Blue Jackets Draft Ryan Murray #2 Overall, No Rick Nash Trade

The NHL Draft began last night with the usual suspects owning the top picks. The Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, and Columbus Blue Jackets have found themselves drafting in the top 5 too many times. They have whiffed on many picks over the last decade, with Columbus having the worst drafting record in the entire NHL.

Going into the draft, everybody knew that Columbus would be drafting a defenseman and a Rick Nash trade would be imminent. The CBJ drafted defenseman Ryan Murray, but has yet to pull the trigger on a Nash trade.

I will give you the lowdown on Ryan Murray and when/where will Rick Nash be traded.

Columbus drafted Ryan Murray, who played for the Everett Silvertips of the WHL, over a group of defensemen that includes Griffin Reinhart, Moran Reilly, and Hampus Lindholm.

Murray is only 18 years old,  but has great leadership skills. He played for Canada in the recent World Championships. A couple defensemen drafted after Murray have a better two-way game at this point, but the leadership ability is coveted by a team who will be searching for a leader once they trade Nash.

Here is a video of NHL Network's scouting analysis on Ryan Murray...

Nash could be traded this weekend, but you shouldn't hold your breath. Over the last two years, I think every team in the NHL has been rumored to be trading for him. The San Jose Sharks is the current rumored team to be close to trading for Nash. The package Columbus would receive in return would include center Joe Pavelski and other compensation to sweeten the deal. This trade would fill a need on the Blue Jackets, but I say that sarcastically because they have a need at every position.

In the long run, it is hard to see Columbus coming out as a winner in any trade that would include Nash. There is no doubt when he gets traded to a better team, insane numbers will fill up the box score next to his name. Nash has always looked great in Olympic competition and in every All-Star game he played.

No matter where Nash winds up, he will get a standing ovation when he returns to Columbus to play against his former team.

The only trade the Blue Jackets made last night was with the Philadelphia Flyers. They traded three draft picks for goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. They needed help at goalie since Steve Mason can be a basket case in the net. Mathieu Garon had success splitting time with Mason a few years ago and GM Scott Howson is hoping that competition will bring out the best in Mason.

Let's just hope this trade will turn out better than their trade with the Flyers last off-season. The 'Jakub Voracek + others for Jeff Carter' trade may go down as one of the worst trades this decade. Carter whined his way out of Columbus and the Blue Jackets traded him to the Los Angeles Kings for 20 cents on the dollar. Oh, by the way, the Kings won the Stanley Cup this year.

Can Columbus, Ohio Support an NBA Team?

The mayor of Columbus, Ohio, Michael B. Coleman, thinks that his city is ready for an NBA team. He sent a letter to the NBA Commissioner, David Stern, and wanted him to know that "Columbus should be on the league's radar." The city just finalized the public purchase of Nationwide Arena, which is the home of Columbus Blue Jackets, an NHL team. The Columbus Dispatch reported the letter today and adds some strong reasons why the city could support three professional teams, if you count the Columbus Crew, an MLS team.

Do you think Columbus could support an NBA team? Is it even the best option in its own state? We'll dive deeper and look at teams that are in financial trouble and need to move.

Three years ago, a rumor started that Columbus could end up with an NBA team. A team that needed a short-term home could use Nationwide Arena while they finalize a long-term city. I commented on this rumor back then and my opinion hasn't changed much. Many of the same NBA teams are financially struggling (Milwaukee, Charlotte, Sacramento, Indiana) and a move could most of their issues. The new collective-bargaining agreement relieved some problems, but it can't solve attendance.

I have lived in Columbus for half of a decade and have attended most of the sporting events that the city has to offer. The Ohio State University has one of the largest student population in the country and its football squad is the most popular team in the city, if not the state. In order to explain the sports mind of the average fan in Columbus, I'll need to go through the year's sports schedule. OSU's football season runs from late August through early January (in a season in which they play in a bowl game). During those months, all other sports do not matter. The Blue Jackets, Crew, and OSU's basketball season all overlap this time of the year. The Crew's attendance isn't affected, because soccer is still arguably a niche sport. The attendance at Blue Jackets games is quite poor during this period of time, but spike after football season is over. At the end the season, they are always near the bottom of the NHL in season attendance. Columbus is a great sports city when you're winning, but the Blue Jackets have only made the playoffs once in their history. Columbus should not try to add another team right now. Instead, it needs to work on building up the teams that they already have.

