Some various headlines from around the web in reaction to Arniel's firing:

More reaction from this blog later today!

-LTL

According to Aaron Porzline's twitter - Arniel has been fired and Todd Richards will take over on an interim basis.

Richards makes it the 4th different coach (Hitch, Noel, Arniel & Richards) under GM Scott Howson. 

I'll have a much more in depth post later today but my first reaction, assuming this is all that will go down, is this step is not nearly enough.

Until Priest and Howson join him this is just a band-aid on a broken leg.

I really don't know how anyone can be excited by this news.

Good luck Arniel.

Stay tuned.

-LTL

It was only a matter of time before this classic texting acronym was broken out this month.  I mean what else can you do but laugh at this point?

1. The only thing I can think of is the Jackets are actually trying to fail for Nail.  That or Arniel is begging to be fired.  Why else would you start Steve Mason after Sanford was coming off a shut out win?  Gut feeling?  What gut feeling can you possibly have for Steve Mason by now?  This game was over the second Mason let in that first weak goal.  The team was on their heels, deflated, and every mistake magnified.  There is no chance to win with this guy in net.

2. Mason was so bad he's getting two beers out of this 6 pack.  That first goal just sums up Mason the past 2 and 1/2 years.  It was a harmless shot that handcuffs him and he kicks the rebound right out to a Duck.  Yet another early goal.  Goals 2 and 3 were also stoppable.  Only the 4th goal should have beat him.  More importantly - when is enough enough with this guy?  I've seen more than enough.  This guy does not belong in the NHL and should not make another start unless it's under emergency circumstances.  If this team is actually serious about winning they would either trade him or if no takers, assign him to Springfield.  Yes, he has to pass through waivers but ain't nobody gonna touch that contract.. If we lose him on waivers then so what?  Call up Dekanich and let he and Sanford run with it.  Maybe Mase can find his game on the farm b/c he sure as hell isn't finding it here.

3. What a crappy situation to throw Sanford into.  This team can't come back from a one goal deficit let alone 3 goals.  Resilient is not in this squad's vocabulary.  Sanford did what he could but ultimately this game was over at the end of the 1st period and he was just mopping up the mess.

4. I really liked Rick Nash.  He potted a few but just as important was he was engaged in this game.  He had a lot of touches.  He and Beauchemin were chirping it up most of the night.  This is the Nash we need to see game in and game out... Shift in and shift out.  This Nash can't disappear for games at a time.  Still would like to see him use his teammates more - especially on the rush. 

5. This game was real chippy and guys like Boll and Dorsett were there to answer the bell.  Both guys had convincing wins.  Dorsett did a great job backing up his teammates out there and even prevented a goal.  Not sure what all the ruckus was behind the penalty box.  

6. Really not concerned about Carter's injury as he's been invisible anyways. Well, other than we can't trade him now.  Vermette can't seem to put a pass together.  Umberger was quite (besides a -2 and 2 giveaways) until he got his bell rung by Jacques.  Drawing that 5 min major was his best play of the night and it wasn't even close.  Nash elevated his game in this one but these three did not and have not for quite some time.

EXTRA SHOTS:
Game looked like two of the worst teams in the league.  Lots of slop in all areas.  Clitsome was on and off.  Methot was used by Hagman on that 2 on 1 (thx to Clitsome's turnover).   Anaheim's goaltenders weren't much better than ours - Nash's first goal and Prospal's goal were both weak.  Jackets were great in the face off circle winning 63% of their draws.  Couple of those lead straight to goals.  Brassard is playing MUCH better.  I believe that is now has 7 points in his past 9 games. There was a glimmer of hope with that 5 min major but that quickly faded - if only that one that rang of the post went in. Kubalik didn't look out of place but would rather he spends the rest of the year in Springfield.  Speaking of, Springfield won again tonight and went 3 for the 3 on the weekend.  Atkinson picked up his 18th and 19th.  Calvert picked up one and is heating up.  The Buckeyes lost again in a shootout at BG.  Overall, even though they got a couple of points it was a disappointing weekend for the #2 team in the country.  With the loss the Jackets remain in the basement now 3 points behind 29th placed Anaheim and 7 behind 28th placed NYI.

This was the 41st game of the season and the official halfway point.  This has to be the worst start in franchise history. No chance at the playoffs and still no changes in the front office.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say it feels like we've played about 1000 games.  

