Happy terrific Tuesday Wilderness! The players are in town, and tomorrow officially starts training camp. The end of a mostly hockey-less summer is near.

Today we continue our NHL preview with a team who almost Cinderella'd their way into the playoffs over the Wild last season. Love them or hate them (I'd hate them less if their coach wasn't such a jerk), you have to admit that you were almost pulling for them to squeak into the playoffs (as long as the Wild were in for sure). Thanks to Mike from Jackets Cannon, who was kind enough to send us his thoughts on the Blue Jackets.

Offensive Threats
Without a doubt the Jackets' top offensive threat is Marian Gaborik. He was acquired at last season's trade deadline, so we only got a brief glimpse of what he can do in a Columbus uniform. He has game-breaking ability, as you're well aware in Minnesota, and with the benefit of a full camp and the fact this season is scheduled to be one of his "up" years (up year, down year, up year, down year) big things are expected of him. Though he's not expected to make his debut until Christmas, Nathan Horton was signed to give the team another big-bodied weapon up front. He'll provide secondary scoring along with Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson. R.J. Umberger, Nick Foligno and Mark Letestu contribute to the offense as well. The wildcard for the Jackets is former first rounder Ryan Johansen. He's primed for a breakout, and if it comes to fruition the Jackets will have another prime scoring option.

Defensive Threats
The Jackets are very sound defensively as a unit, but have a handful of defense-first players. Though he contributes regularly to the scoresheet, Anisimov plays a very good two-way game, as does Letestu. Derek MacKenzie and Blake Comeau do an excellent job as fourth line energy/shutdown players. The defense is greater than the sum of its parts, but Fedor Tyutin and Dalton Prout are very steady in their own end. Jack Johnson, previously known for his poor decisions in the defensive zone, is turning into a very trustworthy two-way defender.

Unsung Heroes
Mark Letestu does it all. The coaches have had him play all three forward positions and have used him on every line, at various points since his arrival in Columbus. No matter where he's playing, he's contributing. He was second in team scoring last season, and led the team in goals. He's also capable of playing a defensive role when required. His contributions don't go completely unnoticed however, as he was given a new two-year deal this past offseason. Matt Calvert is another player who doesn't get a on of attention, but has a large impact on the team's success. He's got energy and heart in spades, whether it's scoring a timely goal, banging bodies or standing up to players in far larger weight classes.

Goaltending
The Jackets received stellar goaltending last season from Sergei Bobrovsky, who of course came away with the Vezina Trophy. He signed a two-year deal this summer, and will once again be the team's clear-cut number one. Curtis McElhinney was part of the organization last year as the Springfield Falcons (AHL) number one goalie. He was an AHL All-Star, and his play in the "A" earned him the backup role in Columbus.

Coaching
The Jackets are led behind the bench by former Wild coach Todd Richards, who was recently named to the Team USA staff for the Sochi Olympics. Craig Hartsburg, a former NHL head coach, is Richard's right-hand man, with the staff rounded out with assistant coach Dan Hinote and goaltending coach Ian Clark, who prior to joining the Jackets was Roberto Luongo's goalie coach in Vancouver and Florida.

Prospects
Prior to the 2013 NHL Draft, the Jackets prospect pool featured a handful of excellent defensive prospects, a trio of high-end goaltenders and a mix of forwards, none of whom outside of Boone Jenner has high-end potential. This was remedied this past June, when the Jackets used three first round picks on forwards- Alexander Wennberg, Kerby Rychel and Marko Dano. These three players, along with Jenner and other interesting players like T.J. Tynan, Daniel Zaar and Oliver Bjorkstrand, are the future up-front in Columbus. The defense prospect pool is led by 2012 second overall pick Ryan Murray, Cody Goloubef, David Savard, Dillon Heatherington and Mike Reilly, who plays for the University of Minnesota. Oscar Dansk, Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo are the team's future between the pipes.

Depth
The Jackets are very deep on defense, with potentially three to four players penciled for the AHL able to step in and contribute in the NHL if/when injuries occur. Up front, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault and Boone Jenner are likely the first options for callups from the AHL, with a handful of energy players providing forward depth. Goaltending depth is a bit of a concern, if Bobrovsky goes down, the team's next three goaltenders on the depth chart (McElhinney, Mike McKenna and Jeremy Smith) are career AHLers. Within the Columbus roster itself, the team has bottom-six forwards who can moonlight on a scoring line if need be. Calvert and Letestu are the two leading candidates to fill this role.

Fan Favorites
Anisimov developed a huge following last season, thanks to his clutch goals, some of which were of the highlight reel variety. Calvert's hustle has endeared himself to fans, but I think Bobrovsky- the number one cop on the force-has the full attention, not mention the hearts and minds, of the fans. The team decided not to re-sign Vinny Prospal, a definite fan-fave, leaving a huge emotional void with the fans. Somebody will have to step up and be the next Vinny, and that could very well be Brandon Dubinsky this season.

Must-Follow Writers
The Jackets only have one beat writer, Aaron Portzline (@aportzline) of the Columbus Dispatch. Shawn Mitchell (@smitchcd) and Michael Arace (@MichaelArace1), also of the Dispatch, contribute CBJ-related content as well. The Jackets have a handful of excellent blogs as well - Union Blue, The Dark Blue Jacket,Full Mental Jackets, and HastagCBJ, to name just a few.

Must-Follow Fans
The best part of the online CBJ fanbase is that most of the must-follow fans have turned to blogging in addition to their activity on twitter. Here's a handful, no snubs intended!

1) @Skraut_ - huge fan, makes phenomenal highlight videos.
2) The five contributors to Union Blue - @Canadan82, @AlisonL, @TheCoachUB, @OhioHockeyDog, @CBJProspects
3) @DarkBlueJacket - head cheese at The Dark Blue Jacket
4) @RobMixer - Works for the Jackets, but is a must-follow for his content and CBJ-related promotion
5) @RedditCBJ - another great follow
6) @rickgethin - contributing for Fox Sports Ohio
7) @zekebud - it's cool as long as you don't mention Jack Johnson
8) I'd be remiss if I didn't include the guys from The Cannon - @mejmaclean, @DP_Cannon, @andynewman, @bzarcher, @shhshockey

The 2013-2014 NHL season will "officially" get under way with the team's media day press conference. We'll have reactions from the event and quotes / audio from Team President John Davidson, GM Jarmo Kekalainen, and head coach Todd Richards.

