Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips November 23, 2016 Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Brandon Dubinsky gets big wins on draw PAGE 03: Columbus Dispatch: Veteran Sam Gagner among NHL players turning to skills coaches for extra help PAGE 05: The Hockey News: Why we shouldn't trust the Blue Jackets' hot start Cleveland Monsters/Prospects NHL/Websites PAGE 08: USA TODAY: What might the NHL's Las Vegas expansion team look like next season? PAGE 10: Sportsnet.CA: 5 things we learned in the NHL: Stay Golden, Vegas PAGE 12: Sportsnet.CA: 30 Thoughts: Patrik Laine and the Finnish league theory PAGE 20: Sportsnet.CA: How the 13 newest NHL teams picked their names PAGE 24: TSN.CA: Vegas Golden Knights introduced as NHL's 31st franchise PAGE 27: TSN.CA: Statistically Speaking: Subban stars in Nashville PAGE 29: TSN.CA: Viva Las Vegas! TSN Hockey's early expansion team lineup PAGE 31: TSN.CA: Which teams appear to be 12 forwards deep? 1 http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/11/23/blue-jackets-notebook--dubinsky- gets-big-wins-on-draw.html Brandon Dubinsky gets big wins on draw By Aaron Portzline - November 23, 2016 When the Blue Jackets need a faceoff win late in a game, there is no mystery whom coach John Tortorella is sending over the boards. Brandon Dubinsky is the only Blue Jackets center who has won more than 50 percent of his draws, and he is the only center who qualifies as a veteran. He also relishes big moments. In three of the last four games, Dubinsky has won late-game faceoffs that led to goals by right wing Cam Atkinson, resulting in an overtime victory over Washington on Nov. 15, an empty-net goal to ice a win over the New York Rangers on Friday, and a goal with 6.5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime against Colorado on Monday. In the fourth game, he won two of three faceoffs in the final minute to ice a win Sunday at Washington. How badly does Dubinsky want to be on the dot in those situations? Tortorella relayed a scene from the win over the Rangers, for whom Dubinsky once played and Tortorella once coached. The Blue Jackets were protecting a 3-2 lead in the final minute. “Dubi loses two draws in a row (against Rangers center Mika Zibanejad) and he’s burning a hole through me on the ice, daring me to take him off,” Tortorella said. “I’m thinking ‘Well, I’ve got (William Karlsson).’ And Dubi’s burning a hole through me, ‘Don’t you dare.’ I know him well enough that he is going to win the third one, and he does. That’s Dubi. He has been struggling offensively. But he has the will, that intangible … he just brings people into it.” Tortorella grinned at the thought of how the situation could have ended differently. “It would have been ugly if I took him off the ice,” Tortorella said. “I know he would have done something stupid going to the bench, and then I would have been on him and it would have turned into a mess. He was just daring me to take him off the ice … and I love it. I love it.” Dubinsky has won 53.3 percent of his draws, followed by centers Lukas Sedlak (47.3), William Karlsson (45.5) and Alexander Wennberg (44.5). Late in Monday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Colorado, Tortorella had left wings Nick Foligno and Boone Jenner stepping in for draws. Slap shots Left wing Matt Calvert will play in his 300th career game Wednesday, all with the Blue Jackets. … Atkinson's two-goal game Monday pushed him into seventh on the franchise’s all-time points list at 182 (93 goals, 89 assists), one ahead of Nikolay Zherdev. 2 http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/11/23/blue-jackets--veteran-gagner-turns- to-skills-coach-turns-around-career.html Veteran Sam Gagner among NHL players turning to skills coaches for extra help By Tom Reed - November 23, 2016 Sam Gagner stood in the Blue Jackets’ locker room and dished out assists for his fine start to the season like they were saucer passes to streaking teammates. He mentioned the organization for believing in him enough to offer a one-year, $650,000 contract after he scored only eight goals in Philadelphia last season. He credited the coaching staff for putting him positions to succeed. He cited his father, Dave, a former NHL player, who got back on the ice and worked with him in the offseason. Gagner also highlighted the contributions of Hall of Fame center Adam Oates, who began counseling the forward this summer and continues to advise him. It’s the last name on the list that might