By all accounts, this upcoming season the Blue Jackets will be looking to make their first postseason appearance in three years. They took a huge step toward that goal when they not only signed all-star Johnny Gaudreau, but also his running mate, defenseman Erik Gudbranson. However, there are still a few things that need to happen in order for Columbus to continue playing into late April.
Chief amongst these things would be the need to step up on defense. The Blue Jackets blue line is full of offensive talent but is lacking on their own end of the ice. Two of the players that embody this persona are Adam Boqvist and Jake Bean. This brings us to the next item on the Jackets' to-do list: the young guns need to step up and at least begin to fulfill their potential in order for the team to achieve its goals.
Defensemen
As previously stated, improving this defense is likely the most important item on the agenda for this young team's improvement. These youthful blue liners will need to get better if Columbus wants a legitimate shot at postseason contention.
- Adam Boqvist - Boqvist is a fascinating player, as he is one of the best offensive defensemen in the game. That might sound funny to say considering he is such a low-profile player, but it is true nonetheless. His goals per 60 minutes led all defenders last season; he posted a better mark than even Cale Makar and Roman Josi. If he continues on this trajectory next season he will be approaching elite offensive status, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired. He gets pushed around in front of the net and loses track of opposing forwards in the defensive zone quite often. He will need to step it up on the blue line and turn into somewhat of a two-way defenseman if he is going to help his club make a run at the playoffs.
Adam Boqvist, signed 3x$2.6M by CBJ, is a young offensive defenseman who likes to carry the puck in and score off the rush and can pass the puck well in the offensive zone. Poor defensively and prone to turnovers. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/UyONCE89pd
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 6, 2022
- Jake Bean - He is a lot like Boqvist, only he is not as prolific offensively and plays even poorer defense than his fellow blue liner. Bean may very well be playing for his life in a Blue Jacket sweater. This is definitely a make-or-break season for him. Truth be told not many analysts or fans have a lot of hope for him, but they may or may not be judging too quickly. Either way, we should know even more by the end of the upcoming season.
- Nick Blankenburg - Can the undersized defender prove to us that what we saw at the end of last year wasn't a fluke? Can he use the offseason to hone his craft even more and become a solid second or third-line NHL defenseman for years to come? Blankenburg has only played in seven games for the Blue Jackets, but that was enough to become a fan favorite of many members of the fifth line. In his seven games, he posted three points, twelve blocks, and 19 hits. At 5-9 175 lbs. he is far from physically imposing, but he was unafraid to mix it up with players much larger than himself. He will look to use that fearlessness and physicality as well as extra skills he picked up in the offseason to contribute to a turnaround for the Jackets' defense.
Forwards
Last season's goal-scoring record was an encouraging step, but there is still room for improvement with this offense
- Patrik Laine - It might be a surprise to see Laine on this list, but even with his status as a star, there is still plenty of room for growth. With the addition of Gaudreau, now is the time to consistently show what he is capable of. 2021-22 was his first season averaging a point or more per game. We need to see more of that going forward, and we need to see more 40+ goal seasons. He also needs to get back to playing 82-game full seasons as he did in two of his first three years in the league.
- Jack Roslovic - Roslovic is fresh off of a 2x4 contract extension, signaling that the team has confidence in him, though many in the fifth line would like to give up on him. Roslovic's first half of last season was pretty rough. On the offensive end, he had seven goals and 18 points, and defensively he was shaky enough for the coaching staff to cut him down to an ATOI of 12:16. He turned this around in the second half of the year with 28 total points, 15 of which came from goals. His two-way play improved tremendously as well, which led to him seeing an uptick in his minutes to the tune of 16:19 per game. Coach Larsen asserted that Roslivic's increase in offensive production was aided by his better play in the defensive zone. In any case, his increased ice time provided him with more opportunities to put the puck in the net.
- Alexandre Texier - The French forward is an interesting case as he is in danger of finding himself in no-mans-land if he doesn't progress further. He could end up as someone who is not quite skilled enough to be a top-six forward while also not being gritty enough and not doing enough of the little things to be much of an asset as a bottom-six forward. Of course, if he continues in his growth, he could avoid that predicament entirely and cement himself as a key piece and top-six forward.
- Kent Johnson - The star forward out of the University of Michigan was drafted because it was believed that he could produce points at an elite level that not many others can. After a lackluster nine-game NHL intro in which he took a back seat to his former college teammate, Blankenburg, as well as a couple of largely forgettable performances at the WJCs, Johnson finally turned in a stellar performance. He had a goal and an assist in team Canada's 5-1 victory over Czechia, and his goal was an eye-popper as he pulled off "the Michigan".
Kent Johnson puts Canada up late in the first with the Michigan! #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/CaS79vMuc8
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 13, 2022
- Cole Sillinger - Sillinger was the youngest player in the NHL last year as an 18-year-old center. He had a solid first year, especially for being a teenager. He is developing nicely into a two-way center and needs to take it to the next level this season. If he can score over 40 points and continue to develop his toughness, defensive acumen, and cerebral play, he will be making a solid case to become the Blue Jackets' 1C of the future.
- Yegor Chinakhov - Yet another rookie that saw significant playing time for Columbus last season, Chinakhov made an impact as an all-around forward who showed bursts of offensive talent. He needs to find a more consistent groove in his sophomore season as he looks to catch on as an integral part of an eventual contender.
