The Columbus Blue Jackets need a major shake up. What that shake up needs to be exactly is yet to be determined. But securing only 59 and 66 points in consecutive seasons is nowhere near good enough even if the team feels progress has been made.
Welcome to our 2023-24 end of season Blue Jackets’ column. The team can talk about progress all they want. While it certainly deserves mention when trying to build something special, what matters is what the standings say.
The standings this season say the Blue Jackets were the worst team in the Eastern Conference by 10 points. That’s not sharing the basement with anyone. That’s quite literally taking ownership of the basement.
Something has to change. With a new general manager incoming, there will be some form of change. But if the Blue Jackets finally want to get to where they want to go, things need to be shaken up because status quo simply won’t cut it.
Was 2023-24 Different?
During closing media day, one of the themes I was watching from players was if they felt the 2023-24 season was different than the 2022-23 season. In certain aspects, it was. But in the most important aspect, it wasn’t.
So unsurprisingly, one player admitted it was different. Another player said it wasn’t any different. Both players are right based on their view.
Here was Kent Johnson’s answer: “Yeah. I think every year is gonna be a little different, brings different challenges or whatnot. Yeah, it feels different now for sure.”
Now here’s Johnny Gaudreau’s answer to the same question: “Not really. I mean, whether two points out of a playoff spot or whatever we were, we’re not in the playoffs so everyone needs to be better starting with myself. Also older guys need to make sure we’re holding everyone accountable as a team and making sure we’re having a good offseason and working hard and doing all the right things and come in next season prepared and ready to try and do something special here and give these fans in our city something fun to watch.”
Again, both players are right depending on the lens it’s viewed from. Johnson’s answer comes from the perspective of what the team has going into the future and the potential they carry. There is a different feeling overall in that sense.
Then Gaudreau’s answer brings everyone back to the reality of the situation. The first step to winning the Stanley Cup is making the playoffs. It took 91 points to make the playoffs in the East. The Blue Jackets fell 25 points short of that.
While some of the individual circumstances are different now than in 2022-23, the overall results are not. This is why a major shake up is needed.
Shake Ups Come in Many Forms
There is more than one way the Blue Jackets can shake things up. Sometimes it takes multiple things shaken up in order for progress to be made. Progress made in this case refers to winning.
The first shake up took place in February when Jarmo Kekalainen was relieved of his duties. It meant a new leader was eventually coming in. Once that individual is hired, more shake ups will be coming.
It could mean a new head coach. It might mean new assistant coaches. It could mean significant changes to the roster. It could mean significant changes to systems. It could even mean other changes such as to how training camp is conducted.
Coach Pascal Vincent admitted on Wednesday that he would make training camp harder and would have less players there to start. This of course assumes he is the head coach when camp begins.
Whatever changes are made, they need to be significant. Making smaller changes when the team was 25 points short of the playoffs defeats the purpose.
Overcoming Youth in Chasing Playoffs
The Blue Jackets have a major challenge in front of them in order to get back to the playoffs. They have consistently been one of the youngest teams in the NHL.
A deeper look at the current playoff teams shows that the youngest teams usually do not make the playoffs. While having young talent is not a bad thing, it usually doesn’t bode well for playing games in May and June.
Sean Kuraly was asked on Wednesday about this and how the Blue Jackets can make the playoffs while being so young. Here’s what he had to say.
“That’s a challenge. I guess you guys probably know the numbers better than I do of what the ages of these teams that get into the playoffs look like. I just keep bringing it to as a player, you get a locker room full of men at the beginning of a season and you kind of set expectations for yourself and you’re trying to meet or exceed them. Whether they’re 18, 19, 20 year olds, it’s not necessarily up to us. We have this group. We have these expectations, let’s meet them or exceed them and how old the guys are on the team, I think that is someone else’s department. But what is up to us if we have a young team is making the most of the young team.”
Kuraly’s point is valid on a couple of fronts. First, the players don’t control who comes in. They have to try to meet or exceed their expectations no matter who’s on the ice. But then second, management has to be able to recognize what it takes to build a winning team. In the last couple seasons, that has been very absent for the Blue Jackets.
One of the new general manager’s major responsibilities at the start will be to properly evaluate the Blue Jackets’ roster to see how they can build a winning roster. Time and time again, an abundance of youth doesn’t cut it when trying for the playoffs. It takes the right balance and mix of players. That mix is simply not there at this time.
Blue Jackets Must Get Each Step Right
The Blue Jackets have to get several things right in order for them to be back on the right track. Upper management led by John Davidson and Mike Priest have to identify their perfect GM candidate who is not afraid to shake things up for the sake of winning. That is why someone like Tampa Bay’s Mathieu Darche makes a ton of sense for them.
Once that happens, then the domino effect will take place. No stone within the organization should be left unturned. When a team cannot even get to 70 points in the standings, everything even to the tiniest detail needs evaluation.
If that means parting ways with a popular player, they must consider it. In the business of winning, many tough decisions have to be made. Certain players should feel a little uneasy going into this offseason.
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At every turn, the Blue Jackets need to get even the smallest decisions right. That can be the difference between being a playoff team and wishing they were a playoff team.
Overall, the 2023-24 season had its good moments. But it had many, many more bad ones. Dismissing a coach before Training Camp proved to be a sign of what was to come. A series of bad decisions led directly to how the season played out.
But today is a new day and a new season will be coming. The Blue Jackets have an opportunity to finally turn the page on to better days. That will only happen if things are shaken up for the sake of winning.
The book on 2023-24 is now closed. Bring on 2024-25.