The last several seasons have been tough for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team seems to have lost its way since peaking in their “all-in” 2018-19 season. They have since burned through three coaches. They’ve made big trades and free agent signings. They’ve drafted well and have done a good job of stocking their cupboards full of solid prospects. However, with all those changes the results on the ice have consistently gotten worse.
As they aspire to become a legitimate championship contender, they’ll have to do the one thing they haven’t and that’s add someone with Stanley Cup or extensive playoff experience to their roster. Let’s have a look at why that is.
Stanley Cups Come From Playoff Experience
As the header says, Stanley Cups come from extensive playoff experience and the Blue Jackets have none. There are no players on the current roster who have won hockey’s ultimate prize. Only one has ever made it to the Cup Final, and that was Sean Kuraly in 2019 with the Boston Bruins. Taking another step down, only Patrik Laine has been to a conference final when he was with the Winnipeg Jets. Then there have been only six players to make it to the second round of the playoffs.
If you look at the recent Cup winners there are a couple of categories that a champion falls into. Either a team earns that playoff experience over five to ten years of hard-fought losses, like most of the recent champions including the Vegas Golden Knights, St. Louis Blues, and Washington Capitals, or a team adds players with extensive playoff experience to an uprising of incredibly talented players, like the Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks.
Related: Blue Jackets’ Results Show Critical Leadership Element Missing
While I think the Blue Jackets’ future is more than likely going to be one paved with years of hardship and losses, they could also choose the latter route and bring in some quality veterans. With the way they have drafted so far and the way that talent has shown flashes of success, a couple of players with championship pedigree could help instill the path to success in a way that this group has been lacking.
Yes, the team added Hockey Hall of Famer and three-time Stanley Cup champion, Mark Recchi to their coaching staff. However, it’s not quite the same as bringing someone in who has that kind of experience and pedigree to actually lace up the skates and play alongside the next generation. The kind of experience that Justin Williams brought to the Kings, Marian Hossa brought to the Blackhawks, or Ryan McDonagh and Pat Maroon brought to the Lightning, is invaluable in bringing a team from good to great and instilling the right mindset into young players.
The options for those types of players are limited and they are generally able to sign for a premium because of the intangibles that they bring with them. A perfect example is the Anaheim Ducks signing two-time champion from the Lightning Alex Killorn at 34 years old for over $6 million per season. He’s begun a bit of a decline and will surely be looked at as an overpaid player for most or all of his deal, but they were clearly looking for someone who has done it all to help guide the way for their burgeoning young core.
For the Blue Jackets, they should add a player between the ages of 27 and 33 who was a top-six forward, a top-four defender, or a starting goalie with a Stanley Cup winner or finalist in the last half of a decade. It might come at a premium price, but it might also come with a premium result.
At the end of the day, the Blue Jackets have tried pretty much everything else except for going out and adding players who have gone on deep runs in the playoffs or have won Stanley Cup championships in the past. It couldn’t hurt to look for some of those players to help guide the way, so it’s no longer a case of the blind leading the blind.