surprise fans, seeing as Oates is no relation to Gagner and not in the employ of the franchise. He’s a freelance coach and part of a growing number of skills consultants helping NHL players and prospects. “He has been great,” Gagner said. “I worked with him over the summer on a lot of different things he saw in my game last year that he felt I could improve on. We go over video after every game this year to find different ways to get better, and I think that has been really helping.” Gagner, tied for the team lead with seven goals to along with five assists, believes he has the best of both worlds. The 10-year pro said he is benefiting from the knowledge of Blue Jackets assistant Kenny McCudden, who serves as the club’s skills and skating coach, and the instruction of Oates, a former Washington coach and New Jersey and Tampa Bay assistant. Some teams, however, are grappling with the idea of outside influence on their players. The New York Post reported that private skills coaches were a topic of conversation at the NHL general managers meetings in the spring. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a text message, “What (Gagner) does away from the rink is his business,” whereas coach John Tortorella prefers the forward to work strictly with McCudden. “I don’t want our players working with Adam Oates,” Tortorella said. “I want them working with Kenny. Easy answer … Kenny is the best in the business.” The consultant field is growing. Toronto recently hired consulting pioneer Darryl Belfry, who mentors players around the league. The concept of coaches as independent contractors is nothing new. NBA players have employed private shooting instructors for years. Steve Wicklum, founder of My Pro Hero, puts athletes in touch with tutors specializing in skills, nutrition, conditioning and even the “mental side” of sports. The idea, he said, is to hone a player’s individual attributes, which in turn should benefit their teams. 3 Oates, who emphasizes stick skills like picking up pucks off the boards, has a 40-player client list that includes Steven Stamkos, Mark Scheifele and Zach Parise. Last season, his presence at a Minnesota Wild practice to watch Parise irked former coach Mike Yeo. Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan said he sees both sides of the argument. “I think a lot of the skills coaches do a tremendous job,” McLellan said. “They’ve got great ideas, great technique, and they’re working on some of the things we can’t work on during the season because it’s just overwhelming, the lack of time that we have with travel, games and that type of stuff. … (But) we might be asking (a player) to play a certain role on the power play, and if his personal coach is asking him to do something different, it’s not going to work.” Gagner stressed that Oates has never dissuaded him from following the Blue Jackets’ philosophies. The forward is a key member of the team’s top-ranked power play, which is converting 31.1 percent of its chances. “(Oates) is always asking me, ‘What do your coaches want here?’ ’’ Gagner said of watching clips together on video conference. “I explain what we’re doing in the system and he says, ‘Great.’ He never interferes with that, which I like. At the end of the day, you have to play within a team system to be successful.” Gagner, the sixth overall pick in 2007 NHL draft, is one of the comeback stories of the season. He is an example of a player using as many teaching tools at his disposal to jump-start his career. “He knows this is probably his last kick at the can, and it’s amazing what it does for athletes,” Tortorella said. “I think he has done some soul searching and to me right now, he’s a great story — and it’s with the Columbus Blue Jackets.” 4 http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/why-we-shouldn-t-trust-the-columbus-blue-jackets-hot- start Why we shouldn't trust the Blue Jackets' hot start By Matt Larkin – November 23, 2016 The Jackets have been a powerhouse early on this NHL season. Are they delivering on the promise they showed two years ago? Or is it smoke and mirrors? We saw this coming from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Then we didn't. Two seasons ago, the Jackets ended their regular season with a sizzling 12-0-1 run. They carried a ton of momentum into 2015-16, especially after trading for Brandon Saad. We at THN picked them to make the playoffs. They fell flat on their faces, embarrassing themselves and everyone who predicted big things from them.