Union and Blue
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Union and Blue Roundtable: Columbus Blue Jackets Strength and Weaknesses

By Lansing Murphy

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 5: Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins makes a save against Josh Anderson #77 of the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period on April 5, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 5: Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins makes a save against Josh Anderson #77 of the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period on April 5, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
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Columbus Blue Jackets
BUFFALO, NY – NOVEMBER 20: Columbus Blue Jackets Left Wing Sonny Milano (22) looks to pass as Buffalo Sabres Defenseman Nathan Beaulieu (82) defends and Columbus Blue Jackets Right Wing Markus Hannikainen (37) looks on during the Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres NHL game on November 20, 2017, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

What about this Jackets team should scare opposing teams the most?

SK: The scariest thing about this Jackets team is the threat of scoring from all four CBJ lines. This is a first in Jackets history.

If Milano, Nash and Duclair can muster up some chemistry and give opponents fits on the fourth line, the CBJ could wear a lot of teams down with a constant, consistent offensive threat.

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What is the biggest weakness of this Jackets team?

SK: It feels good to be nitpicking here when there have been years past when the options here could have been endless. That being said, if Joonas doesn’t improve this year, the Jackets are without a reliable backup.

Sergei Bobrovsky is a regular season monster, but you can’t play him 82 games and you an never rule out injury. Korpisalo’s numbers have dropped ever since his debut season for the CBJ and I’d like to see him show that his best days are not already past.

Who will lead this team in scoring this year? 

SK: If he’s with Columbus all year, it’s impossible for me to pick against the Bread Man. Panarin broke a franchise record last year with a slow start and a rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois who’s only poised to get better.

I’ve seen people calling for Panarin to drop 100 points this season. I don’t know that I’m ready to go that far, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he cracked 90.

What is your bold prediction for this season?

SK: My bold prediction for this season is that the Blue Jackets power play would jump into top five in the NHL. Sure I’m a lot more comfortable saying top 10, but that’s not so bold.

You have to consider too that the Jackets had the league’s worst power play for more than a couple month’s last year. After finishing 26th overall in 17-18, I think they can jump more than 20 spots. If the special teams unit can keep the momentum they showed down the stretch of 2018 and into this preseason – it’s doable.

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