Columbus Blue Jackets: Nathan Horton will be the missing piece

The Boston Bruins badly wanted to hang onto Nathan Horton. In the first episode of Behind the B, both management and ownership were viably upset when they received word that Horton would be leaving as a free agent. That’s because he’s a tough player to replace.

For whatever reason, fan bases tend to debase a player entirely when they decide to bolt or are traded. Fans of the Philadelphia Flyers turned on Mike Richards and Jeff Carter so fast it made one’s head spin. We saw the same sort of thing fro Boston’s faithful, and they were all too happy to wish the Columbus Blue Jackets “luck” with their new injury-prone forward.

Jackets fans shouldn’t be hearing any of it though.

Management went out and got this guy for a reason. He’s proven that he’s a capable goal scorer, sure. What Horton truly brings to the table is leadership and a Stanley Cup ring to show off. Columbus has plenty of talent, but their big names haven’t been to prom yet.

Marian Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky? Outstanding and talented players, but neither have been to a Stanley Cup Final. Neither knows what it takes. The entire team knows that they want to know what it takes, because it’s one of those things that you only learn by doing.

Horton is a guy who’s been there, and instills that kind of knowledge into the entire team.

Cup-winning squads typically have a hard time holding onto their depth forwards after winning the whole thing. Those rings just speak volumes in the locker room. It’s rare to see a top-line forward from a Cup team become available though, and the Jackets pounced for a good reason.

This is a player who’s going to step into the lineup and make the Jackets instantly better up front, but he’s also going to be able to show young players like Cam Atkinson and Boone Jenner how to be winners at this level. This is the most important piece of the culture puzzle that John Davidson has been trying to piece together in Ohio.

He’s still at least a month out from returning. Likely two. Don’t forget about Horton though. He has become the secret weapon for the Jackets, and will make a huge difference after he enters the lineup.