While some will disagree with me, the truth is that, in many ways, the Jackets are a better team than last year. One of the biggest problems they face is that every team in the Metro has improved enough that the Metro is (arguably) the most competitive division in the league. And the Atlantic Division is not far behind. That has created a situation where the Jackets shortcomings are amplified. Change will have to come and will, but it won't be immediate and the Jackets do seem to be taking a step back in order to take two steps forward. What needs to change? Well.....

Elvis must go. No, I have never been convinced that Elvis was ever going to be a top tier goalie. He has the size, skills and athleticism to be a star. But his ego is a problem and something between his ears is always going to keep him from being anything other than streaky and a problem on the ice. The biggest problem is that both Jarmo and Waddell have waited too long to trade him. Every team in the league knows that Elvis is a head case and even getting a bag of pucks for him will be next to impossible. Put him on waivers and send him to Cleveland. Nobody is likely to claim him and if someone does, will it break your heart? For all we know, Fedotov will be an upgrade. 

Secondary scoring is a problem. For whatever reason, KJ, Sillinger, Olivier and Chinakhov are not producing at the pace they did last year. For KJ and Sillinger, I believe that the "problem" is that they have been working to become more complete players by focusing on their defense. That is a good thing. Olivier, of course, is injured, but even when healthy, he has been less obvious on offense. But Olivier's primary role is enforcer and being a distraction. Because he displayed offensive abilities, last year, teams are paying attention to him freeing up teammates for offense. But Chinakhov.... Did Jarmo make a mistake drafting him? Especially in the first round. We've endlessly heard about his speed and hard shot, but he hasn't put it all together and is injury prone. I think Waddell has put too high of a price tag on him and he could walk, this summer. Lundestrom hasn't provided any offense. And Austin-Reese is such a black hole of offense that Evason preferred playing AHL call ups. The top six have, yes, had some problems producing offense, but they have been making adjustments and we'll see better results soon.

The blueline always seems to be a problem for the Jackets. While Werenski, Provorov and Mateychuk are playing strong two way games, it's not enough. Severson has been a pleasant surprise, defensively, this year, though his offense has suffered a bit. Could one of the coaches have fixed whatever caused defense to be questionable for him? Or will he revert to the turnover guy we've come to know? It may be a good idea to trade him, retaining some salary if needed, while he's looking good. Fabbro has been pushed down to the third pairing, but that seems less a reaction to his play than a response to Severson's improved defense. There are only six slots in games, so he's SOL at the moment. But the 6/7 slots are a disaster. Once again, Gudbranson is injured. Luckily, this is the final year of his contract. If Waddell offers him an extension, it should only be a couple of years at under $2MM a year. Christiansen is injured and is a dime-a-dozen 7th D. Stay, go, who cares? When Brendan Smith takes over for you and does as good a job, if not better, that says a lot about your skill and talent level.