"The minor surge in the production of three principal Blue Jackets has in part coincided with a midseason coaching change.

Forwards Rick Nash, Derick Brassard and Antoine Vermette have perked up in recent days, but Nash said it is unclear what impact a potential turnaround might have on a last-place team bracing for more changes.

"It's a really tough situation, and it's tough to set long-term goals because you really don't know what's going on right now," Nash said. "We just want to play as well as we can for the fans, the city, for the organization and for ourselves, as well.""