Five Columbus Blue Jackets Ready to Shine in 2019

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 23: Oliver Bjorkstrand #28 of the Columbus Blue Jackets celebrates his goal against the New Jersey Devils at 5:31 of the first period at the Prudential Center on December 23, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 23: Oliver Bjorkstrand #28 of the Columbus Blue Jackets celebrates his goal against the New Jersey Devils at 5:31 of the first period at the Prudential Center on December 23, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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Columbus Blue Jackets
COLUMBUS, OH – OCTOBER 30: Oliver Bjorkstrand #28 of the Columbus Blue Jackets skates against the Detroit Red Wings on October 30, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)

Oliver Bjorkstrand

Oliver Bjorkstrand’s sophomore season hasn’t exactly started the way he, or the Columbus Blue Jackets would have liked. He started the year slowly with only five points in his first 22 games of th year. On top of his lack of scoring, he was a defensive liability and that ugly combination led to a series of healthy scratches.

But Bjork has scored six point in his last 11 games and seems to have turned a page. He has clearly elevated his play and has had his best performance in the month of December.

Although he is still a ways off from matching his half point per game production from last year, you can see that Bjorkstrand is close. He is starting to become the consistent scoring winger that the Jackets thought they had after his rookie performance.

In 2019 we will see that Bjorkstrand. He will come out and finish the 2018-2019 season with at least 40 points for back-to-back 40 point seasons before he turns 24.

With the Jackets looking like they are losing a top line scoring winger this offseason, surging Bjorkstrand should come into the 2019-2020 season with an opportunity to become a top line winger for the Jackets.