a game-ending home run on May 29

The Columbus Blue Jackets reached the playoffs for the second time in franchise history and appear to be moving in the right direction. Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year. Theres lots of reason to be optimistic about Columbus, as they have a young core, headlined by 21-year-old centre Ryan Johansen. The only expected returnees older than 30 are defencemen Fedor Tyutin and James Wisniewski. Winger R.J. Umberger is 32, but is looking to move on, so the Blue Jackets largely have a roster around which they can build for the next couple seasons. GM Jarmo Kekalainen and head coach Todd Richards were buoyed by the Blue Jackets progress last season, but both know that there is still much room to improve. "We have to be careful. We want to keep our good chemistry," said Kekalainen. "We always want to bring in the right kind of people, not only as hockey players but as teammates and human beings. Its going to be an important part of our scouting manual." Scouting is, naturally, important to Kekalainen who, at one time, had been the St. Louis Blues director of amateur scouting. He stocked the prospect cupboard with three first-round picks last year and that gives the Blue Jackets organizational depth. Its easier to be optimisic about Columbus future when they have more good prospects on the way, because its one thing to have Johansen, Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray in prominent roles, but having Alexander Wennberg, Kerby Rychel and Oliver Bjorkstrand (among others) on the way makes it more likely that success can be sustained. The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- Corsi, adjusted for zone starts, quality of competition and quality of teammates, hits, blocked shots, penalty differential and faceoffs. Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be around 70, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013-2014 regular season ratings at 87.12. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. CF% = Corsi percentage (ie. percentage of 5-on-5 shot attempts), via www.extraskater.com. GM/COACHJarmo Kekalainen/Todd Richards Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Brandon Dubinsky 73.57 76 16 34 50 52.2% $4.2M Nick Foligno 69.96 70 18 21 39 51.2% $3.083M Cam Atkinson 68.91 79 21 19 40 51.2% $1.15M Artem Anisimov 68.45 81 22 17 39 50.6% $3.283M Matt Calvert 68.04 56 9 15 24 52.0% $988K Boone Jenner 66.51 72 16 13 29 50.2% $778K Nathan Horton 66.08 36 5 14 19 52.2% $5.3M R.J. Umberger 65.73 74 18 16 34 46.4% $4.6M Mark Letestu 63.78 82 12 22 34 49.0% $1.25M Jared Boll 54.04 28 1 1 2 40.6% $1.7M Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Ryan Johansen 76.42 82 33 30 63 50.5% RFA $1.945M Blake Comeau 62.22 61 5 11 16 53.0% UFA $1.0M Derek MacKenzie 61.44 71 9 9 18 49.2% UFA $1.0M Jack Skille 61.22 16 4 0 4 47.0% UFA $675K Corey Tropp 57.76 53 2 9 11 46.3% RFA $578K Matt Frattin 57.68 44 2 5 7 52.8% RFA $875K Brandon Dubinsky may not be a star, but hes a valuable player, able to handle tough assignments with defensive zone starts and still produce offence. Dubinsky had the second 50-point season of his career in 2013-2014, but took his game up a notch in the postseason, when he was consistently one of the best performers in the series against Pittsburgh. That he brings an edge to his game -- one of six forwards to have at least 250 points and 600 penalty minutes over the past seven seasons -- is all the better. Another forward who offers some skill with a physical game, Nick Foligno is one of seven forwards (including Dubinsky) to have at least 100 points and 200 penalty minutes over the past three seasons. Both Dubinsky and Foligno are headed into the final year of their respective contracts. Small scoring winger Cam Atkinson broke through with a 21-goal, 40-point season, and hes a positive possession player, which makes him a nice complementary player. Can the 24-year-old raise the bar higher so that hes an even bigger part of the Blue Jackets plans? Artem Anisimov cracked the 20-goal plateau for the first time in his career, playing a career-high 16:36 per game, and he managed to at least tread water in possession terms, despite starting more of his shifts in the defensive zone. An industrious winger with some skill who isnt afraid to mix it up, Matt Calvert spent most of his time playing with Dubinsky and Atkinson, a line that contributes offensively, but also had favourable possession stats. Calvert scored a career-high 24 points in 56 games last season, but that could be a jumping-off point, if he can continue to play a reliable two-way game. A physical winger whose role expanded as his rookie season played out, Boone Jenner had 24 points in his last 47 games (after five in his first 25) and spent quite a bit of time on the wing with Ryan Johansen, a good spot to grow going forward and it could raise Jenners offensive ceiling. Recovering from shoulder surgery cost Nathan Horton nearly half of his first