Key additions Carter, Wisniewski ready to help turn around team
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Finding the missing pieces for a team that has been puzzling offensively and defensively for years was the topic when the Blue Jackets introduced Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski yesterday in Nationwide Arena.
The team has struggled for most of its 10-year existence without a No.1 center or a top-notch scoring defenseman. This offseason, general manager Scott Howson said, the Jackets went a long way toward remedying those issues by trading for Carter, a 26-year-old center, and for the rights to Wisniewski, a 27-year-old defenseman.
"We had two main priorities: acquire a top center and improve our defense," Howson said. "If you look at all the top teams in the NHL, all the strong contenders, they're all strong down the middle. We feel now we have a chance to be very strong down the middle."