Taking Stock

Still got these 20 goals

The trade deadline has come and gone, and the CBJ stood pat, as I am sure you all know by now.  I am quite nervous about the salary cap, and our ability to get Karlsson and Seth Jones under contract.  If that can be done, I think it leaves us in pretty good shape going into next year, especially since they got the Jenner deal done.  It's not like we need to be leading the NHL come Halloween, a simple .500 record would be fine.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Last night the CBJ dropped a tough one to the Rangers, which helps keep us from climbing the futility standings too quickly.  It was a good game, and I was not terribly disappointed by the outcome.  The team is starting to play well with some consistency, which is what they are going to need in the future.  Winning now is meaningless, but it beats the crap out of losing, and you want the team to have a winning attitude.

I'm really enjoying watching this growth phase by Seth Jones.  That is one of the most productive things about this stretch of games, building that experience and continuity in the defensive ranks.  Murray and Jones look like a real first pairing with the upside to take the team places.  A couple of years from now this could get pretty interesting.

What I like about keeping Scott Hartnell at the trade deadline, is that I think you need to have guys like him on your team if you are going to make some noise in the league.  That character will take you a long way, and I am not as scared of Hartnell's term as some people are.  Hartnell came to training camp ready to go, and was one of the first guys to take the conditioning test.  He'll be ready to go next year, as well.  Hartnell's game is not predicated on speed, and the loss of a bit of a step impacts him less than other players.  And if you make it to the playoffs, this guy will be gold.

I like how this team is shaping up.  We are still going to draft relatively high, and have 3 chances to win a lottery.  We only need to win one of them, and we're in great shape.  Even then, we'll be restocking the system and we'll see what that will get us.

Lots of home games here in March.  Pure and simple, its more fun when they win.  So here's hoping the boys play well, and we'll see what we see.

GO JACKETS!!!