Kukla's Korner Hockey
Category: Columbus-Blue-Jackets
Columbus Statement On Alexander Svitov Signing With Russian Team
by Paul on 08/17/07 at 05:22 PM ET
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via the Columbus Blue Jackets,
Columbus Blue Jackets General Manager Scott Howson issued the following statement today after learning that center Alexander Svitov has signed a contact with Avangard Omsk of the Russian Super League and will play with the club in the 2007-08 season. He signed a two-year contract with Columbus on July 2, 2007.
“We were informed by Alexander’s agent today that he has signed a contract to play with Avangard Omsk this season,” Howson said. “We will explore the situation in greater detail with respect to Alexander’s contract status and will make a decision after reviewing our options. While this news comes as a disappointment, it creates an opportunity for other players when we open training camp next month.”
Filed in: Columbus Blue Jackets, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Left Side Looks Right In Columbus
by Paul on 08/12/07 at 09:57 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
But there is one spot on the ice at which the Blue Jackets are pretty much set in stone, where they might just be as solid as some of the best clubs in the NHL.
With Rick Nash, Fredrik Modin, Jason Chimera and Jody Shelley, the Blue Jackets have a pretty good cast of left wingers.
“I would say the strength of this clubs is our wings, anyway,” coach Ken Hitchcock said. “But our left side has a real good chance to be dynamic….
Filed in: Columbus Blue Jackets, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Columbus Did Spend
by Paul on 08/11/07 at 10:52 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
At a news conference Wednesday to announce the purchase agreement, MacLean complained that the budget set by Blue Jackets management hamstrung his efforts to build a winning club.
“I don’t have any comment on that,” Priest said. “From our perspective, this is a great opportunity for Doug. I’m excited for him that he’s found something so quickly. It’s a great challenge and opportunity. We wish him nothing but the best. We’re not going to get into what thoughts or comments he has.”
Priest did acknowledge, however, that on at least two occasions the Blue Jackets expanded the budget to add players “with the assurance or promise that they would be difference-makers.”
One of the players was center Sergei Fedorov, whose $6 million contract was added in a trade early in the 2005-06 season.
The other was right winger Anson Carter, signed to a $2.5 million contract last summer and traded for a fifth-round draft pick in March.
Filed in: Columbus Blue Jackets, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Columbus Signs Kris Beech
by Paul on 08/07/07 at 07:20 PM ET
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via the Columbus Blue Jackets,
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed center Kris Beech to a one-year, two-way NHL – American Hockey League contract, club General Manager Scott Howson announced today. As is club policy, terms were not disclosed.
Beech, 26, collected eight goals and 18 assists for 26 points and 46 penalty minutes in 64 games last season with the Washington Capitals. He tied for fifth on the club in goals and was seventh in points, while setting a new career high in points. He has accumulated 19-37-56 with 109 penalty minutes in 173 career games with Washington, Nashville and Pittsburgh. He was the Capitals’ first pick, seventh overall, in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.
Filed in: Columbus Blue Jackets, | KK Hockey | Permalink
No Quick Fix For Columbus
by Paul on 08/05/07 at 10:23 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
All indications are the Blue Jackets are done shopping for the summer.
Don’t they want to win?
“What would I say to that? I’d say we’re trying to build a championship club, and build it the right way,” Howson said. “I don’t believe a team like ours—where we’re at right now—can go for the quick fix and expect it to work.
“You don’t miss the playoffs by (23) points one year, add a high-priced free agent and make that leap. That just doesn’t happen. We’re at the point where this club needs to grow and needs to develop from within.”
Filed in: Columbus Blue Jackets, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Hockey Is Howson’s Passion
by Paul on 08/04/07 at 06:35 PM ET
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from Larry Wigge at NHL.com,
“I was intrigued by law school,” the 47-year-old Howson told me shortly after he was hired to replace Doug MacLean, the Jackets’ only other GM, in June. “I worked in law for a large firm in Toronto for three years and enjoyed the experience. I really had no interest in getting into hockey management when I quit playing and became a lawyer, but the time away from hockey rekindled my passion for the game.
“I realized that law wasn’t a passion of mine. Hockey was.”
read on and some Central Division notes too…
Filed in: Columbus Blue Jackets, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Blue Jackets About To Announce Voracek Signing
by Paul on 08/03/07 at 09:33 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
The Blue Jackets have agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract with first-round draft pick Jakub Voracek, The Dispatch has learned.
An announcement is expected today.
General manager Scott Howson would not comment when reached last night.
Voracek, a right winger who was the seventh overall pick in June, will make $875,000 in each of his first three NHL seasons under terms set by the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
The contract won’t start until Voracek spends at least 10 games in the NHL, or until the 2009-10 season.
He’ll be given a chance to make the Blue Jackets at training camp in September but is likely to return to the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for one more season of junior hockey.
Filed in: Columbus Blue Jackets, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Breaking Down The Central
by Paul on 07/29/07 at 04:36 PM ET
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Wes Goldstein of CBS Sportsline is passing out summer grades to the NHL teams in the Central Division.
Nashville and Columbus fans, you won’t be happy.
Filed in: Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Fresh Start For Zherdev
by Paul on 07/21/07 at 10:44 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
This is a make-or-break season for Zherdev, still only 22 years old but already saddled with a reputation for being moody, selfish and immature. Howson has heard the stories. Now he wants to meet Zherdev face to face for the first time.
“We appreciate the outreach,” Hedges said. “It makes sense for (Howson) to make sure everybody’s on the same page heading into training camp. … The relationship isn’t with the GM, it’s with his coaches and teammates. But we’re hoping a new GM can convince Nikolai that there’s an opportunity here for him.
“But … Nik’s the one who’s got to make it happen.”...
It looks as if a messy divorce has been delayed for now. Zherdev won’t be traded.
Filed in: Columbus Blue Jackets, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Columbus Confident With Their Goaltending
by Paul on 07/15/07 at 11:09 AM ET
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from the Columbus Dispatch,
“We’ve had a couple of calls from agents wondering if we have interest in their clients,” Howson said.
But the conversations have been brief, always ending with a “No, thanks.”
“We believe in the two goaltenders we have,” Howson said. “It’s just as simple as that.”
The Blue Jackets will head to training camp with oft-injured Pascal Leclaire and veteran Fredrik Norrena duking it out for the No. 1 job.
It’s not among the most highly regarded 1-2 punches in the NHL, but Howson doesn’t appear worried.
Filed in: Columbus Blue Jackets, | KK Hockey | Permalink
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About Kukla's Korner Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at pk@kuklaskorner.com
