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So I started playing Final Fantasy 14 again after a like five year hiatus and finally found the perfect name for my chocobo after using a placeholder for a month.

I refuse to let the commercials die. still miss you Nick. :c

(anyway if any of y'all play, feel free to say hi! I'm on Goblin and my main characters are Ari Valentine and Ume Ritsuso.)

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I can't believe it's been a year.

Love you Kivi. You will always be a Blue Jacket and you will always be a Monster.

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Looks like Tex is on leave of absence due to multiple losses of people close to him. I don't even know what to say to that. That's just awful.

I hope he takes all the time he needs to grieve.

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Sobbing

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Voracek keeps losing it every time he looks at the fake ref dancing in increasingly silly ways behind the shoot once net and I have never identified with a professional athlete more.

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Jersey choice tonight is pretty obvious.

It's absolutely crazy to think I was just a kid at his first game 20 years ago and now here I am watching #61 get retired. There've been plenty of Jackets that I've loved since he got traded, but I haven't had a proper Favorite Player(tm) since and that isn't a coincidence.

Rick Nash was just incomparable in my book. He was (and is) the poster boy for balancing competitiveness, skill, and humility.

Thanks for everything, Rick. The memories, the growth of youth hockey, the love and dedication to our community.

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[Image description: a screenshot of a Tweet from Brian Hedger. It reads, "Larsen between reps: “This? It hurts. It hurts your legs, it hurts your lungs and it hurts right here!” Points to his chest. “Losing hurts a lot f****** more! Remember that …”]

I think I would run through a brick wall for Lars.

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Finally got excited about some good news and then we lose Ollie. Talk about emotional whiplash 😭

(Hoping the guys on protocol including Ollie all have a quick and uncomplicated recovery, all kidding aside.)

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I think I’m in love.

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Congrats to Rick Nash on being CBJ's first ever retired number!!

(X)

Also the way they announced it to him was super sweet and I cannot recommend watching the video enough.

Looks like I'm gonna need a new URL though lol. I couldn't be happier!

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Alexandre Texier scores the fourth goal of the game for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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Update: I cried profusely when Boone hugged Kivi's baby sister.

Also wtf is this game haha. Domi's playing like every stop Hutton makes is a personal attack, jesus.

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So I didn't realize Elvis got permission from the league to wear Kivi's jersey tonight, got here for warmups, saw this:

And I'm immediately choked up.

I am probably going to cry profusely!

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... I knew I was gonna need tissues for this Behind The Battle but I didn't know I was going to need them right out of the gate.

Torts 😭

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babe wake up new cbj leadership group just dropped

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First time back in almost two years!! Missed you, NWA!!

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In Case You Missed It: A Jackets/Monsters Summer 2021 Summary

If anything slipped by me, please let me know!

Notable Events, major extensions, injury updates, etc

Brad Larsen was named the eighth head coach in team history. His assistants will be Pascal Vincent and former Monsters player and associate coach Steve McCarthy

Zach Werenski was extended for 6 years at a 9.5 mil AAV price tag, making this the largest contract in team history. He still has one year left on his current deal, so he's under team control for seven more seasons.

Boone Jenner was extended for 4 years at 3.75 mil AAV, exactly what he's making now. He also has one year left on his current deal.

Gus Nyquist says he's fully recovered from shoulder surgery!

Max Domi had a shoulder labrum tear repaired in June and could be out until December at worst. He's back on the ice and puckhandling though, so hopefully rehab is going well!

Nathan Gerbe had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip and will be out four to six months. This is his third hip or groin surgery in three years and second that we know of for a torn hip labrum.

All of our RFAs who were extended qualifying offers have new contracts!

Egor Chinakhov, Stanislav Svozil and Ole Holm all signed their ELCs

The Traverse City prospect tournament is currently ongoing and is being streamed online! Check the Jackets twitter for details.

Departures

Seth Jones (traded to Chicago)

Cam Atkinson (traded to Philly)

Michael Del Zotto (signed with Ottawa)

Kole Sherwood (signed with Ottawa)

Zac Dalpe (signed with Florida)

Gavin Bayreuther (Seattle expansion draft casualty)

Arrived

John Davidson, president of hockey ops. NYR's loss is our gain!

Adam Boqvist (defense, acquired from Chicago in Jones trade)

Jake Bean (defense, acquired from Carolina with draft pick acquired in Jones trade)

Jakub Voracek (right wing, acquired from Philly. spent three years with Columbus from 08-11)

Sean Kuraly (Ufa signing. Forward, previously w/Boston. From Dublin, I say like you won't hear that enough this season lmao)

Gavin Bayreuther (turned right back around and re-signed here lmfao)

Jet Greaves (Monsters only contract. goalie, first pro season! currently playing in the Traverse City prospect tournament! Will likely be backing up Tarasov this year)

Cole Cassels (Monsters-only contract. UFA signing. Son of former Jacket Andrew Cassels and another Dublin boy)

Former Jackets/Monsters Updates

Torts joined ESPN as a studio analyst

Nick Foligno signed with Boston

David Savard signed with Montreal

Riley Nash signed with Winnipeg

Ryan Murray signed with Colorado

Alex Wennberg signed with Seattle

Anthony Duclair signed a three year extension with Florida

Veini Vehvilainen has gone back to Europe

Matt Calvert retired. Congrats to him on an incredible career!

Beloved garbage can Brandon Dubinsky hasn't officially retired but admits he's bought season tickets so it seems pretty safe to say he's done. While I wish h'd been able to go out on his own terms, congrats to Dubi on his own fantastic career!

Rick Nash was promoted to head of player development and hired Mark Letestu and Derek Dorsett as development coaches.

Monsters goalie Brad Thiessen retired, and was pretty much immediately named Cleveland's new goaltending development coach, replacing Jim Corsi. He's actually been functioning as a player-coach for several years, being the team's third goalie while helping to develop our young goalies (in particular Kivi), so this is more or less an extension of that role.