any other jackets fans?

who will we sign in the offseason?

will ray whitney be back?

will andrew cassels be back?

what does everyone think?

im just glad danny fritsche went to a team i like in the blue jackets. i was hoping the pens would pick up fritsche in the second round, but looks like the blue jackets found a nice pick (he is from cleveland so he is kind of a hometown boy). i had the privilage of playing against him in a hockey camp a couple of years ago and i am very suprised he slipped to the second round. the kid has some serious skills.

Sucks that Kiel McLeod left. I can't wait to see Nash and Zherdev team up. I think they are the next Heatley/Kovalchuk. Gritty offensive skilled Canadian paired with gritty offensive skilled Russian you can't lose.

i agree, that is what we needed, an explosive forward, and he looks like that. with whitney and cassels possibly not back, he may be rushed in more quickly than nash, who spent most his time on the lower lines. but like nash, i think the quicker you get these guys in and skating with the big boys, and experience the physicality of the NHL compared to the minors and foreign leagues, he will be a star in 2 years.

i really dont think zherdev and nash, although a good combination, will be as good as kovalchuk and heatley. actually i am gonna guarantee you they wont be as good (if i am wrong you can always come back to this thread and shove it in my face). zherdev also isnt a guaranteed star either. he struggled badly in the world junior championships against the best kids his own age. since i like the blue jackets, especially klesla, i hope zherdev turns out to be a good player. im just warning you not to get your hopes up. maybe im just a pessimist because im a pens fan and they are a terrible drafting team.

I hope Whitney and Cassels both stay but I really think Cassels will be the one to leave. I think he'll go to Buffalo. It would be cool if they signed Todd Marchant also.

rumor is now pierre turgeon coming in if cassels and/or whitney leave, which is becoming a much more likely possibility. the only reason why i see cassels staying is to be with sanderson, his best season by far in a while was last year with geoff. but then again, he could use that year to get a final deal and end his career somewhere. the biggest problem with whitney is he wants a longer deal than columbus is willing to give him, i think they want 3 years, he wants 3 with an option or 4 guarenteed.

reported in the columbus dispatch andrew cassells has been signed, very good to hear

Good news indeed. I wonder if they are gonna try and land a few free agents. Darren McCarty would look good there and it appears he's a 50/50 to go back to Detroit.

the names ive heard as possible signings are john leclair and pierre turgeon

it said in the columbus dispatch mcclean and mcconnell will make a decision by the 4th of july on who to pursue and sign, we will see in the next few days.

Well look at that they've been talking to Todd Marchant and even flew his family to Columbus to check out the area. Maybe I was right afterall about him going to Columbus.

http://www.bluejackets.com/news/press/arts/1604.0.html

they signed marchant and letowski, and probably not done

Wow Letowski too. Trevor is a bit of an underrated player.

yeah, marchant was the guy because of his defensive ability. the jackets are really gonna lean on physical play this year and improving a very weak forecheck. although whitney is a better offensive player, marchant is better all around. i think they will sign one more forward and defenseman.

I think Whitney will end up in Vancouver. I guess the Blue Jackets have been talking to Greg DeVries,Ken Klee,and Oleg Tverdovsky also. But what teams haven't been talking to those 3?

devries would be a good fit, but what will the price be? i dunno what we have left, i think any move would have to be a trade or something creative.

i love getting sydor, hate giving up sillinger but if we needed to improve defense like that for offense, ill take it. i hope we can maybe reach the playoffs this year, but in the west it is very very tough.

Yeah I think San Jose and Los Angelas will be back to normal after both had a bit of an off year last season so there's 2 more teams for them to worry about.

They are gonna be a fun team to watch this season. I can't wait to see how Zherdev turns out and if Nash can improve on a good season last year.

i dont think the jackets can make it, i agree wit studin, the sharks and the kings will be better, the coyotes might even be better