Columbus Blue Jackets

The NHL owners and players’ union continues to negotiate—or unwisely recess as the case seems to be currently—with little to no regard for one key group.  That group is not even invited to be a part of the negotiations in any way, shape or form. 

No, I am not talking about the players’ wives sorority or the Zamboni operators’ coalition or even the respective chambers of commerce from each NHL market. 

Average Joe, Jane and Lord Stanley

You know who I’m talking about?  It’s the average Joes and Janes that work so hard for their money and are massive fans of the game.  Their earnings are peanuts in relation to the players and owners earnings. 

Worse yet, their salaries are not increasing annually anywhere even remotely close to that of the players and owners.  In many cases, there are no increases and even some decreases to keep their employers’ afloat.  And, how many have lost their jobs due to downsizing or closing of factories and companies? 

Yet, it’s these hardworking people of North America that are keeping the NHL afloat.  Without the fans, there is no league.  So, why in Lord Stanley’s name are the fans not represented at the NHL labor negotiations?  Call me naïve and a dreamer, but it’s the truth, is it not?  Oh, Lord Stanley, help us understand why the fans can’t get their two-cents (yes, pun intended!) worth in?

Players and Owners Have Earned Their Way to Being Millionaires?

Now, I don’t need to hear any lectures and serenades about how the players have worked extremely hard to be where they are in terms of earnings potential and that the owners have emotionally-moving rags-to-riches stories. 

I get it! 

We live in a free-market environment, but need I remind anyone that free-market is a two-edged sword and those who live by it must also die by it.

Greed Beget Greed

And so there is a breaking point; if you inflate anymore air into an already burgeoning balloon, it’s going to explode and crumble into a hundred little pieces. 

Similarly, in major-league hockey, if the owners and players get overly greedy and find additional ways to bilk the paying public out of more hard-earned dollars to fatten their wallet, then there will be dire consequences in the future.  And, when that point of implosion comes in the future, the owners and players will have priced themselves out of the entertainment marketplace and will have only themselves to blame. 

Clearly, it would be unfair to stereotype all owners and players as being self-centered, egotistical and uncaring toward the fans.

No Free Lunch, Eh?

Why?  Because, we live in a free-market society!  Yes, the same free-market that got them to this point of implosion.  Perhaps, someone ought to tell the gluttonous owners and players that there is no such thing as a “free lunch” and without the fans, there is no NHL. 

The only thing worse is that these two parties are probably fully aware of this fact but are giving you the fans of the game the hand sign with the middle finger raised.  Are you still feeling the love for the NHL's much heralded stars? 

NHL Headed for a Crash?

The major-league hockey market can only bear so much.  Once you crest the proverbial bell-shaped curve and begin the descent on the other side, you’re beyond the point of optimum returns. 

In fact, you’re headed for disaster. 

It’s like an airplane impressively taking off with high speed but then dangerously glides out of control as it shatters the speedometer’s maximum limit.  There is no doubt that this airplane is now uncontrollably nose-diving straight for the ground.  Similarly, if the NHL team owners and players continue to be all-absorbed on how to split the revenues and keep getting richer at the expense of the fans, then there will be no more NHL someday.

Established Markets Versus Emerging Markets

Teams at the higher end of the profitability index such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens ought to know their overall revenues will decline if there is not a healthy NHL. 

This means teams at the lower end of the profitability index such as the Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets should get a fair chance at survival.  For the sport to grow and prosper, new and emerging markets cannot be ignored at the expense of the established markets.

Kontinental Hockey League (KLH) Could End up King of the Hill

The average Joes' and Janes' pay an exorbitant amount of money for each game not to mention how much they pour into the concession stands, team gift shops and parking each time they visit the arena.  Call me what you want, but the fact remains that the league would not be a going-concern were it not for the fans. 

Without fans, none of North America's major sports leagues would survive and the NHL is no exception.  How much longer will the fans put up?  There has to be a limit and that limit might be upon us.  If there is a lockout in a couple of weeks, then that will seriously set back the NHL and it's market share of the North American entertainment dollar. 

Will the NHL be able to recover?  Even on a global level, will it end up playing second-fiddle to the rival Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) halfway across the world?  Will Moscow be the new Toronto of hockey?  Unthinkable?  Unfathomable?

Fans Council Could Be a Way to Save the NHL?

Can something be done to save the NHL?  Yes, of course. 

