Bold prediction #2: Daniil Tarasov establishes himself as the #1 goaltender and finishes top-10 in the NHL in save percentage.
This one is quite bold. Bolder than I would have gone on my own, but our Matthew Duffey thinks that Daniil Tarasov is primed for a big year. Big enough that he came up with this prediction. I won't say it's impossible, but it is a stretch for a player who hasn't played more than 28 games since the 2019-20 season.
Tarasov is certainly the highest upside goaltender on the preseason roster. Not only because of his athleticism; his size certainly plays a factor here too. Simply put: bigger goaltenders are harder to score on.
That size and athleticism would put me more at ease if he had stayed healthy for any stretch of his career. Injuries have afflicted him at almost every turn of his career, stunting his development at many passes and delaying his arrival.
Still, if he can stay healthy, there is so much here to be excited about. The CBJ goalies will benefit this year from playing behind Dean Evason's more strict and competitive defensive zone game plan. If Tarasov can stay healthy and play consistently, his ceiling is certainly high. In that regard, I think he could be a breakout candidate.
He'll also have the motivation of this probably being his last chance to make an impact within the Blue Jackets crease. As an RFA after this season, it's now or never for #40. A top-10 finish in the NHL's save percentage category, would mean a massive payday for Tarasov next summer. Still, I can't help but wonder if all of the time missed due to injuries, has ruined an otherwise promising career. We'll have to wait and see.
Moving on to our third bold prediction, we give an idea where the team might finish in the overall standings.