What if Columbus Had Aqquired Evegeni Nabakov (Read On)?

Question

In 2000 when Columbus and Minnesota entered the league each team in the NHL could only protect a certain amount of players and only 1 goalie.

San Jose Sharks traded Jan Caloun, a ninth-round pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, and a 2001 conditional pick to Columbus after the Jackets agreed not to select Evgeni Nabokov

What if the deal wan't made and Nabakov became a Blue Jacket. What would happen to the franchises?

I know you can't ask what if "what if my aunt was born w/nuts she'd be my uncle" but what ccould've happened realistically

Answer 1

okk well coming from a sharks fan i honestly think that Columbus would have been a much better team & they definatly would have had way better goaltending.

Answer 2

If every other variable had remained the same, I don't think it would have had any impact on where either team is at this point in time.

LeClaire is not the reason the Blue Jackets have not made the playoffs nor is Nabokov the only reason the Sharks made it in.  The Blue Jackets organization decided to grow their talent from within and expected a long process.  They made the coaching change last season because that process was taking longer than expected.  How much of the success of these two goaltenders has come from their teams?  Could Pascal LeClaire be a better goaltender behind a better team?  He certainly showed signs of it this year although the person who stated that he has been inconsistent is accurate.  Would Nabokov have struggled more behind a young team like the BJ's?  He absolutely would have had more to handle from them.

Answer 3

The Jackets would for sure have made the playoffs by now if they had Nabokov.

Answer 4

Unfortunately they would have sucked just as bad.

Answer 5

The Jackets would be the Sharks right now!

AWESOME GOALTENDING!

....Its Evgeny Nabokov lol.

Answer 6

I could see them in the playoffs this year! (possibly in Dallas' position!

Answer 7

He probably would not have changed much.  He might have fared a little better than Ron Tugnutt and Marc Denis, but the team in front of them still would have been basically the same.  Tuggy and Denis both put up adequate numbers on such a weak team, having an All-Star in net wouldn't have gotten them over the hump.  They likely also would not having drafted Pascal LeClaire, who is a bright young goalie talent in the NHL.

Answer 8

Probably wouldn't be too much different.  Columbus has a pretty good goalie in Leclaire, and Columbus' problems run much deeper than just goaltending any way.

Answer 9

What if....what if....what if....

What if dogs meowed would cats bark?

What if Mario Lemieux never had any injuries would he be better than Wayne Gretzky?

What if you found out your brother is also your father?

What if the world ended and you were the only one left?

What if we found out Barrack Obama is actually a terrorist?

What if we found out Hillary Clinton is really a man with a s*x change?

What if Cristobal Huet wasn't traded this year....would the Canadiens have gone further into the playoffs?

Answer 10

If Columbus had Nabakov on his team, then he would have taught hockey to the Natives of North America, rather than beginning hostilities between Spain and the Natives.

Answer 11

evegeni nabokov, though an elite goalie in the NHL, could not carry the blue jackets by him self. they would be a playoff team probly an eight or seven seed team, but the owner needs to spend more money than just rick nash. every off season they sign a marquee free agent and trade him off at the deadline because theyre already out off the race. so all in all nabokov would make the team better, but not good enough to contend.

Answer 12

Columbus would have much better goaltending, but they'd still be the same old, mediocre Blue Jackets.

Answer 13

They would've made the playoffs, there goaltending is too inconsistent.