Today, the Blue Jackets will welcome in the Columbus media to talk about plans for the coming campaign, and set the public tone before going into this year's training camp.

Interestingly, while the sports media headlines in Columbus are being dominated by tonight's USA / Mexico match and the ongoing QB issues at Ohio State, nearly every major news outlet has commented on the fact that today is Media Day at Nationwide, and there's a current of...dare I say it...excitement? Anticipation? Interest? And it doesn't seem like they're just in it for the sumptuous buffet.

In the past, we've talked about how the team frequently tries to set a tone using the event, but this year the leadup has been a more self-assured thing. The club has stated that head coach Todd Richards, president John Davidson, and GM Jarmo Kekalainen will speak to the media. Unlike past years where a lot of the focus was on new additions or a shuffled coaching staff, the team is (generally) returning the same roster as last season, and there's no questions about the expectations - new Conference or not, the goal is a Stanley Cup, and missing the playoffs is not acceptable. The cultural shifts of the last few years have finally settled.

Here's what I'd expect to hear today (and we WILL be attending the event and providing updates this afternoon).

• Strong Foundations - Expect to hear a lot about Bob and the returning D-corps. This team is playing from the net out, and I expect the coaches / executives to reference that quite a bit
• Veteran Presence - While the team has several promising young players who are expected to take "the next step", I would expect we're going to hear the organization putting a lot on guys like Fedor Tyutin, Brandon Dubinski, Jack Johnson, and R.J. Umberger as leaders on and off ice.
• Embracing the Underdog - Despite the way a lot of fans around the NHL embraced the club in their playoff chase, not many expect them to make a big splash in a division that will include the Penguins, Rangers, Capitals, and Flyers. I think we're going to hear a restatement of the "never outworked" identity, and using that disregard as fuel to compete hard and make a bigger impact in the Metropolitan division than most expect.

Now, at the same time, there are some things I would NOT expect to hear today.

• No Guaranteed Spots - Not just in terms of performance, but in terms of younger players breaking into the lineup. As much as I think the organization would like to see Ryan Murray, Boone Jenner, or Ilari Melart push for a spot on the NHL roster, you're not going to see them handed spots before camp opens. This is going to be a very "Show Me" camp for the club's youth, and I'd even extend that to guys like Cam Atkinson and Ryan Johansen. Nothing is guaranteed, and they want to see everyone step it up a notch.
• No Captain On Deck - While some organizations have been announcing new Captains or leadership groups over the last few weeks, I doubt we'll have a similar announcement today, given that the coaching staff has avoided the subject when asked recently.
• No Roster Shuffles - We've seen a recent crop of veteran UFAs / bought out playersbeing invited to camps around the league this week on tryout agreements, but barring an injury this week I wouldn't expect any more free agents to be signed or PTOs to be sent out. I think Jarmo and JD want to see the group as constructed take a step without messing with the chemistry that came together last season.
• No Sell Jobs - In the past, Media day has been as much about trying to sell the team to the local media and to show why they needed to cover the club. This year, the interest is firmly in place thanks to the strong finish last season, and the fanbase is strongly engaged - I'd even say that casual fan interest is higher than it was after the club's 2008-2009 playoff appearance. They don't need to explain why this team will be worth watching - the evidence speaks for itself.

It's no secret that the one biggest area for improvement this coming season will be putting the puck into the net. The Blue Jackets will have a full season of Marian Gaborik, and also added Nathan Horton in the off-season. While that will help, the Jackets are also looking in a different spot for additional offense: their defense.

It has often been said that the best offense is a good defense. And, with the strength of this club being its defense, that might just be true. Both John Davidson and Todd Richards noted as much at media day.

When asked where the needed additional goals would come from, Davidson noted, "Or strength should continue to be our work habits and our defensive play, and if we continue that we will stay in games. Good, strong defense can lead to offense."

Interesting. This club's identity is built from the back out, to be sure. But, how, exactly, does the club plan to create more offense from their defense? Simply put, they're going to use what worked for them down the stretch last season, and build on that. It's all going to start with be forecheck.

Coach Richards elaborated a bit. "To me, it's just being a tighter checking team," he said. "If you don't have the puck, you're always checking. If you don't have the puck in the offensive zone and you're still doing a good job checking, you're creating turnovers."

Richards believes that one of the biggest reasons the team started so slowly this past season was because they were unable to win the turnover battle. "One of our major flaws at the start of last season was turnovers," he told me. "We were shooting ourselves in the foot because we had poor puck management. That got better, and I think we started to create more turnovers. Wen you create more turnovers, more than likely you're playing in the other team's zone."

So, while adding some legitimate scorers can help, the team seems to be looking to their system to help facilitate any boosts in scoring. Both Davidson and GM Jarmo Kekalainen noted that the scoring is going to have to come from up and down the lineup, with Kekalainen going so far as to say he didn't feel that Columbus has a "star" to carry the scoring load.

It seems clear that the front office and coaching staff alike believe that, if this club is to improve offensively, it's going to come from within, and it's going to come from sticking the their system. Keep the puck out of your own net. Create your opportunities through hard work and tight checking.

Or, more succinctly, the best offense is a good defense.

All that's left is to see if these guys can bury those chances.

With as impressive as the turnaround on the ice was last season, perhaps more impressive was the complete turnaround in the dressing room. With the Rick Nash trade, there was a vacancy at Captain, and Todd Richards and the front office were more than willing to leave it open to see how the group responded, and to see who stepped up.

We've debated the candidates for a long time here on The Cannon, and the conventional wisdom is that we'll see a new Captain named sometime during the upcoming training camp. But, in addition to who the new Captain might be, when might we see him named?

I asked Todd Richards about the importance of having a Captain, and whether or not he felt it was a pertinent thing to have decided before the season starts. While Richards stressed the overall importance of the Captain position, he was careful not to take any teeth out of his overall leadership group as a whole. And, when I read between the lines, it almost seems like he--perhaps coyly--might be hinting that he might not pick a Captain at all.

"I've been asked this question a lot," Richards said. "I think everybody wants to see a 'C' on somebody, and I think most teams have it set up. I'm not saying I'm against it or for it. I think you have to find out what works with your group, what works with your team. I've said this before: for me, I value it as a really important decision. It's not just a 'C' on somebody's jersey, it's what it represents: the leader of your team, the face of your franchise. We have great leaders in the room. I believe that. But, what is the best fit for our team right now?"

