Written by Adam Burke

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With opening night still more than two weeks away, it is definitely the dog days of summer around the NHL. Most teams have finished up their prospect camps and now are just counting down the days for training camp to begin. Players are working hard on their offseason workout regimens and the last of the free agents are finding homes.

One of the last free agents to find a home is Vinny Prospal and he has found one in Columbus. Prospal signed a one-year pact with the Jackets on July 23 and he will be called upon to ease the burden of losing Kristian Huselius to a torn pectoral muscle that will cost him between a quarter and half of his 2011-12 season.

The knock on Prospal is his skating ability and that’s certainly not something that will improve as he gets up in age. Prospal is 36 and will turn 37 next February, but he is a 14-year vet of the league and will provide a consistent player for the Blue Jackets to not have to worry about. He played just 29 games last season but did have 23 points for the New York Rangers, battling a knee injury.

The biggest benefit to Prospal is that he will not hurt the team. When healthy, he is a defensively responsible forward with the ability to chip in 55-60 points, sometimes higher. It lessens the pressure of a young player like Matt Calvert to step up and play a lot of big minutes. Perhaps more than anything, it gives the Jackets the option to put Rick Nash and Jeff Carter together now that they have another veteran presence with talent. Had they not acquired a top six forward, then Nash and Carter might have been separated to balance the lineup. Prospal was also an alternate captain in New York, so he brings leadership qualities.

Other than some very minor depth moves, the Blue Jackets are pretty much done. They have the required number of players under contract. The only surprises may be who makes the team after training camp, but the bulk of the roster is set.

It was a good offseason for the Blue Jackets. They got a top flight talent in Jeff Carter. They replaced Kristian Huselius with Vinny Prospal at a very cheap contract. They signed James Wisniewski and Radek Martinek, two solid right handed defensemen. Wisniewski can also provide a good amount of offense. They added Mark Dekanich to backup Steve Mason at a cheaper price than what Mathieu Garon cost.

All in all, the best offseason Scott Howson has had with the Blue Jackets. Last year, they addressed the coaching staff. This year, they addressed the roster. Jackets fans have to be happy with what has gone on this summer and hopeful for the future. Captain Rick Nash should be revitalized playing with someone like Jeff Carter and the rest of the lineup sees the effort that the front office put in to free agency. Carter and Wisniewski weren’t just minor diving board splashes, they were cannonballs from the high dive.

For the rest of the summer, the Blue Jackets will focus on getting Steve Mason right. From reading his Twitter feed (@1Masey), he has been working hard with Ian Clark, the team’s new goaltender coach. They addressed the team in front of him, both offensively and defensively, and now the onus is on him to be better and more consistent.

Plenty to be excited about in Jackets land. Throughout the rest of the offseason, as I have the last month or so, I’ll write a bi-weekly Jackets update as the week-to-week minutia is not all that exciting or earth-shattering, but if something big does come up, I will be sure to put together a front page piece here at TheClevelandFan.com.