A Second Look

There was a great article in The Columbus Dispatch on Tuesday regarding last summer’s Tyutin and Backman for Zherdev and Fritcshe trade. The article took a look at what those players have done since then, and which team got the better of the trade.

It got me thinking about some other noteworthy trades in Jackets history and how they turned out. Here, The Seventeenth Member takes a second look at five significant trades in Blue Jacket’s history and their results.

June 22, 2002: With the Columbus Blue Jackets poised to pick at number three in the 2002 entry draft, the Jackets traded up two spots to number one to acquire current all-star and captain Rick Nash. In exchange, Florida received the number three overall pick, and an option to swap picks in the 2003 draft.

With the third pick, the Panthers selected defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, currently of the Calgary Flames. Bouwmeester bounced around between the NHL club and minor league affiliate San Antonio during his first five years after being drafted, tallying a total of six goals and 30 assists in 143 games.

In the ’05-’06 season however, Bouwmeester put up bigger numbers, scoring five goal and posting 41 assists for a 46 point effort. Jay has 53 career goals, and 150 assist for 203 career points.

On the verge of becoming an unrestricted free agent, the two-time all-star Bouwmeester was traded to the Calgary Flames on June 27, 2009.

Rick Nash had an immediate impact on the Blue Jackets organization as he scored a goal in his first career NHL game on October 10, 2002. Since then, Nash has been a machine; improving his numbers nearly every year he has been in the league, culminating in a 79 point performance in ‘09.

Nash has 194 career goals, and 161 assists for a total of 355 career points in 441 games. Nash is also a four-time NHL All-Star, Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy winner as the leagues top goal scorer and 2009 NHL Foundation Player of the Year.

Nov. 15, 2005: The Blue Jackets acquire six-time All-Star Sergei Fedorov and a fifth round pick in the 2006 entry draft from Anaheim in exchange for Tyler Wright, Francois Beauchemin.

In 25 games with Anaheim, Wright scored two goals and two assists for a total of four points. He did not play another season in the NHL and currently works as a development coach for the Blue Jackets.

Beauchemin on the other hand, was a lot more productive. In 234 games with the Ducks, Beauchemin recorded 23 goals and 67 assists and was a big piece in the Ducks Stanley Cup Championship in 2007. Beauchemin signed a three-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 6, 2009 as a free agent.

In three seasons with the Blue Jackets, Fedorov tallied 39 goals and 74 assists for a total of 113 points. On February 26, 2008, the Jackets dealt Fedorov to Washington for draft pick Ted Ruth.

With the fifth round pick in the ’06 draft, the Jackets selected Defenseman and Dereck Brassard’s Drummondville Voltigeur teammate Maxime Frechette, currently with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL.

June 30, 2006: The Blue Jackets acquire a pair of Fredriks in forward Fredrik Modin and goaltender Fredrik Norrena from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for goaltender Marc Denis.

In 50 games played with the Lightning, Denis compiled an 18-23-2 record with a 3.62 goals against average and a .871 save percentage. Denis was released by the Lightning on June 24, 2008 and currently resides with Montreal’s AHL affiliate the Hamilton Bulldogs.

In three seasons with the Blue Jackets, Fredrik Modin has appeared in 163 games, recording 37 goals and 42 assists. Lately, his production has been on the decline due to injuries, but as alternate captain, Modin still remains an important part of the club.

When Pascal Leclaire went down with injuries during the ’06-’07 season, Fredrik Norrena stepped into the starting goaltender position. In 55 games that year, Norrena tallied a 24-23-3 record with a .904 save percentage and a 2.78 goals against. The next year, he played the role of backup, appearing in 37 games, but with the emergence of Steve Mason in 2008, Norrena was waived by the Jackets and eventually signed with Linköpings HC of the Swedish Elite League.

June 20, 2008: In a trade that brought the first ever former Ohio State Buckeye to the Blue Jackets, the CBJ acquired center R.J. Umberger and a fourth round pick at the 2008 entry draft from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for first and third round picks in 2008.