When thinking about choosing a Captain, Richards doesn't seem to limit a potential decision simply to who the best player or voice might be. It's a complex formula, and it's clear he's giving it serious thought and consideration. "What is the best fit for individuals right now?" Richard noted when discussing how he might pick a Captain. "Is the player ready to bear the brunt of wearing the 'C' and being held accountable for all of those questions that you're going to get when things aren't going well? It's always easy to answer questions when things are going good. It's when things aren't going good that you have to stand to the forefront and you've gotta answer those tough questions."

I think most fans assume something is going to happen before the regular season kicks off. But, for those expecting and early announcement, you may be disappointed. "For me, I have no time-table set," Richards said. "As a coaching staff, as management, this is something that we really value, and we put a lot of importance on it. It's nothing that will be forced into, and nothing that will be rushed into."

Of course, the joke will be on me when they name a Captain before Sunday's home exhibition opener.

TRAINING CAMP STARTS TODAY!

All caps, exclamation point...cheesy, yes, but I am damned excited.

This post will be pinned to the cover of the site for the duration of camp. I'll update it as cuts are made, as the coaches whittle the players down to what will be the opening night roster for the Blue Jackets.

In addition to the players under contract with the Jackets and their unsigned prospects, five players have been invited to camp- four forwards and a blueliner. Up front, Alex Aleardi, Jeremy Langlois and Trent Vogelhuber recently took part in the Traverse City prospect tournament, and all three are currently Springfield Falcons property. The fourth invitee  forward is interesting. Broc Little, also Falcons property, played the past two seasons in Sweden, racking up a ton of points. He's undersized, but worth keeping an eye on. He'll be looked to for offense in Springfield this year. The lone defense invite is Joe Lavin, who spent the past two seasons with Rockford of the AHL. He was also signed by the Falcons this summer to an AHL deal.

Two players are currently injured- Nathan Horton and Dalton Prout.

We'll have more content in the coming days giving our thoughts on potential training camp battles, but I'll say this much for now- I've got my eyes locked on the progress of Boone Jenner. With a great camp, he could force his way into the opening night lineup.

There aren't many Blue Jackets who are more enjoyable to talk to than Derek MacKenzie. At 32, he's now the oldest player on the training camp roster, and along with Jared Boll he's the longest-tenured guy in the organization. He told me that he begged Adrian Aucoin to come back just so that he could avoid being the brunt of all of the old-guy jokes.

But one area in which there's no joking around is MacKenzie's world-famous fu-stache, which makes its appearance every season at some point. With the lockout last season, there was no Mo-vember for NHL players, as they didn't play hockey during that month. That didn't stop the Fu-Mac-Chu from appearing at the right time.

So, when I got the chance to ask Mac about the stache this morning, he left no doubt that it would be making its annual November appearance:

"You know what? By popular demand... it's definitely going to be a Mo-vember thing, but whether or not it comes back early or late, you know, it has become a little superstitious."

We're all waiting with baited breath!

Much has been made about the slow starts for R.J. Umberger the past couple of seasons. The dead horse about his decision during the lockout NOT to play hockey has been beaten. Many fans wondered if Umberger might try to come into camp this year more ready to go.

As with every sports season, there has to be the cliched "he's in the best shape of his career!" piece written about one player or another, right?

Umberger noted this morning that he made some changes to his preparation for camp this summer, the biggest of which was to drop some weight. All throughout his remarks to the media, he touched on team speed, the need for quick players with the move to the Eastern Conference, and his own desire to be more quick. To that end, he said, he also dropped some weight while trying to maintain his strength.

"I did a lot more speed and explosive training [this summer]," Umberger said. "It was the most clean eating I've ever had this summer, and I dropped some weight. I dropped about seven or eight pounds. It wasn't an 'overweight' thing. It was just something I wanted to do personally. I'm still as strong as can be; all my strength numbers actually went up. Since I came into the league, I was always told to be a big guy, to be 220 or 220-plus. I'm going to try to play at 214 or 215. I'm still strong and not going to get moved around, but I might even feel better on the ice."

When asked if he felt faster, Umberger quipped, "I feel pretty good right now, so we'll see."

Here's hoping this move might help Umberger to have his quickness more from the get-go this season. We all know the player he's capable of being at his top-end.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have come to terms on a three-year contract extension with forward Jared Boll, the team announced on Friday afternoon. The financial terms of the contract were not made public at the time of this writing.

Boll is entering the final year of a two-year, $2.1 million contract that carries an annual average value of $1.05 million against the salary cap, according to CapGeek.com. He was going to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Originally selected with the No. 101 overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Boll has spent the entirety of his career with the Columbus franchise. Boll has appeared in 388 career regular season games and is currently the club's longest tenured member. He has accumulated 52 points (24 goals and 28 assists) in his career and has registered an average ice time of eight minutes per game.

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As the Jackets prepare to open their exhibition schedule, the last bit of news we expected to hear was that Jared Boll was inking a new contract. To say that reactions to the news were quite mixed is an understatement, especially when the three year term and $5.1 million dollar pricetag came to light.

I'll say here what I said on twitter earlier today. I have no problem with Jared Boll the person. I love his heart, I love his dedication, and I truly respect that he wants to spend his career here. I've been impressed with his resolve ever since he pushed his way onto the roster straight out of Junior hockey. He's taken a lot of abuse for this team and just keeps answering the bell. I cannot help but respect that.

But with that said, I think we have to admit that while his fighting skills have arguably improved in the - ye gods - seven years he's spent in Union Blue, his hockey skills plateaued quite some time ago. In fact, statistically, he's been on a decline since the 2010-2011 season.

We've asked for the last severalyears if Boll was really a good use of an NHL roster spot. Even if you argue that his roll as a fighter and a dressing room leader outweighs his lack of scoring and defensive play, the fact remains that he's used in soft minutes and specific situations. Even then, there's evidence that his fighting actually hurts the team's chances of being scored on!

Yet Jarmo and the front office have decided to give Boller roughly a 50% pay raise and guarantee he'll be a Blue Jacket into his early 30s, and bring a cap hit that, while relatively low, especially if the cap goes up, is still a lot to give to a guy in his role.

