Are you beginning to crave hockey?
With the Blue Jackets' season set to begin Oct. 9 in Nashville, the franchise is set to commemorate its 25th anniversary.
There have been more lows than highs in terms of on-ice success throughout many of the previous 24 seasons, but the best might truly be what's ahead for the franchise.
A young core boosted by the likes of Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, and Kirill Marchenko, led by the likes of Zach Werenski, and featuring more offensive skill overall than we've seen prior, the Jackets are hoping to make the 25th year the best one yet.
A two-time All-Star, Werenski was the MVP of last year's team that fell one point short of a playoff spot and will be relied upon to be more of that player again. A player who finished second to Cale Makar in the Norris voting for top overall defenseman and seventh for the Hart for league MVP.
Werenski shined on the national stage, leading all players with six points (all assists) in four games during last February's 4 Nations Face-Off. Then he helped the U.S. win gold in the World Championship for the first time in 92 years with six points (one goal, five assists).
Boone Jenner is the captain of the Blue Jackets, donning the 'C' and leading the team on and off the ice. But as Jenner missed most of last year recovering from shoulder surgery, we saw Werenski not only level up on the ice but also represent the de facto captainship of the team. Among the veteran leaders, you could certainly feel his presence, representing the organization on and off the ice as a respected pillar of the organization and in the community.
After just missing out on the playoffs, head coach Dean Evason and the Blue Jackets will need more of what they got from their offense last season, as well as core players continuing to elevate their game.
The Jackets' offense scored 3.26 goals for per game, eighth in the league and tied with the Maple Leafs. That number, along with its 267 goals, was a franchise record.
There were many big contributors on the offensive side of the puck, and many players set new career scoring highs.
From Werenski's 82 points (23 goals, 59 assists) to Marchenko's personal best 74 points (31 goals, 43 assists), a 32-point increase from 2023-24. Fantilli showed offensive flash in year two, with 54 points (31 goals, 23 assists), and played in all 82 games after his rookie season was cut short by injury. Johnson was back to looking like a top-five draft pick, setting a new scoring high with 57 points (24 goals, 33 assists).
Just as importantly for Evason, if not more, is the defensive side of the puck. Did the team do enough to correct for the number of goals that found their back of the net?
The off-season might not have gone as according to plan for the fan base. Likely, it didn't go quite the way president and general manager Don Waddell would have thought, either. A team that didn't necessarily make the big off-season additions they might have considered, they kept blue line pieces intact, re-signing Dante Fabbro and Ivan Provorov.
Gone are Christian Fischer, Jordan Harris, Jack Johnson, Luke Kunin, Sean Kuraly, Kevin Labanc, Joseph LaBate, Daniil Tarasov, and James van Riemsdyk.
In are Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood via trade, and then the free agent signings of Hudson Fasching, Christian Jaros, and Isac Lundestrom.
Whether this team can feed off last year's surprising run and claim a playoff spot will depend on health, as it always does, but the core players continuing to step up, and what the team can get out of its new goaltending duo with Elvis Merzlikins and primarily Jet Greaves for a full season.
