Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame the Blue Jackets This Year

5. They've got Saad on the wrong line. - This kills me. How in good graciousness do you have your highest paid non goalie player, not on the top line? He was on the top line in Chicago in 2015, and they won a little trophy called the Stanley Cup. This makes no sense to me. You can give me the reasons, but I am not listening. He scored 30 plus goals from the second line, and if you put him up on the top line, I guarantee he'll get at least 40 goals. He is too skilled and too fast not to be playing on a better line. This is a real head scratcher for me.

4. Todd Richards put them in a 0-7 hole before he was fired. - The Blue Jackets Front Office waited too long to fire Todd Richards and bring in John Tortorella.  I could see losing four or five games to start the season as being too much, but seven? Come on! Clearly, the players did not respond to the coaching staff. They were the lottery team last year, and if you want to change the culture you need to hold the leash tighter. John Tortorella actually has playoff wins and a Stanley Cup. The Blue Jackets have two playoff wins. This is a no brainer.

Seth Jones

3. Seth Jones did not get a full season with the Blue Jackets. - Ok, lets be real for one moment. Right now Seth Jones is the only top-line defensemen on the team.  A first round draft pick by Nashville, this guy is young and talented. He is exactly who every team wants on their blue line. He shoots, defends and jumps into the play better than anyone else they have. The Blue Jackets are the team paying $4.5 million a year for Fedor Tyutin; what a waste! The Blue Jackets did draft Zach Werenski, and they have him playing with the Lake Erie Monsters - their farm team - so there is hope.

2. Ryan Johansen played like a baby until they traded him to Nashville. - Though he was right that he should of been paid more, Ryan Johansen played selfish until he was traded. He was taking unnecessary penalties and his effort was to be questioned. A great player, no doubt, but he was very immature in how he handled things. Life is not fair, and you have to deal with it. The silver lining, though, is the Blue Jackets picked up Seth Jones in what might be the greatest trade steal since R.J. Unburger for Scott Hartnell.

Korpisalo with the save!

1. With Bobrovsky and McElhinney getting injured every other week, the Blue Jackets were starting minor league goalies for most of the season. - Now I want to give some props here to Korpisalo and Forsberg because they did a hell of a job stepping up for the Blue Jackets. They had to put up with little defensive help until Seth Jones arrived. Its hard to make the jump from minor league to the NHL because the game is so much faster. Clearly, these NHL players are the best in the world, and they prove that night in and night out. So, for the Blue Jackets not to fall apart even worse than they did, much of the credit goes to Korpisalo and Forsberg.