Using Capgeek's comparable salaries tool. $1.7 million (Boll's new cap hit) lines him up against Jiri Tlusty, Nate Thompson, Gregory Campbell, Ryan Jones, Maxime Talbot, Eric Fehr, and Brian Boyle. Most of those guys are in roughly the same age group, but none of them are really an "enforcer" player, and quite a few of them have broken the 20 goal plateau in the NHL at least once. Several of them are regarded as defensively skilled players, and many of them are well regarded as penalty killers.  (Also, in the case of Talbot and Campbell, they've got a Stanley Cup or two on their resume.)

Boll's best season, offensively, was the 2008-2009 campaign, where he whipped up 14 points, 10 of them assists. His best goal scoring season was 2010-2011, where he potted seven to go with his 182 PIMs. Not exactly in the same category. He's usually only put on the PK in cases of extreme emergency (or to send a message to the other club), and he's never seen on the ice for key defensive draws.

Even if, again, you say the intangibles and his voice in the locker room makes up some of that difference, you also have to look at the very nature of his job. Boll goes out, and every shift he has a pretty decent chance of getting hurt. Not just the bruises or cuts that most players collect during a game, but eye injuries, concussions, and broken bones have all cut short his playing time in the past.

His career high for games played in a season is 75, a mark he hasn't reached since his sophomore year. The more damage he takes, the more unlikely it is that he's going to hit that level again. Also, frankly, because he is a very nice guy, I also worry about the toll that his fighting may take on him both during this contract and the long term. The more we learn about CTE and post-concussion syndrome, the less I like seeing anyone drop the gloves.

All in all, you have a guy who has been a long tenured player for the team being rewarded for his service, and probably given more money and term than most players in his role at this point in his career as a result. It's a decision that shows the organization's loyalty to their players, which I appreciate, but it doesn't really make a lot of sense to someone on the outside looking in, and I'm still not sure it works for me on the inside, either.

The blueline for the 2013/2014 Blue Jackets will look very much like the group that almost made the playoffs last season, with six of the seven regulars returning. Adrian Aucoin departed via free agency.

The Locks

Fedor Tyutin led the Jackets in defenseman scoring with 22 points, while playing in all 48 games. He provides steady play in all three zones, and is easily the team's most complete defenseman. He's also a near-lock for Team Russia at the 2014 Sochi Olympics in Russia.

Jack Johnson finished three points behind Tyutin offensively, and though he's not as adept as Tyutin in the defensive zone, he did show improvement while playing without the puck. You'll never convince those who use advanced stats as their primary resource that he is a valuable member of this team, but he is a threat offensively, will throw his weight around, and there's a very good chance he'll be named captain of the team. His leadership qualities are already evident from his letter-wearing with the Jackets and Team USA.

The second half of the self-proclaimed "Controlled Chaos" duo, along with Johnson, is James Wisniewski. Wiz is first and foremost an offensive defenseman, the shooter on the powerplay and risk-taker while playing five-on-five. Four of his five goals last season were on the powerplay.

If you talk to most Jackets fans, they'll probably tell you that Nikita Nikitin struggled last year. Two seasons ago, Nikki was acquired from the Blues and went on to lead the Jackets in points by a defenseman. He scored at a 0.59 PPG clip that year, but last season dropped to 0.24 PPG. He had some notable turnovers, and missed ten games. That said, he's still an important member of the defensive core, and is looking for a bounce-back year. He and Wisniewski have the big cannons from the point, and the expectation is that Nikki can be the shooter on the second powerplay unit, along with providing steady play five-on-five. He joined Tyutin and ten other defensemen on Russia's preliminary Olympic roster.

I think it's safe to say that we were all surprised by the emergence of Dalton Prout last season. He's a no nonsense blueliner, steady as hell in his own zone. A season-ending injury to Ryan Murray, combined with unsteady play by some of younger blueliners, not to mention injuries, opened the door for Prout to be called up to Columbus. Once he arrived, he was there to stay. He will miss the start of camp due to offseason surgery, but the team is hopeful he can be ready to take to the ice sooner, rather than later.

The Safe Bets

With five of the seven spots on defense nailed down, the remaining competition for the final starting spot and seventh defender role are up for grabs. In most seasons, the 6^th and 7^th defensemen don't invoke many, if any, storylines, but this year is different, thanks to one Ryan Murray.

Murray, the 2^nd overall pick from two years ago-a player who the New York Islanders reportedly wanted so badly they were willing to trade their entire slew of 2012 draft picks for-is finally ready for the big time after missing a vast majority of last season due to a shoulder injury. He was touted as NHL-ready leading up to his draft day, and it's finally time to see if he truly is. The thing is, with a high-end prospect like Murray, you want him playing...a lot. If he's one of the best six defensemen in training camp, it's a no brainer- keep him. If he's outplayed by even one of the non-locks, he should be sent to Springfield, where he can soak up the minutes and pro-style game. Ryan Murray should not, under any circumstance, be the team's seventh defenseman, rotting in the press box.

The player with the best chance of unseating Murray for the final starting spot is Tim Erixon. Erixon ended up playing in 31 out of 48 games last season, and though he had his ups and downs, showed enough to be a semi-regular with the Jackets. We're all still waiting to see what he can provide offensively at the NHL level. During the lockout, he put up a line of 5-24-29 in 40 AHL games with Springfield. If he could translate those kinds of numbers to the NHL, he'd be an integral part of the starting six. At this point, early in training camp, I'm looking at Murray and Erixon as the first major battle for a roster spot. If Erixon comes out on top, Murray's in Springy. If Murray shines, I think you're looking at the Jackets starting the season with Tyutin, Johnson, Wisniewski, Nikitin, Prout, Murray and Erixon as the team's defensive corps. This of course is all based on Prout's full recovery, no injuries to any of those players, or an amazing showing from a wild card defender in camp.

The Wild Cards

Earlier this summer, the Jackets inked a total unknown from Finland to a deal. Ilari Melart is a Roster Viking special. A player who obviously made an impression on GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who prior to taking the Jackets' gig was of course GM of Jokerit in the Finnish league. Melart is as-advertised- big, mean, mean and big. He plays a shutdown role, and will drop the mitts if necessary. Melart's best chance to make the Jackets is likely if Dalton Prout isn't fully recovered in time for the season opener. He's an interesting player to keep an eye on, and if he doesn't make the Jackets, he can be unleashed on the AHL, to punish opposition forwards who linger too close to the Springfield cage.

