Detroit Red Wings: Home Opener from a Blue Jackets Point of View

A new season is upon us, while the Detroit Red Wings will be anything but marching towards a Stanley Cup berth, it shouldn’t be considered a lost season.

The Detroit Red Wings are set to start their second season in the confines of beautiful Little Ceasars Arena, located in the “District Detroit” sports hub.

Have you ever wondered what the rest of the league thinks of our beloved Detroit Red Wings?  Prior to the home opener, I was able to sit down and speak with the site expert from Union and Blue, Lansing Murphy to gather more information about the upcoming matchup with the Blue Jackets.

I was able to ask him a few questions about our Red Wings to get an “outsiders” point of view.  Be sure to give Lansing a follow on Twitter; he provides excellent daily content.  Make Union and Blue your source for anything and everything Columbus Blue Jackets. Thanks in advance Lansing for spending a few minutes with us today!

First a look at the CBJ;

BH: What are your expectations this season from your Columbus Blue Jackets?

LM: There has been a ton of talk from the national media about the Columbus Blue Jackets for all the wrong reasons. The contract drama around Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky have taken attention away from the fact that this team is excellent. Remember in 2016-2017 without Panarin this team broke 100 points. Last year, they had a bottom five power play and a ton of injuries, including Zach Werenski playing the entire year with a torn labrum and having only 25% mobility in his shoulder. He still scored 16 goals from the blueline, good for second in the NHL.

This year they are led by future Norris winner Seth Jone, Pierre-Luc Dubois who had 48 points as a rookie and Cam Atkinson who scored over a point per game in the last 33 games of the year when he came back from injury. This team has an easy October schedule and will get out to a hot start. Even if they trade away both Panarin and Bob, this is still a playoff team.

If they keep Bread and Bob, this team will advance past the first round in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

BH: Do you think the Jackets will be able to come to terms with Bobrovsky and Panarin on a long-term basis?

LM: I think the team has a better chance of coming to terms with Panarin than Bob. Bob wants to get paid “Carey Price” money and Jarmo, and the front office isn’t going to do that. They shouldn’t. Sergei Bobrovsky has been the best goaltender in the NHL over the last four years and isn’t worth $11 million. No goalie is. And the Jackets have a loaded goalie pipeline with Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins waiting in the wings.

Panarin, on the other hand, will get whatever dollar amount he wants and the team has pretty much said they will give that to him. He has only spent one season in Columbus and could still be convinced that he can accomplish all he wants to accomplish in the 14th largest city in the United States.

I don’t think either are high likelihoods, but I think there is a better chance Panarin signs a long-term deal than Sergei.

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Now a couple of questions regarding our Detroit Red Wings;

BH: Which player intrigues you the most on the Detroit Red Wings?

LM:  I’m excited to see the steps Dylan Larkin takes. I truly believe he can be a 70 point player every year for the next ten years. He plays a great game and is a proud USA hockey guy. What more do you want! I just hope he doesn’t convince his buddy Zach Werenski to come back home to Detroit and sign with the Red Wings when Werenski is a UFA.

BH:  In your opinion did the Wings make the right choice by not appointing a captain, and deciding to roll with 4 associates for 2018/19?

LM:  Absolutely. The Jackets went without a captain for two years, and it was the right choice to wait and get the right person. Although I think you have the right person on the roster in Dylan Larkin, now is not the time. Let him have another year to grow and also show some respect to the years of dedication Henrik Zetterberg gave to your franchise.

Larkin will get the “C” next year and be your captain for the next fifteen years.

I hope you enjoyed some of our conversation; The Detroit Red Wings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

TV: Fox Sports Detroit (FSD)

Radio: 97.1 FM the ticket.

Oddshark.com has the money line currently set at -140 to the CBJ.  The under/over for total goals is set to 5.5.