The Jackets will again be tasked with trying to get out of the basement of the rough and tough Metropolitan Division.
The Jackets will again be tasked with trying to get out of the basement of the rough and tough Metropolitan Division.
For years, I've referred to the Metropolitan Division as the "Metro Meat Grinder", and by the looks of things, the 2023-24 season isn't going to be any different. Some teams have gotten better, while others have not. Some teams have gotten healthy, while others are aging, This season will be a wild one.
But how will it all shake out? We let KEVIN take a stab at it, and here's how it was projected.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Last Year - 25-48-9 (8th in Metro)
Projected: 81-85 points
Keys to the Season
1. Goaltending: Elvis Merzlikins and company need to play well. That isn't negotiable at this point. Whether it's Daniil Tarasov, Jet Greaves, or Spencer Martin, they need to step in and win games. Oh, and they need to stay healthy.
2. The Revamped defense must stay healthy and help protect their goalies: This defense as constructed is heavy on the offensive side of the game, but someone has to play defense. Erik Gudbranson, and guys like Andrew Peeke, and Ivan Provorov should probably be the guys who stay home and play defense. The others can play up and attack on offense. Expect a high number of goals from this defensive corps.
3. Protect Adam Fantilli: Although Fantilli has a bit of bite to his game, his veteran teammates should do what they can to protect him. Other teams will take their runs at him, and he won't back down, but Boone Jenner, Sean Kuraly, Mathieu Olivier, and the new guy, Dmitri Voronkov should all step up. Insulating Fantilli between Jenner and Kuraly would be ideal. New coach Pascal Vincent has his work cut out for him. But this doesn't just pertain to Fantilli, the team should be tougher in general.
Most likely Scenario: The Jackets improve over last year by 20-30 points. Just being healthy should improve this team, let alone the talent that includes Gaudreau, Laine, Werenski, and Fantilli.
Worst-case Scenario: The CBJ doesn't improve even with everyone coming back from injury. The lack of cohesion could play a factor in this worst-case scenario, but after the events from just before training camp, the players are claiming that they've never been closer, and have a tight-knit group.
For the full NHL projections from KEVIN, click here.