Man, it's been a long season.

-LTL

Saw this over on HF.  Some video footage off Springfield's web site of Dekanich from last night's SO win:

Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch has his latest Sunday column up.  He drops some interesting CBJ nuggets:

The waiting game continues in Columbus. At the midway point of another lost season for the Blue Jackets, observers across the NHL are waiting to see if the other shoe will drop with GM Scott Howson, coach Scott Arniel or star W Rick Nash. “Something has to give, you’d think,” noted one league executive. “They’re going nowhere.” While the talk is the Jackets can’t afford to fire either Howson or Arniel, nobody is sure Columbus can afford to keep them, either. Many believe it’s time to ask all-star Nash to waive his “no-movement” clause and give the franchise a fresh start. The 27-year-old Nash, selected No. 1 overall by the Jackets in 2002, has suited up for only four playoff games and could fetch a big return if the Jackets decide they need to start over. Even with a cap hit of $7.8 million for three more years, a team would be willing to take a chance on Nash ...

Blue The Jackets are still trying to move C Antoine Vermette and the Oilers are willing to send RW Ales Hemsky packing as well. Both have been on the market all season.

Everyone loves to immediately dismiss Garrioch but does what he say here really not jive with anyone?

We can all use our own brains and connect our own dots.

There have been rumors of Vermette being on the block all season.  And the folks at the top of this turd sure as hell better be contemplating all scenarios after what will likely be the worst season in Blue Jackets history.

I have also heard that nugget before about Priest not wanting to fire Arniel or Howson because of money.  That would sum up this franchise perfectly -- give the 62 million dollar squad a pass so he can save 2 million on the GM and Coach.

Garrioch's column also comments on the asking price for a guy like Getzlaf and Ryan.  He cites a league source saying the Ducks want two first round picks and two high end prospects.  That sounds about right *if* they only wanted futures.

The reason why I bring that up is if we were to ever consider dealing Nash, certainly that would be the price for him.  Although I think the Jackets would want an established player or two in addition to some futures.

So reallignment is off the table for now.

The one argument I can see from the player's side is the unbalanced conferences which gives less than half the league a better chance at making the playoffs.  If I was a player, I wouldn't like that either.  Why should I bust my butt just as hard as the next guy when that next guy has a built in unfair advantage?  Keep in mind too that everyone wants their name on that cup and playoff points are like gold when in comes to contract negotiations.

What I don't by is the travel excuse.  I don't think you need a sample schedule to recognize has this alignment plan would level the playing field for all involved from a travel perspective.  This one wreaks of new NHLPA bossman Donald Fehr trying to flex his muscles.

At the end of the day what does this tell me?  Get ready for another lockout.

I followed the 04-05 lockout day by day - hell, hour by hour.  The good news is I don't think the differences here will prevent the NHL from a complete lost season.  The big battle last time was for revenue linkage (ie salary cap) -- there is no way that will be revoked.  This time it won't be a complete system overhaul but tweaks to the existing system. Owners will want to keep a bigger share of the pie and close loopholes like cap length of contracts while the players will want more say in league matters (franchise relocation/expansion, suspensions, marketing, etc) and my guess is a further reduction in the years it takes to become a free agent.

One thing I do know is that both sides would be absolute IDIOTS to have any kind of a work stoppage.  The league is doing very well right now.  Revenues keep going up.  The parity is there.  They have a nice new shiny TV contract.  For the love of hockey, work it out!

But leave it to these clowns to f*** it all up.

The "battle of the basement" begins tonight @ 8!

-LTL

Jackets with their first shutout win of the year.  Can I get a big hellz to the yeah?!

1. This is what you call a goaltender "stealing a game".  Pretty amazing how a great goaltending performance can make your entire defense look good.  Sanford was flat out fantastic.  He was SOOO good seeing shots through traffic and rebound control.  He stopped 31 of 31 shots including many of the "holy shit what a kick/skate/glove/etc save" variety!  This, all on the road in a game in which the Kings had 8 PPs!  The Sandman was indeed the man! Every Time I see him I wonder "what if?".  What if we had decent goaltending form the start of this season before this thing snowballed out of control?  We will never know.  But for today -- congrats on a well earned shutout #30!  Team better buy you a nice steak dinner after this one!

