Columbus Blue Jackets Finalize 23-Man Opening Night Roster
The Columbus Blue Jackets revealed its 23-man roster for the 2017-2018 season opener against the New York Islanders.
After winning the final game of the preseason, Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella revealed that 23 players in total would be available for the October 6 season opener. The team finalized and announced the 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders Tuesday afternoon ahead of the NHL’s roster deadline.
Many of the players selected were expected, but the final few spots on the roster are always a little uncertain due to injuries, front office gut feeling and locker room chemistry.
The Forwards (13)
The guys that will be tasked with scoring the majority of the goals and putting pressure on the opposing netminder are no surprise in nearly every case. Boone Jenner will also get one when he returns from injury.
CENTERS: Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno, Lukas Sedlak and Alexander Wennberg
LEFT WINGS: Matt Calvert, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Markus Hannikainen, Sonny Milano and Artemi Panarin
RIGHT WINGS: Josh Anderson, Cam Atkinson, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Zac Dalpe
Related Story: Boone Jenner's Bounce-Back Year Has Setback
The Blue Liners (8)
The eight defensemen selected is a very strong group. The CBJ’s top four proved last year that it was very talented on both sides of the ice. The bottom four is filled with the young and unproven players, but each are talented and seemingly eager to prove their worth to the front office.
TOP FOUR: Jack Johnson, Seth Jones, David Savard and Zach Werenski
BOTTOM FOUR: Gabriel Carlsson, Scott Harrington, Ryan Murray and Markus Nutivaara
The Goalies (2)
No surprises here. You got the reigning Vezina Trophy winner starting in the net with a young and improved understudy taking the backup spot on the bench.
STARTER: Sergei Bobrovsky
BACKUP: Joonas Korpisalo
AHL, IR and Non-Roster (6)
A few players were sent down the Cleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, in order for the roster to be complete. Tyler Motte, Kole Sherwood and John Ramage were the unlucky trio, but each have a shot at seeing some NHL ice time at points during the season.
Jordan Schroeder was placed on Injured Reserve due to his upper-body injury, something he’s been battling since going down hard in the corner of the rink against the St. Louis Blues on Sept. 20.
Finally, Boone Jenner and Sam Vigneault were placed on the Injured/Non-Roster list. Boone’s return from his back injury is unknown, and Vigneault’s out for about three to five weeks with a broken finger.
Related Story: Sam Vigneault Out 4-6 Weeks
Now that the roster has been revealed, it really feels like hockey season. The Columbus Blue Jackets kick off the season in Nationwide Arena on Friday, October 6 against the visiting New York Islanders.