Dispatch Blue Jackets beat writer Aaron Portzline answered readers' questions during an hourlong chat today. Here's the transcript:

12:00:21 Rob_(moderator): Hi, Porty. Thanks for getting up early on the West Coast. Ready to roll?

12:01:00 Portzline: Hang on here. Let me get the sand out from between my toes. This glare of sun on the keyboard is really annoying. "Not now, Rimer! We'll play frisbee later!"

12:01:17 Rob_(moderator): Yeah, you're ready.

12:01:18 booya: If the JAckets trade Carter in the next month, can they get close to what they gave up for him?

12:04:14 Portzline: That would appear difficult, especially since Coutourier looks like such a player. I may be in the minority here, but I think the Blue Jackets can get good value in return for Carter. It's going to have to be the right fit. Not just a team that's willing to take his term (10 years) and the money ($5.27, which isn't bad for a guy who can score 40 goals), but it's got to be a team that has plenty of character and wouldn't expect Carter to pick the team up to a higher notch. He's not a lead singer. He's a potentially outstanding back-up singer. If he's the third or fourth or fifth scoring option among your forwards, it makes perfect sense.

12:04:24 jackets4life: Since trading Carter seems all but a done deal what are we looking for in return? A new starting goalie? Any names of future starters we should know?

12:08:45 Portzline: The Blue Jackets know they need to get a goaltender before the start of next season. If they can get one back in the Carter deal, all the better. But that could be tricky. The Kings make sense on a lot of levels. They have a very good goaltending prospect by the name of Jonathan Bernier, who is currently behind a very good goaltender, Jonathan Quick. Could Bernier be had? Perhaps, although the Kings must protect themselves when Quick becomes a UFA, I believe after 2012-13. If the Kings did part with Bernier mid-season, they'd have to get a goaltender back. That would mean Sanford. For a club that has struggled to score, it might make sense. Don't even think about getting Cory Schneider out of Vancouver. It would be easter to get Luongo from the Canucks, I believe.

12:08:50 Bob: Putting aside the stopped clock .. if the puck crossed the goal line with 0.3 seconds (or so) on the clock, why wasn't there an ensuing faceoff?  Not that the CBJ would have scored with that much time left, but it seems odd that the game would be over under those circumstances.

12:11:09 Portzline: Wow, now you're getting technical. Not sure the clock keeper could be that quick with the finger. There's always a few 10ths of seconds that run off the clock at the start of every stoppage of play.

12:11:16 mikeDUBLIN: I think your interview last Friday with McConnell was well done and quite insightful. Its his team, Howson and Priest are his guys and he is happy with them and the jobs they do. He is not happy with the team's performance but in his mind there is no correlation between the two issues. He thinks its more a case of bad luck. If thats the case I give up.

12:15:20 Portzline: That's not what I took away from it, not the latter part, anyway. As far as Priest, McConnell's belief is that he shouldn't be blamed for any part of the on-ice performance, that he simply serves as an in-between for the GM and the owner. As for Howson, he says that Howson did a tremendous job of executing the "plan" last summer, acquiring Carter, Wisniewski and the gang, and that everybody -- fans, media, etc. -- thought the Blue Jackets would be competitive this season. He doesn't fully excuse either of them, but doesn't hold them entirely to blame. There is plenty of weight given to injuries, perhaps too much. But there is genuine consideration being given to making drastic changes. He said as much, and I believe he was telling the truth.

12:15:28 Fail for Nail: Hey AP, thanks for all the great coverage!  Does the NHL keep track of how many goals are given up by teams in the final thirty seconds of periods/games?  I would have to think the CBJ rank pretty high on that list.  It seems like the Jackets have lost a handful of games each of the last few seasons giving up goals in the dying seconds.

12:17:03 Portzline: It's not an official statistics, but the stats freaks at Elias Sports Bureau could probably find that out. Let me be clear here: I say "stat freak" with the highest level of respect possible, as I too am one. I'll send them an email and see if those are numbers they can run. Question: should last night's count against them?

12:17:31 jackets4life: Bob McKenzie made a comparison of Nail Yakupov to Ovechkin today. What say you, is he that good?

12:19:44 Portzline: I don't think he did, but maybe I missed it. I have not heard that comparison from anybody, either. Really, what I hear are people struggling to come up with a way to describe him. Was told this morning that he's exceptionally quick in tight spaces, has phenomenal acceleration. Maybe he's not as quick as Pavel Bure -- nobody is, right? -- but he has a similar 0-25 miles per hour time. A dynamic player, certainly worthy of going No. 1 overall.