2. We saw in this game why Columbus (26th ranked) and LA (30th ranked) offenses are two of the worst in the league.  With the talent on both of these rosters, these offenses should be much better than they are but both just cannot seem to manufacture goals.  The difference is the Kings' have gotten the goaltending while the Jackets haven't.  Again the Jackets big guns continue to shoot blanks.  Nash had 5 shots.  Carter zip. Umberger is almost an after thought these days although he did some good work in the crease in this game.  Interesting that Nash only played 16:11 while Carter got just 15:54.  I would like to think Arniel is sending a message but I think it's more due to the amount of penalties the Jackets took than anything else.  

3. Clitsome finally got one. Not only was that goal the game winner but it was also Clitsome's first point in 20 games!  Great dish by Brass and a nice quick snap shot from Clitsome for the finish.

4. Boys actually held onto a 1 goal lead and closed out a game. They bent but didn't break in that 3rd as they were out shot 14-4. I'm sure I wasn't the only one holding my breath when Clitsome took that late delay of game in the game.  

5. Jackets took way too many penalties.  On the flip side the penalty kill did a great job killing them.  Sanford was their best killer.  Guys did a great job blocking shots though with 20 versus 8 for LA.  Some real good active sticks getting in passing lanes.

6. Congrats on Ryan Russell's debut.  He played 13+ minutes and had a team high 4 blocks.  Want to give Howson and co a little credit on this callup.  A lot of folks scratched their heads over this callup and thought why Russell over Atkinson or Kubalik?  I for one and glad they left those guys down in the minors.  Keep them away from this mess.  Let them pile up and minutes and bulid confidence on the farm.  

EXTRA SHOTS:
Another positive from this win is that nobody finished with a minus!  Crongrats to Cam Atkinson on his AHL All Star nod.  Moore and Savard more then held their own.  I'm continually impressed with Moore's development this season.  You can just see his confidence growing by the game.   Man's game out there today - very physical.  Lots of big hits.  Nikitin needs to get those shots down.  Was that a "let's go Jackets" cheer I heard at Staples Center?  Nice job by Boll in his tilt with Westgarth.  MacKenzie with a great hit on Fraser.  Brassard quietly has 6 points (2g, 4a) in his last 8 games.  Tyutin led all players with 27:11 in TOI. Only 7:40 for Johansen. Both Springfield and OSU games came right down to the wire.  Both teams tied their games up with minutes remaining and went to shootouts.  OSU lost but Springfield won! This was Dekanich's debut and he gave up 4 on 38 shots but got the 'w'. Just the 5th win on the road in 20 tries for the CBJ this season.  With the win they trail Anaheim by a single point for 29th spot.  

Finally - I got this pic from a friend of the fam who was in Pittsburgh at the Pens game tonight:

Thanks Nitro!

Jackets back at it tomorrow for the "battle of the basement" @ Anaheim.

-LTL

I have to admit I haven't watched the entire 60 minutes of this game yet.  I made it through the 1st and part of the 2nd and then zonked out.  Typically I like to wait until I watched the entire game before posting but I'm saying screw it for this post.  I have seen the highlights and will watch the rest tonight.  So for those that have seen it all, please chime in with your thoughts!

On to recap yet another 1 goal loss.

1. Not only does it sucks to be the Columbus Blue Jackets right now - who are 2-7-1 in their past 10 games and the worst team in the NHL - it REALLY sucks to be Mark Letestu who is now out indefinitely with a broken right hand suffered from a Douglas Murray hit.  What sucks even more is Letestu has been one of the few bright spots for the Jackets and racked up 5 points (1g, 4a) in his past 7 games including a sweet backhand pass to Prospal last night.

2. From what I could tell it sure looked like Curtis Sanford did what he could to win this game.  He stopped 37 of 39 shots and I even heard the San Jose commentators say how well he played.

3. Once again the offense is a no show with 1 friggan goal.  I'm once again lookin at Nash, Carter, Umberger, Brassard, Johansen...  Our top guys continue to bottom out when it comes to scoring goals.  Jeff Carter has got to bury that chance at the end of a game.  Combined both Nash and Carter had just 4 shots on goal.  None of it is good enough. It's no accident we are 26th in overal GAA when our top guys aren't producing. 

