Three Way too Early Columbus Blue Jackets Hot Takes
Sure the season is only three games old, but we’ve learned a lot about the Columbus Blue Jackets.
We are a calendar week into the NHL season and the Columbus Blue Jackets have started out the year 2-1-0. The loss to Carolina is looking better everyday as the Hurricanes continue to dominate the NHL and the win over Colorado settled a lot of nerves.
The Jackets are doing all of this without their top defenseman. Seth Jones is still recovering from a knee injury sustained at the Kraft Hockeyville preseason game in central New York. The defense has rotated in eight different skaters to find the right combination and will continue down that road for the next two weeks.
The team still has an Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky problem. Neither situation has seemed to change as the year has gone on. Both are in the final year of their contract.
But through 182:11 of hockey we have learned a lot about this team and have seen some things that are troubling and some that are encouraging. With that, lets take a look at three way too early hot takes that we have after watching the first three games of the season about the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Josh Anderson Will Score 30 Goals
30 is an insane number but Josh Anderson has started this season looking like he found his fifth gear. Playing on the Jackets best line of the year with Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky, Anderson started the season with two goals in two games.
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In his third game with a new center, Riley Nash, Anderson still impressed and hit two post in the Jackets 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Those easily could have tipped into the back of the night with a slight change in humidity inside Nationwide Arena.
Through three games it seems like Anderson has an extra step as well. He is blazing past people on the right boards in a high gear that we didn’t see too much of last year.
Another big reason why he will get to 30 is because of how he scored his first goal of the season. Anderson is trusted by Coach John Tortorella on both the offensive and defensive end of the ice and is put in at the end of the game as a closer. He will rack up his fair share of empty net goals this season for the Jackets. With more and more coaches getting aggressive and pulling their goalies earlier, it should give Anderson the chance to rack up the easy goals.
Those easy goals look even easier when you compare them to the grinding, dirty, net front goals we expect from Anderson. Sprinkle in a dozen snipes from the right circle, and Anderson will rack up 30 goals this year.
Bobrovksy wins his Third Vezina
Hey Bob, get that tux pressed up. You’re going to need it to accept your third Vezina trophy this year.
The Russian net minder is off to a fine start, nothing incredible, but he is in great shape and has progressively played better through the preseason and through his first two games of the season. Bob, like most goaltenders needs a few games at full speed to get himself in form. Same can be said about the defense. Which is already looking pretty good.
The blueline is looking good and getting better all without a guy named Seth Jones too. Ever heard of him? He is one of the most, if not the most, dominate defenseman in the game today and together with Zach Werenski, they don’t allow very many shots during the course of their 25 plus minutes on the ice.
Besides the top pair, the second pair is looking like a top pair themselves right now. Ryan Murray and Markus Nutivaara are looking like one of the better second pairs in the league. if these two continue their great play from the back half of last year and the first few games of this season, Bob won’t be facing very many tough shots this year.
To top off the reason why Bob will win the Vezina is his contract situation. Sergei is in the final year of his deal and wants to get PAID. Like Carey Price paid.
The only way to do that is come out and dominate the regular season and win a playoff round. Another dominate year in net will lead to more hardware on the shelf for Bob.
Duclair is a Top Line Winger
It really does hurt me to continually say this, but Artemi Panarin will likely be traded by the end of February. Say it to yourself folks, it will help ease the pain when the inevitable day comes.
And when that day does come, someone will need to step into his role as the top line winger. Anthony Duclair is playing his way into that roll. It only took him two games to move up to the second line with his speedy play and excellent playmaking.
When Panarin does get traded the team is likely going to get a top six forward back, but not a top line talent winger. That’s where the former 20 goal scorer Duclair steps in. He has the speed to keep up with PLD and Atkinson and has created a ton of offense already.
Bjorkstrand is another option at this spot but he hasn’t shown much through the first three games. The Jackets are going to place the best offseason signing of the year on the top line, and Duclair will be one of the best bang for his buck in the league by year’s end. Duclair is a top line winger for sure.
Next. Rick Nash would Ease the Pain of losing Panarin. dark
These takes are sure to look like trash in a week so be sure to let me know why I’m out of my mind. Hit us up in the comment section or on Twitter @UnionAndBlue.