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After just two preseason games, a team identity for the Blue Jackets is becoming clearer

As surprising as this may be, the Columbus Blue Jackets still have two weeks of preseason work to complete and 47 players still at camp. Despite it still being early, the club has already shown clear signs of the type of game that head coach Dean Evason will have them play in 2024-2025.

ByMike Stump|
Feb 23, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Kent Johnson (91) avoids the check of Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) during the third period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
Feb 23, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Kent Johnson (91) avoids the check of Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) during the third period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images | Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
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Kent Johnson looks like a changed player.

Kent Johnson
Vancouver Canucks v Columbus Blue Jackets | Jason Mowry/GettyImages

Boy, did the CBJ community on X, formerly Twitter, have a ton to say about Kent Johnson after the St. Louis Blues game on the 24th.

KJ played on the top line with Sean Kuraly and Yegor Chinakhov that night and looked like a completely different player than we last saw him before his season-ending injury in 2023-2024. While I don't have his official measurements from camp weigh-in day just yet, he looks as if he added on some muscle over the offseason and was playing like he did.

He was around the puck in all three zones every shift and used his stick more effectively, both with the puck on and off of it, than I've seen him do so far in his career in the NHL. Kent is at his best when he utilizes his high-level stickhandling abilities effectively and creates for teammates. What I didn't expect, however, is him using his stick at an equally high level in the neutral zone and in the defensive end.

As we discussed in our coverage of the Jackets' open practice, Johnson continued to get time on the Penalty Kill during the Jackets' parade of penalties on Wednesday. As a unit, they posted a shutout while not allowing any goals on the PK, including when he was the only forward on the ice for the CBJ during an extended 5-on-3 man-advantage situation. KJ was involved in this work for the entire evening, and he impressed me with his engagement level.

If this is a preview of what we will be seeing of Kent Johnson for the rest of the 2024-2025 season, this could be the breakout year we've been waiting for from the former fifth overall pick.

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