Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips Dec. 1-3, 2018 Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: John Tortorella eager to see renovated Nassau Coliseum PAGE 04: Columbus Dispatch: Defenseman Ryan Murray tempers expectations as veteran PAGE 06: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets 4, Wild 2: Five Takeaways PAGE 09: The Athletic: Oliver Bjorkstrand vs. Anthony Duclair — Blue Jackets will let high- potential youngsters fight it out for playing time PAGE 11: Columbus Dispatch: Islanders 3, Blue Jackets 2: Second-period lead erased as Islanders rally PAGE 13: Columbus Dispatch: Islanders 3, Blue Jackets 2: Second-period lead erased as Islanders rally PAGE 14: The Athletic: Blue Jackets await word on foot injury to valuable defenseman Ryan Murray PAGE 17: Columbus Dispatch: Islanders 3, Blue Jackets 2: Five takeaways Cleveland Monsters/Prospects PAGE 20: The News-Herald: 'Try Hockey for Free' with the Cleveland Monsters Dec. 15 or Feb. 10 PAGE 21: The Athletic: On the Blue Jackets farm: professional Mark Letestu, progressing Kole Sherwood and pondering Paul Bittner NHL/Websites PAGE 25: AP: To 32 and beyond: Seattle may not be end of NHL expansion PAGE 27: AP: NHL Board of Governors to vote on Seattle expansion PAGE 29: Seattle Times: More than the Metropolitans: Ahead of NHL vote, a comprehensive Seattle hockey history 1 John Tortorella eager to see renovated Nassau Coliseum By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch – November 30, 2018 John Tortorella has a lot of memories of coaching in Nassau Veterans War Memorial Coliseum, which after its long-overdue renovation is now called NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum. The Blue Jackets will play the New York Islanders on Saturday night in the first NHL regular-season game there since the building closed for its makeover in 2015. Tortorella is eager to see the visiting coaches’ office. “I’m anxious to see the renovations,” he said Friday. “I hope they put … in the coaches room, instead of a 40-watt bulb (I hope) they maybe put in a 75-watt bulb, because you can’t see in there. You couldn’t see. So, I’m hoping to see that. That’s all I’m looking forward to, is what type of wattage is in there.” He said it with a chuckle, because those who have played or coached in the Coliseum have a similar story, or two. Tortorella coached there a lot when he was with the New York Rangers from 2008 to ’13, experiencing one of hockey’s fiercest rivalries. “When you coach with the Rangers and you go to the Coliseum, it’s like nothing else,” he said. “No other team can experience that. … I was very fortunate to spend the years I did in New York, to be involved in some great games there. So, I’m thrilled with going there to play.” It beats playing the Islanders at the Barclay Center, which was built in Brooklyn to house the Nets of the NBA. Islanders fans never took to it, and there’s an entire end-zone section where the seats don’t offer a view of the net below. The renovated Coliseum is quaint, shrunk down to just under 14,000 seats, but it probably will be loud and festive nonetheless. “Hopefully, it’ll be a great atmosphere,” Tortorella said. “I believe it will be. To me, there’s much more atmosphere there than the Barclay Center.” Cam Atkinson, who grew up a Rangers fan in Connecticut, is also eager to get back into the Coliseum. “I’m curious to see how it is,” he said. “Hopefully, they renovated the locker rooms and the showers, because those were terrible, but it’s going to be cool to get back in there. Just the history alone will be cool.” Duclair back on the ice Anthony Duclair practiced Friday after missing Wednesday while “nicked up,” and then sitting out the Jackets’ 4-2 win Thursday against Minnesota. Tortorella said Duclair’s position at right wing on the third line is up for grabs between him and Oliver Bjorkstrand, who skated there against the Wild. 2 “I’m 100 percent now, so I’m good,” said Duclair, who has eight goals and 12 points. “I’m not competing against anyone. I’m just going to practice, working hard, doing the best I can and once I get the opportunity to get back in, I’ve got to make sure I do everything possible to stay in there.” He acknowledged that sitting out could add extra motivation. “You never want to sit out, not only myself but anybody else here,” Duclair said. “It sucks sitting out, so that’s all I’ve got to say.” Fourth-line dogs howling The fourth line of Lukas Sedlak, Riley Nash and Markus Hannikainen has grown into a unit Tortorella trusts to send over the boards more often. Last season, that was an issue. He stuck with the top three lines the majority of the time and didn’t feel comfortable enough to roll all four of his forward lines. Recently, he has played the fourth line about 10 minutes a game and they’ve responded, including goals by Hannikainen and Nash against the Wild. (Nash) is very well positioned for a couple of guys, with Sedzy and Hanni,” Tortorella said. “They understand positioning, but they’re a dog on a bone. They’re chasing things around and sometimes Nasher has to read, so I think he’s done that from the get-go here. Now, they score two goals (Thursday) night. That’s huge.” 3 Defenseman Ryan Murray tempers expectations as veteran By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch – November 30, 2018 Ryan Murray has an outlook on professional hockey that hasn’t always been his take. Not long ago, the Blue Jackets defenseman was a 20-year old NHL rookie, selected second overall in 2012 with the typical expectations that came along with it. Others expected him to become a star and franchise pillar. In turn, he expected to just get a regular role sooner rather than later. To put it simply, he was just a kid like any of the young guys flying around NHL rinks. Still only 25, Murray has grown into somewhat of a grizzled veteran by the NHL’s new standards. He doesn’t expect anything anymore, because he plans to earn it. >>Join our Columbus Blue Jackets Fans Facebook group for the latest news, updates and to join in on the conversation. “I don’t think you ever get anywhere in this league,” said Murray, who has carved out a key role as one of the Jackets’ most stable defensemen. “I think it’s all rented time. It’s all borrowed time. And I always think of it as, you know, they invite you to play and the goal is to keep getting invited back.” Murray got invited back last summer by the Blue Jackets, who signed the restricted free agent to a one- year contract extension that, barring a long-term extension agreed to this season, will again make him a restricted free agent in July. That might be a little surprising, given where he was drafted and what he has done in the stretches where he has remained healthy. It becomes more understandable, though, when you take into account his injury history — which by no fault of his own is more extensive than he would probably care to recall. He has had broken bones, a knee injury and, last season, a back issue that kept him out most of the season. Murray and the Blue Jackets, though, have reached a point where they’re sizing up each other — determining whether to continue their relationship long-term. Murray isn’t getting caught up in it. His new outlook on life as a hockey player is the reason. “If they ask you to play or they put you on the ice, whatever it is, you make sure that it’s you out there, you know?” he said. “It’s not about going out there and trying to impress anybody or trying to do too much or too little. It’s about staying clear and focused, and just playing hockey the way you know how. I think that’s the most important thing.” It was around this time last season that Murray injured his back in Montreal, a lingering issue that drove him and coach John Tortorella nuts. That’s probably why he is keeping a narrow focus now, despite being off to another strong start with 13 points on a goal and 12 assists in the first 25 games. “It’s easy when you’re given opportunities and people want you to just go out and play,” Murray said Thursday before a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild at Nationwide Arena. “If the reins are put on you or you’re not getting the ice time you want, or things just aren’t going the way you want, the worst thing 4 that you can ever do is overcompensate or hesitate because you’re worried something is going to happen or you’re trying to force something to happen. It’s just the worst way to go about it.” That is something he has learned as an NHL player, so he is taking the opposite approach, even amid a season when things are going pretty well for him, as his 13 points on a goal and 12 assists in the first 25 games would attest. “No matter what happens, it’s just going to be me out there whether I’m successful or unsuccessful.” Murray said. “It’s not going to be me trying to do too much or too little.