Cody Goloubef had a cup of coffee with the Jackets last season, and left an impression on the organization and fans. He's got offensively ability, and is a very good skater. He'll either be a go-to defender for Springfield, or with a stellar camp, he could move up the ladder, forcing guys like Murray and/or Erixon to the AHL.

A player who is looking to bounce back after a tough season is David Savard. Savvy is known for his abilities with the puck, but it's his play without it that has troubled him. He is in a tight battle with Goloubef and Melart to unseat one of Murray or Erixon

The Other Guys

No matter how things shake out in camp, whether Murray can be the stud we think he is and nails down a starting spot, or if Erixon stakes claim to the NHL job he held last year, or if one of the wildcards steals the show and earns a spot outright-both the Jackets and Falcons will have very strong defensive units. Assuming for the sake of discussion that Tyutin, Johnson, Wisniewski, Nikitin, Prout, Murray and Erixon are on the Columbus roster, that would leave Melart, Goloubef and Savard as half of the starting sextet in Springy. Joining them are AHL vets Freddy St. Denis, Patrick McNeill and Blake Parlett. St. Denis and McNeill were UFA signings this summer, while Parlett was a mid-season acquisition last year who was re-signed this summer. Former second round pick Will Weber is in the mix as well, along with Joe Lavin, who is signed to an AHL-only deal. Austin Madaisky and Thomas Larkin are in-tough to earn spots, and are likely ticketed to Evansville of the ECHL, at least to start the season.

Our sincere apologies for not really getting our usual game day coverage off the ground. It's pre-season for us, too.

What we have instead is a nice little throwback, giving you some quick news hits and updating you on the team as they get ready for tonight.

The biggest news going into tonight's exhibition match is that Matt Calvert will miss tonight's game due to a sore groin. The team wasn't specific on how long he'll be out, but since the article mentions him possibly returning later in the week, I'd expect he'll also miss Tuesday's split-squad games and the trip down to Carolina, too.

Dalton Smith will go into the lineup, and Broc Little will be getting a chance to skate with Marian Gaborik and Artem Anisimov, just like he did in the scrimmage on Saturday. For what it's worth, I thought Little did a good job of helping to create room for his more experienced linemates to work. Should be interesting to see how things go.

You can also check the team's preview coverage for full lineups for tonight's game, Puck Rakers has some pregame comments from players and coaches, and the folks at Pensburgh will probably have a game thread as well.

In other news, the NHL has decided not to allow video review on high-sticking calls and appear to be cracking down on uniform regulations.

Speaking of yesterday's scrimmage, check out the great photos by DerDrache (AKA the Beard Guy, AKA the CBJBeard, AKA Johnny "Two snaps" McGee) over at The Union Blue.

Last but certainly not least, some contrasting views on the Jared Boll extension from Dark Blue Jacket and tUB's Jeff Little.

That's it for us until gametime. Hope to see you down at the arena! For those who can't make it, there will be coverage on NHL Network and 1460 The Fan. (AM band only - I'd assume the FM 97.1 will still be on NFL coverage.)

The first preseason game got off to a rough start in Columbus. After Brandon Dubinsky hammered Beau Bennett at the top of the Blue Jackets' zone, the puck squirted back towards the Columbus net, past a surprised set of defenders, and James Neal walked in and cooly snapped it past Curtis McIlhenny on his first shot of the game.

Fortunately, even though the Penguins took the initiative, the Jackets would draw a hooking call that allowed them to get their feet under them, and Nikita Nikitin unleashed a blast near the end of the power play that Artem Anisimov would tip past Marc-Andre Fleury to tie the game.

That was the end of the good news for much of the period, however, as Pittsburgh would surge back, dominating possession in the Columbus end before a post-power play scramble saw Chuck Kobasew put the visitors back on top.

The Penguins seemed like they would hold, or perhaps even extend their lead before the first intermission, but a pair of penalties to Pierre-Luc LeTourneau-LeBlond and Tanner Glass gave Columbus a 5-on-3 advantage late, and James Wisniewski would end up blasting a shot from the point to tie things up once again before the period came to a close.

The team seemed to settle down in the second period, keeping Pittsburgh from turning the game into a track meet, and neither side would get a goal past their starting netminders, though the Jackets continued to be outshot 26-12 after 40 minutes.

In the third period, Oscar Dansk and Jeff Zatkoff would take to the ice for their respective clubs, and perhaps the Blue Jackets got a bit too comfortable early. Killing an early penalty, Ryan Murray misjudged a move by Dustin Jeffrey, giving the journeyman a clear shooting lane which he took advantage of to give the visitors yet another lead.

Instead of letting the Penguins set a higher tempo, however, this time the Jackets responded by increasing their own intensity, perhaps sparked when Ilari Melart got into a wrestling match with Adam Payerl following the Pittsburgh winger colliding with Dansk in the crease.

The fire was particularly evident in the third line of Blake Comeau, Mark Letestu, and Jack Skille, who had spent most of the game challenging the Malkin / Neal / Various line. Taking the puck away from #71, Skille would lead a hard charge into the Pittsburgh zone and driving to the net. His shot would go off Zatkoff's pads, but Comeau would get the puck back through traffic towards the goal, and Letestu cleaned up the second rebound, squeaking it past the former Miami of Ohio netminder.

Almost as soon as the crowd had sat back down from that goal celebration, James Wisniewski would spring Cam Atkinson on a rush, and the Little Engine that Did struck with a lightning quick wrist shot to give Columbus their first lead of the night.

Columbus held their ground and looked like they might have an opportunity to extend the lead on a power play opportunity a few minutes later, but their best opportunity was an Anisimov shot that skirted just wide. Unfortunately, that opened the door for Malkin to draw an interference call on Cody Goloubef a few minutes later, and Kobasew would carry the mail once again late in the man advantage, whacking a puck past Dansk when the young netminder failed to seal his pads against the ice.

Columbus responded again, including another emotional boost after James Wisniewski was knocked around after the whistle by Joe Vitale, and responded by pounding him. (The video shows Wiz knocking Vitale's hat off, but you can't really see clearly that the helmet ended up flying a few feet before landing, which the crowd warmly appreciated.)

The Jackets' surge of momentum allowed them to draw another power play towards the end of regulation, but bad luck and some iffy calls with the puck kept them from capitalizing, so the fans at Nationwide were treated to some bonus hockey.

