Bold prediction #5: The Blue Jackets will have 8 different 20 goal scorers, and the franchise record for goals in a season will fall.
May as well save the boldest (best?) for last.
This Blue Jackets roster is deeper than it has ever been before. For the first time that I can remember, there is a clear NHL group at training camp, enough to fill virtually every roster position from top to bottom.
The only position that is blatantly up for grabs is the 23rd roster spot. That will likely be occupied by either carrying a third goaltender to start the season (Ivan Fedotov), signing the lone PTO player with NHL experience (Brendan Smith), or one of the depth players added by Don Waddell over the summer.
There is only one prospect that we expect to break in (Jet Greaves). None of these things would affect this team's forward lines or defense pairings, and this is honestly the first time I can ever recall being able to say that when talking about the Blue Jackets.
This team may still be lacking star power for now (more on that in a minute), but it is a very talented, deep group overall. They scored goals last season because they played as a cohesive unit, and I expect them to do so again under Dean Evason this year.
So, why not go really bold and predict that they can have 8 guys exceed 20 goals? Two of the players returning to the top line achieved the feat last year, with Kirill Marchenko (31) and Dmitri Voronkov (23) setting new career highs. Center Sean Monahan scored 19, and had he not missed two months with a broken wrist, he also would have easily cleared the 20 goal mark.
Returning to the second line is Adam Fantilli, who scored 31 goals of his own. If we want to talk about potential star power, this is a guy who has it. I'll go one step further here and predict that Mo will set the franchise record, scoring more than 41 goals this season. He's ready to break out.
Joining him is Kent Johnson, who quietly potted 24 last year. Meanwhile, one candidate to fill in the other slot on this line is Yegor Chinakhov. It's not hard to see how a guy who can skate and shoot the puck like that could net 20 in a healthy season.
Speaking of health, did we mention Boone Jenner yet? He's healthy, and he'll be able to ease back into a middle six role this season, which means less minutes against top competition. He's scored more than 20 goals in four times throughout his career, including three times in the last four years.
That's 7 players who are certainly capable of finding the net for 20 or more. Who rounds this group out and makes it an even 8? I'll wager on Cole Sillinger, whose third line center duties just got a lot easier with the addition of Charlie Coyle and Isac Lundestrom to the bottom six.
The idea of 8 different 20 goal scorers is pretty easy to see, if this team can just find some more power-play goals. This would almost guarantee this team a playoff berth, and I think it's definitely possible.
As we mentioned at the top, these predictions are very optimistic. We are very excited for the new season in Central Ohio, because this team finally looks ready to take a big step forward. We'll circle back to these after the season and review how we did!