The Columbus Blue Jackets are in full crisis, writes Urheilu’s NHL reporter Tommi Seppälä.
5.11. 23:26•Updated 5.11. 23:44
You can lose the NHL season even at an early stage, although the regular season is often talked about as a long marathon. This is what is happening to one of the NHL’s official Finnish teams. Tampere did not treat Jarmo Kekäläinen at the office and Patrik Laine the company led on the ice.
The end result was two ugly losses. On Friday, Columbus lost to the Colorado Avalanche 3–6, on Saturday 1–5.
Read more: Artturi Lehkonen started, Colorado crushed Columbus – the Blue Jackets had a rough start in Tampere, here are all the goals from Saturday
After the last one, there are now five losses in a row. Six of the previous seven games have ended in a loss for the Blue Jackets. The fall is steep and what’s worse, the team’s game is completely messed up. There doesn’t seem to be any knowledge of the basic principles of tight five-a-side play, and it goes to the head coach by Brad Larsen to account.
The consequence of the weak start is that the team is already in a really deep hole at the beginning of November when thinking about the playoffs.
If we consider that in the Eastern Conference, like last season, one hundred points are required for the playoffs, after the Tampere double, Columbus would need to take 67.14 percent of the remaining points for the rest of the season. Last season, for the entire season, only six teams reached this point.
In its club history, Columbus has reached 67.1 percent once, in the 2016–2017 season.
Ylämäki is shockingly big after Tampere, because there is no room for any false steps in the future.
The declining earnings condition is still only part of the big picture.
Columbus’ biggest problem right now is a completely messed up game. There is absolutely no thought in playing as a team, let alone repetition. If the previous head coach, by John Tortorella during the time Columbus had a clear identity, now it’s really hard to see that.
It’s true that what the Blue Jackets want to be in terms of play hasn’t opened up yet – the identity crisis is a holdover from last season.
Identity lost
The lack of a red thread leads to a broken five-man game and, through that, to the constant flow of the game towards one’s own end. Especially on Saturday, Colorado got a shocking number of power plays just because Columbus’ game has no rudimentary structure. The stern of Columbus has leaked through the autumn like a sieve.
With an average of more than four and a half goals, you can’t play for yourself, not for any team.
On the other hand, this is also partly a matter of player material.
The Blue Jackets’ defensive equipment is really light, especially when it comes to defending their own goal at the NHL level, and the club manager should also be able to criticize this Jarmo Kekäläi. Vladislav Gavrikov should not be a second defender in any team. In the summer, the club invested 16 million (four-year contract) to Erik Gudbransonto the slow basic bone of the old union.
The Columbus defense has great difficulties not only in opening the game, but also in protecting their own goal. The situation is unsustainable when you think about the current game trend of the NHL.
Canadian star Johnny Gaudreau grabbing on the open market in the summer does not change the fact that Columbus is not a playoff team in terms of material. At least not for now. The club has some talented youngsters coming up, but it will take time for them to mature.
Talking about tomorrow doesn’t work today, especially not right now.
The pressure in the office is increasing
Everyone understands that the time of the young Columbus is later, but at this level of Columbus, it should not be rude. How the situation is triggered is interesting. The current head coach Larsen is Kekäläinen’s second head coach choice and even more so after seven years as an assistant coach.
If the state of emergency is going to be triggered by changing the coach, it will also put Kekäläinen in a weak light. Larsen is coaching the team for only the second season.
The pressure is also starting to grow in Kekäläinen’s office. How Kekäläinen has cleared his way to become the sports boss of an NHL club is a wonderful story. How Kekäläinen succeeds in his work year after year is another matter. Kekäläinen and his team have won one playoff series in nine years.
Normally in the NHL, the GM gets to make two head coach selections before looking at the front office.
Kekäläinen is also coming to this turning point. So there is a lot more on the table in addition to the single Tampere stomach bill, and much bigger issues as well.
The only thing that is certain is that Columbus cannot play like this forever.
Below is the score summary and statistics of Saturday’s match.