Columbus Blue Jackets

Nathan MacKinnon Position: CenterTeam: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)Age: 17Date of Birth: September 1st, 1995 Place of Birth: Halifax, Nova ScotiaHt: 6'0" Wt: 182lbsShoots: Right 2012-2013 Regular Season Stats: GP G A PTS +/- PIM 44 32 43 75 +40 45 2012-2013 Playoff Stats: GP G A PTS +/- PIM 17 11 22 33 +17 12 As a Mooseheads season ticket holder, I've had the pleasure of watching "Nate" play live, on a regular basis. He's a multi-tool player bringing offense, defensive responsibility, faceoff prowess and a willingness to do whatever it takes to help his team win. He's the offensive leader and star of the Halifax Mooseheads, the champions of the QMJHL. With the exception of games missed due to participating in the 2013 World Juniors, and a late-season injury, MacKinnon has been a consistent offensive threat for the Moose, while playing a strong two-way game. For a vast majority of the season, he played on a line with fellow 2013 draft-eligible Jonathan Drouin and Detroit prospect Martin Frk. (No vowels, please) The trio were simply dominant all season, but in situations where they were not together, such as when MacKinnon was double-shifted on the fourth line, Nate was still an impactful offensive force. He has the ability to create offense off the rush, using his excellent speed to convert turnovers into goals. He has a hard and accurate wrister, and his hands aren't bad either. Drouin is the guy with the magic mitts on the Mooseheads, but MacKinnon is the more complete player. As of this writing, the Mooseheads are participating in the 2013 Memorial Cup, a four-team tournament featuring the winners of the QMJHL, OHL, WHL, and a rotating CHL host team. This year the Saskatoon Blades have host duties, with the Mooseheads representing the Q, the London Knights (with CBJ prospect Josh Anderson) representing the OHL, and the Seth Jones-led Portland Winterhawks there as WHL champs. In their tournament opener, the Mooseheads defeated Jones and the Winterhawks 7-4 thanks to a hat-trick by MacKinnon. MacKinnon is going to give the NHL team that drafts him a dependable offensive player, who plays a responsible two-way game. He'll go through, rather than around defenders to get to the goal, and once there he's a sure bet to tickle the twine. Scouting Reports: A superstar in the making since an early age, MacKinnon provides a very complete combination of speed and skill. He is an amazing skater with fantastic puckhandling. MacKinnon has the ability to make quick plays and score flashy goals, but isn't shy about battling for the puck in front of the net either. He is surprisingly physical and owns a great shot to go along with quick hands.- Matias Strozyk, Elite Prospects MacKinnon is a simply fantastic prospect who has all the tools a GM would want in a high draft choice. His body and skills are advanced, relative to the fact he is a tad over two weeks away from being bumped to the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. MacKinnon is an elite skater, and possibly a generational one, easily the best in this draft class. He has an unbelievable first few steps, and he generates a ridiculous amount of power from his legs. When he gets in full flight, it is very hard to stop him (in fact, I once saw an opposing QMJHL player try to tackle him). One NHL source told me that MacKinnon will draw a lot of penalties because of his agility and speed. His puck skills are high end, as well as his offensive vision. MacKinnon is not simply a north-south kind of player; he has a ton of offensive creativity, including the ability to dangle defensemen laterally, or make quick, precise feeds. MacKinnon measures at six feet tall, 182 pounds, but has an unusual amount of power to his game. An NHL executive told me that his level of talent is matched by his work ethic. MacKinnon will power through checks, grind out board battles, and land big hits. He projects as a f

