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Five Things to Look Forward to from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018-2019

By Steven Kenworthy

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 19: Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner (38) celebrates with teammate after scoring a goal during game 4 in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on April 19, 2018. The Capitals won 4-1 and tied the series 2-2. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 19: Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner (38) celebrates with teammate after scoring a goal during game 4 in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on April 19, 2018. The Capitals won 4-1 and tied the series 2-2. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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 3. Special Teams Improvement

Columbus Blue Jackets
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 12: Artemi Panarin #9 of the Columbus Blue Jackets celebrates with his teammates after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the Washington Capitals in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Capital One Arena on April 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Finishing 25th and 26th (respectively) in the league at power play and penalty kill is not something you’d expect from a playoff team who had the eventual champs on the ropes. To further that point, I can’t imagine many teams in NHL history performed that poorly on both special units and still managed to amass nearly 100 points.

This forces me to wonder, how good could the Columbus Blue Jackets be if their special teams just hovered near the middle of the league? How many points could the Jackets stack up if they ranked in the top ten?

Related Story. The Blue Jackets Penalty Kill in 2018-2019. light

Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or energy to calculate the algorithms that would suggest potential outcomes. However, it doesn’t feel like a stretch to think that if the PK and PP improve significantly, the CBJ could etch out another five or six wins.

I’m not saying the Jackets would have cracked 110, or won the Metro. You would think though that good (not great even) special teams play might equate to half a dozen wins or losses, whichever way the gate swings. That changes your playoff opponent, your seed, your home ice advantage, etc.

At the risk of sounding like an excuse, I would argue that the Jackets made the playoffs despite their weak special teams. Ironically, you could also say that special teams (the Caps PP specifically) also sealed the team’s ultimate fate.

Now you can see how encouraging it is to think about how much room for growth this young team has. If the power play, or penalty kill, or both play substantially better, that could mean big things for the boys in union blue.

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