For a Columbus Blue Jackets season that held so much promise just two short months ago, hopes and expectations have been dimmed.
The list of injured players reads like a who's who of the Blue Jackets, with six players as of this morning still on Injured Reserve. Only four players (Ryan Johansen, Scott Hartnell, David Savard and Jared Boll) have played in all 23 games this season.
After 23 games, Columbus sits at the bottom of the NHL with a record of 6-15-2 (14 points). The month of November was a brutal stretch for them, earning just six points from a possible 26. They sit 12 points back from the third place (guaranteed playoff spot) New York Rangers in the Metropolitan Division and 13 points back from a wild card playoff position.
In the +/- statistic, they have just one player on the positive side of the ledger in Nick Foligno at +1. Leading the way on the negative side is defenseman Jack Johnson at -18.
After two seasons of building their identity, they have lost their way and forgotten who they were. What were once thundering checks of opposing players into the boards have now become glancing blows. The tenacious forecheck that they were known for is almost nowhere to be seen. Increasingly tentative play has allowed other teams to capitalize. They have become a fragile team, waiting for something bad to happen.
Mathematically, they are not out of the playoff picture yet. But with each mounting loss, that picture becomes even darker. They have 59 games remaining in the 2014-15 season. Just to equal last years' points total of 93, they would have to put together a record along the lines of 39-19-1 the rest of the way.
Many fans have already begun to look ahead to the NHL draft in June 2015. Center Connor McDavid, considered to be the best prospect since Sidney Crosby, is projected to be selected first overall next summer. He is followed closely by center Jack Eichel, being touted as the best American player since Patrick Kane.
Even if they were to finish dead last when April comes around, Columbus has never had much luck in the draft lottery. The silver lining in his scenario is that the last place team, even if they don't "win" the lottery, will get one of these two players. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
There are some bright spots for the Blue Jackets through 23 games. Johansen and Foligno both are on pace for career years. This is also a contract season for Foligno, as he will be an unrestricted free agent in July.
The Blue Jackets have had all three of their 2013 first round draft picks (Alex Wennberg, Kerby Rychel and Marko Dano) make their NHL debuts this season. The last time that happened in the league was with the 1999 New York Islanders. With these three young players, the future does indeed look bright for Columbus.
Their power play has looked strong all season and currently ranks sixth in the NHL, converting at 22.5 percent.
And despite the 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday night in Music City, the Blue Jackets reacquainted themselves with portions of their identity. While there was still some tentativeness on their part, they played a much better game than the 5-0 implosion that befell them Friday night at Nationwide Arena.
What does all this mean in the grand scheme of things? Talk of who the team will draft next June is premature. This team and the guys in the room, have too much pride to let this drudgery continue. There are players that will be returning to lineup in short order, with Brandon Dubinsky on the cusp of that list. Others will rejoin the lineup in the next few weeks.
While there's an outside chance that they could string together enough wins to make the playoffs, the reality of the situation is that the mountain they would have to climb to achieve that might be too tall for them as November becomes December.
One doesn't know if many, or any, teams could recover from the catastrophic injury situation that beset the Blue Jackets. It wasn't just the number of injured players it was the quality of the players that were injured that added up to this. But at this point, it's water under the bridge.
With 59 games to go, there is still much hockey to be played. Kick back, enjoy the ride and let the chips fall where they may.
