Columbus Blue Jackets 2017 Eulogy: Beginning of something special
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins. This could be the start of something special.
NHL fans are mourning the ending of the 2016-17 Columbus Blue Jackets season after their comeback attempt against the Pittsburgh Penguins came to an end in Game 5. Every season, it seems like a team comes out of nowhere to surprise everyone. This season, the Blue Jackets were that team. Fueled by an unforgettable win streak that nearly broke an NHL record, Columbus had their best season in franchise history. They were a resilient bunch, achieving the 100 point milestone for the first time.
It’s rough to lose in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Players and fans put countless energy and time into each other. The Blue Jackets gave the Penguins all they could handle. Had it not been for some awful luck, an injury to rookie sensation Zach Werenski and star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky going cold at the worst possible time, they might have upset them. But such is life in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Hockey can be a cruel sport and the Blue Jackets are a great example of it.
Where do they go from here?
The Columbus Blue Jackets have some work to do this offseason. They’ll likely have to find a way to get rid of some cap space, as they are projected to be $2.9 million under the ceiling going into the offseason (assuming a stagnant cap ceiling of $73 million). That’s not nearly enough to re-sign restricted free agents Joonas Korpisalo, Anton Forsberg, Josh Anderson and Alex Wennberg.
If the Blue Jackets want to use the expansion draft as a way to do this, they will have to be creative. Most likely, the Vegas Golden Knights will draft either Forsberg and Korpisalo. It remains to be seen which strategies the expansion team will use in the draft, but most of them probably include drafting young goalies.
However, the Blue Jackets could bribe the Golden Knights with a draft pick to take someone like Jack Johnson or Scott Hartnell (if he waives his no movement clause) instead. This would give the Blue Jackets a lot more breathing room. With most of their core players signed long-term and plenty of young players in their pipeline, Columbus likely won’t make any huge changes this offseason.
A bright future
Most of their best players are entering the prime of their careers. Cam Atkinson blossomed into a star, providing a career best 35 goals (including nine game winners) and 62 points.10 of their top 12 scorers are under 30 and eight of them are under 25. His playoff failures aside, Bobrovsky is in the prime of his career. He should win his second Vezina Trophy.
Defensively, Columbus has two top pairing defensemen under the age of 23. Jones, received in the Ryan Johansen trade, became their most reliable defenseman. Werenski is only 19 years old with the sky being his limit. He’d be the Calder Trophy winner if it wasn’t for Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine. Werenski has a lot of potential on offense and he improved immensely on defense. Blue line prospects Gabriel Carlsson and Markus Nutivaara appear ready to make the full-time leap into the NHL.
Even if they lose a young goalie, they’ll still have another one. Both Forsberg and Korpisalo have been impressive at times. It should be interesting to monitor their goalie situation moving forward, especially if the Golden Knights don’t pick a Blue Jackets goalie.
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Columbus has only made the postseason three times and have yet to win a series. However, this year’s team could be the start of something special. They’re young and exciting. More importantly, the Blue Jackets have proven they aren’t afraid of anyone and they aren’t going away anytime soon.