This is what happens when you sneak into the playoffs every year with the #7 or #8 seed: You end up playing a very good team in the first round that is gearing up for a real run at the SC.

Doggy; I was thinking about exactly the same price range. Edmonton needs D, the CBJ need offensive help, Puljujarvi has the skill but wants out of Edmonton in the worst way. Jarmo has the contacts in Finland to provide the insight to determine if Puljujarvi has what it takes to reclaim his career,

There is however the matter of a contract. Does anyone know how the collective bargaining agreement works? Was Puljujarvi's ELC suspended when he went back to Europe so he still has one year left on it at about $900K? Or is he still in the same "class" as PLD and is now in a position to negotiate his first RFA contract? If this is the case, I would think Jarmo would want at least two years at a "prove it" level--say $2M. 

Good observations Doggy, but I really think the agents figured out the career timeline you outlined in about 2016. To flip the script they got together and started using both UFA and RFA contract comparables to negotiate on behalf of the 2017 class of RFAs. That led directly to the contentious negotiation with Josh that summer. I have no inside knowledge, but I believe Jarmo was blindsided and I would not be shocked if every GM in the NHL called him and said “hold firm, we created three tiers in the collective bargaining agreement for a reason.” The following year, the class led by Nylander had more success breaking the three tier system [entry level contract/RFA/UFA] because the agents figured out pretty quickly that to force the GMs to deal, they had to create the credible threat of playing in Europe.

Fast forward to 2020 however and the fixed salary cap is going to create some real problems for all of the players that were hoping for that big, long term contract this summer. That long term deal is going to look a lot riskier if an increasing cap isn’t going to bail out the a GM that overpays or agrees to a deal that lasts past a player’s productivity. For example, Bob’s seven year contract in Florida is going to become an anchor for the franchise really quickly. The only teams that may be able to afford that risk are the original six franchises or those in really big markets.

In what universe does Panarin get 12 votes/points for defensive skills? I can't believe his game has changed that much in the last season.

I couldn't agree more...I think this is just one of the symptoms of being a small market team. The last two playoff cycles may begin to flip that script a bit.

I don't agree with anything you say, but I think it is going to be a bigger problem for solid players that are free agents between 30 and 33 yrs old and were hoping for one more contract. I think there will be a lot of pretty good players getting squeezed out.

Josh would be a key player if the parties were able to agree to a deal. With his injury + the fixed salary cap however, it will be difficult to hammer out a deal.

If I were the GM, I would offer Josh a contract closer to the $5M but I would only offer it for a shorter term, say 2 years. If the team doctors give me a report that the shoulder injury will not be a long term issue, I would offer 3 years. That way the team is paying Josh what his pre-injury stats would warrant, but the shorter term minimizes risk that this past season wasn't just a fluke.   

With all the uncertainty in North America, it makes sense and sounds like a good plan.

Congrats to Bill; he no doubt deserves it. This is the 3rd season in a row our team has lost an important member of the front office/coaching staff in a promotion to another organization. (Bednar to Colorado in 2018, Davidson to NYR in 2019 and now this.)

Selfishly, I hate to lose a another key member of the group that successfully re-built the Jackets after the McClain dumpster fire but this is also a compliment to the leadership of the CBJ.

Who knows if it is the final answer @ 2C, but it will be fun to see how Grigorenko works out. He could be an important addition in a position where the additional talent and depth will be welcome.

I understand your frustration with Wennberg and I agree that I goes back to the hit he took from Wilson. (Remember he also took a cheap shot from behind against the Islanders earlier that same season.) Since AW has 3 years left on his contract, I just don't think it's going to be that easy to move on. That will be especially so with the tighter cap for the foreseeable future. Other teams see what you see and are going to want to send the CBJ a similar contract/player in any trade and it is very unlikely that Wenny will be the player taken by Seattle in the expansion draft in 2021.

I agree General...I would prefer to keep Gavi unless I am blown away by the return

I agree that it all depends on the return. I suspect we would also have to include one defenseman (not named Jones or Werenski) to get the kind of player we really need to boost our offense. Even then, I suspect--like a lot of good fans--we overvalue the home team players we know best, so we are overestimating the offensive prowess we might be able to get in return. If it is just one more "middle six" forward that can only contribute 15 to 20 goals and maybe 40 points per season, sticking with a two goalie rotation until the trade deadline wouldn't be the end of the world.