12:20:15 Eric: Aside from poor goaltending, if you accept the position that all the injuries have killed this team, then do you accept the position that we shouldn't trade assets who are under contract past this season.  Can Carter, Nash, Brass, Vermette, RJ and about anybody else really be this bad again? 

12:24:27 Portzline: I don't think anybody believes the problems are quite that easy. The goaltending has not been good, but it has not acted alone, either. Tuesday's loss in San Jose was the latest example. Mason was not sharp early in the game. There's no disputing that. But some of the puck decisions the Blue Jackets made in front of Mason were truly baffling. Vermette has lost all sense of how to play in his own zone this season. The level of play, the "buy in", the pride, the commitment ... all of that has to come up before the level of skill even matters. Skill is the paint job; hard work and character are the engine. You're not going anywhere without an engine. The Blue Jackets looked really good this season until they came out of the garage to start the season. That's a failure of team building, pure and simple.

12:24:34 CBJfromPA: If we don't get any takers on Mason could he be waived and just play in Springfield for a few years and see if he has progress?

12:25:22 Portzline: Don't know about a few years. He has one year left on his contract. That is an option, though, yes. If he cleared waivers the Blue Jackets would also have the option of buying out the remaining year on his contact. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

12:25:28 LostFan: With the Jackets picking first or second, do you think they will add an enforcer to protect their investment?

12:29:03 Portzline: Don't know about pure enforcer. They seem content with Boll and Dorsett as their fighters, but clearly they need more guys in other spots in the lineup who are willing to play that role when need be. You can almost see it when the temperature gets turned up: guys look for Boll and Dorsett to do the deed, rather than address the matter by themselves. You had to like what Brassard and Tyutin did the other night in San Jose, at least in some sense. That kind of fire has been too rare.

12:29:11 cfallsfan: i dont know if the carter things has been mention yet.....but is trading him about his character, lack of chemistry with nash, the need for goalie and blueline is so great or all the above?

12:32:37 Portzline: More than anything I think it's about Carter, and it's about the Blue Jackets' failure to properly understand what they were acquiring in him. They needed a guy to come in and help lift the club to another level, and he's not a lifted. He's along for the ride on a good team, a third- or fourth scoring option when the team is rolling along. If you've watched him play this season, it would only be fair to question his level of caring. He's not played hard or well too many nights this season. And no, Nash and Carter have not meshed.

12:32:40 cleesmith2: Why is Mike Priest regularly making comments to the press about the on-ice product if, as JPMac says, he has nothing to do with the on-ice product?

12:34:13 Portzline: Priest would say he's constantly informed on the decisions that are made, but not a part of the process. It's not as if he's entirely distanced, you're right. He's sat in on coach interviews, he's in the coach's office immediately after every game getting the low-down, etc.

12:34:19 AA hockey for NHL $: When you talk to Dorse does he ever appear to be run down by the plague that affects this team? He is consistently one of the couple guys that plays like it does not bother him.

12:35:55 Portzline: I do get that sense, yes. He would never say that, of course. That's part of what makes him who he is. But a guy like that, who leaves it on the ice every night, can't help but be irritated when he sees other guys playing so far below their level. Who would have thought that Dorsett would have more goals (9) through 51 games than Umberger or Vermette. Crazy.

12:36:02 Hitch_wasnt_problem: Maybe we get all the back luck out of the way in this year, but does the NHL really think we are stupid enough to not notice the clock stopped running last night?

12:37:26 Portzline: The NHL has not tried to hide from this, and they had no role in it, either. This was done on-sight by the off-ice officials in Los Angeles. So far, there's no reason to believe the NHL played any role at all. They're investigating it and taking the matter very seriously from what I can tell.

12:37:33 Eric: what is the rest of the hockey world's perspective on the 300 man march on Nationwide last weekend?

12:39:21 Portzline: From what I can tell, the rest of the league is impressed. Some have mocked it, of course. So it goes. But most were intrigued by it. For some it was an eye-opener. For others, mostly people who have covered or attended games in Columbus, it affirmed what they've always believed - that Columbus isn't a bad hockey market, just a market that's had bad hockey.

12:39:29 BabaBooey: Would you trade Leo Welsh for Steven Tyler?

12:39:49 Portzline: Nah. Liv Tyler? Buh bye, Leo.

12:39:53 Eric: How likely is it to bring in a legitimate NHL coach who will be able to command his team?  I would have to think anyone who is anyone in the coaching ranks has to look how dysfunctional this organization has been and they gotta figure that there is a better opportunity out there, even if they have to wait another year.

