Today we’ll take our first crack at guessing the opening night roster for the Columbus Blue Jackets. This is a way too early look at how the team might be assembled – in fact, we expect moves to be made to clear up some of the logjams before training camp even starts.
There’s a lot of debate about where people might fit in, some of which includes leaving viable NHL players off the roster. While that may ultimately be the case, as a self-proclaimed prospects guru, the one thing I’m always quick to point out: until young players prove themselves ready, they are still just prospects. For that reason, proven NHL players cannot be written off before training camp even begins.
Now, with that said, there are some exceptions to the rule. I think Adam Fantilli is absolutely ready to step right into the NHL, and in a prime role. He has the size, strength, skill, and maturity to do so – the only question I have here is, how much does new head coach Mike Babcock try to shield him as he makes the adjustment?
I also think we have to point out the fact that this team had the second worst record in the NHL last season, so, some guys who played here should be concerned. Part of that was due to injuries, and all of those guys who hit the LTIR will be back this fall, which will take away ice time for some of those players. And, it’s also worth noting that some of the players on last year’s team might have proven themselves to have lower value than we might have originally perceived.
The other thing we have to take into account here is each player’s contract status. For this reason, and for the sudden wealth of depth that the team has in certain areas; a prospect has to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s ready to play in the NHL full-time. This would make a veteran player expendable, and there are two things to keep in mind here. First, the Jackets aren’t going to lose valuable pieces for nothing; so it would probably prompt a trade. And second, if the team makes that trade, they have to be 100% sure that it’s not going to gut this team in the case of injuries. They’ll want to keep some depth around, so again, this is not as easy as it may seem if you’re playing EA Sports’ NHL Franchise Mode.
With all of that in mind, here’s my prediction for the 23-man opening night roster, as of July 27th:
Line 1: Gaudreau – Jenner – Marchenko
Line 2: Johnson – Roslovic – Laine
Line 3: Texier – Fantilli – Chinakhov
Line 4: Robinson – Kuraly – Danforth
Extras: Voronkov, Olivier
Defense pair 1: Werenski – Boqvist
Defense pair 2: Provorov – Severson
Defense pair 3: Bean – Gudbranson
Extra: Peeke
Goaltenders: Merzlikins, Tarasov
First off, the goaltending is about as cut and dry as you can get. Merzlikins is paid to be the starter, is not going to be traded, and needs to bounce back. Tarasov enters the season on a one-way contract, so he’s here as well. But if you look at the rest of the roster, there are some notable players missing from this list, were you able to pick them out? On the next page, we’ll start to discuss our decisions in depth.