4. The team actually started off well. They had a lot of energy.  Created a lot of scoring chances.  They even got the first goal.  Then came the penalty trouble with Johansen getting nailed for a 4 min minor.  Cannot give a team like the Sharks those kinds of chances b/c they don't waste them.  Next thing you know it's in the back of our net and the momentum has shifted.

5. Hey, at least we weren't shutout. 

6. Darren Dreger was on the NHL Network and commented on the recent Disaptch Nash article.  He said that as of now the Jackets are not interested in trading Rick Nash and that he remains loyal to the organization and vice versa.  He said that could change in the offseason.  He goes on to say at some point this team has to win or that could change for Nash.   He then followed that up and said of the two, Jeff Carter would be more likely to be moved citing he still isn't happy in Columbus.

I find it interesting that the spin is always towards Rick Nash.  That it wouldn't be the Jackets that would want to move on but the player.  That may be true which again points to the acceptance of mediocrity in this organization.  Rick Nash is your highest paid player, your focal point.  Thus far this organization has nothing to show for it other than one 4 game sweep.  It's always someone else's fault.  You know what, while it's not all on Rick Nash he needs to shoulder some of this blame as well.

You don't want to move him? Fine. At the very least turn up the heat and demand that he plays the way we all know he can play game in and game out.  There are too many games taken off and too many shifts taken off.  You want to change the culture - then start demanding performance by EVERYONE in that locker room.  It's way past time to take off the kid's gloves with Nash - but I get the feeling it would take a chainsaw to do so. 

As for Jeff Carter, that writing has been on the wall since the "send" button was hit on the fax confirming this trade.  Damn shame as he could have been part of the solution but appears to just be making the problem larger.  Who really knows the truth but from my cheap seat and connecting some dots - I think he wants out.  If he's poisoning that locker room by pouting and not giving 100% you have got to move him out.  Of course you can't give him away.  I listen to all offers - especially close to the deadline.  My $$ is on Toronto but it would take Schenn and Kadri to keep me on the phone.  Then again I don't want Howson and Co. making that decision so maybe it's best left for the offseason and (hopefully) the new regime. 

EXTRA SHOTS:
Really - no PPs for the Jackets?  The Sharks were that perfect?  Without seeing the entire game I find that hard to believe. The Jackets are 1-12-1 when trailing after 2 periods. Don't look now but the "battle for the basement" is coming up on Sunday when the Jackets take on Anaheim.  The Jackets were physical with 38 hits versus the Sharks' 20. Boll lead the way with 7 while Brassard, of all players, had 6.  I watched a lot of the WJC final last night --- the more I watch Yakupov and Girogrenko the more torn I am.  Yakupov is explosive and gritty but very bad in his own end.  Grigorenko, while clearly playing hurt, seems to have a high hockey IQ and is very polished in his own end for a young player.  The fact that both are Russian still scares the shit out of me although it's a definite plus they both are playing in the CHL. 

Set your clocks for an early game tomorrow against LA -- game starts at 4:00 PM EST.

-LTL

With the article today in the Dispatch I think now is a good time to bring this up again.

By this stage, any regular who reads this blog knows my thoughts on considering to trade Rick Nash.

For those who don't know -- my answer is absolutely 'yes', I would consider trading him for the right return. And it's not because I hate Rick Nash.  In fact, I have a lot of respect for Rick Nash.  I think he's a class act and I wish we could win with him. What I hate is the years and years of losing.  Now what I wouldn't allow is Priest or Howson to trade him, that ship has sailed.  I would put that decision in the hands of the next administration.

That said, I want to hear from those who would not consider trading Rick Nash.  I want to know why that it is?

After 9 years with him as our focal point with only 1 playoff appearance and 0 playoff wins to show for it -- why not consider it?  He is in his PRIME now and we are trending to the worst year in franchise history.  He is getting paid like a franchise player but has yet to deliver like a franchise player.  Why does he continue to get a free pass with you? Why do you think we can eventually win with him? 

I won't reply to try to convince you otherwise - I just genuinely want to read your unfiltered thoughts.

-LTL

**WARNING** RANT BELOW **WARNING**

Below is how a GM of another team is dealing with his team's struggles.  Check this out from Anaheim Ducks' GM Bob Murray via Helen Elliot's twitter:

"Murray says he has two untouchables-- Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu-- but anyone else is in play. Says he's not rebuilding and seeking draft picks. if he trades a core player, it would be for another core-type player."

