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Columbus Blue Jackets: Union and Blue’s 2017-18 Season Predictions

By Preston Byers

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 18: Jack Johnson #7 of the Columbus Blue Jackets is spot lit while being introduced to the crowd in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 18, 2017 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 18: Jack Johnson #7 of the Columbus Blue Jackets is spot lit while being introduced to the crowd in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 18, 2017 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
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The Columbus Blue Jackets begin the 2017-18 season on tonight when they take on the New York Islanders at Nationwide Arena. This marks the start of one of the most important seasons in franchise history.

After setting a franchise record of 108 points and reaching the 50-win mark for the first time, the Columbus Blue Jackets had high expectations entering the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, they were thwarted by their rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in just five games.

Rather than making excuses on why the team fell flat at the end, the front office went out and completed the biggest trade of the offseason, acquiring Artemi Panarin and Tyler Motte for Brandon Saad and Anton Forsberg. Panarin, the 2016 Calder Trophy winner, is an incredible scoring threat that was much needed in the latter parts of last season.

On top of the trade, the Blue Jackets signed Alexander Wennberg and (eventually) Josh Anderson to multiyear contracts. Both players are young pieces that can definitely help keep the franchise near the top of the NHL.

With these changes and the additions of young players such as Pierre-Luc Dubois and Sonny Milano, a lot of questions will need to be answered in terms of chemistry. But once everything is sorted out, how will the CBJ fare? Our Union and Blue writers predicts the end-of-season points and record for our Columbus Blue Jackets.

Predictions: Top 5 Goal Scorers for the CBJ

William Espy

“I think it’s fair to assume the Jackets will take a minor step back this season, but not too far back. They’ll still put up a good amount of points and make the playoffs, however not having a 16-game win streak will mean that they’ll have to be more consistent throughout the entire season. Expect them to be back in the President’s Trophy race in a couple years, but not this year.”

RECORD: 47-25-10

POINTS: 104

Michael Mallory

“I think the Blue Jackets have a great defensive group and have improved offensively. I believe that the team improved greatly and the record will show it. I’ll take the Jackets to win the Metro and be either the first or second seed in the Eastern Conference.”

RECORD: 52-21-9

POINTS: 113

Tony Mazziotti

“I think they’ll win a few less games this season, but still be better overall. Bobrovsky will be great again, but I can see them trying to work in Korpisalo a little more, making a few games a little harder to win. The Metro is looking pretty good this year, but I think the Jackets can do some damage as long as they play their game. Other teams will likely recognize the Jackets more this year and step their game up, which will have an effect. Still, this group has what it takes to be the best CBJ team ever.”

RECORD: 45-24-13

POINTS: 103

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As you can see, none of our writers believe that the Jackets will regress so much that they’ll fall below 100 points. With the competitiveness of the Metropolitan Division, it will be an extremely tough task to reach triple digits again. But with the Panarin scoring punch and the experience that Werenski, Bjorkstrand and more gained last year, it’s entirely possible and reasonable to expect that the Columbus Blue Jackets exceed 100 points in 2017-18.

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