As part of the 32-for-32 series, NHL.com’s poolers team identifies some players for the Columbus Blue Jackets to target.
32 IN 32 BLUE JACKETS: Team preview | Three issues to watch | The five best hopes
Players are ranked by their value in a pool this season. The point projections presented here are approximate and do not necessarily reflect a player’s full potential in a hockey pool.
Johnny Gaudreau, LW – Gaudreau had just under one point per game (74 in 80 games) in his first season with the Blue Jackets, despite Columbus finishing 30th in the NHL in goals per game (2.60) last season. In 2021-22, he ranked second in the NHL in points (115) with the Calgary Flames.
Projection : 83 points
Patrik Laine, LW/RW – Laine was a season-ending star in 2022-23 with 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in his last 16 games before his season ended with a triceps injury. Laine has nearly a point per game (108 in 111 games) with Columbus over the past two seasons, and he could score 35-40 goals (personal mark of 44 with the Winnipeg Jets in 2017-18) with a line with Gaudreau and/or rookie center Adam Fantilli (third pick in the 2023 draft).
Projection : 67 points
Boone Jenner, C – Jenner scored 26 goals in 68 games last season, his second best single-season performance (30 in 2015-16). Jenner scored seven of his 26 power-play goals last season, despite the Blue Jackets posting an 18.6 percent power-play success rate (26th in the NHL).
Projection : 59 points
Zach Werenski, D – Werenski had his season ended in November with a shoulder injury, but he should be ready for training camp and able to return to his regular position with the first defensive pair and the first wave of the power play. Werenski ranked 14th among all NHL defensemen in points per game (0.71; 48 in 68 games) in 2021-22, and will have more reinforcements on the blue line following the acquisitions of Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov during the offseason.
Projection : 58 points
Kent Johnson, L/R — Johnson ranked fifth among all NHL rookies in points (40 in 79 games) last season, despite playing just 14:31 on average per game. He will have the opportunity to take on a bigger role under new coach Mike Babcock and could play on a line with Fantilli (another University of Michigan alumnus) if the latter makes the jump to the NHL this season. The youngsters forming the core of the Blue Jackets – Johnson, Fantilli, winger Kirill Marchenko (21 goals in 59 games last season) and defenseman David Jiricek (sixth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft) – should be prioritized in long-term pools.
Projection : 55 points
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Other Blue Jackets players to consider in the pools: Kirill Marchenko, RW; Adam Fantilli, C; Damon Severson, D; Elvis Merzlikins, G; Ivan Provorov, D; David Jiricek, D.
2023-08-08 23:29:22
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