Even as Blue Jackets fans cheer for Sergei Bobrovsky's campaign to rule the NHL 14 cover vote, and we commiserate with Lou, Katy, and the Springfield fan community about their season coming to an end, we have to think about the future. With a strong core established, and a number of young players stepping into larger roles, much is expected of guys like Cam Atkinson, Dalton Prout, Matt Calvert, and Ryan Johansen. Of that group, both Prout and Johansen were probably the most impressive at the end of last season. Johansen scored some key goals in the final stretch, and seemed to be blossoming into a top two-way player before our eyes, visibly frustrating guys like Joe Thornton and Gabriel Landeskog when matched against them defensively. Prout stepped into the shutdown role, and was one of the best even strength performers the club had down the stretch, allowing just one goal in five on five play over the final ten games of the regular season. Not surprisingly, since both were eligible to return to Springfield, they were sent to Massachusetts at the end of the NHL season with the expectation of being impact players in the Falcons' postseason run. I'll let Lou discuss the end of the Falcons' postseason against Syracuse. He was there, I wasn't, and he's more than earned the right to break down what worked, and what didn't, as we consider this season. But the path that Johansen and Prout took after reaching the Falcons is concerning. Remembering that both missed the first game of the playoffs due to travel, let's look at their stat lines: GP G A +/- SOG PIM Johansen 5 0 1 -8 7 2 Prout 6 0 1 0 6 14 Why does Johansen have one less game? Because he was scratched in the final playoff matchup against Syracuse. Now, admittedly, the team was down 3-0 and showed every sign of getting plowed by the club that is for all intents and purposes the reigning Calder Cup champs, and has been a juggernaut in the A for the past three seasons. But if you have a player who is supposed to be a top performer in a must-win game, wouldn't you want him on board? It's clear that Johansen was underperforming defensively, and this isn't the first time he seemed to hit the AHL and go flat. He wasn't exactly a word beater to start the season in Springfield, and he had several multi-game slumps in November and December. The timing, however, is concerning. After a relatively clean sheet in his first two appearances (no points, even +/-, 1 shot on goal in each), Johasen was -3 with one assist, -2, and -3. Those numbers don't make his scratch too surprising, but the timing of it all, on the surface, looks suspect. Unless we find out that Johansen was nursing an injury (which, I admit, is certainly possible), this looks like a player who decided he wasn't really happy, and started to get lazy. He stopped playing smart, and his team got burned as a result. That is, simply, the exact opposite of the attitude the team is working to foster in Columbus. We want to see the club playing 100%, lights out, fully committed hockey. The "Country Club" is closed, and I don't think the fans or the front office will tolerate it being re-opened. If this was a combination of disappointment, injury, and bad timing...well, it happens. But you're expected to be a pro, and you're expected to help your team to win no matter where you end up playing. We saw the Johan take some big strides in his game, and quite a bit of physical growth. Now we need to see him take the next step personally and professionally, and it starts with cleaning up that attitude. You're a man now, Ryan. The club needs you to step up no matter where you're asked to contribute, and the fans want to see you take things to the next level. Right now, I don't see it happening. I would like nothing better than for you to show up in camp this fall and prove me wrong.

Following mini-camp on Thursday, defensive coordinator Ray Horton met with the media. When asked about first round pick Barkevious Mingo’s weight (a popular topic for discussion lately) Horton talked about what he wants from the linebacker. “I want him to be a dominating player,” he said. “Weight? Some guys are too big, some guys are too small. Some guys aren’t fast enough, some guys aren’t slow enough, but they learn how to play. We want athletic players. He is an athletic football player and that’s what we want him to be.” It was clear from Horton’s comments that the Browns are focusing on the very basics of the defense during the mini-camp and aren’t going to rush Mingo’s progress. “It’s a totally different defense so there is a lot of adjustments – terminology, drops, the way I call games, the way I ask them to learn the defense,” Horton said. “Right now I am just asking them to trust me and trust the defense and they are doing that. We are pleased with where we are at day three of OTAs.” Not only are Mingo and Jabaal Sheard learning a new defensive system, but a new position as well. [Related: Browns betting on defense and hoping for offense]

The Cleveland Indians have optioned left-handed relief pitcher Nick Hagadone to Columbus on Thursday, a move that is believed to be in anticipation of Vinnie Pestano’s return from the 15-day disabled list. On the season, Hagadone—one of Terry Francona’s favorite relievers heading into the season—has an ERA of 7.20 largely thanks to a month of May that saw the 27-year-old allowed seven runs over the course of five games; opposing batters had an OPS of 1.145 over this span. The hard-throwing lefty had a solid start to his season with the Tribe, but fell off of the table over the course of the last few games. Pestano, placed on the disabled list earlier this month with right elbow tendinitis, has made eight relief appearances for Cleveland, posting no record and a 2.25 ERA (2 ER/8.0 IP). His last appearance came in Game 2 of the Indians’ April 28 doubleheader at Kansas City. Pestano worked a scoreless inning Wednesday in a rehabilitation assignment with the Lake County Captains. He is eligible to return from the disabled list on Thursday but will likely be activated prior to Friday’s game against the Seattle Mariners. [Related: Carlos Santana’s Coming Out Party]

Lehigh guard CJ McCollum told reporters that he was interviewed by the Cleveland Cavaliers at this week’s NBA Combine. McCollum, a 6-foot-3-inch guard out of Canton, Ohio, will likely be a top-10 selection due to his scoring abilities and high-end quickness. Boasting incredible efficiency (49.5 percent from the floor, 84.9 percent from the line, and 51.6 percent from three-point range).  McCollum averaged 23.9 points, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game during his senior season at Lehigh. Many Clevelanders may remember McCollum’s run in the 2012 NCAA Tournament where he helped Lehigh get past the Duke Blue Devils. He is considered to be a bit of a tweener guard that is also recovering from a foot injury which he suffered in early January. It wasn’t long ago that he was found at the bottom half of most big boards, but McCollum has moved up considerably following workouts and interviews. The Cavaliers, conversely, were not one of the teams to interview Georgetown small forward Otto Porter Jr.