Columbus had the better of the extra time, clearly pushing a Pittsburgh defense that was starting to tire thanks to the speed of guys like Gaborik, Anisimov, Atkinson, and Dubinsky, but the hero of the evening almost became the goat.

Ryan Murray had been generally solid in his first professional game, but a misread of the play early in OT saw him handing the puck not to a teammate, but to James Neal, who charged in on Dansk and (fortunately) shot wide. He would receive a chance for redemption, however, when Letestu and Umberger charged into the Pittsburgh zone late in the extra period, and Umby delivered a textbook drop pass back to the young defenseman, who hammered it home for his first professional goal and first professional game winner.

Even in pre-season, that had to have been a nice feeling, and the appreciative cheers of the fans certainly didn't hurt.

Standard Bearers:

• Ryan Murray - I saw some pretty decent potential in Murray, who generally kept up with the play, but I would say (and a few other friends watching agreed) that he isn't doing a great job of protecting himself when he's not carrying the puck. I suspect he might get a "Welcome to the NHL" hit if he's not more careful.
• Cam Atkinson - Cam worked hard all evening, earning a promotion up to the Gaborik / AA line, and his speed was a big part of the Jackets getting their feet back under them and pushing back into the game. (Plus, man, that goal. I sure hope we get some video of that soon.)
• James Wisniewski - Preseason or not, Wiz racked up a Gordie Howe Hat Trick, and I'd argue that he was a big part of the team jacking up their compete level after getting a bit shell-shocked early.

Bottom of the Barrel:

• Cody Goloubef - Goldbeef did some good things, but I generally felt like he was one of the weaker d-men tonight, and bad reads lead directly to at least one Pittsburgh goal.
• Weak Start - The Jackets really didn't "click" until about halfway through this game, and their early goals were more about individual efforts and the man advantage than a product of driving the play. From what I caught of the post-game, it sounds like Coach Richards agreed with me on that.
• Adjustments - In addition to feeling a bit like the chemistry wasn't there tonight, you could tell some guys were still in a "Junior Hockey / Minor League" mode. Passes were a bit too forced, some plays tried to get a bit too cute, and even players who should know better (*cough* Nikitin *cough*) were telegraphing shots and looking for "perfect" passing or shooting lanes instead of getting to work and forcing Pittsburgh to deal with the traffic.

I'm trying not to read too much into any of this. It's pre-season, it's early, and while I don't think either team put out a creampuff roster, they weren't anywhere near a final form, either. As it is, fans from both teams got a great show, and Columbus got a nice story out of the deal. The much-heralded rookie gets to make up for his earlier mistake and finds the game winner. Not a bad start at all.

The Pittsburgh Penguins kicked off their 2013-14 NHL preseason schedule on the road in Columbus, losing a 5-4 game in overtime. As always for a game early in the preseason, both rosters were mixes of NHL caliber players, career minor league players, young prospects and old veterans trying for one more go round.

It was sloppy at times, as you'd expect from the first game of the season, and over the course of the game the Pens lost two players- Bobby Farnham and Brian Dumoulin - to injuries that forced them out of the game. Hopefully we get positive updates tomorrow on both of them.

Here's a few stand-outs in tidy bullet point fashion for this game

• Veteran Chuck Kobasew had a good game, scoring two goals from right in front of the net, including one in the third period that tied the score at 4 and eventually forced the overtime. Kobasew was in the right place at the right time, but Columbus also allowed him multiple shot attempts on the first goal, without anyone taking his body or stick. Pretty easy for a pro to take advantage of that. Still, Kobasew's on a tryout contract with the numbers against him in terms of guys ahead of him on the team. He needed to standout, and any time a player can light the lamp in a game (twice, no less), it's sure to draw the attention of the coach.
• Dustin Jeffrey also flashed, especially on the power play where he was being used on the point. Jeffrey scored a goal and got a helper on the PP and looked pretty good distributing the puck from the point. On the Penguins depth chart they could use a seond pairing PP defenseman and it looks like Jeffrey's getting the chance to again show he can add to a lineup.
• Beau Bennett started the game off with a bang, colliding into a Columbus player and then collecting a puck and throwing a nice pass over to James Neal. Neal, in the slot was all alone and made no mistakes beating Curtis McElhinney (Columbus's projected NHL backup goalie) five-hole for the first goal of the (pre)season.
• Pretty quiet game for Evgeni Malkin. The Big Guy took three minor penalties, only won 39% of his faceoffs and didn't factor into any scoring. Although at this point, no need to be worried at all, a former MVP doesn't need to show anything in a meaningless game, and Malkin did display a little chemistry with Neal on some nice touch passes and looks to be integrating with a potential new linemate in Bennett.
• Marc-Andre Fleury played the first two periods, giving up 2 goals on 12 shots. Everything Fleury does is going to be heavily scrutinized, but there's not much to read into about his performance from this game. He didn't see a lot of rubber, as the Pens did well to control possession and minimize zone-time. The two goals Fleury surrendered (a tip-in and a power-play bomb of a shot (that might have been deflected by a defender) after they got him moving laterally are goals that probably go in against just about anyone. No harm, no foul...for now.
• At the risk of putting too much weight into one performance - Jeff Zatkoff probably isn't going to push anyone for NHL minutes anytime soon. He gave up three goals on 13 shots, didn't control rebounds particularly well and didn't really look like he had any ability above minor league netminder. Not a shock or disappointment, just an observation that there's not a lot in the pipeline should Fleury or Tomas Vokoun get injured.
• Guess who lead the team in ice time? Matt Niskanen with 23:08. We've all but written him off as likely trade-bait, but he factored into the game big time tonight. We'll see if he ends up on the Penguins roster when camp breaks.
• 2012 first round pick Derrick Pouliot played a good game and made me think the word "sturdy" while watching him, which is not a word that I usually do. His skating and puck-handling made him into a top 10 pick, and while he still has a lot of work and maturation to go into becoming more consistent in his all-around game, I think he showed a lot tonight. Unless Pouliot can really show he has something to offer he's not going to come close to making the NHL regular season roster (and will be sent back to Juniors for the season) and I don't think he necessarily showed that tonight, but I still thought he played a strong game and has taken a step in the right direction since I personally saw him play last year.
• James Neal took six faceoffs all of last season and took three tonight. Just a random, weird thing after Malkin would get waived out, but still caught my eye.

