What's your opinion with the Jackets moving to the East Conference

[Aspie with attitude]

I say I like the idea having Pittsburg (The I-70 Battle), Philadelphia, Boston, etc being our new arch rival.
So pumped up for next season.
GO BLUE JACKETS!!!

Click to read more...

 

[Crede777]

If Derrick Brassard can be a PPG player there...

 

[Cash for Nash]

I say I like the idea having Pittsburg (The I-70 Battle), Philadelphia, Boston, etc being our new arch rival.
So pumped up for next season.
GO BLUE JACKETS!!!

It's awesome. The only thing that sucks is the unbalanced conferences (16 vs 14).

 

[Xoggz22]

Great move, especially for the more casual fan who may simply try to watch a little on TV. The schedule will be much more favorable and the natural rivalries that should develop will be awesome. Coming from Long Island I'm so excited to really get my Ranger's hate up again. Playing the Central will be missed but I think with the CBJ heading in the right direction they'll be a playoff team in the East (if not next year, certainly for the foreseeable future after that)

 

[major major]

It's awesome. The only thing that sucks is the unbalanced conferences (16 vs 14).

I feel the same way, and that's going to mean missing the playoffs sometimes when we otherwise would have made it. I guess we'll just have to view it as a more significant honor to make the playoffs in the East.

 

[blahblah]

If we couldn't get in the top 8 in the East, we certainly weren't going to do it in the West.

I like the new our new division foes.

 

[EspenK]

I see us being like the Rangers with dare I say a bit more offense? If Bob can maintain I like our chances but I don't see it as a slam dunk.

Boston,Rangers,Ottawa,Caps,Isles,Leafs,Montreal,Pittsburgh-there's 8 pretty good or up & comers plus Philly has some offensive talent, Florida has some pretty good young guns, and if TB can solve some defensive/goalie issues and don't count out the Wings till Pavel & Henrik retire.

 

[Socks]

I just can't believe that it wasn't til the year they decided on the move that we started curbstomping Detroit and Nashville. Otherwise I'm happy.

 

[Robert]

Five of the original six NHL teams are in the East not to mention Pittsburgh which might be a natural rival if we ever meet in the playoffs... The greatest number of NHL fans are concentrated in the Continental North East, CBJ exposure to those fans will increase…

Other than that, for the most part game times based on Eastern time as opposed to Western time is worth the move...


This (and the hiring of John Davidson) is the best thing for the Columbus club since being awarded the franchise in 1997...

 

[Renion]

I'd rather have stuck with the rivalries we have, as one-sided as they have tended to be, but I don't have strong feelings on the subject. I think the Jackets will need to find more firepower to make the playoffs in the East, though. Playoff teams averaged 20 more goals than the Jackets, and only about 2 more goals against. I think we'd be a bubble team in either conference, assuming there isn't a drop in play, but I'd like to have my expectations be blown away.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

I don't know really. I mean, it's awesome that I don't have to stay up late for games all the time now (only a few times a year now.) And it's awesome we get to watch so many talented players in Nationwide and on TV. But I get really annoyed with out of town fans, and we all know how well Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Montreal fans travel. Before we only usually dealt with Detroit fans with seeing the other guys MAYBE once a year in our own arena, now it's going to be multiple times. I know it will change when we get better, but it's going to be a tough transition.

And not only that, I think we're in a really tough division. I think the NYR and PIT are better than us, and I can't really debate it. I think we're neck and neck with PHI, WSH (These two have so much offensive talent, but lack in defense or net.), CAR (they had a bad year, but they also lost their starting goalie.) But I feel we are better than the NYI, NJ. So we'll see, I don't think we're in over our heads.

 

[blahblah]

I'd rather have stuck with the rivalries we have, as one-sided as they have tended to be

To be honest, I would rather play the teams in the West with the travel and game time starts of the East. Since we can't have both, I guess I'll take the latter over the former. There is every reason to believe that we should have a rich rivalry with the Flyers and Rangers, even more so than the Pens. Part of that is the players, but the Flyers are a love them or hate them type of franchise. I will certainly hate them.

