Columbus
Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets Team Report

Updated: May 29, 2012 06:17 EST

Turns out Todd Richards' three-month "interview" was enough to land the Blue Jackets' full-time coaching gig.

Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson said "eight to 10 qualified candidates" contacted him in the days after the regular season ended, but he and the rest of the hockey operations department "just kept coming back to Todd Richards as the guy who should lead our team into the future."

No candidates other than Richards were interviewed for the job, Howson said.

"What he did under difficult circumstances last season forced everybody to take notice," Howson said. "We felt like he earned the chance, that he deserved an opportunity, to take this club into next season and beyond."

Richards guided the Blue Jackets to an 18-21-2 record after taking over when Scott Arniel was fired on Jan. 9. The Jackets finished 11-8-0 and won five of their final six games.

"The situation when we took over was not easy," Richards said. "But we got tremendous commitment from the players, and I gave them the responsibility of turning it around. We wanted to make it fun to come to the rink, but you have to get results before it can really be that way. We got there by the end of the season."

Richards signed a two-year contract. The Columbus Dispatch reported that the Blue Jackets initially offered him a one-year contract, but he held out for a two-year deal.

He is the eighth coach in franchise history. None of the previous seven have started and completed three seasons in Columbus.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT: Somehow, the Blue Jackets managed to salvage some sense of pride in the final two months of the season, finishing 11-8-0, including five wins in their last six games. Put another way, the Jackets won as many games in their last 19 as they did in their first 42. Not exactly a playoff pace, but it did earn them a modicum of respect.

TURNING POINT: The Blue Jackets started 0-7-1 and 2-12-1, ending their season by the midpoint of November. By early January, they were 11-25-5, leading to the firing of coach Scott Arniel. There's false starts, and then there's falling flat on your face at the starting blocks.

--In preparation for the NHL All-Star Game next January, Nationwide Arena is getting a new scoreboard with much bigger screens and high definition, replacing the older, smaller, standard definition board that has been in place since the arena was completed in 2000. The new scoreboard is part of an "electronic" upgrade throughout the bowl area.

--The Blue Jackets picked up the one-year option on Craig Patrick's contract, keeping him in place as GM Scott Howson's senior adviser and right-hand man through at least 2012-13. Patrick joined the Blue Jackets last December and has been a sounding board for Howson and others in all aspects of running the franchise. The former GM of the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins said he no longer has hopes to returning to a GM's chair. "This is the perfect situation for me right now," Patrick, 66, told The Columbus Dispatch. "I get to be involved in the sport I love, and I get to spend time with my grandkids."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "When you get to the NHL, it's hard to jump right in next to NHL players and be a leader right away. But after four years, it was time for me to make that step." -- Blue Jackets right winger Derek Dorsett, on his growing presence in the dressing room.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Rick Nash. It wasn't Nash's best season, but there's not a lot of candidates here. Nash had his sixth 30-goal season and led the club in scoring for the fifth straight season. Hard to imagine how this club will score if Nash is traded this summer.

MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: Steve Mason. Lots of candidates here, but Mason is the clear winner. For the third straight season, he was statistically one of the worst goaltenders in the NHL, finishing with a woeful .896 save percentage. It was only three years ago that Mason won the Calder Trophy and finished second in the Vezina Trophy, but that seems a long time ago.

BIGGEST NEEDS: The Blue Jackets simply must find a capable goaltender, a backstop who -- unlike Mason -- gives them a chance to win most nights. The club has many deficiencies, but the play in goal has been deflating for three seasons now. It's the No. 1 priority for GM Scott Howson this summer.

FREE AGENT FOCUS: The trade market for NHL goaltenders is expected to be very light this summer, meaning the Blue Jackets will have to hit the free agent market in their hopes to overhaul the goaltending position.

Steve Mason has struggled mightily the last three seasons, and the Blue Jackets have informed him -- according to The Columbus Dispatch -- that he will not return as the No. 1 goaltender next season. It's possible he'll be traded, bought out, or waived and sent to the minor leagues. Or he could return as the backup goaltender.

The Blue Jackets are expected to have very little interest in Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo because of his monster contract, and it's unclear who else is available.

As for free agents, Tomas Vokoun and Josh Harding appear the top candidates expected to hit the market this summer.

PLAYER NOTES:

--RW Derek Dorsett signed a three-year contract with the Blue Jackets, avoiding restricted free agency this summer. The Columbus Dispatch reported the deal was worth $4.9 million. "(Derek's) a great example of a young man who's put everything into his career, and he's getting rewarded," Howson told The Dispatch.

--C Ryan Russell, who played a surprisingly large role with the Blue Jackets last season, signed a one-year, two-way contract to remain with the Columbus organization. The Columbus Dispatch reported the deal was worth $700,000 at the NHL level and $105,000 in the American Hockey League, where Russell has spent most of his career. He made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets last season and played 41 games, totaling two goals, no assists and a minus-7 rating.

MEDICAL WATCH:

--D Nikita Nikitin won a gold medal with Russia in the IIHF World Championships, but he was scheduled to return to Columbus to get his injured thumb checked by team doctors. Nikitin wore a splint on his thumb in the final six weeks of the regular season. It's possible he'll need surgery.