Frustration mounts for Columbus Blue Jackets fans as their team once again fails to make the playoffs. Jackets coach Rick Bowness wants culture change – but what else has to change?
For a solid stretch of this season, the Columbus Blue Jackets looked like they would end their five-year Stanley Cup playoff drought.
When coach Rick Bowness replaced Dean Evason on Jan. 12, the Blue Jackets were last in the Eastern Conference. By March 21, they were in a playoff spot following an 18-2-4 run.
But the Blue Jackets blew it, once again disappointing their long-suffering fan base.
The way the Jackets ended their season – going 2-8-1 in their final 11 games – Columbus coach Rick Bowness decided to send shots across the bow to his players.
"I don't know if I'm back (next season), but if I'm back, I'm changing this culture," Bowness told reporters after Columbus lost its final game 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. "These guys, they don't care. Losing is not important enough to them. It doesn't bother them. Like, how can you go and play like that?"
The thing is, while Bowness may or may not be long for his job with Columbus, he wasn't wrong to call out Blue Jackets players for not getting the job done.
This wasn't a case where the injury bug tore into Columbus' roster the way it did to many other teams. This was about an offense and defense that never felt imposing to any opponent. This was about a subpar 1B goalie. And this was about a culture that hasn't delivered the results Jackets fans have been aching for.
What Went Wrong For The Blue Jackets?
The Blue Jackets averaged 3.00 goals-for, which rank 18th.
They also allowed the 18th-fewest goals against per game, with 3.06.
With those numbers, is it any wonder Columbus couldn't elevate its place in the Eastern Conference ranks? We think not.
While they averaged 3.79 goals-for and 2.54 goals against during their red-hot stretch, they couldn't keep those numbers up afterward. In fact, they averaged a league-worst 1.85 goals-for after March 21, and their 2.92 goals against per game ranked 13th.
The team's defense as a whole is responsible for goals against, but let's be clear – the Blue Jackets do have to do something about their netminding.
Veteran Elvis Merzlikins put in another inferior season, posting an .883 save percentage and 3.40 goals-against average in 30 games. Merzlikins essentially was benched in Columbus' final 17 games, playing only three times in that span. A goalie who carries a $5.4-million cap hit can't be playing like this. A contract buyout for Merzlikins' final season should be on the table.
Youngster Jet Greaves is now the Jackets' clear No. 1 option in net – putting up a .908 SP and 2.60 GAA in a career-high 55 games. That said, the Blue Jackets will need to give Greaves better support with a different goaltender to tandem with.
Elsewhere, the Jackets didn't get much of a step-up season from young center Adam Fantilli. His 24 goals were seven fewer than the 31 in his sophomore season, and his 59 points were only five more.
Although star defenseman Zach Werenski posted his second straight point-per-game season, his play late in the year wasn't especially impressive. In his final 11 games, he generated only one goal and four points.
As per Bowness' statements, the Blue Jackets' struggles weren't technical in nature. It was all about the effort.
"This is why we're out of the playoffs – that kind of effort," Bowness said after the loss to Washington. "We don't want to battle back, and that's what’s happened over the last couple of weeks."
What's Next For The Blue Jackets?
Werenski said his teammates actually do hate to lose, unlike what Bowness suggested. But he did back the coach.
"We need to learn how to win, and I definitely think he can help us with that," Werenski told reporters Wednesday.
Regardless of whether they made the playoffs this year, the Blue Jackets were always likely to face notable change and roster turnover this summer.
They have seven pending UFAs, including captain Boone Jenner, Charlie Coyle, Mason Marchment, Danton Heinen and Erik Gudbranson.
Greaves is an RFA with arbitration rights who will get a huge raise on the $812,500 he earned this season.
But Jackets GM Don Waddell has about $39.3 million in salary cap space this off-season – so even if he brings back a couple UFAs and gets Greaves' signature on a team-friendly long-term contract extension, he's going to have more than enough space to be a major player in trades and free agency.
There should be absolutely no excuses why that doesn't happen for Columbus this summer. Waddell has all three of his first-round draft picks in the next three drafts, and parting ways with one of them to acquire the type of proven veteran help the organization desperately needs will not damage the Jackets.
It's time for Columbus to convert some of its prospect base and draft capital into players with winning pedigrees. Because, for the second straight season, the Blue Jackets have been the dictionary definition of a mushy middle team – not good enough to earn a playoff spot and not bad enough to get an elite prospect in the draft. That has to change right away.
Ultimately, though, Bowness made it readily apparent that the biggest change for the Blue Jackets must be the team's culture.
Bowness said he'll have to talk to Waddel about whether he returns. If he does come back, he made it clear the status quo will not be what the team settles for under his direction next year.
And there's little doubt Jackets fans are similarly exasperated.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.