Now that we got the other sports out of the way, I'll explain what the stereotypical Ohio State basketball fan is like. A lot of former alumni attend OSU basketball games and the student section, or lack there of, is not very rowdy. The overall crowd that attends basketball games at Value City Arena is one of the quietest in the Big Ten. The local radio station, 97.1 The Fan, often remarks that the fans "sit on their hands." The crowd is only alive when they play Michigan or face a team that defeated the OSU football team that season. The passion for basketball lacks in Columbus.

Why would the NBA grant a team to Columbus when larger markets are available? Seattle, Vancouver, Kansas City, and San Diego are without an NBA team and have all previously had an NBA team in their cities. I would include St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati in that list, but I have not heard anything from those cities about wanting an NBA team. You could argue that these cities have already had their shot. Here are the reasons why the NBA did not work in their cities.

• Seattle - The owner wasn't able to get public money to fund a new arena, so the owner sold the team to an out-of-town group. That group moved the franchise to Oklahoma City.
• Vancouver - The city was awarded a team, but the Canadian loonie wasn't holding up against the American dollar. Canada was having economic issues at this time. The franchise ended up moving to Memphis after an extensive search for a new city.
• Kansas City - The Kings moved there from Cincinnati, but attendance was the issue in the early 80's. They moved the team to Sacramento in 1985.
• San Diego - The team moved from Buffalo to San Diego in 1978. The team stayed in San Diego until 1984, when Donald Sterling, current L.A. Clippers owner, bought the team from Irv Levin.

The situations in those cities have changed and could all support an NBA franchise today. Seattle realized what its like to have its team taken away from them, so getting public money to build a new arena wouldn't be too difficult. Vancouver has turned into a great sports city and the Canadian loonie is much stronger. A few years ago, Kansas City built the Sprint Center in hopes of luring an NBA or NHL team to their city. Lastly, San Diego could end up as the home of the former Sacramento Kings franchise.

To wrap this up, I don't believe Columbus could support an NBA team. I only need two examples to prove my point, the Charlotte Bobcats & the Charlotte Hornets. On paper, having a professional basketball team in North Carolina is perfect. The state has a rich college basketball history and the residents clearly love the sport. The NBA found out that the state really loves college basketball, but not professional basketball. After the Hornets moved to New Orleans, the NBA awarded Charlotte another expansion franchise. The team has struggled in every way since their inaugural season. The team even started to draft players who played for the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils, in hopes of boosting their attendance. The NBA should be weary about putting another team in a college town.

I applaud Mayor Coleman for his ballsy move. It will earn him some votes at the election. His heart was in the right place, but it isn't feasible at this time. Nationwide Arena is a great place to watch a sporting event and the area surrounding the arena is perfect for post-game debauchery. I hope that I am wrong and Columbus is awarded a team, but it does not add up.

Mason Puts Blue Jackets In Tough Situation

It's hard to look at that picture of Steve Mason with the Calder Memorial trophy and not scream out "What happened?!" He has been one of the most inconsistent goaltenders in the NHL since his rookie season. Head coaches have let him start games, but they have a quick hook on the young man. He has the ability to register a shutout every time he's on the ice, but he's also prone to letting pucks get in the net in triplet. What can the Blue Jackets do to help Mason bounce back? The team must figure out if they want win now or build toward the future.

It's fair to say that Mason has been inconsistent, it's not an opinion it's fact. Fans and critics must remember that he has had three head coaches the last two seasons (Ken Hitchcock, Claude Noel, and now Scott Arniel). They have tried many approaches to help the young goalie out. Hitchcock implemented the "ride the hot goalie" method, but at times Mathieu Garon was in net multiple games in a row and Mason sat on the bench collecting dust.


