It will be tough for this team to move up in the Metro, but there’s definitely some strong depth here.
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39 Comments
I love the precision vs saying just barely under 4m you take to the exact dollar
81 points wasn't really considered dissapointing, given they were retooling. It was actually alot better than expected
What Hurts the jackets is their division is very tough. That being said they should be close to 500 this year
Forgot to add Dmitri Voronkov. He’ll probably start in Cleveland like Marchenko did but expect him to be full-time by a quarter into the season
If they stay healthy and play like they care, I fully expect the Blue Jackets to be a much better team next season. If they don't make the playoffs next season, it will be a huge disappointment imho.
As for Elvis Merzlikins, I have 0% trust in him whatsoever as a legit goaltender. Honestly, I want Elvis to leave the building already. I really hope that Columbus will at least try to trade for someone like Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck because I'd see him as the missing puzzle piece for Columbus.
Blue Jackets are my new least favorite team. Other than the oilers
🍻 new beginnings 🍾
People don't understand how much better their lineup is now (barring major injuries) and how abysmal their coaching was last season. The expectation should be a wild card spot, nothing less.
They are to weak at center position. I don't see them in playoffs
They might need to trade some of those D-men for a goalie
Maybe Niklas Bäckström can get something more out of Elvis?
If Gaudreau regresses any further than we know lindholm and tkachuk carried his growth
You forgot our best goaltender – – – YOU FORGOT JONATHON QUICK!!!!
Still makes me mad knowing we lost Laine 😭
I actually like their squad but gonna be hard in the East to move above a lot of teams.. Goaltending probably a concern
Excited and cautiously optimistic as a Jackets fan! Babcock has a very short leash…so we’ll see how he mixes in and if he’s changed. Voronkov in, Tex/Z back, Fantilli with KJ and Marchy and the new guys on D should be neat too. Year 2 of the Johnny Hockey era should be a fun one!
Dmitri Voronkov is a must add into the lineup. The Bemstrom experiment is over. I’ll also say Chinakhov was one of Columbus’ better players early on in the season when he wasn’t hurt.
I’m rooting for Werenski and Fantilli, would be nice to see Colombus enjoy some success with their Michigan guys
As a die hard fan of the Jackets and a full season ticket holder for many years, I believe the Jackets will be greatly improved this year, but I'd stop short of calling this a playoff team. They finished with 59 points this past season and Florida took the final playoff spot with 92 points. A 33 point gap is too much to make up in one year. They had so many injuries last year the regulars never really got a chance to play together. Once we see how the new additions, plus the holdovers from last year play together we'll have a better idea of just how much the Jackets have improved. One thing's for sure, they will improve because they can't possibly be any worse. If Adam Fantilli is the consolation prize for the miserable season they just had, I will definitely take it.
I heard Steve Yzerman say in an interview that it takes 7 years to completely rebuild a team and do it right. It Jarmo can do it in 4. then he's surely one of the best GM's in the NHL.
34.23 million for Gaudreau, Laine, Severson and Werenski is brutal if they played 82 games, counting the multiple injuries in … thats 1 hell of a pay me to play here tax.
Also, i think this we gotta pay our best players even if they aren’t among the best in the league phenomenon can slow if not completely stop a team’s rebuild in its tracks (Severson, Werenski in mind).
Good luck to the Jackets
I'm not so sure if it's the right step for Fantilli to go straight to the NHL. He didn't look great when playing with men in the world champs, and that was against AHL level opposition.
As for the Jackets, probably 3rd or 4th from the bottom in the east.
I'm optimistic this year. I was pessimistic last year, although I gave in to the hype after the team signed Johnny. The team has lots of guys returning from injury, Texier returning, the young guys a year older, and a beefed up blue line. And it was a really good year to have a Top 3 draft pick. Not to mention the new head coach and the new goaltending coach. I think Elvis will bounce back, and I think the team will survive a sophomore slump by either Johnson or Marchenko. The team will be better, probably a lot better.
Very exciting year for the Jackets. Not really playoffs or busy, but a much better and competitive season is expected. Could easily be a playoff team if the guys all play up to their ability
Line one : johnny, kj, and Marchy. Line 2 Boone (at wing), fantilli, and Laine. Line 3 texier, voronkov, roslovic. Line 4 Robinson, kuraly, sillinger/ bemstrom.
Voronkov should be effective right away, big and strong. Defense is revamped, as long as goalies play decently they should be competitive going into the spring at rhe least.
Gaudreau escapes Sutter only to be coached by Babs
I think he was looking at CBJ as pasture, but who knows what that coaching change might do.
I’d still love to see a trade for Lindholm like Roslivic, chinakov, bean/boqvist and a few picks. Center line of Boone, fantilli, lindholm and kuraly gives me goosebumps
I really like what the jackets have done and I think they can be a wild card
Yeah don’t sleep on Voronkov. He likely plays well as the third line center.
Johan Franzen probably hopes the Blue Jackets lose every game lol.
If they are .500 or better by December 1, I will watch. I love ny hometown Jackets but last year was unwatchable and I dont like the Babcock hire at all, but we will see if it works.
Columbus could have added nobody and they are a playoff team with Babcock as long as Elvis is better. They were legit the worst coached team I've ever seen in the NHL (and maybe in the minors either). They just all ran around.
Merzlikins got the bag and turned into an AHL goalie.
I see a lot of question marks. If they all go positive, every one of them, then the Jackets will make the playoffs with room to spare. If some of the question marks don't work out, then the Jackets will not make the playoffs. If too many of the theoretical question marks fail to work out, then the Jackets will be at the bottom, once again. I don't know how much Werenski has left. He's been beaten up pretty well over his few years in the league. If they cannot find anything but a low-level goaltender, kiss the playoffs goodbye. If Gaudreau can't find team chemistry for whatever reason, no playoffs. If Sillinger is, in reality, a minor leaguer, probably no playoffs. If Laine has, for whatever reason, a mediocre season, no playoffs. That's five question marks I can think of right off the top of my head.
Watch for josh dunne, he will turn heads for cbj
This roster isn't bad, if Werenski were to, by some black magic, play a full season, and Elvis were to bounce back to around a .905% this team should be a good playoff contender on paper, my issue is with Mike Babcock, I have 0 faith that he knows how to use Severson or Provy correctly, he'll drive Severson into the ground like what the Canucks did to Garth Butcher, that contract will look even more brutal then it already is in a years time.
Metro will be a beast again this season (besides Philly)
Voronkov will be a huge add
I have a feeling that Laine bounces back big time this coming season. But the injuries do worry me.
If Merzlikins can bounce back and the rest of the team can stay healthy I think they can contend for a playoff spot