The 2022-2023 season did not go well for the Blue Jackets. A rash of injuries and struggles by veteran players led to a second-to-last finish in the regular season standing for the CBJ and no playoffs. However, the Jarmo Kekalainen and the entire front office seem determined to make the playoffs next season.
So, what do the Blue Jackets need to do to become a playoff team next season? Here are five keys to solidifying a playoff berth for the CBJ…
1. Stay healthy…
The Blue Jackets set a franchise-record 563 man games lost to injury. That is a lot of players who missed games due to injury. There were some nights where two-thirds of the regular lineup were out. Some of the top players (Zach Werenski and Patrick Laine) missed most of the season. If the Jackets can stay healthy, that should instantly make the team better.
2. Development of young players…
The Blue Jackets were forced to play a plethora of young players this past season, many of which showed potential. Those players now need to take the next step. Players like Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko need to become solid, top-six forwards. Players like Cole Sillinger and Yegor Chinakhov need to find consistency in their games. There are promising young players who will be rookies this upcoming season (David Jiricek, and possibly the player taken with the 3rd overall pick), who need to have an immediate impact on this team. All the young players need to grow and develop for this franchise to take the next step.
3. Help on defense…
The Jackets struggle to defend this past season. The team averaged 4.01 goals-against per game, totaling 329 goals this past season. To put it lightly, that’s not good. Those numbers must be better and that starts with improvement on the defense. The return of Zach Werenski and Jake Bean will be a big boost. The likely addition of rookie David Jiricek will also help. But the Jackets need to add a quality, top-4 defensemen (or two) in order to really improve the defense. This will likely need to come via a trade.
4. Consistent goaltending…
With the struggles on defense last season, naturally one would expect the goaltending to struggle, which it did. The team goaltenders averaged a 0.891 save percentage and 3.84 goals-against. Again, those numbers are not good. If the defense is improved, the goaltending should also improve. However, it is on Elvis Merzlikins and the backup (whether it be Daniil Tarasov or someone else) to be better. Elvis has shown that he can be a very good goalie in the NHL. However, his game has regressed in recent seasons. Hopefully the new goalie coach will be able to bring out the best in Elvis and help him regain his form.
5. Structure…
A new coach will be hired soon. The new coach needs to lay out a structured system and ensure that all players buy-in to that system. This is one of the trademarks of a quality coach. Last season, at times, it appeared as though many players did not know where they should be on the ice or how the coaching staff wanted them to attack the game. A style of play must be established by the Blue Jackets in order to win hockey games consistently.
This list could go on and on for a while. However, those five items are the most important things that the Blue Jackets must figure out in order to qualify for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Will the Blue Jackets be a Stanley Cup contender next season? Probably (almost certainly) not. The franchise is working toward that goal and is likely a few years away from truly being a Stanley Cup contender. But making the playoffs is the first step. Once you qualify for the playoffs, anything can happen, as evident by the 8th seed Florida Panthers in these 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Can the CBJ make the playoffs next season? Yes, of course they can. Will the CBJ make the playoffs next season? Time will tell. Anything can happen.