have the draw of a Dany Heatley or Marian Hossa on the open market, but could pull in a heftier salary than the $2.2 million he'll earn this season. For an underachieving Blue Jackets team, Vyborny is a solid top-six forward.

We know the story with Vyborny and its unlikely he'll hit the open market next summer as he has stated publicly his desire to stay w/ Columbus. Adam Foote, Sergie Fedorov, Michael Peca, Ron Hainsey, Jason Chimera, Jody Shelley -- well they are all also UFAs next year and we'll have to wait and see what happens there.

I agree w/ TSN though that the young guys are key but I don't think they put enough stock into what Ken Hitchcock is going to do with this group.

They did hint around part of Howson's plan this offseason which was to add solid NHL depth to a young core with the available money he had. Although Columbus may be a tuff sell to UFAs, the Jackets never dove deep into the UFA pool this summer to grab any big stars because 1. the didn't have the money and 2. the organization is not 1 big name player away from being competitive, they have to fix their foundation issues first which is what the second half of last year and this year is about.

I think this team is gonna surpirse a lot of people this year with its competitive team effort. Will it be enough for the post season? - I don't know - but it will be the best season we've ever had at Nationwide and certainly a big step in the right direction.

Read more about the Jackets and the central from TSN here.

TSN also has a full fantasy breakdown of the Jackets which can be found here. Word of advice - don't look at their point projections unless you want some heartburn.

-LTL

NHL Buzz

First off, 1 day til camp starts Jacket fans!!!!!

Okay...now for some interesting news & nuggets from around the league this morning - lets start with the Maven:

Good Move Dep't: The Canadiens will retire Bob Gainey's # 23 and Larry Robinson's #19. Both Robinson and Gainey played major roles during the Habs 1975-79 four-Cup run.

Robinson's ceremony will be held November 19 (Ottawa) and Gainey's is slated for February 23 (Columbus).

In other words the Jackets may be in for a long night in Montreal for Gainey's number retirement both on and off the ice.

NHL.com lists the top 10 selling jerseys:

Daniel Briere, Philadelphia Flyers
Chris Drury, New York Rangers
Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres
Maxim Afinogenov, Buffalo Sabres
Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres
Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Paul Kariya, St. Louis Blues

Sabres (or former Sabres in Drury and Briere's cases) continue to dominate the list.

NHL is planning more games in Europe according to Bob McKenzie of TSN:

Sources say the league is currently negotiating to place the 2008-09 regular season opener in one of three venues - either Prague, Stockholm or a German city from a group that includes Hanover, Munich or Frankfurt.

No word yet on which NHL clubs might get the call.

It would seem obvious that this London event is the first step in the league's attempt to significantly heighten awareness of the NHL "brand" in Europe and that with each passing year there is going to be a greater emphasis on exposing the European market to the NHL product.

It seems this will become the norm in North American professional sports as all leagues appear ready and willing to try to tap markets outside of this continent. It will be interesting to watch which league has the most success as for instance while the NFL may dominate here, its the other football (or American soccer to those stateside) that is king over there.

Finally, Foxsports.com takes a look at 9 rookies who could make an impact this year -- leading the way is Eric Johnson (pictured right) of the St. Louis Blues whom we'll get to see 4 times this year on home ice. Speaking of, we'll most likely get to see plenty of the past two #1 overall picks as Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks makes this list as well and is expected to make the team. No Blue Jackets are listed.

ERIK JOHNSON, D, BLUES
Given the turmoil facing the Blues last season, it was best that Johnson spent the season at Minnesota rather than turning pro. Once the Blues replaced coach Mike Kitchen with Andy Murray, order was restored and the franchise began its rebuilding in earnest.
The expectations for Johnson are huge. The Blues hope can become the next Chris Pronger in their defensive zone, using his 6-foot-4, 222-pound frame to contain opposing forwards. The team also needs him on the power play, which has lacked a big point shot since Al MacInnis retired.

The good news: This team can surround him with a solid defensive cast, with veterans Jay McKee and Eric Brewer and young veterans Barret Jackman, Christian Backman and Bryce Salvador. They compare favorably to some Pronger's less-memorable partners.
Remember Alexei Gusarov?

Read on for more on the others including Jack Johnson, Johnathen Toews and Patrick Kane.

-LTL