What can we learn from the first preseason game roster for the Blue Jackets?

The long summer is finally coming to an end. Tonight, the Blue Jackets will take the ice for the first time since April 14, with their first game of the preseason coming at home against the Detroit Red Wings.

With just four exhibition games on the calendar this year, teams are going to have to quickly figure out who is going to play where. Making this more complicated: players are only allowed to play in two preseason games.

So, it's going to take some creativity to abide by those rules, while also icing enough veterans to be roster compliant. That also means there is no waiting around. If you're heading to Nationwide tonight, you will get to see some familiar faces on the ice for the Union Blue.

Known entities and some guys on the fringe.

Up front, the Jackets will ice two players that will be on the main roster this year: Mathieu Olivier and Conor Garland are both obviously locks to make the cut. The interesting thing is, they might be the only two Blue Jackets playing at forward tonight. Everyone else look to be heading to the Cleveland Monsters, barring any crazy happenings.

Probably next most notable on that list of forwards is Mikael Pyyhtia, who could be a fringe roster candidate. By many accounts, he has looked very sharp early in training camp, so he does seem to be making a push.

The lack of NHL talent up front doesn't mean this won't be a fun game. There are some prospects to watch. When Luca Pinelli and James Malatesta are on the wings, the game is bound to have some spicy moments. Also, keep an eye on Oiva Keskinen and Jack Williams. They will probably be the 1/2 center combo for the Monsters this year.

It's a similar story on defense, with the obvious second pairing of the Blue Jackets (Denton Mateychuk and Ivan Provorov) leading the charge tonight. Dante Fabbro is also in, while Guillaume Richard is a guy we consider to be a dark horse to make the opening night cuts.

In goal, Jet Greaves will be dressed-but we do wonder if he will actually see any playing time tonight. Joining him is newcomer Pheonix Copley, who I suspect will be one of the two full-time goaltenders in Cleveland this year.

A battle on defense, and prospects jockeying.

Of course, it's always fun to see your favorite NHL players take to the ice in preseason action. But tonight, there are a couple of battles I'll be watching pretty closely.

First, on defense, I don't think this coaching staff has decided which direction they want to go, quite yet. I think Fabbro is a player whose role on this team is in serious jeopardy. His contract ($4m against the cap) pretty much dictates that he's secured a role on the Blue Jackets.

However, what is that role? Don Waddell has tuned this roster to be bigger and heavier, and Fabbro is neither of those things. He had a rough campaign last year, and the presence of Carson Soucy has me wondering what the plan is going to be. Will Soucy earn a deal and play with one of Fabbro and Gudbranson? Who becomes the odd man out?

It's a little bit telling that Soucy has been Fabbro's partner throughout camp, while the other third pairing right-shot defenseman (Gudbranson) has been paired with Jake Christiansen-the obvious 7th-man (or 8th-man?).

Are those pairings a means of evening out this team's bottom-four? Is Gudbranson the odd man out? These are questions we should keep in our mind as we watch Fabbro play tonight. Depending on the Adam Fantilli contract, moving those dollars could be valuable to this organization.

Finally, this is going to be one of our only chances to see some of the top prospects for the Blue Jackets play meaningful minutes on an NHL ice surface this season. It's always interesting to gauge their development, and see how they handle different tasks.

Should be a fun night at Nationwide. Lets go Jackets!

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow