If it wasn’t obvious when the Jackets went and lost 6 of their last 7 before yesterday, last night’s absolute embarrassment at home should make it clear: The Blue Jackets will once again miss the playoffs. Or, as some folks on the HFBoards put it, they’ll remain “the only team in the NHL without a playoff loss!” It has been absolutely heartbreaking to watch this team, who scrapped all season long in a fight for respect, fold it up against teams like Chicago and Los Angeles. And the reason is simple… the young guys are still too young, and the old guys are too old.

That being said, I went into this season hoping to snag at least third in the division, and to be this far out before losing all hope for the postseason is much more than I expected. I knew that Ken Hitchcock had a year to get his plan in action, but new GM Scott Howson needs more time to clear the air of Nationwide Arena of the stench of Doug Maclean.

And in that sense, at least there will be no more confusion… the Jackets will be sellers at the trade deadline. Howson will be able to bring in the players he wants, get rid of some of the flotsam and jetsam, and start building a team that Hitchcock can actually work with (although I’m still a little pissed that Jody Shelly was traded away, and his protogé Jared Boll hasn’t quite stepped up).

But next year, no more excuses.