With that first round, 19^th overall pick, the Flyers selected Luca Sbisa of Italy. He appeared in 39 games with the Flyers this past season, scoring no goals but tallying seven assists. At the ’09 entry draft, Sbisa was traded along with Joffrey Lupul and Philadelphia’s 2009 and 2010 first round picks to Anaheim for Chris Pronger and Ryan Dingle.

With the third round selection, the Flyers picked Marc-Andre Bourdon from the Rouyn-Noranda Huslies of the QMJHL. Bourdon has yet to appear in an NHL game.

In one full year with the Blue Jackets, Umberger recorded his best NHL season yet, scoring 26 goals and adding 20 assists for a total of 46 points. He also added three playoff goals in four games, scoring the franchise’s first ever playoff goal in a 4-1 loss at Detroit.

With the fourth round pick, the Jackets selected high school senior Drew Olson.

In one year with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL, Olson scored two goals and added six assists for eight total points in 39 games.

July 1, 2008: The Blue Jackets acquire Raffi Torres from Edmonton in exchange for former first round pick Gilbert Brulé.

With just nine points in 61 games played during the ’07-’08 season, the former first rounder seemed expendable. During the ’08-’09 season, Brulé appeared in 11 games with the Oilers after being called up from AHL affiliate Springfield. With the big club, Brulé chalked up two goals and one assist. In the remaining 39 games with Springfield, he scored 13 and helped on 11 for 24 total points.

In 51 games in ’08-’09, Raffi Torres was productive for the Jackets. Although he scored only 12 goals and tallied eight assists, it was the timing and significance of the goals that made him valuable. Six of Raffi’s 12 goals were game winners, and a Torres goal almost always lead to a Blue Jackets victory.

So who came out on top in each of these trades? That’s for you to decide.

-T17M

Development Camp Underway

Monday marked the beginning of development camp for the Columbus Blue Jackets. About 35 players attended in all, including draft picks from ’06 to ’09, as well as many free agents that were invited to participate.

The camp is open to the public, and although the ice was crowded with players and coaches, much attention was focused on the Jacket’s 2009 first round pick John Moore.

Throughout the first two days of camp, Moore has been frequently positioned along side Notre Dame product Theo Ruth, who was acquired during the ’07-’08 season from the Washington Capitals in exchange for veteran Sergei Fedorov. So far, the two have looked good together, creating numerous chances in front of the net and playing fast shutdown defense.

“It’s exciting. I need to work that much harder every day, said Moore. Right now that’s my biggest goal, to get bigger and stronger and hopefully be a part of that moving forward.”

"We all love his attitude and disposition," said head coach Ken Hitchcock speaking of Moore. "His foot speed gets him out of so much trouble all the time. He's able to get up the ice, he can maneuver away from people.

Five of the six Jackets draftees at the 2009 draft were present on Tuesday. Sixth round pick Anton Blomqvist of Sweden was the only one that did not participate. New goaltenders coach Dave Rook was also present at camp working with goalies Kevin Lalande and Allen York. Rook spent the draft weekend with his former team, the St. Louis Blues, before being allowed begin work with the Jackets.

Lalande, who was acquired from Calgary at the March 4th trade deadline last season, was very impressive in his time with Syracuse posting a 2.27 GAA and a .927 save percentage. He and Dan LaCosta will likely compete for the third goalie spot on the roster in the upcoming year.

Although many of the guys have looked good so far, development coach Tyler Wright says they still have a few things to learn. “These kids are all young, they're all naive," said Wright. "They have an understanding that they think they’re ready for the NHL and what it takes. "When you get it in their mind that you have to multiply that by about 100, then they’ll figure it out."

Another story that arose during camp was the exclusion of Blue Jackets forward R.J. Umberger from the list of players invited to U.S. Olympic hockey orientation camp in August. The list includes 19 forwards, many of which, appear to be less qualified than Umberger.

“For him not to be in a group that big..I disagree with it,” said Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson.

Although he was not included on the original list, it is still a possibility he could receive an invite as the games approach come November or December. "It's something you dream of, representing your country in the Olympics," Umberger said. "I would definitely go if I were asked.

In other news, The Crunch recently signed forward Brock McBride. The 22-year-old enforcer played eight games last season for AHL Hartford notching four assists.