When Hitchcock was fired, Noel took over and modified Hitch's technique and let Mason go out there and he played very well down the stretch. He built up the anticipation that he will have a good season between the pipes. Arniel decided that he wants to see both goaltenders see action, but so far it's been a fairly even split. He has pulled Mason out of games quite a bit, but that isn't new to him, he leads the NHL in that statistic over the last two seasons.

Because Mason's rookie season was such a success, people forget that he's only 22 years old. His rookie campaign might have been an anomaly, it definitely isn't the norm for a rookie to come in and do so well. His 2.29 GAA and 10 shutouts were not expected so soon. Last year, he finished the year with a 3.05 GAA with 5 shutouts and a record of 20-26-9. The team could live with those numbers from a young goalie, but it was the inconsistency that frustrated the team and fans.

After the 6-3 loss in Edmonton Thursday night, Arniel said that Mason was 'in his own head." The head coach is starting to sound like a broken record when he comes to him. What can the Blue Jackets do? They are sitting near the 8th spot in a tough Western Conference. The team must decide if this is the year to push their young goalie or maybe it's time to let him regain his form in Springfield, their AHL minor-league affiliate. The team did send down another top-prospect, Nikita Filatov, just last week. It might be time to give Garon the starting job full-time and call up minor-league goalie, David LeNeveu. LeNeveu is 31-years old, spent nearly his entire career in the minors, with a cup of coffee with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2005-06 and 2006-07. He may not have the ability to dominate, like Mason shows flashes of, but he could keep the pipes warm while Mason gets his form back.

Mason is a fan favorite and the fans of Columbus are hungry for a winning team. This is the tenth year of the club and GM Scott Howson definitely wants to see the team reach the post-season for only its second-time in its history. Making a move like this would take a lot of faith in the process and that Mason wouldn't completely check-out. He already appears to be a bit fragile mentally. Fans are hoping that Mason can turn it around over the next few games, if he gets a chance to start. Their next game is at home against the Dallas Stars. Garon will likely get the start and will be looking to improve on his 7-3-2 record.

Blue Jackets Need To Improve Power Play

It is no surprise that the Columbus Blue Jackets are last in the Western Conference in power play percentage, they are near the bottom every year. Tonight they play in Vancouver against the Canucks who have one of the league's best power plays. They have scored on 25% of their chances and amassed 28 goals on the power play this season. The Blue Jackets have scored on 14 goals with the advantage, but only register a 11.7% rate. Something needs to improve if they plan on getting two points tonight in Vancouver.

The Vancouver Canucks (16-8-4) and the Columbus Blue Jackets (16-11-2) are two teams heading in opposite directions. The Blue Jackets have been reeling the last ten games (3-5-2) and the Canucks are moving up the Western Conference standings the last ten (6-3-1). Hendrik Sedin has been killing teams on the power play with half of his 16 goals on the season coming on advantage. Daniel Sedin has played well lately with 12 points in his last eight games. Their defense has been stopping shots from even getting to Roberto Luongo, so the Blue Jackets could have trouble getting shots on goal tonight. The Canucks were 3-1 against the Blue Jackets last season.


The good news for Columbus is that Kristian Huselius will be back on the ice tonight. He has been out and the Blue Jackets could use his leadership and offensive ability tonight. Rick Nash has been hot with 4 goals and 7 points in his last four games. They will need more than just him contributing tonight if they want to earn a win in regulation.

Mathieu Garon will face Roberto Luongo in the net tonight. Garon has not have much luck in Vancouver with 2-5 record and 3.68 GAA. Steve Mason has been worse with a 2-2 record and 4.64 GAA, so coach Scott Arniel might want to keep Garon out there.

The game starts at 10pm EST tonight and should be fun to watch. If the Blue Jackets can lasso the Sedin brothers and push the puck across the blue-line, they could stay in this contest. If Vancouver gets out to an early lead, Columbus will have trouble if the Canucks go into a defensive mode.

An Attempt To Embrace My New Hometown

I moved to Columbus, Ohio from Fort Wayne, Indiana nearly four years, so I guess this isn't a "new" place for me anymore. I'm considering changes to the site, small ones actually, you may not even notice. I just wanted to explain why this change may happen and what you may see on the site in the near future. For my friends back in Indiana, don't worry, I still love Larry Bird and can't watch the end of "Hoosiers" or "Rudy" without crying.

