In the hours since the New York Rangers acquired Rick Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Scott Howson has taken a beating, which is certainly understandable.
The general manager of the Blue Jackets set expectations high for a Nash trade when he tried to get Logan Couture from the San Jose Sharks and Jeff Skinner from the Carolina Hurricanes, and when Nash wound up going to New York for a package that includes Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a first-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, it's more than understandable that the hockey world is underwhelmed.
At the same time, however, with the potential suitors for Nash dwindling and the trade process dragging on, Howson made a deal that, while not a blockbuster by any means, could wind up putting the Blue Jackets in position to become a stronger hockey team when the 2012-13 season begins. In fact, in trading Rick Nash to the Rangers, Howson continued the process of building a team like the one that New York has assembled in recent years.
While the Rangers took a great leap forward in 2011-12, as Brad Richards joined up with Marian Gaborik to help lead a Rangers team that finished the regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference, the foundation of their success has been the elite goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist combined with an emerging young defensive corps led by Marc Staal and Dan Girardi (with Ryan McDonagh and Michael Del Zotto enjoying breakout seasons last year) and young, hungry, two-way forwards who grind away under the guidance of John Tortorella.
With the pieces Howson acquired from the Rangers, he's put the Blue Jackets along a similar path.
In Erixon, the Blue Jackets got a promising all-around defenseman with great puck-moving capabilities. That's a strong addition to a Columbus defensive corps that includes Olympic silver medalist Jack Johnson, No. 2 overall draft pick Ryan Murray, standout offensive blueliner James Wisniewski, and the solid Russian duo of Fedor Tyutin and Nikita Nikitin.
That group will play in front of Sergei Bobrovsky, whom the Blue Jackets acquired for three draft picks from the Philadelphia Flyers last month at the NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh. Bobrovsky regressed last year in a backup role behind Ilya Bryzgalov in Philadelphia, but made a strong NHL debut two years ago, going 28-13-8 as Philadelphia's starter with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. If the 23-year-old Russian can recapture that form in Columbus, he'll bring much-needed stability to the Blue Jackets' net.
The forward corps is a bit more of an issue, as Columbus gave up its greatest offensive asset in Nash, but the acquisition of Dubinsky and Anisimov gives the Blue Jackets a pair of hard-working forwards who have proven to be capable offensive performers. Recently acquired winger Nick Foligno displays much of the same grit and posted a career-best 47 points last season, while the versatile R.J. Umberger brings size and strength along with skill on the power play. Vinny Prospal brings veteran skill, while Cam Atkinson is an emerging scorer. It's not exactly an embarrassment of riches, but it does give the Blue Jackets the pieces to play the kind of game that the Rangers have embraced under Tortorella.
Of course, there are a lot of conditions here, and therefore a lot of questions. Can Bobrovsky mature into a full-time starting goalie in the NHL? Will the potential of young defenseman like Murray and Erixon be realized? Can Atkinson overcome his diminutive size to become a star at the NHL level? Even if the question marks pan out, will it be enough to compete in the Central Division? Those are questions that won't be answered until the season starts, but in the meantime, Howson does appear to have a plan in mind.
