Blue Jackets at a glance
	Camp schedule: Sept. 11: CoreComm Ice Haus (Columbus, Ohio) Coach: Dave King (2nd season, 28-39-9-6) General manager: Doug MacLean (2nd season)

General manager Doug MacLean put together an intriguing mix of veterans and youth for the Blue Jackets' first season, then resisted the temptation to trade off goalie Ron Tugnutt or center Geoff Sanderson at the deadline. They did unload Steve Heinze to the Sabres, but then signed journeyman Mike Sillinger in the offseason.

The Blue Jackets again will outpoint the Wild, but the bigger issue is whether Columbus and Minnesota don't get into one of those impatient modes that ruined the long-range futures of previous expansion franchises.

In net: Unless they unload Tugnutt, the Blue Jackets are pretty well set here. Tugnutt has the sort of resilient personality that helps in this situation, and anyone who gives up on Marc Denis as a big-time prospect is off-base. The one-time Colorado backup handled the situation well last season, especially when he seemed to draw the tougher assignments than Tugnutt.

For the defense: The Blue Jackets did the wise thing last season, returning prospect defenseman Rotislav Klesla to Brampton of the OHL early in the season and allowing him to get more seasoning. He had another good year in major junior, and Columbus is counting on Klesla to step into a decent defensive corps that includes Jamie Pushor and Lyle Odelein. He might even be given the opportunity to play the point. Odelein needs to refrain from acting as if he's the defender of the free world, though, or he won't make it through the season.

The market: Columbus wasn't quite the box-office success that Minnesota was in the first season, but the Blue Jackets drew well and did significant business in the offseason. This isn't a "natural" hockey territory, but it was a wise choice for the NHL. The honeymoon won't last forever, but the excitement should carry the Jackets through a few seasons before impatience hits -- and tests the building process.

Blue Jackets 2001-02 preseason schedule
Date	Opponent	Time
Sun., Sept. 16	Nashville	Canceled*
Tue., Sept. 18	Nashville	7 p.m.
Wed., Sept. 19	vs. Tampa Bay at War Memorial at Oncenter, Syracuse, N.Y.	7:30 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 21	vs. Nashville at Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala.	8 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 22	at Buffalo	6 p.m.
Tue., Sept. 25	Buffalo	7 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 29	at Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 30	Pittsburgh	5 p.m.
*Rescheduled for Sept. 18