Projecting the Blue Jackets: An early look at the 2022-23 roster

Once we get through the opening days of free agency each summer,
we like to take a look
at how the Blue Jackets lineup might come together once the season starts.
This year, though, we had to take a breather for a bit to see how everything would shake out. But finally, a lot became clear last week with the signing of Patrik Laine to a four-year contract extension as well as the trade of Oliver Bjorkstrand to Seattle to get the team under the salary cap for the upcoming season.

While it wasn't easy to part with Bjorkstrand, the team's leader with 28 goals last year, Columbus on the whole had an active offseason that could very well push the team forward in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The big addition was the signing of the NHL's second-leading scorer a year ago, Johnny Gaudreau, to a seven-year contract. Bringing in one of the league's elite play-driving wings should help the Blue Jackets in each zone and chip in another veteran voice to a rapidly maturing team.
Meanwhile, Columbus added an experienced hand to what was a very young blue line in 11-year veteran Erik Gudbranson, who helped Calgary finish as the third-best defensive team in the NHL a year ago. Add in a trade for physical wing Mathieu Olivier as well as the signings of European pros Joona Luoto and Marcus Bjork, and the Blue Jackets feel they have the depth, talent and mix to contend.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Saturday he's always on the lookout for ways to make the Blue Jackets better, so he wouldn't consider his offseason work fully done, but it seems fair to say the heavy lifting has been complete.
So how will it all work out when the Blue Jackets hit the ice this fall? Here's a look at what the Blue Jackets lineup could look like come opening night in October.

Forward

Johnny Gaudreau - Boone Jenner - Patrik Laine
Gus Nyquist - Jack Roslovic - Jakub Voracek
Alexandre Texier - Cole Sillinger * - Kirill Marchenko\
Eric Robinson - Sean Kuraly - Kent Johnson\
Also in the mix: Justin Danforth, Yegor Chinakhov\, Brendan Gaunce, Mathieu Olivier, Carson Meyer\, Emil Bemstrom (unsigned RFA), Liam Foudy, Joona Luoto\, Trey Fix-Wolansky
(* denotes waivers-exempt player)*
Reposting what we said last year: We will talk a bit in this piece about line combinations, but don't let that be the major focus here. This exercise is just to give us a potential look at what might happen, not say these things will be written in pen anytime soon.
Having said that, let's talk about lines!
One of the big talking points going into camp surely will be who gets the first chance to play with Gaudreau. Laine is the odds-on favorite to play on the other wing, while the center spot, frankly, could be wide open.
"Every player on our roster wants to play as high in the lineup as they possibly can and with the best players they possibly can," Kekalainen said Saturday. "I think players are eager to play with players of his caliber. It's up to (head coach) Brad Larsen how he wants to do his lines. I'll be nudging him, as Torts used to call it, but it's great. That's what pushes everybody to be better."
One could see how Gaudreau and Laine might work together, given the former's reputation as one of the game's best setup men (Gaudreau is eighth in the NHL in assists the last five years) and the latter's ability to put the puck in the net (Laine is 20th in the NHL in goals in that span). But let's not forget Laine is an underrated passer, while Gaudreau had 40 goals a season ago, so they could end up playing quite well off one another.
Time will tell how they mesh, but it seems likely they'll be looked at on the same line at some point in camp. As for a center, Jenner -- coming off an impressive 23-goal season himself -- could be a good fit there as well, as his ability to win faceoffs, win battles and get to the net paired quite nicely with Laine's skills a season ago. Sillinger could work himself into this kind of spot because of his all-around game as well.
From there, that leaves Nyquist and Voracek as the other top-six wingers to get things going, and Roslovic showed tremendous finishing skill near the end of last year. A second line with Nyquist's all-around game, Voracek's distribution skills and Roslovic's offensive verve could end up being quite productive.
From there, let's be honest -- there's a lot of options. We listed 21 potential forwards who could be in the mix this year, 19 of whom saw time in the NHL a year ago (the outliers are Marchenko, a top prospect who played in the KHL, and Luoto, signed in the offseason from Finland).
Some talented players likely are going to have to start the year in Cleveland, but Kekalainen noted the Blue Jackets have a number of players who are waivers-exempt, so there's flexibility there for a lot of the players.
When it comes to the third line we created, Texier and Sillinger are two of the team's top young players, and both have shown to be defensively responsible throughout their short NHL tenures. That gives us the opportunity to slot someone like Marchenko there, as the 21-year-old Russian has size and a rocket of a shot that befuddled goalies overseas.
It's easy to put Robinson and Kuraly into the fourth-line roles at which they excelled a year ago, but a third player there is a bit of a challenge. Johnson is clearly more of a skilled player than a fourth-liner, but we're just looking for a way to put the rookie into the lineup to start as he's clearly a key piece of the puzzle sooner rather than later for Columbus.
It could be a situation where injuries and matchups are key to how the Blue Jackets deploy the bottom six, as there are plenty of players available who can step in and do a credible job at the NHL level. Veterans Danforth and Olivier will be at the top of the list, as Danforth can play both wing and center and gained respect around the league last year for his attention to detail. Olivier, meanwhile, had 11 points and 76 penalty minutes in 46 games, and will be counted on to provide size and toughness when necessary.
Chinakhov, meanwhile, showed a great shot and hockey sense at times a year ago but still faces a learning curve; Gaunce is a dependable bottom-six option who can slide in easily; Meyer and Fix-Wolansky showed some tools in short cameos last year; Bemstrom was hurt by an early injury last year but chipped in as the year went on; Foudy is still thought highly of for his speed and all-around abilities; and Luoto, 24, was brought in after an excellent showing in the Finnish playoffs last season.

