October Report Cards, Part 1

Note: Records are prior to games on November 1st.

Anaheim Ducks (10-3-1)
Grade: B+
It's nothing short of a miracle that Anaheim has notched 21 of a possible 28 points with their special teams being this bad. They cannot sustain this streak if the power play and penalty kill continue to falter. I don't care how good their other metrics are, when you don't punish teams for committing penalties and don't bail yourself out when shorthanded, you're not going to see long-term success.

Boston Bruins (8-4-0)
Grade: B+
An uncharacteristically sloppy penalty kill is the story here. Boston is getting enough goal scoring and playing stellar defense as usual, but that PK needs a boost. Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand are off to slow starts, but the slack has been picked up by David Krejci (11 assists) and Milan Lucic (12 points) thus far. They suffered a tough loss to Pittsburgh the other night but rebounded nicely in a shootout win over Anaheim.

Buffalo Sabres (2-12-1)
Grade: F
I really didn't want to give this team an F simply because this is a rebuilding year and many correctly pegged this team to be the worst in hockey, but after scanning their stats I couldn't justify giving them a better score. If the PK were in the top ten I probably would've bumped them to a D- on the grounds that they were doing something right. However, 82%, while serviceable, isn't anything to celebrate. Trading Thomas Vanek for Matt Moulson was a complete fleece job by Darcy Regier as he continues to stockpile picks.

Calgary Flames (5-5-2)
Grade: B-
Was going to give them a higher grade until I saw the defense and special teams. Make no mistake, their record is still a surprise to me (hence the probably inflated B-), but it's a far cry from their hot start in the first few games. Sean Monahan has been the catalyst for this group, though he's disappeared a bit in their last few outings. They need to get him going again. They also need to figure out the goaltending situation, because the committee so far hasn't gotten it done.

Carolina Hurricanes (4-5-3)
Grade: D+
They should thank the rest of the Metropolitan Division (sans Pittsburgh) for being so putrid this season, because somehow the 4-5-3 Hurricanes are in second place. Nobody has reached double digit points yet and only four players have a plus rating. The goaltending has quite literally been a three-ring circus, with Cam Ward and Justin Peters faltering while Anton Khudobin has been sharp. Khudobin's on IR now though, so Ward and Peters have to play better... Ward especially, since he's the starter.

Chicago Blackhawks (8-2-3)
Grade: B+
They're scoring, they're converting on the power play, and they're getting a lot of pucks to the net. Defense has been an adventure so far, though, with the NHL's worst PK not helping matters. You can only mask bad defense with good offense for so long, but if the Hawks are driving possession and applying a solid forecheck, the penalty kill numbers will come up some.

Colorado Avalanche (10-1-0)
Grade: A
This team was doing everything right until Semyon Varlamov turned himself in to police amid charges of kidnapping and domestic violence. Backup Jean-Sebastien Giguere has been great so far, so it looks like the Avs will be alright for the time being in net. Who would've thought they'd be 10-1 through the first month and that it would be the defense that got them there? The trade that brought in Max Talbot will only help them continue to be solid in their own end.

Columbus Blue Jackets (5-6-0)
Grade: C
The Blue Jackets look like a team that is just trying to stem the tide right now. They're still without Nathan Horton for the foreseeable future so they will be missing a major offensive weapon going forward, but even at 5-6 they're right in the thick of it in the Metropolitan Division, where they sit in 4th place. They have to improve the special teams and find some more scoring, but if they're above .500 when Horton comes back, look out.

Dallas Stars (5-6-1)
Grade: D+
Given the fact that the Central Division has delivered in terms of being iffy in the middle, the last-place Stars don't deserve any better of a grade. They're 1-2-1 against their division rivals thus far and that will not get it done. They've been the model of mediocrity to this point in the NHL and have to improve in all areas of the game if they want to climb up the mountain. I believe it's an issue of depth with this team, as they simply don't have enough on the wings or on defense.

Detroit Red Wings (7-4-2)
Grade: C+
Let me put it this way: this team is not trending in the right direction. The offense has not produced, they've gotten almost nothing from Stephen Weiss so far, and the special teams have been meh. Defensively, they've been good enough to have a winning record, but again the scoring isn't there. Detroit has just 20 points from its defensemen so far, led by Niklas Kronwall with eight. They need more from the backend.

Edmonton Oilers (3-9-2)
Grade: F
This team has been a complete trainwreck after such high hopes to begin the year. Taylor Hall is hurt, Nail Yakupov has been nonexistent, the defense has continued to suck as only they can, and the special teams continue to not produce. This squad is doing nothing well right now. Mark Arcobello is off to a nice start with 10 assists, but when he's tied for your team's lead in scoring, there are serious issues that need to be addressed.