I started this site over 2 1/2 years ago as a platform to keep my writing skills fresh and dive into a new genre. I have always been a huge sports fan and combine that with my snarky and cynical attitude, I guess starting a sports blog was right up my alley. My past writing experience was just in college in Journalism and English classes and I spent nearly seven years as a music journalist. "America's White Boy" didn't turn into a site that focused strictly on sports content, I add a lot of music posts on here. I know both worlds of sports and music, so why not give them both to my readers. 2 1/2 years ago, I didn't know where I would be from year to year, I was still trying to settle down in a city where I felt comfortable. I believe that I have found that place here in Columbus...at least for the foreseeable future.

The change to the site will be that I am going to be adding much more local Ohio content and national music acts to the site. The change won't be extreme and it isn't a transition that will eventually make this into a site like Waiting For Next Year or Cleveland Frowns. I am a fan of the Columbus Blue Jackets and I follow Ohio State sports, so expect a lot of that to be added. Don't worry about me, I still love the Chicago Cubs, Indiana Pacers, and Indianapolis Colts, you can't take those loves away from me. Since I know a lot about the teams I am a fan of, and clearly have passionate things to say about them, that content will still be here.

I have researched my traffic numbers and my site does have better numbers in the Midwest and East Coast than any other part of the country. I should take this time and say something mean about the West Coast, like the Lakers are soft or that USC cheats, but I'll let your imagination do that.

Well, today is the start of the NFL season, so expect a possible Cleveland Browns or Cincinnati Bengals post at some point today. If I post anything positive about Jake Delhomme, please call my mother, because there is no way I would ever do that unless these Ohio savages kidnap and torture me.

I heart my new hometown.

Help A Blogger Out!

Hey guys, as many of your know, I write for a Columbus Blue Jackets team site for Fanball. I will soon be under review to get media credentials to cover the games live. I would love to boost my traffic numbers up, so if you guys could please visit a few links here and check out the site, I would helps me out a lot. Thanks guys, you are the best.

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Blue Jackets Hold Off Capitals

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Mike Commodore Doesn't Deserve A $1 Dog

Can Nikita Filatov Earn More Minutes?

Thanks guys!

Gone To Indiana

I'm going to be gone for the next two days visiting family and friends in the land of Peyton Manning and Larry Bird. As I am gone, go to the "Friends Of The White Boy" section and visit some of my friend's blogs. They do very good work and they will appreciate the business. I want to leave you with a question, who was a better receiver for the Indianapolis Colts, Clarence Verdin or Troy Walters? Please discuss and let me know your answer when I get back.


Stingers On Ice
Pacers Place

NHL: 2009-10 Central Division Preview

The Blackhawks have added some high-priced veterans this off-season and the Red Wings have seemed to stand pat. The Blue Jackets didn’t make any huge moves, but they signed up their young talent long-term. The Predators and Blues didn’t make any splashes and could fall to the bottom of the division this year. Since the Blackhawks signed Marian Hossa, does this automatically lock in the Blackhwaks to lose in the Stanley Cup Finals?

Here is the 2009-10 Central Division preview, enjoy.

Predicted Finish
Detroit Red Wings*
Chicago Blackhawks*
Columbus Blue Jackets*
Nashville Predators
New York Islanders
* denotes playoff birth)

1. Detroit Red Wings - The Red Wings are staying with basically the same line-up as last year, minus Marian Hossa. Hossa signed with the Blackhawks, which will make them better. The veterans on the team tend to get bored toward the end of the year, but always turn it on when the playoffs start. They will play good enough to win this division, but the Blackhwaks stay on their hells all season. They are a Stanley Cup contender every year, their payroll is huge and they have veterans who know how to win

2. Chicago Blackhawks - They made the biggest splash this off-season, on and off of the ice. Patrick Kane landed in some hot water with a cabbie, the front office had their problems, and they signed Hossa to a big deal. Johnathan Toews and Patrick Sharp and due to huge years and I like the John Madden signing to add depth at center. I'm not completely sold on Cistobal Huet in the net, seems like that they could have upgraded this position in the off-season as well.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets - If the Red Wings or Blackhawks deal with injuries this season, the Blue Jackets could leapfrog one of those teams. The big question marks are the young talent on this team. They have looked great in spurts, but Derick Brassard, R.J. Umberger, and Nikita Filatov all have to take the next step in their development. Steve Mason will have to be solid in the net, since their defense is one of the weakest in the league, and so is their power play. Expect Rick Nash to have even a bigger season than last year.