season in Columbus, then he added further maladies, including an abdominal injury that kept him out of the playoffs, so his year was far from complete. At the same time, even though he put up modest scoring numbers, Horton continued to be a strong possession player. The 28-year-old has not had an easy time of it, health-wise, in recent seasons, so its difficult to place significant expectations on him, but he could be a useful top-six forward. R.J. Umberger has been an effective winger, scoring at least 18 goals in five of the past six seasons, but hes been overwhelmed against difficult competition in the past couple seasons and his ice time of 16:11 per game was his lowest since 2006-2007. Perhaps, then, it should come as no surprise that Umberger has asked for a trade and while it might be part of the offseason plans, it may be not be easy to deal an older winger who is still owed $13.5-million over the next three seasons. Mark Letestu has emerged as a valuable complementary piece for the Blue Jackets, with power play production an appealing part of his contribution, or it might be if he didnt rank 10th among Blue Jackets forwards in average power play ice time last season. Nevertheless, Letestu scored a career-best 34 points in 2013-2014 and has missed two games, total, over the past couple seasons. Enforcer Jared Boll has been battling injuries and, when he does play, has been getting destroyed in puck possession. His three-year contract extension begins next year, but hes going to have to do more than drop the gloves to remotely justify a regular turn in the lineup. Ryan Johansen burst through last season, after he had 33 points in 107 games through his first two years, then scored 33 goals and 63 points in 82 games last season. Johansen has prototypical size to be a No. 1 centre and, in addition to his scoring stats, generated positive possession numbers despite playing high quality competition and starting more of his shifts in the defensive zone. He has quickly become the Jackets franchise player and, as a restricted free agent, will be looking at a contract befitting that role this summer. Scooped off waivers from the Buffalo Sabres, Corey Tropp brought energy to the fourth line, but hasnt done enough (scoring 19 points in 87 career NHL games) to this point in his career to feel comfortable with a roster spot. Matt Frattin had been making progress with Toronto before splitting last season between Los Angeles and Columbus, finishing with two goals in 44 games. Hes a viable depth player but, prior to last year, had shown that he could chip in offensively by using his speed. For the Blue Jackets to feel comfortable with their roster going into next season, they could use another proven scorer. Free agents Thomas Vanek, Matt Moulson, Ryan Callahan, Mike Cammalleri are among those that could have some appeal. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit James Wisniewski 74.66 75 7 44 51 54.1% $5.5M Jack Johnson 68.06 82 5 28 33 47.9% $4.357M Fedor Tyutin 68.00 69 4 22 26 49.0% $4.5M Ryan Murray 64.29 66 4 17 21 51.6% $894K Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit David Savard 64.06 70 5 10 15 47.7% RFA $709K Dalton Prout 60.19 49 2 4 6 49.7% RFA $667K Nick Schultz 56.20 69 0 5 5 41.8% UFA $3.5M Nikita Nikitin 62.42 66 2 13 15 49.2% UFA $2.15M So long as hes not matched up against the oppositions best forwards, and his 22:37 time on ice per game last season was his lowest since 2008-2009, James Wisniewski can be very effective, particularly on the power play. Hes physical and put up excellent possession stats last season. There may be no more polarizing figure between statheads and old-school hockey minds than Jack Johnson, the player that Blue Jackets coaches played more than anyone else by a large margin last season. When you look at Johnsons with-or-without-you stats, nearly everyone hes played with over the past three years has better possession stats when they play without Johnson and while some of that can be due to Johnson playing a high calibre of competition, its troubling when its almost universal that players have worse numbers when sharing the ice with Johnson. Johnson is held in such esteem that he would figure to be a useful trade chip -- because teams want defencemen that can play 24 minutes a night -- but the Blue Jackets dont seem inclined to get rid of him. In the past seven seasons, there have been 15 defencemen to record at least 20 points in all seven seasons and one of them is Fedor Tyutin, a steady two-way performer who has never played less than 20 minutes per game in an NHL season. After a strong rookie season, Ryan Murray will be expected to handle more responsibility as a sophomore. Murray had strong possession numbers in his first year, but should see more difficult competition as he plays more minutes going forward. David Savard earned a regular turn on the Columbus blueline last season, but his possession stats werent ideal considering the quality of competition that he