How much could the Blue Jackets improve this season?

Will a healthy roster and players performing well push the team into the playoffs?

The 2022-23 edition of the Columbus Blue Jackets saw them ice 46 different skaters and six goalies, that’s not a recipe for success. In fact, it was so bad at one point, the team would’ve been disallowed from competing in an exhibition game per NHL rules.

The Blue Jackets lost 545 games due to injury, and yet somehow that wasn’t tops in the league. Jake Voracek only played in 11 games, Zach Werenski in 13, Justin Danforth in 6, Jake Bean in 14, and Daniil Tarasov in 17. Countless other players only played less than half the season, surely that will be better this season, right? According to @NHLInjuryViz on X, the CBJ lost 545-man games, second behind the Montreal Canadiens. The Cap hit of the injured players was also second at $25.84m. The average minutes of the injured players was 116:58, third in the league. There’s no way a team can have back-to-back bad luck injury years, right? Simply having a healthy roster could add many more points to the final standings, but how many?

The goalie situation in Columbus last season was not good. No Blue Jacket goalie had a winning record, the closest being Joonas Korpisalo who went 11-11-3. Korpisalo also led the team in GAA and save %. Korpisalo was later traded to the Los Angeles Kings and then signed with the Ottawa Senators in the off-season.

Daniil Tarasov was supposed to play last season in Cleveland and get in approximately 55-60 games. But with injuries to Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo, he was forced to play in Columbus and only played in 28 total games between Columbus and Cleveland. This next season, the goalie tandem will be Merzlikins and Tarasov unless something bad happens. Tarasov will need waivers to go down to Cleveland and it’s doubtful Jarmo chances him being claimed. PTO signing Aaron Dell very well could be the third goalie in the organization, being that guy who comes up and plays in case there is a need. Surely there’s no way the goalies play as badly as they did last season, right? Good goalie play could add at least another 10 wins. But they must play well for that to happen, this is no secret.

The CBJ front office revamped the blue line when they went out and got Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson. That, coupled with the fact that Zach Werenski, Jake Bean and Adam Boqvist are all coming back healthy should be a huge shot in the arm for the team. Werenski, Bean, and Boqvist are all very offensive-minded, and if the three play in all 82 games, we easily see 40 to 50 goals and 50 assists. Having the defense play like they’re expected to, while chipping in offensively could add another few wins as well.

The Jackets had 59 points last season which led to an unintentional tank, resulting in the third pick, but this next season they will be expected to be much better. But can they be "make the playoffs" better? That would most likely require 40 to 45 more points in the standings. Is this possible with this roster? They Have Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine, and Boone Jenner to pour in goals, with young players like Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, and Adam Fantilli to do the same. Bottom 6 scoring will be extra important if they want to move up in the standings and that includes guys like Eric Robinson, Jack Roslovic, Yegor Chinakhov, and Sean Kuraly needing to step up.

Are the playoffs an option this season? With teams like the Flyers, Islanders, and Capitals all expected to be in the bottom 4 of the Metro, the Jackets could finish as high as 5^th, maybe even 4^th if the Penguins decide to take a step back. The difference between 3^rd and 4^th in the Metro last season was 14 points, with the difference between 4^th and 5^th being two points.

Do they have enough as constructed to make it into the postseason? 

Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line