Florida Panthers (3-7-2)
Grade: F
This grade is another case of me wanting to be soft on a team that everyone knew was bad preseason but being unable to justify it. The Panthers have been absolutely brutal so far. Tim Thomas has not been healthy and it's been clear that his body isn't in playing shape yet. Brad Boyes has slowed down, Jonathan Huberdeau hasn't gotten untracked yet and Shawn Matthias is struggling. They need more from their best players.

Los Angeles Kings (9-5-0)
Grade: B
They're currently sitting in fifth place in the stacked Pacific Division, but that's no reason to count the Kings out. Aside from their goal scoring, they've been solid overall. Anze Kopitar is off to a great start and the defense has both kept them in and won games. They'd like to see an increase across the board; these are not the numbers of a Stanley Cup contender. However, they don't need to be yet, that can wait until the playoffs.

Minnesota Wild (6-4-3)
Grade: B-
I can't figure this team out. They aren't scoring, but have a great power play. The defense has been stingy, but the penalty kill has been a sieve. Josh Harding has played admirably in net so far, but this team needs Nicklas Backstrom to be healthy and playing his best hockey if they're going to improve upon their success from a season ago. Also, where has Dany Heatley been? Has anyone seen him?

Montreal Canadiens (8-5-0)
Grade: B+
With the statistics that they've put up across the board, Montreal should probably have a better record than they do. They're trending in the right direction, but they need to get more pucks to the net. It's going to be tough to maintain such a low goals against average, so the more they can help out the goaltending by driving possession, the better off they'll be.

30 Teams, 30 Days - Columbus Blue Jackets

Quick, who would you say is the team with the most momentum heading into the 2013-14 season? Chicago and Boston would both be perfectly valid answers, but I'm going to go with Columbus. Last year, the Blue Jackets proved that a bad start can kill your season; so much so that their 4-12-4 start could not be saved, even by a torrid 20-5-3 finish. Columbus finished tied for the final playoff spot in the West, but lost out to Minnesota on the non-shootout wins tiebreaker. This season marks a couple of new beginnings for Columbus in terms of a new conference (Eastern) and a new division (Metropolitan). They'll find the level of play to be roughly even with their old Central rivals, so the Jackets shouldn't suffer much, if at all, due to competition. They made a big splash this offseason when they signed Nathan Horton to a seven year deal worth $37.1 million, though Horton is out for a while after undergoing shoulder surgery in June. Columbus will once again be backstopped by defending Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky, and folks around the league are anxious to see if he can duplicate last year's performance.

Projected Forward Lines:

R.J. Umberger - Artem Anisimov - Marian Gaborik
Cam Atkinson - Ryan Johansen - Nathan Norton
Matt Calvert - Brandon Dubinsky - Nick Foligno
Blake Comeau - Mark Letestu - Jared Boll
Derek MacKenzie - Jack Skille

Unless you live in New York or Columbus, there are not a lot of household names on this roster. Off the top of my head, I can name seven players listed in this article who have played for either the Rangers or the Islanders: Anisimov, Gaborik, Dubinsky, Comeau, Wisniewski, Tyutin, and Erixon. I used to jokingly refer to the Jackets' forward group as "Rangers West", but now that the two teams play in the same division the moniker has become obsolete. Looking at this team, they have a number of talented forwards up top, and they're backed by bruisers at the bottom. Dubinsky, Boll, and Foligno are all heavy hitters, and the Jackets can always dress Skille and/or MacKenzie for some added punch. It'll be interesting to see who fills the right wing spot occupied by Horton in his absence. I'm going to go with Calvert, because he has sick hands and can create his own shot.

Projected Defensive Pairings:

Jack Johnson - James Wisniewski
Fedor Tyutin - Nikita Nikitin
Tim Erixon - Dalton Prout
Cody Goloubef

No changes from the end of last season to report here. This is the same group that played well down the stretch, en route to finishing in a three-way tie for 9th in goals allowed. There is a good combination of puck movers and stay-at-home guys here, but they all get involved when in the offensive zone. This solid two-way play on the blueline is something that many teams lack, so it alone proves to be an edge for the Jackets on some nights. There has also been a lot of talk about whether top prospect Ryan Murray will make the team out of training camp; I think he'd be better served playing a full season in the AHL first. Make him a top pairing guy for Springfield so that he learns how to play in that role, then send him up to the big club next year and let him run wild.