4. Nashville Predators - Nashville was a few games out of earning a playoff spot last year and it appears that they could be in the same spot in 2009-10. Pekka Rinne won the starting job at goalie and he's behind Shea Weber and a solid defensive squad. This could help them, but I worry about guys like Jason Arnott, Steve Sullivan, and Francis Bouillon, they are getting up their in age and may not be able to keep up with younger, faster players. The Predators will do well this year, but will be a few points shy of the playoffs again this year.

5. St. Louis Blues - The Blues came out of nowhere to make the playoffs last season, but I see them taking a step back in 2009-10. It was a perfect storm of things to happen for the Blues to jolt past a few teams near the end of the season to get the 6th seed in the Western Conference. Paul Kariya has been known to be fragile and Brad Boyle is clearly just a one-way player. Andy McDonald started out the year very well last season, but injuries limited his time near the end of the season. If a few key guys step up, maybe they jump a few of these teams, but a step back is in their future.

Columbus Finally Has A Hockey Team!

I've lived in Columbus, Ohio for over two years and never went to a Blue Jackets game. There are a few reasons for this, but mostly it is because I didn't want to pay to watch the home team get trounced on a nightly basis. I'm a casual hockey fan and have been a free agent, but no team has really caught my eye. I'm originally from northern Indiana and there are no teams in the state and the Blackhawks have been bad for most of my life. I think I have finally found my team, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

I finally went to an NHL game last night, the Blue Jackets played the Dallas Stars. I had great tickets and saw the game from the 5th row. I never realized how tall most of the players are and the speed of the game. I have watched hundreds of games on television and I have found myself watching more the last few years, but my attention usually strays away after one period. I found myself in-tune to every play and didn't want to leave my seat. Dallas ended up winning the game in a blowout, 7-3, but really the Blue Jackets played a horrible first period and pulled the rookie goalie, Steve Mason, in the middle of the first period. They ended up putting even more of a rookie in the game to see what he can do, it wasn't too pretty.

The Blue Jackets are setting themselves up for a possible playoff spot. As of today, they are sitting in the 8th and final spot, but there are a few needs they need to address. They need a veteran goalie to backup Mason and to also provide a mentor for the young stud. Pascal Leclaire might be out for a long time and they need someone other than "Dubie," the young, young goalie, for backup purposes.

Another need would be a defenseman that has been in the playoffs before and can handle top-tier forwards. They never really filled the void that Adam Foote's depature left in the defense. Russell, a promising player, isn't much of a defenseman, he can skate like a forward and should probably be a "4th line" forward, not a 1st or 2nd line defenseman.

Lastly, they need to trade for Doug Weight. There have been rumors that they have been inching close to a deal for about a month, but no new news lately. Adding a few veterans at each position may be needed for them to even make the playoffs and not get swept.

The Blue Jackets are a fun, young team and could be peaking over the next few years. The state of Ohio have never had a winning team and I believe if they start winning, the crowds will come out and support the team. The game that I went to last night was a sellout, if not really close to one. Columbus has one of the best stadiums in the NHL and the city needs to see a winner before this town can become as nuts about the Jackets as it is about Buckeye football. If the Jackets miss the playoffs this year, I'm positive that next year they will improve even more and could possibly contend for a spot near the top. Filatov, Voracek, Mason, and Brassard will all have a year under the belt and will improve enough to help Rick Nash and the Blue Jackets to become a contender in the NHL. It's a bold statement, but if the Tampa Bay Rays can become a winner, why can't the Blue Jackets?