Farewell Jason Chimera, aka Chimmer, aka Choo Choo, aka Chimmie. You are a class act. You showed that 100 times over when Ryan Salmons was dying. He just wanted to shake your hand before he died. Instead, you became his friend, and a pallbearer at his funeral. On the ice you competed hard, every night and every shift. You were fun to watch (except for the first preseason game this year when they had to take you off the ice on a stretcher, and that time in L.A. earlier this year where you almost broke your neck). At the end of the day, the Blue Jackets didn't win any championships while you were here. But as far as I'm concerned, and as far as the people that know the Salmons family are concerned (I don't, but a good friend of mine does), not to mention the countless other charities and people whose lives you touched while here in Columbus, you are a REAL champion. The sports world could use a lot more professional athletes like Jason Chimera. Thank you, and Godspeed.
Still, this was a trade that needed to happen. Not because Jason Chimera needed to go. He didn't. He wasn't the cause of the Blue Jackets' reaching new lows on the Suck Meter. Just two weeks ago he was bumped up to the first line, albeit temporarily. But if you are playing abysmal hockey, and you are looking to make a trade, you can't peddle your most abysmal players and hope to get more than a bag of used hockey pucks in return. Chimmer needed to go because Scott Howson found another GM who wanted him and was willing to give the Jackets a nice return in exchange.
Out of necessity, the Blue Jackets had to add a capable defenseman if they are to entertain any hope of turning this season around (with or without the return of a healthy Rusty Klesla). Milan Jurcina is a big, sturdy defender who can provide lots of solid minutes and we need us some of that. But here is the only stat you need to know about him: he led the Capitals last season in blocked shots with 131. Translation: just add ice and presto . . . . . he's bought in! (Plus, my wife thinks he's a hottie.)
As much as the Jackets needed to add a blue liner, the acquisition of Chris Clark was the key to this deal. Yes, he's been the captain of the Capitals for the past four seasons. Yes, he will add a much needed veteran presence to the youngest locker room in the NHL. And that is a huge get. But keep in mind that Clark scored 30 goals and 54 points in 74 games for the Caps in the 2006-07 season. Injuries limited him to just 50 games over the next two seasons. He is healthy now, but was not able to crack one of the top two lines in Washington. I think I read somewhere that the Caps are pretty damn good though, so maybe that doesn't mean a whole lot (at least to us). Offensively, he should at least make up for the loss of Chimera (who incidentally was trending toward his best NHL season), but there is the potential for upside here.
Of course there's more to this deal than just stats. Chimera was making $1.875 million this year, and was under contract at that same number through the 2011-12 season. Clark is making $2.75 million this year and is signed though the 2010-11 season. He will make $2.65 million and $2.5 million in the final two years of his contract. Jurcina is making $1.375 million and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The deal trims Washington's cap number by a tidy $2.25 million this year, which will come in handy when the Caps go shopping in the coming months. Next season, the deal only saves them $775,000. (Note: it wouldn't shock me to see Chimera traded again before the end of the season; at that price he has plenty of value.)
From the Jackets standpoint, despite being on a lean salary diet, there was little choice but to order this combo meal. Taking on additional salary for this season was the price they had to pay in order to make an attempt to dig themselves out of the deepening hole they now find themselves in. Even if they decide not to try to sign Jurcina, which would be shocking given the current dearth of defenseman in the organization, the extra $775,00 they will take on next season is less than a quarter of what they will shave off their cap number when Freddie Modin becomes a UFA at the end of the season. And if Freddie leaves, the gaping void of a veteran presence in the locker room was surely to become a black hole without the addition of somebody like Clark. All in all, it was yet another sensible trade by Scott Howson. It may or may not prove to be the kick-start the Blue Jackets need to save this season. But add it to the way Mason played last night and this trade at least provides Blue Jackets fans with a glimmer of hope.
Speaking of last night, it was like the CBJ's version of one of those end-of-the-year "Best Of" lists all wrapped up into one game. Steve Mason played perhaps his best 63 minutes of this season and reminded everyone of just how good he can be. It was very reminiscent of the way he played in the first four months of the year. The Jackets, as a team, played like they did during that same four month stretch. Pesky, energetic, physical. Nationwide was packed to the rafters, just like it was on a lot of nights early in 2009. And the Red Wings were in town, just like they were during the Jackets' first ever appearance in the playoffs. I kept looking around the arena asking myself: is this April 2009 or December 2009? Or maybe I was just hoping that somebody had just hit the reset button.
And those are the Matters of Weight for December 29, 2009. Happy New Year Blue Jackets fans!
0 reader comments:
Post a Comment