Here are more quotes via Ducks' beat writer Eric Stephens:

"Explaining why they're playing the way they are and why we've had the year we've had so far, it's just frustrating and it's unexplainable. It's just not good enough. It's unacceptable."

"I have two players who are unavailable, Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu," Murray said. "And the rest of the players in the locker room, I thought they'd figure it out when we changed coaches. They (thought) that time was running, well the clock is running quickly here.

"I still believe we have some core players. Now whether we have to change a few core players, so be it. They're deciding who's staying and who's not staying at this point. They're the ones deciding."

"We're going to get ready for next year," he said. "I think this team can be turned around to make the playoffs next year. "

Keep in mind that this is a Ducks' team that came off a playoff appearance last year.  This is a Ducks' team that has made the playoffs the past 4 of the last 5 seasons.  This is a Ducks' team that won the cup in 2006-2007. So after ONE horrible year this is how that organization is reacting.

I read quotes like those and it just infuriates me.  Where is that accountability within the Jackets?  Where is that urgency?

This is our THIRD straight year of losing, 10 of 11 if you count them all, and after being dead last in the league this season we are just now hearing that Scott Howson's patience has finally worn thin in Columbus.

“This last five-game stretch has given us a little more clarity,” Howson said. “We’re just not good enough as a team.”

“The first six or seven weeks of the season, it was too disjointed,” he said. “We had (James) Wisniewski out. We had (Jeff) Carter out. We had (Radek) Martinek out. We had (Mark) Dekanich out. … It was just too disjointed to get a clear picture. The picture is becoming clearer now. We aren’t playing well enough and … me as management has to find a solution to help the team.”

“Changing the coach is not always the answer,” he said, “and if you look at the six changes that have been made, how many have worked?”

“Everything’s on the table,” he said. “We’ve got to look at everything. We’ve got to seriously look at everything. Now that’s different than saying, ‘I’m going to phone every GM tomorrow and say who do you want, (Rick) Nash, Carter or (R.J.) Umberger?’ but we’ve got to look at the whole situation and we’ve got to consider everything.”

Compare and contrast those quotes from Murray to Howson.  It's the difference between winners and losers.

Winners don't wait around for players to finally start performing and manufacture excuses for failure like they are pop cans.  They don't worry about hurting the feelings of their star players.  They are methodical.  They are accountable.  They are demanding.

Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan... All are just as good if not better than Rick Nash.  And all it took is for ONE miserable season for their leadership to hold those core players accountable.  It remains to be seen if they will be dealt but what's most important here is the message being sent.

When have you EVER heard a similar message sent to Rick Nash, RJ Umberger, Steve Mason or any other core player in this market by the GM, President or Ownership?

Here, the message is we failed because it was too disjointed.  We failed because we don't have a #1 center.  Or because our defense is weak.  Or because our conditioning sucks.  Or we because can't draft.  Or because "everyone makes mistakes". Or because we don't have enough hockey minds. Or we didn't want to give up on Mason. Or because of coaching, arena lease, injuries, suspensions, travel, being in the Central, being in the West. On and on and on.

It's all bullshit.

We fail first and foremost because those at the top aren't holding those below them accountable for failure.

If they were, this organization would have sounded a lot more like Bob Murray years ago than Scott Howson right now.

-LTL

The hockey Buckeye's are officially #1 in the NCAA Men's D1 Pairwise Rankings.

For those that may be asking, what in the h-e-doublehockeysticks is a "pairwise"?  Well, let me help ya out courtesy of USCHO.com:

The PairWise Rankings (PWR) are a statistical tool designed to approximate the process by which the NCAA selection committee decides which teams get at-large bids to the 16-team NCAA tournament. Although the NCAA selection committee does not use the PWR as presented by USCHO.com, the PWR has been accurate in predicting which teams will make the tournament field.

For a more in-depth explanation check out this link.

Basically - the Buckeyes are in GREAT shape to make the NCAA tournament this year. 

To put things into perspective, they haven't made the tournament since 2009.  In fact, since their program began in 1963, they have only made the tournament 6 times (1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009).  To take it a step further, they have only won their conference tournament twice (1972 and 2004) and made the Frozen Four once (1998).

So what they are currently doing now hasn't happened very often for this program. What they are doing now is unprecedented as far as I can tell.  They have only 1 loss in their past 14 games.  Their 14 wins with 14 games still remaining is already one less win than their win total from each of the past two seasons.  Heck, they've only managed more than 15 total wins in 1 of the past 6 seasons!