The Pens just strike me as the pretty boy team. I can't really get enough emotion one way or another. I hate a couple of their players, but I just can't seem to have an opinion on the franchise.

I'll be honest, I don't see any reason we can't compete for a top 3 spot in our new division next season. The Pens are the class, we are close to being in that second tier competing for the 2-3 seeds.

 

[Xoggz22]

When I look at the division for next year the team I see moving forward the most is the New York Islanders. They could have a hole in goal (Nabokov resigning needed and he's aging) but their roster is young and pretty solid. I agree with Blahblah that the Pens are probably the top of the division but beyond that we're right there with NYR and Caps. I see NJD and CAR at the bottom of the table with the NYI and PHI fighting in that 4-6 range.

Whatever happens, it should be entertaining and an opportunity to establish some hatred.

 

[InjuredChoker]

I think some of you are underrating the Devils and the magic of Lou Lamoriello.

 

[stevo61]

people are underrating the Islanders. I think Pittsburg is obviously the clear cut favorite but then i think it could be a toss up between the New Yorks, Phili, Washington and us. I don't think the rangers are really as good as their record shows but thats the joy of having probably the best and most consistent goalie in the league. Carolina isn't gonna be quite as bad next year either i don't think. Gonna be a tough division but should be fun to follow

 

[Skraut]

And not only that, I think we're in a really tough division. I think the NYR and PIT are better than us, and I can't really debate it. I think we're neck and neck with PHI, WSH (These two have so much offensive talent, but lack in defense or net.), CAR (they had a bad year, but they also lost their starting goalie.) But I feel we are better than the NYI, NJ. So we'll see, I don't think we're in over our heads.

you don't get better by playing worse teams...

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

you don't get better by playing worse teams...

Confucius?

 

[Skraut]

Confucius?

Beer league.

Our team was in a division too tough for us, regularly lost games by more than 10 goals. But getting embarrassed by that regularly was motivating. 3 years later we won that up and were invited to a tournament in Toronto.

Would have won our division a lot sooner had we chosen to play in an easier one, but we wouldn't be as good as we are now.

 

[Speedy Sanderson]

Can't wait. More opportunities to attend away games. I've been up to Detroit a number of times, and also went to Chicago, St. Louis and Nashville, but the remainder of the West is pretty far away. Now, in addition to Detroit, we have easy road trips to Pittsburgh and Buffalo, and relatively short flights to Philly, Washington, NYC, Jersey and Long Island. Even Boston and Carolina aren't too bad.

 

[blahblah]

people are underrating the Islanders

I hate it when people underrate playoff teams. You couldn't be talking about me, because I didn't mention anything beyond the Pens and us "competing in the second tier". The only other mention was 4-6 range.

Are these people around here or somewhere else?

 

[Columbus Mike]

I'm looking forward to not having only one conference opponent in our own time zone.

The mighty NYR have two defenders that weren't good enough to play for us. I'm not afraid of them.

Pittsburgh is at a different level, and having their fans around will make us long for the days of a building filled with Red Wings, flying octopi, and Shananan faking late game injuries. Other than them, what's not to like about moving east?

 

[stevo61]

I hate it when people underrate playoff teams. You couldn't be talking about me, because I didn't mention anything beyond the Pens and us "competing in the second tier". The only other mention was 4-6 range.

Are these people around here or somewhere else?

It was just a general statement. For the most part a lot of people in here aren't that bad, just seems like all the excitement are around the big teams that have been good for awhile and are always in the media. I'm not talking just about our board but its viewed from others aswell, it's like there are always some people that won't give a team too much credit until they do it over and over. I like what Xoggz22 said, much like us they are young and just going to get better every year. i partially disagree with the concerns i've been seeing everywhere about Nabokov, he's a good but aging goalie that played 41 of 48 games in a short season and just got tired. I'm just saying they are in a situation very similar to ours and both teams are poised to turn a lot of heads next year.

 

[Nordique]

I'm very excited. More prime time games, more Penguins, less time zone madness for the boys.

 

[EspenK]

you don't get better by playing worse teams...

if that was true the Jackets should have been a playoff team years ago..

 

[CBJWerenski8]

you don't get better by playing worse teams...

I didn't say that?