There's plenty of reasons to be excited about Blue Jackets hockey ahead of Thursday's opening game in Nashville.
There's also, like with any team, questions that must be answered as the team prepares for the season.
Nothing is ever perfect, but it would be good for the Blue Jackets if they could find affirmative answers to the following five questions as they get ready to chase a fifth straight postseason bid.
5 days until CBJ hockey: Keys to the season
Like any team, the Blue Jackets have questions that must be answered
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Will the power play find success?Let's be honest -- this is a spot the Blue Jackets have to get better. Last year, Columbus was just 27th in the NHL in power-play percentage, a mark that mirrors their finish in 2019 (28th) and 2018 (25th). That's just not good enough, as the power play offers the chance to steal goals and makes it a lot easier on a team on the goal-scoring front, even in an era in which power-play chances aren't what they used to be. There's some new blood this year, as Max Domi and Mikhail Grigorenko join one unit the team has used in practice thus far. Another includes such offensive talents as Seth Jones, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Cam Atkinson and Pierre-Luc Dubois. These are groups that should be able to produce with the man advantage, and there have been times the power play has looked better so far in the shortened camp. It has to be a focus. "There's no doubt in my mind we'll get that thing going and it's going to be a big part of our success this year," Domi said.
Who steps up offensively? If you're reading this, odds are you know Columbus finished tied for 27th in the NHL a year ago in goal scoring. Obviously, that needs to get better, and a successful power play (see above) and a new offensive focus (see below) could help in that regard. But the Blue Jackets will also be looking at players to step up as well. Max Domi replaces Josh Anderson, who scored just one goal in an injury-plagued season, so that should help, but the team also will be without Gus Nyquist and his 15 goals from a year ago as he rehabs from shoulder surgery. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen has pointed to such veterans Atkinson, Nick Foligno and Boone Jenner -- all 30 goal scorers at some point in their careers who combined for 33 tallies last year -- as players who can chip in more. Will a youngster such as Alexandre Texier, Emil Bemstrom, Liam Foudy or Kevin Stenlund come into his own? Can Russian import Mikhail Grigorenko goose the offense? There are plenty of options, but no guarantees. "I think we're all capable of scoring goals," Atkinson said. "I take a lot of pride in that as well so I'm excited to get going and start off good."
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How do the Jackets balance offense and defense?Head coach John Tortorella has said that opening up the offense will be a focus this year, and that's been the case so far in practices. He's also said he knows that a time will come when the Blue Jackets push too strong for offense and swing the pendulum too far the other way and he'll have to rein them back in. It'll be a yin and yang this season, as the Blue Jackets do feel comfortable enough in their goalies and in the defensive DNA of the squad that they don't have to preach defense quite as much in the past years. But Tortorella is also right that if you give an inch when it comes to encouraging offense, sometimes you give a mile, and finding the right balance will be a fine line for Columbus this year. "We have to mentally understand where to bring it, but there are certain times you just have to fight another day regarding that part of the game," Tortorella said. "Those are the growing pains I think we'll go through."
Can they find a good start?Blue Jackets history is filled with fantastic finishes, from the opening team finishing on a hot streak to eight wins in nine games to end 2013 to the 15-1-1 ending to 2014-15 to capturing seven of eight to clinch a playoff spot in 2018-19. But only one of those teams made the postseason, that squad two years ago that beat Tampa Bay for the first series win in franchise history. Even last year's team had a major turnaround, getting off to an 11-14-4 start before a 22-8-11 finish got the team into playoff contention and the Toronto bubble. This time around, the Blue Jackets don't have time to waste, though, with a 56-game regular season all but requiring not digging too much of a hole. "This is not a get into the season, see how your young guys are doing, feel out where everyone fits and then really hit the ground running after Thanksgiving," Foligno said. "These games are going to mean something. The team that gets out of the gate quickly is going to give themselves a really good chance down the road to be in that spot you want to be in."
Does the goalie tandem work? On paper, it's perfect, as the Blue Jackets have two solid options in Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins to carry them through what will be a 56-game sprint through the schedule to take place over less than four months. But you just never know with goalies, as performance at the position from one year to the next can be difficult to project with even experienced netminders. For both Korpisalo and Merzlikins, last year was a bit of a coming out party, as each showed they have what it takes to not just start at the NHL level but carry a team through extended stretches. But now they have to do it again -- tough enough as that can be -- while sharing a net, something they say they're ready for but something that will be a bit of a new experience for each if both is at the top of their games. It'll also be up to the coaching staff to split the minutes in a way that makes sense. It is, after all, one of the most unpredictable positions in sports, but, "I think it's a great thing to have competition," Korpisalo said. "We push each other."
