Season review:

Columbus definitely fell below expectations. After having a very strong second half of the season a year ago, The Blue Jackets (or Boo-Jackets since they get boo'd so often) just couldn't seem to get together this year. Disappointment and injury seemed the norm with this team. Pascal Leclaire seems as durable as a glass cup. Federov couldn't stimulate the offense, Zherdev was horrible, and Nash was too inconsistent. This led Columbus to having one of the worst offenses in the league. On the bright side, new coach Ken Hitchcock can help turn the team around with his defensive style of coaching.

Offseason Needs:

Columbus definitely needs to address a few things. Although they have a lot of talented youngsters on offense, they don't seem like they can step up. Perhaps Rick Nash needs a solid playmaking center while future stars Gilbert Brule and Derrik Brassard develop? The Jackets seem to have enough talent in the wings (pun intended), but they just need to perform up to expectations. The biggest need would be in defense. A power play quarterback is needed (Brian Rafalski?) and some additional depth couldn't hurt. Goaltending is solid enough with Leclaire and Norrena splitting duties.

Outlook Next Season:

Columbus has the ability to improve. If the team buys into Hitchcock's system and the offense lives up to its potential, they could make up for a streaky offense and then at best they could just barely miss the playoffs. Those are big "if's" when concerning Federov & Zherdev. Nash should bounce back into a 40 goal scorer if he stays healthy and has a competent center.