WHERE DO THE BLUE JACKETS GO FROM HERE?

Columbus, OH

A large majority of the roster will be returning for the Blue Jackets next year, with the only major change coming in net with the veteran Darcy Kuemper moving on in free agency and being replaced by the young, up and coming starter, Pyotr Kochetkov. There will be some shuffling of the lines from Coach Todd McLellan, with Vincent Trocheck likely centering the top line. Trocheck was acquired previous to the start of last season in a big trade with the New York Islanders which saw the Blue Jackets shipping out a good amount of quality assets to not only acquire the center, but also to get some much needed salary retention to help keep the cap number as low as possible. The Blue Jackets shipped out their 2024 1st round draft choice (24th overall) along with a 2023 2nd round pick, former 2nd round draft choice Sam Colangelo, former 3rd round draft pick Dmitry Kuzmin, and Mitchell Stephens, in a lopsided 5-1 asset trade. Colangelo went on to have a fantastic college season scoring 24 goals in 28 games while posting 43 total points. He also signed his pro contract and even saw a few games in the NHL, though he spent more time in the AHL where he produced at a point per game. Kuzmin also went on to sign his entry level deal after finishing his time in the OHL, and split games between the AHL and ECHL this year.

With Trocheck centering the top line, the coach will need to decide who will flank the star center, who owns one of the best faceoff ratings in the league. The coach could choose to keep the duo of Andrei Svechnikov and Tage Thompson together, or he could explore a different combination with Frank Vatrano coming off a very successful goal scoring season, and Brandon Hagel who also produced well this year. Mika Zibanejad, this past year's top line center, is likely to see the bulk of his duty come on the second line and second power-play unit. With a mix of skill and grit, Coach McLellan will have plenty of combinations available at his disposal to shift players between the top two lines to see what works best for his squad. 

The bottom 6 will remain largely the same from last year, with the exception of Matty Beniers, who may find himself as the team's 13th forward this season after having a sophomore slump in the NHL. Philip Kurashev who is coming off a breakout campaign will be his likely replacement skating alongside Casey Mittlestadt and Evan Rodrigues. And the fourth line with remain in-tact with the return of the Nicks. Nick Paul, Nic Dowd, and Nick Bjugstad who can all play center or wing and kill penalties will likely shuffle positions on the bottom line, with Dowd likely starting down the middle. Coach McLellan also mentioned he might shake things up this year looking to get a good mix of scoring, passing, along with a physical presence on each line. With that in mind it's possible we could see one or two of the players slated for the fourth line playing up in the lineup to help bring some checking to an otherwise all skill focused line. 

On the backend, the reigning Norris Trophy winner will look to repeat is impressive breakout season. Quinn Hughes led the league in assists last year, and will look to bring more of a goal scoring touch to this coming season's campaign. With only a single goal in the entire 82 game schedule last season, that shouldn't be hard to eclipse. Alongside Quinn will be his trusted partner of Alex Pietrangelo. The duo has paired well together with Pietrangelo adding a strong defensive presence to the pairing who can also chip in at the offensive end of the ice. The coach has options as to who will lineup behind the top pairing as Columbus boasts a strong defensive core with multiple players who would likely see top pairing minutes for other squads. With the trio of Hampus Lindholm, Jonas Brodin, and Dylan Demelo, the Jackets have an embarassment of riches on the defensive side of the puck. Past those players there is a steep drop off though, as Jake Bean or Colin Miller will be battling it out for the final spot in the starting lineup. Both pro-level and capable defenders, Bean has the inside track as the younger of the two defenders and will likely start alongside the odd man out from the second pairing. 

And finally to the afformentioned largest change coming to the group this year, the goaltending. Pyotr Kochetkov spent his first full professional season in the minors last year playing for the Blue Jacket's AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. Though he only has one full season of pro hockey under his belt the Jackets are ready to had the reigns to the young netminder. With continuity in the team's backup in Casey DeSmith, the Jackets are confident the duo will not only lead them back to the playoffs, but if the young starter can repeat his success from the AHL this past season, they should have a good shot at making a deep run for the Cup. Kocketkov put up stellar numbers with a .945 SV% and a 1.68 GAA which not only put him in contention for the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL's top goalie, but it was good enough to take home the Dudley "Red" Garret Award as the league's top rookie. 

With the lineup unlikely to change between now and the start of the regular season, Columbus is ensuring their players are having a productive and restful offseason. They will make sure the team is ready to go next season as they set their eyes on their first Metropolitan Division win, and what they hope to be another shot at Lord Stanley's Cup.