6 days until CBJ hockey: Why to be excited about the Blue Jackets

After one of the weirder offseasons in NHL history, we're six days away from Blue Jackets hockey.
It's kind of hard to wrap your mind around a 56-game season beginning Jan. 14, but if there's anything we've all learned over the past 10 months, it's that you have to roll with the punches.
It won't be a traditional season in many senses, beginning with the start date, which is one reason it seemed like a good time to reset a few things.

The start of any season brings optimism for most teams across sports, and the Blue Jackets are no different. Coming off a second straight season in which the team eliminated a more celebrated squad, and working as one of just three NHL teams to make the final 16 of the postseason each of the past four seasons, Columbus has built one of the more consistent squads in the league.
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But it's also a squad that's never made a conference final. Is this the year for the next step?
It should be an exciting time for CBJ fans. Here's six reasons why.
Who's next? The Blue Jackets have some new acquisitions this year, including Max Domi, a former first-round pick with a 72-point NHL season under his belt who is itching to get back on the ice after a sour finish in Montreal. He highlights a group of newcomers that includes veteran center Mikko Koivu, Russian import Mikhail Grigorenko and tryout signee Michael Del Zotto. There are also some intriguing young talents like Alexandre Texier, Emil Bemstrom and Liam Foudy, all of whom introduced themselves to Blue Jackets fans a year ago as rookies at age 20. They're still young and will be far from finished products, but odds are all are better this year than they were a year ago when they showed flashes of offensive talent.
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Better down the middle:Speaking of Domi and Koivu, the two add some much-needed center depth, shoring up the spine of the team. Domi was the team's marquee offseason add, as his offensive creativity and personality make him a potential breakout star in Columbus. He's averaged 55 points per season as an NHLer and is just hitting his prime, so a big year could be in the offing. Koivu, meanwhile, was one of the better defensive pivots in the NHL a year ago and should center a defensive-minded line that can play against anyone in the league and still have a little offensive punch. Another benefit of the acquisitions is it allows Boone Jenner to move back to left wing, where his physicality and aggressiveness on the forecheck should pester opponents and add more offense to Jenner's game.
More offense:Speaking of adding offense, head coach John Tortorella has made no bones about the fact the Blue Jackets have the personnel to spend more time on the attack this year. The coach preached structure and defense a year ago to protect his young goalies, but the two passed the test with flying colors. With the goalies having gained experience and the team having had a defensive focus stamped into its DNA, Tortorella has challenged himself to allow the Blue Jackets to explore things on the offensive end a little more. He's always said players can be creative in the offensive zone, but this year he's giving a little bit of a green light to take a few chances. Add in Domi and the maturation of some young players and one can see how this team scores more goals.
Bjorky's back: Not just back but signed, sealed and delivered for the next six seasons after
inking a five-year extension
earlier this week. We've belabored this point before, but Bjorkstrand had one of the most underappreciated seasons in the NHL a year ago, producing at a 35-goal pace and producing excellent advanced stats as the Blue Jackets dominated possession and scoring chances when he was on the ice. A pair of injuries tamped down his production, but even with those setbacks, he was still on fire as Bjorkstrand scored 14 goals in his last 17 games last season. Still just 25, he still has a chance to get even better, a very exciting thought for CBJ fans.
Seth and Zach:Not many teams have a defensive pairing in which both players were ranked among the top 50 players in the NHL before this season by NHL Network. Columbus does, though, in the high-level grouping of Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. They both play in every crucial situation and set the tone for the Blue Jackets with responsible play in their own zone and their ability to create offense, Jones with his elite skating and solid vision and finishing and Werenski with a tremendous shot that allowed him to lead all NHL defensemen in goals a year ago. It's a unique duo that can match up with just about anyone in the league, and it's a treat to get the opportunity to watch them both do their things as they keep gaining more and more experience and get better and better.
The goalie tandem:Are you a Korpi fan or an Elvis supporter? Of course you can be both, but it is a unique situation where Blue Jackets fans get to watch two No. 1 goalies who are so different but so effective. Both served as the backbone of the team at times a year ago, but did it in different ways -- Korpisalo with a Finnish reserve and a technically sound game he's worked on for years in Columbus while waiting for a starting job, Merzlikins with exuberant panache and an athleticism that allows him to make the spectacular look almost routine. With 56 games over the next 115 days, expect both to get plenty of time between the pipes.