The preseason keeps on grinding, the Pens will welcome the Detroit Red Wings tomorrow in Pittsburgh with a whole new lineup of players. As coach Dan Bylsma said before the game- the first two games would be used to get almost each player a game and then in the latter preseason games they would give looks to players who were earning it. Based just off tonight, we'd say of the bubble players Kobasew, Jeffrey, Andrew Ebbett (2 assists) did the most with the opportunities they had. But, in training camp, each day is a new day to make the case and becomes more important than the last.

Hockey is back and Joe Vitale and James Wisniewski dropped the gloves in a brutal, brutal fight in last night's preseason game.

Vitale took a couple of big bombs there and may be worse for wear.

Penguins also plan to observe Vitale, who apparently is feeling effects of punch by Wisniewski.

— Dave Molinari (@MolinariPG) September 16, 2013

Vitale has been a regular in the Penguins lineup for the past two seasons and was in the mix to be the fourth line center. Should he miss any time, it could spell more opportunity for guys like Dustin Jeffrey, Andrew Ebbett, Harry Zolnierczyk, Adam Payerl and Jayson Megna to make the team or even the opening night roster.

We'll continue to see how Vitale is feeling and if he'll suffer any after-effects from this bout, and it's easy to see how that could happen. Both guys weren't holding and were throwing a lot of heavy shots. p>

Going into last season, the expectations were pretty low for the new-look Blue Jackets. With the lockout stealing away all of the 2012 portion of the schedule, including training camp, Columbus would come in in January with a lot to figure out and not a lot of time to do it. Several new faces dotted the dressing room, and no one knew quite what to expect.

Except for one thing: Ryan Murray, considered the most NHL-ready prospect in the 2012 draft, would not be a part of it.

On November 16th, Murray went down with a worst-case-scenario shoulder injury. He had previous labrum damage, and had been told that he could finish the season without surgery: "I went to a couple of doctors, and they both said I probably had a torn labrum," Murray said. "You can play with a torn labrum, but if [the shoulder] pops out then you're in trouble." Murray noted that he probably could have had the damage fixed then and been back to hockey earlier, but given the fact that many hockey players finish the season with a torn labrum, he elected to play on. "[The labrum injury] was just before the lockout, too, and I wanted a chance to play."

But, of course, Murphy's Law being what it is, in that November 16th game, Murray's shoulder dislocated, which compounded the existing labrum damage. The injury was so destructive that Murray had to wait until January for the swelling to subside enough simply to get the surgery to fix his shoulder. It would be the first stint of a spring of endless waiting for the 19-year-old.

From NHL-ready to playing the waiting game, all in a span of six months' time. For Murray, it brought some perspective. "It was tough," Murray told me. "You never want your season to end like that. It was a long rehab, and it was something that you never want to happen. But, it's something you go through, and something you learn from. You have to look at the positives, I guess. Over the past four years, the most time off I've had is probably about a month and a half. I got some time off, and now I'm fresh and ready to go."

Murray was able to get back to work this summer, as he started skating at the end of April. He was able to start doing full contact work at the Blue Jackets' Development Camp in early July. But, there's no real substitute for game contact and action. To that end, Murray was able to get some of that back as a member of the Jackets' team of prospects in the Traverse City tournament. The wait had been long, and Murray was ready: "I was more excited for [the tournament] than I can remember ever being excited for a game."

"It was a fun tournament," Murray said. "It was good to be back playing hockey. It was a bit of a run-and-gun tournament, with not a lot of systems. Everyone was just out there to play, and it's a lot of fun playing like that. The first game was pretty rusty for me. I was making some bad reads, and just feeling that pressure with the puck. The first game I eased into it a bit, but after that I felt fine."

There's always a bit of a mental hurdle to get over for athletes coming back from injury. "[The shoulder] felt good," Murray said. "I got a couple of checks into the boards here and there, and it felt solid. There were no problems with it. I'm really happy to have that."

Jackets fans finally got a taste of what Murray is capable of on Sunday against the Penguins. With the caveat of it being an exhibition game, things never looked too big for him, and of course for whatever shortcomings he may have had during the game, he got the last laugh with the game-winning goal in overtime. "I felt a little nervous at the start. The first couple of shifts, I made some pretty brain-dead plays," Murray said after the game. "Coming toward the middle of the game, I started to feel more comfortable. It was a good way to finish. Umby made a great heads-up play to see me trailing in, and I just buried my head and tried to get the shot up as much as I could, and luckily it went in."

Perhaps the biggest setback for Murray's chances to make the NHL team comes not from his injury, but from the rise to strength of the Blue Jackets' blue line a season ago. In 2012, it was believed Murray had the inside track to make the club out of camp. However, the emergence of Dalton Prout as well as the addition of Tim Erixon--combined with Murray's injury--have muddied those waters.

The silver lining for the Jackets--and ultimately perhaps for Murray himself--would be that, given the extra year on the calendar, Murray can now be sent to AHL Springfield where he would get the chance to play top-pairing minutes every night while getting back up to full speed. In that sense, there's no longer any kind of rush... which may suit Murray just fine.

After all, he's already waited plenty. What's just a little more?

We kinda whiffed on a proper game preview for tonight's exhibition, so here's a little apertif to tide you over until hockey.

Our sincere apologies for not really getting our usual game day coverage off the ground. It's pre-season for us, too.

What we have instead is a nice little throwback, giving you some quick news hits and updating you on the team as they get ready for tonight.

The biggest news going into tonight's exhibition match is that Matt Calvert will miss tonight's game due to a sore groin. The team wasn't specific on how long he'll be out, but since the article mentions him possibly returning later in the week, I'd expect he'll also miss Tuesday's split-squad games and the trip down to Carolina, too.

Dalton Smith will go into the lineup, and Broc Little will be getting a chance to skate with Marian Gaborik and Artem Anisimov, just like he did in the scrimmage on Saturday. For what it's worth, I thought Little did a good job of helping to create room for his more experienced linemates to work. Should be interesting to see how things go.

You can also check the team's preview coverage for full lineups for tonight's game, Puck Rakers has some pregame comments from players and coaches, and the folks at Pensburgh will probably have a game thread as well.

In other news, the NHL has decided not to allow video review on high-sticking calls and appear to be cracking down on uniform regulations.

Speaking of yesterday's scrimmage, check out the great photos by DerDrache (AKA the Beard Guy, AKA the CBJBeard, AKA Johnny "Two snaps" McGee) over at The Union Blue.