A willingness on the part of both the owners and the players' union to fully understand the implications of their actions could be a first step.  Involving the fans via a "Fans Council" by letting a representative of each team’s fanbase sit at the negotiating table with voting powers could be a revolutionary step forward. 

Someone needs to speak up and be the voice of the customers!  Aren’t the fans the customers?  And, doesn’t any successful business organization listen to its customers and mold its products and services to ensure their customers are satisfied?  What's different here?  Why is the NHL not doing what any well-operated and successful company would? 

For the Love of the Game

For the love of the game, I hope the owners and players' union come to their senses and are considerate of the millions that follow the sport so religiously.  A long-term vision and carefully thought out strategic plan ought to be the driving force rather than short-term gains.  

This is not a time to get into provincialism, nationalism or established markets monopolizing the economics of the game.  It's about sustainability and then growth across all of North America. 

Feel free to send me your comments and feedback via postings to this article or by emailing me. Also, you can follow me on Twitter.

One of the biggest stories of the NHL off-season has been the trade between the New York Rangers and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets received forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov, defenseman Tim Erixon, a first-round draft pick in 2013, minor league defenseman Steve Delisle, and a conditional third-round pick all in exchange for Rick Nash.

Thus far, many hockey fans have focused on the expectations of the New York Rangers now that they just added one of the most talented wingers in the game to their roster.

Rick Nash without a doubt makes the Rangers the Stanley Cup favorite on paper, but nobody has taken the time to look at this trade from the other side. What does this trade mean for Columbus, and what are their expectations for the upcoming season?

If you look at the entire history of the Blue Jackets ever since they came into the NHL in 2000 as an expansion team, you won't find many success stories. They made the playoffs for the first and only time in 2009, where they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings.

If you look at their short term history, it isn't any more impressive. They have finished dead last in the Central Division three years in a row, and are coming off of a 29-46-7 season. Their 65 points last season were the fewest since they went 25-45-8-4 in 2003-04.

So what are fair expectations for the Blue Jackets in 2013?

The only true thing that Columbus needs to prove in order for Blue Jackets fans to be excited about the future is promise. Promise that Dubinsky and Anisimov accept the fact that they are out of the Stanley Cup picture and take on the challenge at hand.

They both need to step up and be leaders and set their goal to be what Rick Nash couldn't do, take the Blue Jackets to the playoffs and win a game. They should both take offense that they were a part of a package deal to acquire Nash, and take that motive onto the ice every time they lace up the skates.

Steve Mason needs to show some promise that he can become the goaltender many thought he would already be after winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year in 2009.

In camp, Curtis Sanford will compete for the starting job, but Mason needs to take charge and have a great off-season in order for the Blue Jackets to have any hope of being successful.

Mason has shown that he can be a solid goaltender. In his Calder Trophy winning season, he went 33-20-7 with a .916 save percentage and 2.29 goals against average.

Since then however, Mason has a record of 60-73-19 in three seasons and has had a goals against average of over 3.0 in each of the last three years.

Another guy that really needs to step up is Jack Johnson, who had to have had the roughest post-season of anyone else in the NHL. While he was on the golf course, the Los Angeles Kings, who traded him to Columbus for Jeff Carter at last year's trade deadline, were hoisting the Stanley Cup.

He is the most talented guy left on that roster, and he needs to use that power to be the vocal leader in the locker room, as well as on the ice.

So, what can you expect out of the Blue Jackets?

The best way to put it is this, if someone in the NHL finishes with a worst record than the Columbus Blue Jackets, that is a successful season.

Sorry Jackets fans, but your time will come, you just have to be patient.

Yesterday, the Jackets took the biggest step in reshaping their franchise when they traded captain Rick Nash to the New York Rangers for three players and a first-round draft pick.

The Blue Jackets will now look to take the next step in turning things and took a big step for their future today.

According to the Columbus Blue Jackets" href="http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=638450&navid=DL%7CCBJ%7Chome">Blue Jackets website, the team has announced that it has signed first-round draft pick, defenseman Ryan Murray, to a three-year entry level contract.

Murray was the top-ranked defenseman in this year's draft class and is believed to be NHL-ready.

Last season with the WHL's Everett Silvertips, Murray recorded nine goals and 31 assists, which was tops among club defensemen—even in an injury-shortened season.

Scouts raved about Murray's consistency as well as his skating abilities before he was selected second overall by Columbus.

"The 6-foot, 201-pound Murray might not be the flashiest performer available among what many consider to be a deep and talented group of defensemen eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft, but he might be the most consistent."