Defense

Zach Werenski - Adam Boqvist
Vladislav Gavrikov - Erik Gudbranson
Jake Bean - Andrew Peeke
Also in the mix:Nick Blankenburg\, Gavin Bayreuther, Marcus Bjork\, Jacob Christiansen\
(* denotes waivers-exempt player)*
The Jackets don't have quite as many moving parts on defense, but there is still a glaring opportunity available.
Zach Werenski is written in pen as the No. 1 defenseman on the team, but who will play on his right side continues to be a bit of an open question. There are plenty of options there now, though, with the additions of Gudbranson and Blankenburg, right-shot defensemen with different profiles but who complete the depth chart on that side of the ice.
Peeke spent much of last year next to Werenski and excelled at tough, physical play, while Boqvist also skated next to No. 8 at times and is a much more offensive complement. Gudbranson has been brought in after a solid season in Calgary to add size, toughness and shots on net, while Blankenburg certainly looked capable in his late-season cameo after finishing at the University of Michigan.
It will be interesting to see how this shakes out, and you could see different looks perhaps based on the matchup or the game situation (i.e., Werenski with Boqvist with the team down a goal, but No. 8 paired with Gudbranson or Peeke while protecting a late lead).
But to start out, I'm going to put Boqvist next to Werenski for a couple of reasons. They didn't spend a ton of time together a year ago, they were one of the better pairs on the team when they did, posting an expected goals percentage of 51.8 at 5-on-5. Plus I suspect Boqvist is in the midst of a big offseason after going home to Sweden with the charge to come back bigger and stronger to improve his defensive game.
Plus I like the way everything else shakes out from here. Both Gavrikov and Gudbranson are best in the defensive zone but bring a little offense, and my sense is they could pair well against opposing top-six lines. That leaves Peeke as a bit of an odd man out, but that's a pretty solid guy to have on a third pair with someone like Bean or Blankenburg.
I have Blankenburg on the outside looking into start, but he certainly was impressive late last season and it wouldn't surprise me if he builds on that in 2022-23. He's waivers exempt, though, and could start the year gaining more experience in Cleveland. Bayreuther proved a year ago he can go in in a pinch, while Bjork is a right-shot defenseman who is coming over from Sweden after a strong year.
Christiansen could be a wild card, as he was one of the most productive defensemen in the AHL a year ago and at some point seems ticketed to bring his talented offensive game to the next level.

Goaltender

Elvis Merzlikins
Joonas Korpisalo
Daniil Tarasov*
There doesn't seem to be much drama to this as we approach the season, with Merzlikins solidifying himself as the starter a season ago and Korpisalo re-signed to a one-year deal in the hopes he rebounds from a difficult season.
Merzlikins will want to improve on a season ago when he posted career lows in goals-against average (3.22) and save percentage (.907), but there were a lot of factors that went into those ups and downs. His .926 save percentage in his last 13 outings was impressive, though, and we wouldn't be surprised if the numbers get better across the board next year, especially if the defense in front of him improves.
Korpisalo fell victim to many of the same defensive issues while also battling injuries and illnesses that limited him to just 22 appearances. Playing in a familiar environment and now healthy after late-season hip surgery, Korpisalo should be a dependable backup and able to step in as the starter if the need arises.
Tarasov also underwent hip surgery last season and is the team's goaltender of the future, but he's played just 21 games in North America. While the massive 23-year-old showed he has NHL talent a year ago, stacking up games at the AHL level is likely where he's ticketed for the coming campaign.