The Columbus Blue Jackets are going to miss the playoffs this year for the fourth straight season, tying the longest-consecutive streak in franchise history. Yet again, the team is playing out the string while nursing injuries, looking to unload veteran players, and starting to scout and identify prospects at the top of the draft lottery.
As the Jackets are playing out the string with just over 30 games to go, here’s three things that Blue Jackets fans can look forward to down the stretch.
Accumulation of Assets
The Jackets have a number of options of players who could be available at the trade deadline: Jack Roslovic (UFA this offseason), Adam Boqvist, Jake Bean, and Andrew Peeke (based on the logjam on defense), and Boone Jenner (if the team decides to trade him, the most valuable asset available at the deadline right now). If Jarmo Kekalainen decides to get aggressive and attempts to clear out some of the logjams and/or cash in on his highest-valued asset, the team could set itself for the future in a substantial way. Jenner would undoubtedly bring back a first round pick and then some, the defensemen could bring back picks, and Roslovic should bring in a decent piece as well. The real question is if Kekalainen is willing to admit where the franchise is and is heading. If the front office is realistic about where this team is, they can set themselves up to bolster an already-strong prospects pool even more so.
Line Chemistry for the Future
The Blue Jackets have an ability to play whoever they want together down the stretch – the results don’t matter at the point, given how far out of the playoffs the team is, so the Jackets can (in theory) get their prospects valuable minutes in tough situations. Pre-injury, Adam Fantilli did not take a single faceoff against Connor McDavid when the Jackets played the Oilers. This season doesn’t matter – wouldn’t it be better for players like Fantilli, Marchenko, or Vornkov to take reps against star players in a season that doesn’t matter rather than running Sean Kuraly or Boone Jenner out there repeatedly? The goal of the remainder of the season should be to set yourself up for the 2025-26 season, and it’s up to the coaching staff and front office to recognize that reality and work for it.
Elvis Getting His Groove Back
There’s no sugarcoating this – Elvis has not been consistent enough over the last 18 months. This season he is 10-7-1 with a 3.22 GAA and a .903 SV%. Elvis did earn a shutout, the team’s first in two years, in the game before the break, but allowed 13 goals in the three games prior to that. Elvis is under contract for three more seasons following this one with an AAV of $5.4 million against the cap, meaning his contract is likely untradeable so the Blue Jackets must figure out a way to make this work. Certainly, Elvis has not played behind anything resembling a competent defensive structure or anything resembling an NHL level of defensive consistency. That being said, given his contract status and the commitment the team has made to him, Elvis has to find a way to be league average consistently.
What are you looking to see from the Blue Jackets the rest of the way? Sound off in the comments!