We know the Blue Jackets are locked in a race for the chance to make a fifth consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Playing for the best trophy in sports, of course, is the ultimate goal of any NHL team going into the season, and it looks like (barring a collapse from Tampa Bay, Florida or Carolina above) Columbus is in a four-team battle for the fourth and final spot with Chicago, Dallas and Nashville.
But there's another subplot at play, one that stretches far beyond what happens this season. That's the personnel component, as the NHL trade deadline looms on April 12.
Thus, with seven games left until the deadline passes, the Blue Jackets will very quickly have to make the decision that confronts all teams at this time -- what to do at the deadline. And traditionally, this means a team has to decide if it is a buyer or if it is a seller.
Philosophically, that's an easy choice for teams at the top and bottom of the standings, but the ones hovering near the playoff line have a tougher time. And it's something head coach John Tortorella alluded to postgame on Saturday, referencing his comments before the Jackets began the six-game road trip.
"I talked about this prior to the trip," Tortorella said. "It's going to be a very important trip for this organization, not only now as far as what type of gumption we have, but also projecting what your team is going to be in the future."
For Columbus, a lot is on the line. Obviously, the hope is to right the ship after the tough weekend in Detroit, go on a run and outpace the Blackhawks, Stars and Predators for a playoff spot. But there are also a lot of personnel balls in the air for the Blue Jackets.
Forwards Nick Foligno, Riley Nash and Mikhail Grigorenko are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, as are defensemen David Savard, Mikko Lehtonen and Michael Del Zotto. Should the Jackets fall out of the playoff race -- or in some cases, even if they stay in it -- the team faces a decision as to whether to deal those players for help in the future. In the case of Foligno and Savard, that would mean trading some of the faces of the franchise, as Foligno is the captain of the team and Savard is in his 10th season in Columbus.
Add in other uncertainty around the team -- Patrik Laine is a restricted free agent at the end of this year, while deals involving such players as Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, Max Domi and Boone Jenner end after the 2021-22 season, as do contracts for Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo -- and this is a pivotal time for the team's roster composition. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen must make some key decisions both on what to do with the team now but its direction in the future.
On the ice, Foligno also sees an impact when it comes to this time of the year, and it's one the Blue Jackets must soon answer.
"There has to be an understanding of how we need to play to have success this time of year," the captain said. "The league goes in levels. It raises a level at certain points in the season. Right now, it's just before the trade deadline. Teams are trying to figure out where they're positioned, and everyone raises a level to try to get themselves into position to either be buyers or sellers. We're a team that is fighting tooth and nail to try to get in the playoffs. We have to know there's levels."
