Has Scott Howson tied his own hands with all of the extensions to young players?
With the exception of Jakub Voracek, Howson has now signed all of his young players to longer-term extensions that keep this core group of Jackets together for the next three or four years. And word is that if he could sign Voracek—who might have the highest ceiling of anyone on the roster—to an extension right now, he would. This is a double-edged sword. If these guys can develop under Arniel, Howson has his core for the next four seasons, and it’s a young core. If it implodes, Howson is stuck with an expensive and ineffectual roster, and has essentially dug his own grave. It’s just another piece of added pressure on Arniel as he begins his first campaign as an NHL coach. 5. With the Nationwide Arena lease situation hanging over the franchise, can these Jackets return to the playoffs to get the fans back on board? This is a longer-term issue, actually. Season tickets are down this year, and the arena lease issue won’t go away without some help from the fans. What incentive is there fo
