The Off-Season: A Summary

Hockey is back, y’all! Yeah, yeah, I haven’t posted in a couple months. I wish I could say it was due to lack of news from the Jackets, but honestly depression is a bitch and I was in a creative slump. This has been an absolutely crazy off-season for Columbus, so lets take a quick look at what’s happened!

Bob and Bread are gone. The talk of the town the whole season was if they would stay in Columbus or build their homes somewhere else. Personally, I thought Bob was going to stay. Maybe it was hope or naïveté, but he had a stellar performance in the playoffs and I figured they’d be able to make something work. At the very least, I hoped for a one-year extension. But the stars would not align, and Bob left the team. Shortly after Bobby Lou announced his retirement (I love that weird idiot and I hope he has a great retirement), Bob took his place as top goalie for the Florida Panthers. Not happy that he’s gone, but I hope he has a good season, but also fails miserably when the Jackets play against him.

It’s no secret, I was not a fan of Bread. Thought he was a little overhyped, but I digress. There was a lot of speculation that Bread didn’t even want to be in Columbus in the first place, so it came as no surprise when he announced he would be leaving. And where does he go? The New York Rangers. I didn’t like him before, and now I really don’t like him. I abhor, detest, loathe the New York Rangers. Nothing made me happier than seeing them being so far away from making it into the playoffs. That was a lot of fun.

Good news for returning players though as Columbus re-signed Zach Werenski and Marko Dano. Zach was a restricted free agent and people were losing their minds as the off-season progressed and there were no updates on Zach’s status. It wasn't announced he was re-signed until the beginning of September, so everyone had a good long while to stew and come up with all kinds of theories. Regardless of the naysayers, Columbus signed Zach a three-year extension for $15 million through the 2021-22 season.

Crack-a-lackin had some high remarks for the young defenseman, "Zach Werenski is one of the best young defensemen in the National Hockey League and we couldn't be happier that he will continue to be a foundational player for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He is a gifted offensive player that has continued to improve in all facets of the game and will be an elite player for many years."

Next up, Columbus has signed Marko Dano to a one-year, 2-way deal! My husband has returned from the war! Returned back to the war? I don’t know, but he’s back in Cbus, and I couldn’t be happier! I absolutely loved him when he was with the team originally, and I still distinctly remember where I was and what I was doing when I got the notification he was traded to Chicago. In 138 NHL games, Marko has a total of 19 goals and 26 assists for 45 points, and has 47 penalty minutes and a +2 plus/minus rating. When he was with Columbus, he had a breakout season as a rookie. He led the rookies in goals, points, and was second in assists.

"After I left Columbus, it was rough for me," said Dano. "I wasn't getting that much time on the ice that I was getting in Columbus, so it's hard to get points when you're not in a game rhythm or you're playing for just a couple of minutes. But you have to deserve the chance, and you have to deserve the minutes. Hopefully, I can earn the trust of the coaches and from there, we'll see how it goes."

It’s not the same team as when he left though. There’s a new coach, new players. There’s been a major paradigm shift for the team in these last few years. However, he’ll have some familiar faces to welcome him back like Wenny, Nick, and Cam. He’s even kept in touch with some of the guys and looks forward to the changes.

"There are some changes, a new coach, so hopefully I'm going to be able to do my best and he's going to like my game. I'm going to come to camp ready to work, and hopefully I can start where I left off. It's going to be great to be back."

In other news, Dubi is injured again. He is out indefinitely as his wrist continues to plague him. This will be his 13th season in the NHL and he has registered 153 goals and 285 assists for 438 points with the Blue Jackets and the Rangers. People keep saying it's time for him to leave and listen, I WILL fight anybody saying to trade Dubi. Meet you at the flagpole at 3pm. Catch these hands.

Last season, tv analyst Bill Davidge announced his retirement to spend more time with his family. He started crying during the last game, I started crying. Everyone cried. And if you didn’t, you’re a filthy liar.

Related: I say goodbye to Bill

Anyway, give a warm welcome to the returning-Blue-Jacket-turned-analyst, Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre! Grand-Pierre was a part of the very first Columbus Blue Jackets roster. He appeared in 202 games with Columbus, and tallied four goals and 10 assists with 239 penalty minutes. During his tenure in the NHL, he played with Columbus, Buffalo, Atlanta, and Washington. He finally retired from the sport in 2013.

"I am tremendously honored and excited for this opportunity and want to thank the Blue Jackets and FOX Sports Ohio," said Grand-Pierre.

"I've always been passionate about the game, this organization and the community. I am looking forward to joining an incredible broadcast team and being a part of a really exciting season for the Blue Jackets and hockey fans across Ohio.”

So there’s some of the top stories of the off-season. Don’t want this post to be too long, but I’ll make another post with some notes on training camp, new faces to look out for, and a preview of tonight’s matchup against Toronto. You can also check out my twitter where I post live updates on the game and other news. Summer break is over and class is back in session!