Hitchcock Fired, But That Doesn’t Fix the Defense

The Blue Jackets have finally fired coach Ken Hitchcock.  At this point, the firing was inevitable and I think while there is certainly a feeling of sadness and disappointment within the organization and fan base, it was obviously not working anymore.

While I was clamoring for his firing much earlier in the year, I can understand the wait. Hitchcock is a Stanley Cup winning coach, who brought legitimacy to the franchise and its first ever playoff birth. But this season has been a complete regression, and after surviving a three month slump that no other coach probably would, the axe had to fall. It was clear he had exhausted all his methods and ideas for getting the team back in contention, and none of them worked. Whatever he was barking at his players during practice or preaching during meetings was going in one ear and out the other.

Another huge factor was that Hitchcock’s methods were hindering, rather than developing, the young talent that GM Scott Howson has basically mortgaged the franchise on.

Derick Brassard, Jake Voracek, Steve Mason, Kris Russel, and Nikita Filatov are the core group of players Howson has put in place around Nash. Russel is the puck-moving defenseman, Brassard is the number one center, Filatov and Voracek are the top-six other wingers who will provide scoring and bolster the power play, and of course, Mason is the franchise goalie. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work.

Unfortunately, all of those players have been playing worse than last year and seem to be getting worse as the season goes on (Russel has been better of as of late). You often hear comments about them losing confidence, being too afraid to make mistakes, being unsure of themselves, and that falls on the coach. Filatov, one of the world’s best prospects, bolted for Russia which has set him back an entire year of NHL development. With Hitchcock gone, hopefully this clears the way for his return as soon as the KHL season is over. I am guessing he will be in line for a large role on the team next year and whoever the new coach is will be very generous in giving him ice time. (For the record, I am a huge Filatov fan and think he can be a huge offensive threat in the NHL. I probably would have fired Hitchcock just for the sake of his development if I could have.)

Aside from the development of the young players, the two biggest problems for the Blue Jackets are goaltending and defense. Steve Mason is having an awful year, but he showed last year he has the talent and mental toughness to be the franchise goalie. Hopefully, a summer to regroup, a new coach and a fresh start will be enough to get him back to that next year.

But the defense falls squarely on GM Scott Howson and he needs to make a major overhaul this summer. Prospect John Moore probably needs a year in Syracuse before being ready for the NHL. Mike Commodore, after being great in a shutdown pairing with Jan Hejda last year has been atrocious this season and I don’t see the Jackets being able to unload his hefty contract. Kris Russel has shown some flashes and he will be back and hopefully can be the puck moving offensive defenseman Howson thinks he can be.

But the Jackets are shuffling the rest of the blueline with Anton Stralman, Mathieu Roy, Milan Jurcina, Fedor Tyutin and Marc Methot (with Rusty Klesla on IR after being resigned during the season). Stralman has been good on the powerplay, so I could see him sticking around but of all the players I just listed, none are even close to being a #1. Methot and Tytutin should be goners and I think Howson has to make a trade or move in free agency to bring in an established #1.  Tomas Kaberle from Toronto is exactly what the Jackets need and I’m hoping Howson goes after him this summer. He’s a veteran who can provide leadership and stability on the blueline in addition to his offense and playmaking skills.

While the offense talent might be able to revive itself and flourish under a new coaching staff, and Steve Mason might be able to get back to last year’s form – no coach is going to be able to create a number one defenseman out of the talent currently on the CBJ roster (sorry Tyutin). While I am excited about the coaching change, and the positive effect I think it will have on the team, I think it is important to keep in mind that Hitchcock wasn’t the only problem, and GM Scott Howson has a tough task ahead of him.

* If anyone has any suggestions for who the Blue Jackets should hire over the summer (Craig McTavish? Kevin Dineen?) or what trades/free agent moves they should make, I’d love to see some ideas in the comments.