Battle of the West: Leclaire vs. Norrena

Rotoworld.com takes a look at the West and the battles that are expected in training camp. The battle they point to for the Jackets involves the goaltending - here is how they break it down:

"The Jackets head back to training camp with a pair of questionable goaltenders. Pascal Leclaire is still looking to show fans why he was drafted in the first round, while Fredrik Norrena is coming off a surprisingly solid season. After a knee injury sidelined Leclaire for much of last year, the 32-year-old Norrena stepped in to record a 24-23 record, with a better goals-against average, and a better save percentage. Still, Leclaire remains the goalie of the future, and management would love to see the 24-year-old step up this season. The Blue Jackets will allow each netminder to earn his spot in training camp, and we're betting on Leclaire to edge out the veteran. Reports say that he is healthy now, but fantasy owners should remain sceptical. If you take one of these goalies as your backup, you should keep a constant eye on the other."

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/features/column.aspx?sport=NHL&columnid=98&articleid=28841

So Norrena vs. Leclaire - lets take a deeper look at both goalenders shall we:


Fedrik Norrena
Age: 32
Acquired: Part of trade for Marc Denis that brought he and Fredik Modin to Columbus
Contract status: signed for 2 more years then a UFA
'07 stats: Record 24-23; GAA 2.78; SV% .904

Analysis:

Freddy Norrena was an NHL unknown and what some considered a "throw in" in the Marc Denis deal. He had never played in the NHL until last season - an overaged rookie so-to-speak. Little did CBJ fans know how valued this throw in would become. After a slow start which was mostly attributed to the time spent adjusting to the smaller rink, North American style game, and the North American way of life Norrena really came on - especially the second half of the season. While Norrena struggled in back to back games due to mostly to inexperience with the NHL workload, he did become the first goaltender in Columbus Blue Jackets history to post a record an above .500 and was rewarded with a two year contract extension. With a year of NHL experience under his belt look for Freddy No (as some fans refer to him) to build upon his solid numbers last year and challenge Pascal Leclaire for the #1 goaltending position.

Pascal Leclaire
Age: 25
Contract Status: Signed through this season and then will be an RFA
Acquired: Drafted 8th overall by Columbus in 2002 NHL Entry Draft
'07 stats: Record 6-15; GAA 2.97; SV% .897

Anaylsis:

There is no denying Pascal Leclaire has the pure talent to be an above average goaltender in this league - perhaps even all star caliber goaltender. Unfortunately for Pascal and CBJ fans, he has yet to show he has the durability to go along with the ability. Leclaire only played in 22 games last year and was left alone on his own island on many of those nights doing his best last man standing impersonation as the team in front of him struggled to play team defense and give him any kind of goal support to work with. This is a big year for Leclaire, one in which he will have legitimate competition for ownership of the Nationwide pipes from 32 year old Fredrik Norrena. He must prove to GM Scott Howson and Coach Ken Hitchcock that he is the present and future in goal -- for that he must prove that he can stay healthy.

LTL prediction:

I think our goaltending is in better shape then what Rotoworld aludes to in their article. I believe Hitch platoons the goalie position for the first quarter of the year and then rides the best performer for the remainder of the season. That goaltender will be Fredrik Norrena and he'll open even more eyes around the NHL this season.

There will be some other battles that we'll need to keep our eyes on as well - especially at the center postion. Fedorov is a lock for the top 6. Peca will slot anywhere from the 3rd line hole to the 1st line hole -- the question is will anyone step up and make a case for that other center position in the top 6 as Peca's game is geared more for a 3rd line shut down center role --- there is a long list of potentials:

Brule

Fritsche

Novotny

Malhotra

Platt

Brassard

LTL Prediction:
Brule comes to camp a year older, in better condition, and with a chip on his shoulder to claim his spot in the top 6.

Should be fun to watch how both battles unfold.

-LTL

Larry Wiggie - Central News & Notes

Larry Wiggie has some interesting tidbits this afternoon regarding the central -- there are a couple of nuggets we Jacket fans should pay special attention to:

"Rick Nash wasn’t a star as a rookie in Columbus. Nor was Vinny Lecavalier, Joe Thornton or Mike Modano – all of whom were first overall picks in the annual NHL Entry Draft.
Entering the NHL is not a skate in the park. Most players need to get bigger, stronger or faster. And most need to see how things work up close and personal in the big time before they truly get it. Some of the best coaches in the game, in fact, have always wanted to see how a young player reacts to NHL life and then assess what he needs to work on to make it in the big leagues. Sometimes the trek is a little easier the second time around."

Any player come to mind when reading that quote? Maybe a 6th overall pick from the 2005 NHL Draft who didn't quite make the impact many (including myself) were expecting last year? Yep, you guessed it - Gilbert Brule. Remember Joe Thornton had a total of 7 points, yes 7 points, his first year in this league. The he went 41, 60, 71 & 68 over the next four. So keep that in mind if your already writing off this kid. I predict big things from him this coming year.

Wiggie goes on to talk about Sophomores who could make an impact and brings up Novotny for the CBJ:

"Jiri Novotny, Columbus – He was around for four playoff games for Buffalo in 2006 and spent enough time in that highly competitive, high-energy offense of the Sabres over the past two seasons to be ready for the opportunity he’ll be given by the Blue Jackets this season. The six goals and 13 assists he had in 68 combined games at Buffalo and Washington last season only served to peak this playmaker’s hunger to play – and play a lot – in the NHL."

Wiggie also talked about defensemen in the Central and this is what he had to say about the Jackets:

"All successful coaches employ at least two players as shutdown defensemen, sometimes they play them together. Columbus Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock did that with Derian Hatcher and Richard Matvichuk when he coached in Dallas. Of course, he had the best of both worlds with two skilled guys – Sergei Zubov and Darryl Sydor – as well. The makeup of his defense in Columbus is yet unidentified. If he can keep Adam Foote and Duvie Westcott healthy, he had one gritty stopper and one talented puck-rusher. Up to now, Ron Hainsey has filled the other push-mover role. So where does that put Rusty Klesla? That’s what Hitchcock has to figure out. That, plus which of the other D-men – Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, Marc Methot and high draft choice Kris Russell – will make the Jackets defense stronger."

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=336502

I personally don't think our defense was that bad last year -- certainly not as bad as our forward group. The Jackets ranked 16th in the league in goals against with 249. While certainly from an individual defensemen standpoint we could most certainly do better (our collective +/- is terrible) its clear that the team certainly made some strides playing as a defensive unit. I contribute the biggest reason for that to Hitchcock's arrival and his emphasis on strong two way team play. Considering the amount of injuries we had on that blueline and in net, I think this team is poised to better that goals against number especially with the defensive depth we have now - this is how I see the blueline:

1. Foote
2. Klesla
3. Wescott
4. Hejda
5. Tollefsen
6. Hainsey
7. Brookbank
8. Methot
9. Russell


Alot of people have been mentioning Russell as having a good chance to make this team. This team desperately needs a player with his skillset which some compare to Scott Neidermeyer - he's a phenomenal skater and defines the term "puck moving defensemen" - but we've been down the rushing prospect road before. I'm confident with the new regime that Russell's development is in good hands (i.e. they'll do what's best for him short and long term).

-LTL