Now that they are getting healthy, the Blue Jackets have options for a balanced roster

The Blue Jackets got some great news this week, as Jake Christiansen and Cole Sillinger were both cleared for returns to action. This means that they will have their healthiest roster of the entire season, with just Kevin Labanc remaining on IR.

With 12 games remaining, Dean Evason is going to have plenty of options at his disposal. In fact, the Jackets are suddenly a pretty deep team, which is going to make for some rather tough lineup decisions, starting tomorrow night at home against the Vancouver Canucks. Today, we got a sneak peak at who might be in - and, maybe more noteworthy, who might be out:

If these lines hold true, we would see James van Riemsdyk come out of the lineup in favor of Cole Sillinger. On the back end, nothing changes; Denton Mateychuk keeps his job on the third pairing for now.

JVR's removal would be a bit of a surprise to me. He's been involved in this team's offense at most points this season, though not as much since his demotion to the fourth line. That demotion coincided with Boone Jenner's return, and while I've been critical of having Boone in the top-six at times in the past; he has produced quite well since making his season debut late last month. So, it's hard to argue against having him there.

Mateychuk has certainly turned a lot of heads, and as our Mike Stump pointed out on X yesterday, he's quietly been the most reliable defender for the Jackets this season. Still, he has struggled at times recently, making the odd mistake and having to scramble around a little bit. He may be skating on thin ice - but apparently, Evason thinks his value is greater than what Christiansen brings to the table.

The important thing to note here is that, the Jackets are entering the home stretch, and the games are going to come fast and furious. In fact, their remaining 12 games take place in just 21 days; a schedule which includes 3 back-to-backs.

We should see a rotation of guys in and out of the lineup, hopefully keeping everyone fresh and energized as this team makes its final push towards a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

How would the lines look in an ideal world?

We all have opinions on this, and my own might be considered poor to fans who might be attached to players on this roster. Probably most notably, Sean Kuraly. Here's how I would like to see the team's forward lines look tomorrow night:

Voronkov - Monahan - Marchenko
Jenner - Fantilli - K Johnson
van Riemsdyk - Sillinger - Chinakhov
Aston-Reese - Danforth - Olivier
Extras: Fischer, Kuraly, Kunin

In this lineup, the top two lines for the Blue Jackets remain the same. But, they add a third scoring line with Sillinger in between van Riemsdyk and Chinakhov. JVR has worked wonders with young players here all season long, and I have to think that his net-front game would match up well alongside these two shoot-first guys.

This also keeps the team's "identity line" together, which has been Evason's go-to line in tough situations. They just move down one slot here, which ultimately forces Kuraly and Kunin out of the lineup. Kuraly has done a lot for this team and is important at the faceoff dot, but he does seem to have lost a step this season.

I think the group of six defensemen that were together in practice this morning probably give this team its best chance to win on any given night. Though, I'm not sure too many people would be up in arms if Mateychuk were returned to Cleveland for more seasoning. He has struggled of late, and Christiansen has been solid in third pairing minutes this season. Maybe that will be the case at some point.

The good thing is, everyone is going to have to be at their very best to win or keep a role with this roster. Any time you're seeing veteran guys sitting out of the lineup, that's a good sign that the team is in a competitive spot.