Tension is at an all time high in Columbus these days. With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Blue Jackets find themselves on the cusp of the Wild Card. With a 5-5-0 record in their last 10, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves ahead of the Ohio-based squad, 4-5-1 over that stretch, for the last wild card spot by one-point. Jarmo Kekalainen might be nervous, but the person who’s “shit their pants” is John Tortorella.
Pulling off the trades that Kekalainen did this year doesn’t just happen in a vacuum. I got to imagine that he has ownership’s backing. Which means, if this squad fails to qualify for the playoffs, blame will be placed squarely on the shoulders of Tort’s. Adding Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel and Adam McQuaid have netted the Jackets a 6-7-2 record. Not what you want to see of a team that only has a 3rd and 7th round pick this year and is “all in.”
Tort’s did allude to the fact that bringing in new players presents challenges with lineup decisions but that’s why you get paid the big bucks. He has to be able to assess his roster and make good decisions, quickly, so as to not squander this opportunity. These lineup issues are not limited to new players, though. Ryan Murray has been out almost the entire month of March with an upper-body injury. This has been a huge blow to a defensive core that is arguably the best in the Metropolitan Division. What has been Tort’s answer; keep throwing out Seth Jones and Zach Werenski.
Now don’t get me wrong, they’re a dynamite pairing. Probably top 10 in the league. But, when you’re down guys, some of that talent needs to be spread throughout the lineup a bit more. Getting beat by Edmonton 4-1 is a pretty good indication that you’re struggling on the back end. It would really behoove the team to look at splitting Jones and Werenski to cover up some of the flaws that injuries have presented. Then instead of playing them together for 25 minutes together each game, you can play them 20-25 minutes apart and maximize your assets.
Whether the Jackets make lineup changes or not, we as fans are in store for a flourish down the stretch here as the Wild Card race draws to an end.