Injuries being what they are in a sport like hockey, [unless they are traded] all of the players listed in this article will get into the CBJ lineup and have the opportunity to make important contributions next year, regardless of where they start the season. Depth is now one of our strengths, unlike the McClain years. 

I agree however that it is too soon to give up on a player like Bemstrom. There were growing pains this past season, but as Matt says, he was very young and this was his first season in the NHL. 

You are probably right, BUT the question is, when that happens, will his new team regret it MORE or LESS than the Panthers regret that they have Bob for another six years at $10M per year? :-)

I just don't see how they could afford it with the fixed cap, once they take care of the three RFAs, (PLD, Gavrikov & Anderson) which I believe should be the priority.

Just Torts being Torts. Walking out is way better than saying something he might regret later.

I can't really blame the NHL for insisting that its coaches sit through an entire post game interview. However, has anyone seen a GoFundMe page yet to raise funds for Torts favorite charity that helps abandon and abused animals? That's what fans did the last time the NHL fined the coach and it's a good way to support a worthy cause.

I agree with ROTSBU--it is hard to believe the players union would agree to a full season in the bubble due to the hardship of long term separation on players as well as families.

I don't know if hockey without paying customers in the arena is sustainable financially, but I will say this: As a fan, being able to watch playoff games on TV is better than nothing.

Qbert, I would also be bummed to give up Gavi in a trade, but I think we need a player with game changing offensive skills. (We need a goal scorer like Panarin, more than an all around player like Brandon Saad.) 

For that reason, if I were GM, I'd be willing to stretch and include any defenseman not named Jones or Werenski if we can bring back a 25 to 30 goal scorer. But upon further reflection, I think you're right...not for Johanssen or Kapanen.

As you point out, this was a pretty small sample size, but it was against two pretty good teams. It is also worth noting that he sustained two head injuries in that 2016-17 season, one against the Islanders and one against the Capitals in the playoffs. I have attributed his fall off in production, at least in part, to those cheap hits

Every CBJ fan hopes you're right and this is the start of a turn around!

I was wondering the same thing...except I was thinking of Kapanen or Johnsson for either Savard or Gavrikov, straight up, no sweetener.

Another possibility would be Savard and either Kukan or Nutivaara for Nylander...except a really good observer of the NHL suggested to me that Nylander would adjust to Torts style responsible hockey about as well as Ryan Johansen did. 

Completely agree Philly Buckeye. It is easier said than done because the offensive talent the CBJ need is hard to find, but there are a couple of things working in the Jackets' favor. First, the salary cap frozen @ $81M will put some teams in a bind and at least slightly more willing to deal; and second, we do have some talent on the blue line other teams may find attractive. 

[As a bonus, the flat cap for at least the next season, perhaps two gives the CBJ a little edge to re-sign Josh, which may be the most important offensive boost of all.]

Thanks for the analysis, which mostly matches the "eye test." Kudos to Korpi and Elvis for rising to meet the occasion. 

There are limits to analytics however. I believe the "expected goals" stats are skewed against our D because the CBJ have drawn two of the most dynamic offensive teams in the NHL. The two teams we have played just have the skill to generate more quality scoring chances. If instead the CBJ had drawn the Islanders, (or if they were in the west and had drawn Dallas) I expect the metrics would look better.

The margin of error is always small when the #7 seed is playing the #2 seed.

We have a good young team, led by a great coach but it is management's responsibility to find and bring in more dynamic offensive talent next season. 

It's hard to pick three stars of the game when the CBJ have a total team effort like the game tonight. I can't really quarrel with the three stars Fox Sports picked (Korpi/PLD/Wennberg) but was anyone else kinda hoping that Seth would be one of the three stars...just because he deserves it for overall defensive play? 

When Captain Nick's contract is up after next season, Seth will be our next captain and I think that is awesome.

On the Wennberg goal:

     Shattenkirk = pylon. :-)