Kent Johnson
If you've paid attention to training camp and the preseason for the Blue Jackets, you've heard the hype. Kent Johnson has entered this season bigger, stronger, and with more poise than ever. This is great news for a guy whose 16-goal, 40-point (79 games) rookie season was followed up by the dreaded sophomore slump.
Last year, Johnson scored just 6 goals and 16 points in 42 games. He suffered a season-ending injury in garbage time late in February, which threw him into the off-season way ahead of schedule. Maybe the long break was just what he needed to regroup and get back to basics.
Outside of Fantilli, Johnson has the highest offensive ceiling in the organization. The two are obvious future line-mates at some point, with KJ's ability to slow the game down with his stickhandling and dish out passes being an obvious skillset to pair with Fantilli's size, speed and shot. If early preseason reports is any indication, Kent could be amongst the team leaders in scoring this season. Look at this pass:
WHAT A SHOT #2! 🚨@FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/Au9gGTw2Wj
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) September 29, 2024
Yegor Chinakhov
Speaking of speed and shooting... Eventually, Yegor Chinakhov is going to find his scoring niche in the NHL. It's only a matter of time. He has shown flashes of elite goal scoring potential throughout his three seasons in Columbus. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistencies have plagued the early part of his career.
The hope here is that a new coaching staff and health (fingers crossed), will put Yegor into better situations to do what he does best. "Chinny" is one of the best skaters on the team, and with Patrik Laine gone, he's easily the best pure shooter here. But, he also doesn't get enough credit for how hard he works away from the puck. He should get consistent minutes because of that, and he has the talent to capitalize.
Putting it all together is the key, but if he does that;, he's going to be a really nice middle-six forward for this team. Thinking 25+ goals, 60+ points, and reliable on both sides of the puck. I won't say this year is make or break for him, but we have to expect more out of Yegor if this team is going to move forward.
Two more forwards could break out this season, but what will their roles be?