You probably won’t be surprised when I tell you who the best hitter in the American League has been so far this year.  1 (Oh.  You should probably read the last footnote if you care about how we’re defining “best hitter”.) Anyway, the best hitter in the American League so far this season has been Miguel Cabrera, and if that surprises you then you should come over here so I can hit you in the nose with my ballpeen hammer.  For the last decade, Cabrera has enjoyed a sustained and consistent excellence that has only been bested  in my lifetime by Albert Pujols’ reign in St. Louis and the late-stage Barry Bonds.  Ready? Once, in 2006, when it was .999. One year out of 16, and it was still excellent. A .999 OPS would currently be good for 10th place in all of baseball—and that’s the worst year of Bond’s 16-year stretch. That guy was freaking amazing.">2 Have a look at this table, just for fun: Player (Period) AVG OBP SLG OPS OPS+ wRC+ Cabrera (2004-2012) 0.321 0.399 0.566 0.965 154 151

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam spoke to trucking industry leaders on Thursday at a conference in Indianapolis. News Channel 5′s Ron Regan reports that Haslam denied any knowledge of rebate fraud- “Pilot Flying J CEO Jimmy Haslam told trucking industry leaders Thursday in Indianapolis that he knew nothing about nor did he participate in an alleged fuel-rebate fraud.” In addition, Haslam said he doesn’t believe that the FBI investigation will affect his ownership of the Browns at all. Perhaps this statement was in response to several reports that other NFL owners are concerned that the lawsuits connected to this case could drain Haslam of his ability to effectively finance and operate the Browns. Haslam and his Pilot/Flying J staff continue to try and settle discrepancies between his truck stops and the trucking companies that were shorted in the rebate scandal. To date seven trucking companies have filed lawsuits against Pilot. [Related: Podcast: Pat McManamon talks Browns, new media and Fox

Despite various attempts to suggest the contrary, Brandon Weeden has opened Cleveland Browns Organized Team Activities (OTAs) as the starting quarterback. ESPN Clevland’s Tony Grossi reports that Weeden, while he may have merely been given the job due to a lack of serious alternatives and could very well be on a one-year audition, is firmly running with the first team while Jason Campbell and Thad Lewis are second and third, respectively. “The Chudzinski-Turner offense – a vertical passing game played off a power running game – would seem to be an ideal change for a team that invested first-round draft picks last year in Weeden and Trent Richardson,” writes Grossi. Earlier this week on WKNR’s Cleveland Browns Daily , Weeden said to host Vic Carucci, “I looked at (receiver) Greg Little walking in and said, ‘What do you think?’ And he’s like, ‘This is fun.’ That’s what we want. We want to go out and have fun. Usually as a receiver and a quarterback, that’s dropping back and slinging it a

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com “He has been one of the best power hitters in the league, ranking among the league leaders in Isolated Power and hiking his home run rate to 6.1 percent (up from a homer in 3.6 percent of his at-bats last year). It’s easy to dismiss his .370 batting average on balls in play as a fluke, until you see that he is hitting more line drives this year, without a single infield popout all season. All told, Santana is hitting .325/.438/.605, making him the third-most productive hitter in the game (behind Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Gomez) on a park- and league-adjusted basis. Any time you make predictions in baseball, there is a range of possibilities that could play out depending on how well things go for a certain player or team. Santana is one of several players performing at or near best-case scenar

I know none of you were really concerned about the offense after the last three games, right? I mean, what you can’t forget is that there was a time earlier in the year where they were shut out back to back games in Tampa and then followed it up by dropping a 13 spot on the Rays. Make no mistake about it, this was a tired ball club. It is also a very streaky ball club offensively. These types of hot and cold streaks will probably continue most of the year. You just hope that the cold spells don’t last very long. After scoring just three runs in three games Monday and Tuesday, the Tribe had a quick turnaround afternoon tilt against tough lefty Cole Hamels and his Philadelphia Phillies. It was their seventh game in the last six days in three different cities (Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia), so another bat slumber could have easily occurred. Then again, this is a new era of Tribe baseball. ActaBall is dead. Long live TitoBall. One of the things you come to learn while watching years and years of b