Last but certainly not least, some contrasting views on the Jared Boll extension from Dark Blue Jacket and tUB's Jeff Little.

That's it for us until gametime. Hope to see you down at the arena! For those who can't make it, there will be coverage on NHL Network and 1460 The Fan. (AM band only - I'd assume the FM 97.1 will still be on NFL coverage.)

Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets

September 17, 2013 - 7:00pm EDT
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 1460 AM - TV - None
Opponents Blog: Die By The Blade
SBNation Game Page
Tickets

The Jackets kick off their second night of exhibition hockey with a split squad effort at home versus Buffalo. For the game in Columbus, the Jackets will find themselves in a pretty good looking goaltender matchup for the first two periods: Sergei Bobrovsky makes his pre-season debut, and the Sabres are sending Ryan Miller to town.

Otherwise, the Sabres' lineup is pretty bare with the exception of the "required" good players that have to go on the road. Some names of note include Thomas Vanek, Christian Erhoff, Cody Hodgson, and Miller. Some prospect names to watch include 2012 first rounder Mikhail Grigorenko, Joel Armia, and an interesting family matchup between the Jackets' Nick Foligno and his younger brother Marcus, who will be playing for Buffalo tonight.

The Jackets will have some regulars, but are definitely going with a younger lineup at home tonight, with several guys making their pre-season debuts.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(1-0-0 in pre-season)

Buffalo Sabres
(1-0-0 in pre-season)

Game Notes

In lieu of game notes, we'll just point out that the Jackets are going young up front, but have plenty of experience on the back end tonight. It will be interesting to see how Bob looks, and I'm excited to see Boone Jenner as well.

The Jackets play a split-squad tonight, with Buffalo coming to Nationwide.

Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets

September 17, 2013 - 7:00pm EDT
Nationwide Arena - Columbus, Ohio
Radio - WBNS 1460 AM - TV - None
Opponents Blog: Die By The Blade
SBNation Game Page
Tickets

The Jackets kick off their second night of exhibition hockey with a split squad effort, at home versus Buffalo and on the road in Minnesota. For the game in Columbus, the Jackets will find themselves in a pretty good looking goaltender matchup for the first two periods: Sergei Bobrovsky makes his pre-season debut, and the Sabres are sending Ryan Miller to town.

Otherwise, the Sabres' lineup is pretty bare with the exception of the "required" good players that have to go on the road. Some names of note include Thomas Vanek, Christian Erhoff, Cody Hodgson, and Miller. Some prospect names to watch include 2012 first rounder Mikhail Grigorenko, Joel Armia, and an interesting family matchup between the Jackets' Nick Foligno and his younger brother Marcus, who will be playing for Buffalo tonight.

The Jackets will have some regulars, but are definitely going with a younger lineup at home tonight, with several guys making their pre-season debuts.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(1-0-0 in pre-season)

Buffalo Sabres
(1-0-0 in pre-season)

Game Notes

In lieu of game notes, we'll just point out that the Jackets are going young up front, but have plenty of experience on the back end tonight. It will be interesting to see how Bob looks, and I'm excited to see Boone Jenner as well.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Minnesota Wild

September 17, 2013 - 8:00pm EDT
Xcel Energy Center - St. Paul, Minnesota
Radio - None - TV - None
Opponents Blog: Hockey Wilderness
SBNation Game Page

The Jackets finish their second night of exhibition hockey with a split squad effort, on the road in Minnesota. Columbus is sending quite the requisite few regulars for this game, but one interesting note is that James Wisniewski and Ryan Murray appear to get another run together tonight.

Making their pre-season debuts tonight are Ryan Johansen, Michael Chaput, and Kerby Rychel, among others. Sadly, Wiz will not get a chance to again see Cal Clutterbuck in the pre-season (wait, that's probably a good thing), but the Jackets need to be wary of professional devil-goon Matt Cooke. He can talk about turning over a new leaf all he wants, but some leopards just never change their spots.

The Wild, despite it being their opener, is not dressing any of their big-name acquisitions from last season in Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Jason Pominville, or Dany Heatley. That said, Columbus will see one of their personal kryptonites in goal in Niklas Backstrom, he of the 2.11 gaa and .925 sv% lifetime against the Jackets in 19 regular season meetings.

Craig Hartsburg leads the Jackets' bench in this game.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(1-0-0 in pre-season)

Minnesota Wild
(0-0-0 in pre-season)

Game Notes

In lieu of game notes, we'll just point out that the Jackets missed the playoffs by a tie-breaker with these guys, and though it means literally nothing to beat them tonight, man would it sure be sweet.be interesting to see how Bob looks, and I'm excited to see Boone Jenner as well.

In part 2 of tonight's split-squad matchup, the Jackets send a contingent to Minnesota to face the Wild.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Minnesota Wild

September 17, 2013 - 8:00pm EDT
Xcel Energy Center - St. Paul, Minnesota
Radio - None - TV - None
Opponents Blog: Hockey Wilderness
SBNation Game Page

The Jackets finish their second night of exhibition hockey with a split squad effort, on the road in Minnesota. Columbus is sending quite the requisite few regulars for this game, but one interesting note is that James Wisniewski and Ryan Murray appear to get another run together tonight.

Making their pre-season debuts tonight are Ryan Johansen, Michael Chaput, and Kerby Rychel, among others. Sadly, Wiz will not get a chance to again see Cal Clutterbuck in the pre-season (wait, that's probably a good thing), but the Jackets need to be wary of professional devil-goon Matt Cooke. He can talk about turning over a new leaf all he wants, but some leopards just never change their spots.

The Wild, despite it being their opener, is not dressing any of their big-name acquisitions from last season in Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Jason Pominville, or Dany Heatley. That said, Columbus will see one of their personal kryptonites in goal in Niklas Backstrom, he of the 2.11 gaa and .925 sv% lifetime against the Jackets in 19 regular season meetings.

Craig Hartsburg leads the Jackets' bench in this game.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(1-0-0 in pre-season)

Minnesota Wild
(0-0-0 in pre-season)

Game Notes

In lieu of game notes, we'll just point out that the Jackets missed the playoffs by a tie-breaker with these guys, and though it means literally nothing to beat them tonight, man would it sure be sweet.be interesting to see how Bob looks, and I'm excited to see Boone Jenner as well.