Rebuilds are not suppose to net many wins. In fact teams are supposed to struggle game in and game out. At 6-3 the Columbus Blue Jackets rebuild is off to an odd but fun start. The teams 3 losses were closer to a rebuild teams in terms of scores. Yet, head coach Brad Larsen has the NHL’s youngest team playing a fast tempo, puck pushing style that has netted some fantastic wins.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have had 3 blowout losses, 4-1 to the Detroit Red Wings, 5-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes, and 4-0 to the New York Rangers. It would be easy to get caught up in that. But after each loss the Blue Jackets bounced back and won. A sign of good coaching and players who forget fast.
In the teams 6 wins a new hero has shown himself each game. Yet, another good sign that the Blue Jackets are more than Patrik Laine who in case you were unaware is off to a great start.
In training camp the defense was one of the biggest question marks entering the season. The young defense has played well mostly (in the 3 losses there were struggles.)
The other question mark that dates back a few seasons was the power play. The addition of Jakub Voracek has been a God-send. Voracek has been working with players in practice getting them to understand what they need to do in certain situations. The teams power play has been solid.
As noted, the Blue Jackets are playing a style that pushes the puck, the offense has been wide open allowing the team to get good looks at the net. This is indeed a new dawning of Blue Jackets hockey.
While there is still a lot of hockey left to play (thank goodness!!!) and losing streaks are sure to happen, so are winning streaks. The biggest hope the young Blue Jackets have shown is the ability to overcome a tough loss or blowout and come back the next game with some fight.
