Fantasy hockey preview: Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets celebrated their first ever post-season berth in 2008-09 and followed it by finishing 14th in the Western Conference in 2009-10. The Jackets could not seem to find their game last season and struggled in every area of the ice.
Unfortunately, most hockey experts do not have Columbus doing much better this season, picking the team to finish near the bottom of the conference again.
The young Blue Jackets have plenty of fantasy potential but very little top level talent. Up front, the club is worth studying when making selections in the late rounds; however the entirety of the back-end is likely to end up on the waiver wire.
Forwards
The Blue Jackets have plenty of potential up front, but are almost void of first round talent. Nevertheless, the club is saved by superstar Rick Nash. Nash continually suffers without a first line centre, yet still manages to accrue strong numbers. Last season Nash registered 33 goals and 67 points, while earning 58 penalty minutes (PIMs), 10 power play points (PP), two short-handed goals (SH) and six game-winning-goals (GW). This type of production across the board makes Nash an outstanding fantasy performer.
In the middle rounds, players such as centre Antoine Vermette and winger Kristian Huselius are enticing selections. Last season Vermette slotted home 27 goals while going plus-2 and Huselius tallied 23 markers, while earning eight PP.
The bulk of Columbus’ fantasy players lie in the sleeper category. Youngster Jakub Voracek tallied 16 goals and 50 points in his second season in the league. Centre Derrick Brassard regressed slightly last year, but will see a great deal of time on the second line. Finally Nikita Filatov is likely to play his rookie season next year and is immediately a candidate for the Calder. With all three of these youngsters set to play on the second line, Columbus has a ton of fantasy potential.
Defence
At the back-end Columbus is thin on fantasy talent. Staunchly defensive, they are not likely to shoot the lights out in 2010-11. Perhaps the only real sleeper in the bunch is 24-year-old Anton Stralman. Stralman spent his first full season in the League last year and tallied 34 points and four PP. Moreover, Stralman is the only truly offensive defenseman on the club and therefore has been given the role of point-man on the power play. Expect Stralman’s numbers to jump next season, meaning he might be worth late-round selection.
Kris Russell may be the only other Blue Jacket defender worth keeping an eye on. At 22 years old Russell was able to notch 22 points with a plus-3 rating, the only positive rating on the back end. It is hard to say how much ice time Russell will see this season, however if he starts to take off he could be a steal on the waiver wire.
Goaltending
The Blue Jackets' most pertinent questions lie in goaltending. In 2008-09 the club got outstanding tending from rookie Steve Mason. Mason shut the door, earning a Calder Trophy and finishing second in Veznia voting. However, last season he was among the League’s worst goalies. Mason has the potential for a bounce-back year. Nevertheless, the overall weakness of the Columbus roster should preclude him from earning an early round selection.
If Mason starts out shaky, 32-year-old Mathieu Garon will take over the starting duties. Garon is a capable back-up and is worth keeping in mind if Mason struggles.
The Blue Jackets are without a great deal of first rate talent. However, up front they house several rookies who are worth selecting late, especially in keeper pools.
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