COLUMBUS, Ohio – To say that the Columbus Blue Jackets had another disappointing season would be an understatement. The Jackets ended their season with a 42-35-5 final record, landing in 11th in the Eastern Conference.
To say that the Jackets were injury plagued this season, which led to this result, would be an even bigger understatement. In the end the Jackets went 15-1-1 in their last 17 games of the year.
Many people can make the argument that on paper, the Columbus Blue Jackets can make the playoffs in any given season. In fact, the Jackets made the playoffs in the 2013-2014 season being eliminated in six games by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With healthy returns in the roster and a good selection in the upcoming NHL Draft, the Jackets should make the playoffs next year. Todd Richards should be fired as head coach if the Columbus Blue Jackets fail to make the playoffs next season.
Scott Hartnell was big addition to Jackets’ roster
Richards is no stranger to being on the hot seat and under pressure. After Scott Arniel was fired, Richards was put in as interim head coach on January 9th 2012. Soon after, GM Scott Howson was fired and then replaced by current GM Jarmo Kekalainen, John Davidson was named President of Hockey Operations and star Rick Nash was traded to the New York Rangers.
By mid November of 2013, some were calling for Richard’s head. The Jackets would later make the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With the aforementioned Nash trade to New York, the Jackets got Artem Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky.
Nick Foligno
Last summer Scott Hartnell was acquired from Philadelphia for RJ Umberger. With current stars Ryan Johansen and Nick Foligno and youngsters such as Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray, Richards has been provided a team that meshes with his playing style.
Dubinsky is a speed demon with an aggressive forechecking game and a nose for the net. He scored 13 goals, 23 assists, and 36 points despite missing 35 games due to abdominal surgery and a concussion.
The 33-year old Hartnell scored 28 goals, 32 assists, and 60 points. When Hartnell joined the team Kekalainen said, “He is a talented, tough, hard-working player who brings valuable experience and leadership on and off the ice.”
In net, Sergei Bobrovsky is a brick wall. The Vezina Trophy winner won 30 games making 1632 saves, 30 wins, 17 losses with a .918 save percentage and a 2.51 Goals Against Average.
Sergei Bobrovsky
As an NHL head coach, Richards is ultimately responsible for the play, health and overall readiness come game time. Injuries happen in hockey.
This is a full contact collision sport where getting hurt or injured is almost inevitable and there are things that are beyond a coach’s control.
Still, injuries to star players who wind up being out for a long period of time in not an excuse either. The 2014-2015 season is over. Richards has the tools for next year and it is his ultimate responsibility to keep his team healthy and ready to play.
If he succeeds in making the playoffs next year, it will define him as being one of the greatest coaches the Columbus Blue Jackets have had in a long line of men who failed.
If he doesn’t Kekalainen and Davidson should put him in that long line and look for 
someone else; especially when the management has spent millions of dollars providing him with a team that caters to his coaching style.
At this point to not make the playoffs in the 2015-2016 season would be a complete failure.
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