faced. But, hes also just 23-years-old, so there is time for him to improve and earn a bigger role. Praised for his plus-15 rating in 28 games during the 2012-2013 season, Dalton Prout had better possession numbers last season, which isnt to say that Prout is a possession ace, but he was okay and his size and toughness should keep him around. It seems like Tim Erixon has been a prospect forever nad the 23-year-old has played 51 NHL games, but next season might be his opportunity to step into a regular job with the Blue Jackets, unless Columbus takes to the free agent market. Returning Goaltender Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Sergei Bobrovsky 74.82 58 32 20 5 2.38 .923 $5.625M Free Agent Goaltender Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Curtis McElhinney 63.20 28 10 11 1 2.70 .909 UFA $600K Sergei Bobrovsky has emerged as one of the games better goaltenders and, even though his numbers dipped from his 2013 Vezina-winning performance, he ranks among the top half dozen in save percentage over the past four seasons. Bobrovsky has handled a significant workload over the past couple seasons, so the backup job is one that requires performance in limited playing time. Curtis McElhinney was fine in that role last season. Free agents Chad Johnson, Carter Hutton or Ilya Bryzgalov could be serviceable inexpensive backup options. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Alexander Wennberg C Frolunda (SHL) 16-5-21, -5, 50 GP Tim Erixon D Springfield (AHL) 5-33-38, -4, 40 GP Kerby Rychel LW Guelph (OHL) 34-56-90, +41, 58 GP Oliver Bjorkstrand RW Portland (WHL) 50-59-109, +44, 69 GP Oscar Dansk G Erie (OHL) 2.39 GAA, .909 SV%, 42 GP Mike Reilly D Minnesota (Big 10) 9-24-33, +19, 41 GP Marko Dano C Bratislava Slovan (KHL) 3-2-5, -11, 41 GP Josh Anderson LW London (OHL) 27-24-51, +31, 59 GP Michael Chaput C Springfield (AHL) 19-26-45, -4, 55 GP Dillon Heatherington D Swift Current (WHL) 6-29-35, +24, 70 GP T.J. Tynan C Notre Dame (HE) 8-30-38, +12, 40 GP Anton Forsberg G Modo Ornskoldsvik (SHL) 2.44 GAA, .919 SV%, 22 GP The 14th pick in last summers draft, Alexander Wennberg is a skilled forward who may have a shot to win a job in Columbus next season. Hes getting stronger and will have to make an adjustment to the North American game, but Wennberg has playmaking potential. As noted above, Tim Erixon has been in the prospect pipeline for a while and, after scoring 38 points in 40 AHL games last season, hes knocking on the door, ready for an opportunity to play. Taken with the 19th pick last summer, Kerby Rychel had a big year, scoring 83 points in 51 (regular season plus playoff) games with Guelph, after putting up 39 points in 27 games with Windsor. After scoring 115 goals over the past three OHL seasons, hes shown what he can do in junior. Danish winger Oliver Bjorkstrand was drafted in the third round last year and followed that up with a monster offensive campaign, ranking second in the WHL in goals and third in points. Between Wennberg, Rychel and Bjorkstrand, the Blue Jackets have some skilled forwards that will be pushing for jobs in the coming years. A second-round pick in 2012, Oscar Dansk is a highly-regarded goaltending prospect, but that comes with all sorts of uncertainty and his playoff performance for Erie was disastrous. But, hes a 20-year-old goaltender; it takes time. Mike Reilly is returning to Minnesota for his junior season, and the 2011 fourth-round pick needs to get stronger to handle the pro game, but hes made terrific progress and was a First-Team All-American as a sophomore. The third of last years three first-round picks, Marko Dano hasnt done much in the KHL, though thats not unusual for a teenager. He did, however, have eight points in 15 (regular season plus playoff) games with Springfield in the AHL late in the season, so the 19-year-old should hit the ground running next year. A power forward picked in the fourth round in 2012, Josh Anderson doesnt have a lot of frills to his game, but he can get up and down his wing banging bodies along the way. Acquired from Philadelphia in a trade for Tom Sestito, Michael Chaput got into 17 games with the Blue Jackets last season, and while he got stomped in possession, Chaput did have a solid year in the AHL and is likely in position to be recalled if the Blue Jackets need a checking forward. Picked in the second round last year, Dillon Heatherington is a big defensive defenceman who is plus-49 over his past two seasons in the Western Hockey League. Hes just turned 19, so he will need time to develop. A small forward who scored 161 points in 164 games in four seasons at Notre Dame, T.J. Tynan makes the jump to pro hockey and, starting in the AHL, can show that his scoring will translate at the next level. Taken in the seventh round in 2011, Anton Forsberg had a nice year with Modo before getting into half a dozen games with Springfield in the AHL. The 21-year-old goaltender should have a shot at decent playing time with Springfield next season. Blue Jackets advanced stats and player usage chart from Extra Skater DRAFT16th - Robby Fabri, Sonny Milano, Dylan Larkin. FREE AGENCYAccording to www.capgeek.com, the Blue Jackets have approximately $48.4M committed to the 2014-2015 salary cap for 15 players. Check out my possible Blue Jackets lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: One top six forward, depth forwards, two defencemen, backup goaltender.What I said the Blue Jackets needed last year: One top six forward, one defencemanThey added: Boone Jenner, Nathan Horton, Ryan Murray, David Savard. TRADE MARKETR.J. Umberger, Matt Frattin, Jack Johnson, David Savard, Dalton Prout. