What Do Columbus Fans Want From The Rest Of This Season?
What Do Columbus Fans Want From The Rest Of This Season?
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports - What Do Columbus Fans Want From The Rest Of This Season?General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen said over the Summer that the franchise wanted to be back in the playoffs sooner rather than later. Sooner for him, meant this season. But for fans, who for the most part are realistic, they knew that this season would be much better than 22-23, but playoffs? No way.
The 2023-24 season went off the rails early thanks to a 9-game losing streak that lasted most of November. And then the injuries started. Adam Boqvist, Boone Jenner, Jack Roslovic, and Damon Severson are all out long-term. Others have seen stints on the IR for various reasons, including Patrik Laine, who missed several weeks due to a concussion. Laine has struggled majorly since his return. Until recently, Johnny Gaudreau had been on the struggle bus as well, but he has quietly raised his points total to 15.
One of the few bright spots on the team has been the play of goalie Elvis Merzlikins. Although his record is only 6-8-4, his save % is .910 and he has looked very solid. You could argue that without him in the net most nights, the Jackets record could be a lot worse than it is, as he has had stretches of great play to keep them competitive in games.
But what do fans want to see the rest of the way? They're most likely out of the playoffs unless they go on an epic St. Louis Blues-style run circa 2018-19. Here are some of the ideas we've pulled from social media.
- Play the kids more. Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, Dmitri Voronkov, Yegor Chinakhov, Emil Bemstrom, and Kirill Marchenko have been the best forwards on the ice for a couple of weeks now. They deserve more ice time than what they're getting. On a team with Gaudreau, Laine, and Boone Jenner, it's understandable that those guys should arguably play the most minutes. But when those players are struggling like they are, move the kids up and give them the valuable experience of playing against other team's top lines.
- Make Fantilli the #1 Center. Not only that but if the line of Bemstrom-Fantilli-Johnson continues playing the way they are, make that line the top line. Fantilli has the skill, drive, and motivation to be the top guy, let him see what he can do. He's here to stay, so let him play up top.
- Accountability. Bueller? Bueller? The Jackets owners are seen as absentees, whether this is true to not, who knows? But to the fans, it's true, and perception is everything. Who is going to be held accountable for the sluggish start? The constant blown leads? The pre-season debacle? HC Pascal Vincent isn't getting fired, and he's doing everything in his power to make things right on the ice, I firmly believe that, and I think most fans do too. But what about off the ice? Who holds the front office accountable for the on-ice issues? Fans want to know. Do they make front office changes?
- Does a season-changing trade need to happen? Most fans in sports know that you can't get too attached to players nowadays due to free agency and trades. Columbus fans get really attached to players, that's no secret. Rumors lately have been floating around about Edmonton wanting Adam Boqvist or Elvis Merzlikins, and Washington being interested in Patrik Laine. Would Jarmo entertain trading Laine, not even two Summers after re-signing him? He's gotten off to a tough start, that's for sure, but a Laine trade would shake the fans to the core I believe. There is a small faction of fans who want him gone, but is it the right thing to do at this time? Some fans want to trade Elvis, and have since 2020, but do you trade your starting goalie even in a down year? Unless you plan to lose 90% of your remaining games, the answer is probably no.
- Play competitive hockey. Columbus fans just want to be competitive. They've suffered since 2000 and want a chance to win. The closest the Jackets came was in 2019 when they swept the Tampa Bay Lightning, and then lost in the second round to the Boston Bruins. Many people, including myself, think that if the Jackets do get past the Bruins in round 2, they were going to the Cup Final that year to play the St. Louis Blues. The team spends the money on good players. It seems like they want to win, so why is it that they haven't? Even if this season is a loss, just play good hockey, and don't look horrific in losses. So far this season, they've played some really good games and still lost by a goal.
There are 52 games left in the 2023-24 season, so there's plenty of time to make something happen. But games seem to be ticking off faster for the Jackets than any other team. The every-other-night schedule doesn't get any better for December, and January is full of away games, as well as February. Any team can win on a given night, but the CBJ needs to make sure it's them that are getting those wins.
What else do you want to see from the rest of the season?
Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.