Here are some rankings from three major college hockey polls right now:

USCHO.com
Rank: 2

USAToday.com
Rank: 2

InsideCollegHockey.com
Rank: 2
The Buckeyes have 14 games remaining, all against CCHA opponents. Combined league record of those seven foes: 38-45-13

I've always enjoyed this level of hockey and make it a point to get out to at least a couple of games a year.  I've said it before earlier this year, this is BY far the best Buckeyes team I've ever seen.  There are no stars but what they do have is what I'd kill to have on the Jackets - outstanding team play (7 players with 10 or more points).  Nobody is above the team.  Everyone works their tails off.  Everyone does their job.  They move as 5 man units. Everybody has bought into 2nd year coach Mark Osieki's system.  It really is a treat to watch.

What is even more impressive is the fact they have 12 freshmen on their roster.  In other words, this is just the beginning!

Next up is a back to back @ Bowling Green this weekend on the 7th and 8th.

Then it's home for two games versus Michigan starting next Friday on 1/13 at the Schott and concluding on 1/15 outdoors in Cleveland Ohio @ Progressive Field! 

This is a game I have got to see live and plan on doing just that!  Tickets are not as expensive as you'd think so get your butts on up to Cleveland next weekend to join in on the fun! You can also follow @Indians on Twitter for a chance to win free tix!

For those that can't make it, I promise lots of tweets AND according to @JJ_On_Sports via Twitter - FS Ohio will air the game live starting at 5 p.m. EST!

It's time to get realy excited about Buckeye hockey folks!!  This team is for real!

-LTL

Here is a look at the Blue Jackets collective records under the two GMs that have run them thus far:

DOUG MACLEAN
SEASONS: 6 (2000/01 - 2006/07)
RECORD: 172-258-33-29
TOTAL POINTS: 406 
AVG % OF POINTS: .412%

SCOTT HOWSON
SEASONS: 5 (2007/2008 - Present)
RECORD: 151-160-55
TOTAL POINTS: 357
AVG % OF POINTS: .470%

Couple of comments:

* I am in no way/shape/form complimenting or praising Doug MacLean for the job he did here as General Manager.  While he was a riot to listen to, I thought he was a terrible GM then and still do today.  He deserved to get canned.  That said...

* At what point do we say enough is enough with Scott Howson?  He is struggling to even compete with MacLean who built a team from the ground up with 30 million dollar payrolls.  Thus far he has exactly .058% more average points per season than this franchise could manage under MacLean.  PATHETIC!

* Howson has the largest payroll in the Jackets' history and we are on pace for the WORST season in franchise history!  On what planet do the folks in charge think this can be turned around with the current leadership in charge?  Is 5 years not enough of a sample size? Are you really going to let these folks continue to make even more moves?

* According to this link, Scott Howson was hired on June 13th, 2007.  15 GMS (or 50% of the league) have hired new GMs since that date.  22 GMS (or 73% of the league) have been hired since 2006.  In fact, only 6 GMs (or 20%) have held onto their jobs since the 1990s.  Only 1, Lou Lamoriello, has had his job since the 1980s.  In other words - at least for the majority of this league, losing is not tolerated for long and changes will be made. 

* Enough about firing coaches and trading players.  Yeah, that stuff needs to happen but what absolutely MUST be addressed first are the PRESIDENT and GENERAL MANAGER positions.  The results produced under this leadership CANNOT be tolerated.  You CANNOT allow the same people to continue to make mistakes.  The expectations MUST be that you either produce results in a reasonable amount of time or you're out.  5 years is an extremely reasonable amount of time - especially when that 5th year is trending towards the worst year in franchise history.

I give Howson a lot credit for finally making a real attempt this offseason.  I would prefer he won so I could compliment him instead writing about firing and failure.  But you can't argue with results.  For whatever reasons or excuses that are out there, the bottom line is what we have in place now hasn't worked, isn't working now and won't work in the future.

The more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusions that the best solution is to fire Priest, Howson and Arniel now.  Slap an interim GM tag on Chris MacFarland.  Slap an interim coach tag on Todd Richards.  Sell off all the UFA vets at the deadline.  Then start over with a new shiny draft pick in your (blue) jacket pocket this offseason.

-LTL