Peca Re-Signs With Columbus

It's hard to call the Columbus Blue Jackets a re-building franchise, since they never had anything to begin with, including a playoff berth. Saying that, they should probably be referred to as the 'still-evolving' Blue Jackets. Anyways, Columbus re-signed centre Mike Peca to a 1-year deal worth $1.315 million on Wednesday, which appears to be a good signing, since he's made a little bit of a resurrgence (fantasy-wise) in Columbus.

In only 65 games last season, Peca scored 8 goals and 26 assists in Columbus, which brought him a little closer to the top 200 in pool scoring. If he can manage a full season, he could potentially put together a 43-point year, which could potentially put him near the top 150. It would be a definite gamble, but he could be a safer 30-point pick with 40-point potential. New linemates could also up his fantasy value, especially if he gets second-line centre duty.

Forwards	Defense	Goaltenders
Rick Nash	Fedor Tyutin	Fredrik Norrena
Kristian Huselius	Rostislav Klesla
R.J. Umberger	Christian Backman
Mike Peca	Mike Commodore
Jason Chimera	Kris Russell
Manny Malhotra	Jan Hejda
Jiri Novotny
Fredrik Modin
Raffi Torres
Jared Boll
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen
Derrek Brassard

The Blue Jackets are putting together a very cap-savvy team this summer. They currently have 19 players signed on for a cap total of $41.3 million, which is now already over the cap floor. They could also be in the running for some of the B-level or C-level free agents that are still on the market.

The biggest question surrounding the Blue Jackets this season is 'will they make the playoffs this year?' It's a pretty good question as they have made some good moves this year, but it does seem a little out of reach still. The Jackets likely need a phenomeonal year from their back-end to achieve the playoffs this year, since their forward line-up is getting respectable enough to bring them there. Once Pascal Leclaire signs, he'll be under the microscope and his new defensive line-up in front of him will have to put in some big minutes.

For pool value, there will be some extra added because of their new faces. Rick Nash will be complimented by Kristian Huselius and R.J. Umberger, but an eye should be kept on defenseman Kris Russell, as he'll likely get some quality power play time this season.