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Brett Favre Jersey. -- Two out of three aint bad. Deadrin Senat Jersey. "Last year didnt go the way we wanted it to, but we need to look at what went well and what didnt go so well. Hopefully this year we will be better," Brendan Gallagher said after practice. This year, the Canadiens have a little more depth to work with by adding players like Daniel Briere, Dale Weise, Mike Weaver, Douglas Murray and arguably, the biggest addition to this playoff roster, Thomas Vanek, who the Canadiens were able to land at the trade deadline. http://www.officialatlantafalconsfootball.com/auth... The Bulls seem to be getting along fine without him. D.J. Augustin scored 27 points in a start for Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson matched a career high with 26 filling in for Carlos Boozer as the Bulls improved to 7-2 since trading the popular Deng with a 98-87 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Matt Schaub Jersey.J. -- Patrick Sharp is on one of those streaks. Brooks Reed Jersey.com) - John Wall supplied 24 points and 11 assists in leading the Washington Wizards to a 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Christmas Day.MINNEAPOLIS -- After three consecutive years of 90-plus losses, Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan is hoping a rare in-season, free-agent signing will keep his team in contention the rest of the summer. Minnesota signed first baseman/designated hitter Kendrys Morales to a one-year, prorated, $12 million contract on Sunday. The Cuban-born slugger, who hit .277 with 23 homers and 80 RBIs in 156 games with the Seattle Mariners last season, has been in Miami working out while waiting to sign. "Why not the Twins?" Ryan asked during a press conference announcing the signing. "I read there were probably a handful of clubs that were chasing Kendrys. We were ahead of many of those clubs in the standings." The Twins have lost 291 games the last three seasons, but are 29-31 this year, five games back in the AL Central and 2 1/2 back in the wild card standings. Morales, who turns 31 on June 20, had been unsigned because teams were hesitant to surrender a compensatory first-round pick to sign him. Since the Twins signed him after the MLB draft, they do not have to give up a coveted pick. The prorated portion of Morales contract will total slightly more than $7.4 million. "It just made sense," said Ryan, who is back in the GM chair after stepping away during spring training to battle skin cancer. For Morales, the deal gives him an opportunity to provide some power to an inconsistent Twins offence in desperate need of a full-time designated hitter. "It wasnt easy for a baseball player to watch baseball games when he knows he can pllay," Morales said through an interpreter.dddddddddddd "But you have to be mentally tough and be prepared so when this opportunity does come around, youre ready to do what you gotta do." In 620 career games, Morales has 102 home runs and 345 RBIs. He also missed 1 1/2 years after breaking his leg celebrating a game-ending home run on May 29, 2010, when he was with the Los Angeles Angels. Since Morales is out of options and not injured, the Twins cant send him to the minors to shake off the rust from missing the seasons first 60 games. Hell work out with the team and take the field when hes ready. "Its a day to day thing, Ill be working out and talking to (manager Ron Gardenhire) and the coaching staff," Morales said. "When Im ready, Ill be in there. We just want to do it the right way." Morales greeted his new teammates in the clubhouse before Sundays game against the Houston Astros and spent some time with Tony Oliva, Minnesotas most famous Cuban-born player. Since the Twins arent known for making splashy moves, especially during the season, players viewed the signing as a signal from management that theyre serious about contending. "Its a good signing. A lot of us are real excited right now," Joe Mauer said. "It tells you how close this division is and us adding is definitely a great thing." To make room on the 25-man roster, Minnesota released Jason Kubel, who appeared in 798 games over parts of eight seasons with the Twins. He was hitting .224 this year, but just .158 since April. Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '