Michael Arace commentary: Jackets must make a big splash this month | The Columbus Dispatch

Loved the Office reference. Maybe the Jackets need more flair on their uniforms or a Swing Line.

I think Arace hit right on here. The Jackets are at a critical point for several reasons. Howson's minimal activity last summer didn't pan out, and he's viewed as afraid to pull the trigger. It's critical that serious action take place just to keep the Jackets from hopeless mediocrity.

At least the new goaltending coach came from one of the top teams. I'm tired of watching the CBJ pick up rejects from other bottom feeders, expecting that they will help right the ship in Columbus.

Lets hope the Jackets mgmt. really cares about the fan/fans and puts a winning product on the ice.
And not worry about the bottom line seems like that is where they were concentrating in prior years.
To me the jackets do want to do anything about the lease agreement otherwise they would be clamoring to get something done.
In my view.
Maybe this is the excuse that they will use if/when they decide to move.

Howson needs to make a splash in free agency by getting a legit goal scorer to take some pressure off Nash, or better yet a power play quarterback or puck moving defenseman. That could mean giving up a first round pick and maybe someone like Voracek or Brassard. I really don't know if Howson has it in him though, which is too bad, because this could be a great hockey market, but 0 playoff wins in 10 seasons is not how you build up a fanbase. Jackets need to make the playoffs and win a series sometime in the next couple seasons, otherwise they could end up like the Thrashers in a few years.

Excellent article by Arace, who for once is really asking the tough questions and getting in the face of the morons running this franchise. Ignoring tradition....turning your back on former players...making bad personnel choices....losing tons of money.

These are not things which are going to keep hockey in Columbus in the long run. We need to start turning things around NOW, or the Jackets will be GONE.

Does McConnell, Jr. understand this? Somebody better.

And in regard to turning things around, I don't think a lot of us have confidence that Howson can do that.

Howson needs to be gone NOW. He should have been fired as soon as the season ended, since his "stand pat" strategy cost us another losing, no-playoffs season.

Another year with him as GM will be another LOSING year. Fire him! NOW!

wont happen, McConnell has no interest in winning hockey!!! only interest in taking money from casino taxes and fans

The line in the sand should be drawn now. This is the make or break for the team. After this season we should clean house. The draft is the key. It's about parity and getting the worst teams better. I guess the team that we are most like is Edmonton. They have the number one pick and finish bottom of the league.

With Howson at the helm, we're more like Edmonton than ever.

I'm all for one more effort to Carry the Flag, but if there aren't playoffs in the picture the only one who should be "Marching On" is Howson. Go Jackets.

What top player in their right mind would ever come to Columbus, the losing environment is accepted and players aren't held accountable.

Agreed that Howson needs to go. Last season was a complete cluster and it rest SOLELY on his shoulders. I mean Moreau, Clark instead of say Torres and Malhotra? Rome walks to Vancouver while we pay Commie? Glencross for Tarnstrom--are you kidding me. These are the handiwork of Howson not to mention the fiasco of the Hitchcock for Boucher----whoops Arniel(he's our guy!) Maybe we can hold onto Craig Rivet as he is old.

Enough of this crap. Offer Voracek for the rights to negotiate with Brad Richards and get it done before the rest of the league does it. Had Howson had the guts to do this 3 years ago I am sure the results of the last couple seasons would be different. Changes need to happen, but letting a few nobodies go is not going to do it. Last year I did not go to a single regulation game. A first for me since the inception. Unless massive front office and player changes are made I won't go back this year either. We should have had a win now at all costs attitude last season. If the next 30 days that attitude doesn't appear this franchise is poised for a league worst finish. We're that close.

Memo to the Dispatch.... I wanted Dineen too, but that ship sailed a long time ago. Give it up!

Should say Commodore in the above ****.

I don't understand some of the things written in this article. First, Boughner said at the time he resigned that if he had the opportunity to become a head coach that relocating his family would be on the table. Why relocate his family for an assistant job when he owned the Spitfires in Windsor. Arace is insinuating that Boughner is in someway reneging on his statement and I don't believe that is fair. Maybe it should have read that Boughner was willing to be 500 miles away from his family for a head coaching position instead of 200 miles away for an assistant job. Second, the Blue Jackets have had 1 winning season in 10 years. Why in the world would we want to hire Tugnutt or Denis when they had been a part of the problem. If they were part of a winning tradition here and the club had fallen on some losing seasons I could see the need to bring back some of the guys who were here in the good times but these guys lost just as much if not more than the current Jackets. Its time to change the culture of losing and the only way to do that is to bring in people from successful clubs (how's Vancouver doing this year). I do agree that Howson needs to make some bold moves over the next couple of months or he'll forever be known as the guy too scared to pull the trigger and may never have a GM job again. Playing it safe only works when you have a successful club.

The losing is over.. The Columbus Blue Jackets will win the Stanley Cup next year!:LET'S GO JACKETS !!!!!!

Section 101 wrote:

The line in the sand should be drawn now. This is the make or break for the team. After this season we should clean house. The draft is the key. It's about parity and getting the worst teams better. I guess the team that we are most like is Edmonton. They have the number one pick and finish bottom of the league.
With Howson at the helm, we're more like Edmonton than ever.
I'm all for one more effort to Carry the Flag, but if there aren't playoffs in the picture the only one who should be "Marching On" is Howson. Go Jackets.

And he can take Priest with him. Both have no experience in leading a successful hockey club. Who's critiquing their work during this process?

"(and you know Detroit is going to have first dibs)."

Why don't you set aside your little man syndrome and think this through. If Detroit goes it leaves only one original six team in the west. Furthermore, do you think the owners of the other western conference teams are gonna vote to let the Wings leave? What team sells out Nationwide Arena (and every other arena for that matter) every time they visit? Hint, its not any team west of a city starting with D and ending in etroit. Maybe half of this organizations problem is its losing attitude. Wings fans have plenty of beefs with the league too, you know, more than the CBJ have believe it or not.

Now lets look at this the other way. The CBJ are hemorrhaging money. They would likely be more competitive in the East, which is the less skilled, less defensively competitive conference.

Or, what is most likely, Nashville goes, because they are already a natural fit in the Southeastern division and the league won't have to realign at all. This is in contrast to if Columbus or Detroit moved, in which case the league would have to make the awkward decision to move Pittsburgh or Philly into the Southeast, which isn't really a fit.

Detroit will be the last team to go east, put money on it.

Anyway, I know that was more of a passing comment, but I just get sick of the excuse making and the "woe is us" attitude around this team. The rumors about the CBJ moving out of town will be a self fufilling prophecy because of crap like this.

Management is lost, and so is the next season. The franchise may be if Detroit moves to the East before the Jackets.