12:42:21 Portzline: They will attract a lot of coaches, as there are only 30 NHL jobs in the world, right. But you're correct, people are going to be wary of how the organization is run, and they'll have to be convinced it's going to be different. You'll recall that Bob Murray said no to the GMs job before Howson was hired because he wasn't fully comfortable with the situation. Now, all the coaches who have struggled here. The word is out. It's bigger than the coach.

12:42:36 CTownJackets: Would there be a way the Jackets could get two top-5 picks by trading someone like Nash and a nice package? Or do I need to wake up from a pipe dream?

12:43:45 Portzline: I'm not going to guess what the market will bear, but Nash would bring in a huge return, yes. For one thing: how can a team know they're going to have two top-five picks to trade?

12:43:57 Commodore64: Would you be shocked if the rest of the NHL isn't clamoring to get their hands on #61?

12:45:23 Portzline: I wouldn't suspect there's a clamor, no, because there's no reason to believe -- as of today -- that Nash is available in trade. If that becomes known, you'd better believe there will be huge interest. Nash is one of the most respected players in the game.

12:45:36 Zimmy: The Jackets' poor record is due to more than just poor goaltending.  Don't the Jackets need to stop grabbing the Russell/Clitsome/Lebda type defensemen and get someone who can challenge the other team's big forwards?  Is there there anyone who the Jackets could draft early to give them a big upgrade?

12:48:19 Portzline: Defensemen are tricky, and the Blue Jackets have never quite figured out how to build the blue line. For one, it's not easy. The really good ones aren't just lying around to "grab", they're hard to come by and very expensive. But beyond that, the Blue Jackets have never been able to decide if the want size or speed. One year they're getting bigger, the next year they're getting swifter. Out goes Klesla for Lepisto, in comes Nikitin for Russell. What are you? But that can be said all over the ice.

12:48:24 Party Boy Carter: Happy Groundhog Day!  If Howson sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of losses. 

12:49:10 Portzline: That's not a groundhog, dude, it's a giant squirrel. And there are nine weeks left in the season.

12:49:17 CTownJackets: Is the lack of any development from our young players a result of rushing prospects too early or moreso them just not being good enough?

12:50:20 Portzline: It could be both or it could be neither. I'm not sure anybody can say with authority, to be honest. Most likely, in my mind, is that it's cultural. There's not a demand of excellence that motivates with a tinge of fear.

12:50:53 tcm1968: How worried should be be as fans that McConnell, Priest and Howson go into a room and sort of agree that the problem isn't in the room? Do you think McConnell gets that a lot of people are willing to rebuild on the ice but they have to rebuild in the front office first? Just get a sense from all the comments that they needed to do more and it's their fault but it's fixable. Has me worried ownership doesn't get 'it'.

12:53:27 Portzline: It seems lots of people share your opinion, as seen by the gathering last weekend in front of Nationwide. The most important person in the organization right now is probably Craig Patrick, who brings not only a highly successful resume to the proceedings but also an outsider's view. The rest of the guys have organized this franchise for five years now, so it would be difficult if not impossible for them to recognize where it's gone wrong.

12:53:33 Old: Porty: I frankly didn't stay up for either of the late night disappointments. How has Lebda looked in his few first games, and what is the timetable for Nikitin's return (one of the few positives from this season)?

12:54:26 Portzline: Lebda's been fine, in my opinion. They all struggled in San Jose, but he was no worse than the others, that's for sure. Nikitin is not on the trip, but I'm not sure how long he's out. Probably get a better idea when the club returns over the weekend.

12:55:48 Portzline: Hay-ro?

12:56:12 Rob_(moderator): Via email: Does the JAckets getting the All-Star Game effect Howson and Priest's future next season?

12:57:56 Portzline: I wouldn't think so, either way. What it definitely does it help the business office, who now gets a pass for what would have been -- and may still be -- a sharp decline in season tickets. By linking the right to buy All-Star Game tickets to season tickets, they'll likely keep some people who were planning to bolt. In their defense, this is how it's done in each city. Still, it's going to help them sell tickets that wouldn't normally be sold.

12:58:48 Gerschutz: I want to go to the NHL All star skills competition and game. I don't want to buy season tickets if this is the product they are going to stick with in order to get tickets to the all-star game. Whats the best way to go? (I want to watch REAL hockey live)

13:00:06 Portzline: Good luck with that. You can get tickets, but you might have to buy them from a third part go-between. Honestly, I don't buy a lot of tickets to sporting events so I'm not sure how the process works. But tons of tickets are snapped up by sponsors.

13:00:18 Rob_(moderator): Thanks, everyone. We'll do it again next week. That's a wrap.

13:00:19 Portzline: Thanks for the questions. Have great weeks!