"Murray is a great skater with excellent lateral movement, and sees the game well as plays develop around him. He is a very capable playmaker and can effectively jump into or lead the rush up the ice. With a heavy shot from the point, it certainly appears that Ryan Murray has all of the tangibles that NHL teams love to build around on their blueline"

If Murray begins the season in Columbus, there is a chance he could get some time on the second and third pairings alongside Fedor Tyutin and newly-acquired Adrian Aucoin.

The 18-year-old will help solidify the Jackets defense as their strongest position heading into the 2012-2013 season with players like Jack Johnson and James Wisniewski leading the way.

With Nash no longer in Columbus, the Jackets will begin the next chapter in their short time as a franchise. And, with Murray now under contract, the future on the blue line looks bright.

Unless you have been in a coma for the last 24 hours, you are probably well aware that Rick Nash is now a member of the New York Rangers and the saga that has been going on for over a year has finally been resolved.

I have done a lot of reading, and read a lot of opinions on how people continuously believe that the Blue Jackets are in deep trouble now that they have gotten rid of Rick Nash in return for Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon, and a first round draft pick.

What people fail to remember is that the Blue Jackets were already in deep trouble while they had Nash on the roster.

No matter what occurred, Columbus was going to be on the losing end of the trade. The teams that Nash was willing to go to were not going to give up more than a few pieces of their puzzle because without him they were all already playoff teams.

Remember, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch first reported that the five teams on Rick Nash's list of where he was willing to go were the Penguins, Flyers, Red Wings, Sharks, and of course the New York Rangers.

When you really dissect the five possible locations, the Rangers were the only team out of the five that had the necessary assets to make the trade happen.

Does the combination of Dubinsky, Anisimov, Erixon, and a future prospect equal the production and the leadership that Rick Nash brought to the Blue Jackets franchise? Of course not.

Is Columbus a dark horse playoff contender now that Nash is gone and they received quantity over quality in the deal? Don't even kid yourself.

But is the deal finally done and the Blue Jackets can move on? Absolutely. And that is the most important aspect of this trade if you are looking at it from General Manager Scott Howson's perspective.

Howson tried nearly everything for the last year to try and get equal value for Nash, but he finally came to his senses and realized that it was going to be an impossible task to do so.

I mean the guy asked for Jeff Skinner from the Carolina Hurricanes, who is one of the most accomplished young talents in the entire NHL. He asked for the sky, but in return didn't even get a star.

Moving on, let's break down all three players the Blue Jackets received.

Brandon Dubinsky

The 26-year-old will enter his seventh NHL season in the fall, but recorded career lows in goals, assists and points last year. Dubinsky is more than capable of being a 25-goal scorer in this league, and with an increase in ice time there is a real possibility that he could put up anywhere from 45-50 points next season.

The one high note of last season was that he really improved his two-way game, and finished with a career high plus-16 rating. He will more than likely be playing in the middle of Vinny Prospal and/or RJ Umberger, and if he can find a way to maintain the right attitude, will become one of the leaders of the young squad.

It is hard to expect much out of Dubinsky, as he has been quite inconsistent throughout his career, but hopefully he won't have to feel the pain of Jack Johnson by watching his former teammates win the Stanley Cup without him next season.

Artem Anisimov

When I think of Artem Anisimov, the first thought that comes to mind is when he scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning in December of 2011 and celebrated by getting on one knee and pretending to shoot the goaltender with his stick.

Anisimov had 36 points last season, and will at least be a weapon on the power play for Columbus. His four power-play goals last year was tied for fourth on the Rangers. He is another guy that can play solid two-way hockey and will be a key aspect to the new look of the Blue Jackets.

Tim Erixon

Erixon is a bit of wild card, and to be honest with you I was quite surprised that he was thrown in the deal, as his value is yet to be assessed with only 18 NHL games under his belt. The 21-year-old defenseman from Port Chester, New York has been playing in Sweden since 2005 and was originally drafted 23rd overall by the Calgary Flames in 2009.

At 6'2" 190 pounds, Erixon will bring some size to the blue line for Columbus, and only time will tell whether or not he will grow into a great d-man that can one day play alongside Jack Johnson, or whether he will rot in the AHL.

In conclusion

To all Blue Jackets fans, you got the short end of the stick on the Rick Nash trade. There is no way around it. But this is as good as it would have gotten, and perhaps the biggest positive to be taken out of this is the fact that it is finally over and you can move on.

To Ranger fans: Congratulations, you are now the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.