Goaltending:

Sergei Bobrovsky
Curtis McElhinney

How do you improve on a Vezina-winning campaign? By silencing the doubters and haters who are all saying that it was a fluke. That is what Bobrovsky hopes to do this season, and he might have to in order to see the playoffs this season. Columbus was ranked 25th in goal scoring last season, so if the offense doesn't make strides this year he's going to have to duplicate his success. The fact that he put up such great numbers (21-11-6, 2.00 GAA, .932 save %) while the Blue Jackets allowed roughly 30 shots on goal per game makes it all the more amazing. The man could use some help from the team in front of him is all I'm saying. McElhinney will be the backup for Columbus, and this will be his first time playing in a Jackets uniform, having spent last season in Springfield.

Special Teams:

One area of the game that the Jackets must look to for improvement is the power play. They were 28th a season ago, and once Horton returns from injury I think that they'll be a more productive unit. The problem for Columbus is that you could say their power play is a poor man's version of Washington's, in that everybody knows where the puck is going for the shot (in this case, Gaborik) and there aren't many other options besides that. They will have to find other outlets for shots and goals to keep opposing PK units honest. The Jackets were good at staying out of the penalty box, as they were shorthanded three times per game on average. They were also +11 in the special teams chances battle, and were the 11th-best team on the penalty kill last season. They should be strong on the kill again this year, with their entire defense returning giving continuity.

X-Factor:

There are two, in my mind: whether or not Bobrovsky can continue his elite level of play and how Horton fares when he returns from injury. If Bobrovsky gets a little more help in the form of shot blocking, a better flow of play from the offense, and a more sustained attack by the Jacket's forwards (they were outshot by 3.2 per game last year), he can succeed again this year. Horton is another story, as shoulder injuries are tough in hockey. If his recovery and therapy go well and he's ready to contribute, then obviously the sooner the better for his return. However, if he struggles at first, I wonder how long the coaching staff goes before they consider juggling the lines. Horton must also show that he's earned his $5.3 million annual salary and to do that he'll have to play like one of the star players on this team, which he is practically by default.

The Blue Jackets will make the playoffs if...

... the defense is up to the challenge of stopping the high-scoring offenses in the Metropolitan Division, the offense gets more pucks to the net, and Bobrovsky has another banner year. Their new division rivals are quite good at putting the puck in the net. Of the seven other teams in the Metropolitan Division, only New Jersey finished in the bottom half of the league in scoring last year. The Jackets' defenders have to be up to the task night in and night out for this team to succeed. Of course, the offense must also improve, as they didn't get enough shots (26.7 per game) to really test opposing defenses and didn't score enough goals. Another thing they must avoid is using their incredible play when entering the third with a lead (13-0-0) as an excuse to park the bus, if you will. Only one other team was undefeated when leading after two, the Rangers at 16-0-0. Bobrovsky was stellar late in games last year but this is a team that absolutely cannot go into the turtle if they have a late lead, because there isn't enough talent and depth to just turn it back on if the game becomes tied.

The Blue Jackets will miss the playoffs if...

... they can't hang with the better teams in the Metropolitan Division, Bobrovsky comes back down to earth, the offense doesn't improve or Gaborik gets injured. One look at the Blue Jackets' roster screams "bubble team" to me. They're going to be a tough team to peg when I'm trying to come up with my season predictions, as I believe they can finish anywhere from 3rd to 7th this season. It's nice to see this franchise look like it's finally turning the corner, but there is still a lot that has to go right for the Blue Jackets to both make the playoffs and win a playoff game, something they have never done in their 13-year history.

Blake Geoffrion To Retire, Takes Scouting Job With Columbus

It's always a sad day when someone's career ends, and doubly so when the cause is a severe injury. Such is the case for Blake Geoffrion, who retired yesterday at the age of 25 after battling the effects of sustaining a concussion and a depressed skull fracture while playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL.

The hit took place on November 9, 2012 in a game between Geoffrion's Bulldogs and the Syracuse Crunch, which is Tampa Bay's AHL affiliate. Geoffrion took a hard hip check from J-P Cote and appears to hit his head on the boards while airborne. Below is the video clip of the hit.

It's not really discernable from the footage, but Cote's skate blade actually cut Geoffrion deep enough to cause the skull fracture. This occurred when Geoffrion landed. What makes the play (and end result) even more unfortunate is that the hit is perfectly clean. It's simply a solid, hard hockey play that went terribly wrong.

Geoffrion wasn't out of work for long, however. Today it was announced that he has been hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets as a pro scout.

Geoffrion had eight goals and five assists in 55 career NHL games, split between Nashville and Montreal.