An early look at the Blue Jackets' projected lineup

The Columbus Blue Jackets look significantly different today than they did just a few short days ago.
In are centers Max Domi and Mikko Koivu, as well as five draft picks who will help the team down the road. Gone are CBJ veterans Josh Anderson, Alexander Wennberg, Ryan Murray and Markus Nutivaara, players who had a combined 23 seasons and 1,273 games in union blue.
Just like any offseason, it's been one of change, so now seems like as good a time as any to project ahead and think about what the team's lineup might look like.

Of course, we still have a long way to go before the campaign, and there's a good chance this won't be the final roster for the Blue Jackets. With free agency, where a number of players remain unsigned, continuing and a handful of teams across the league still needing to become cap compliant, opportunities for player movement still abound.
But it's still fun to start to look ahead, plus we have some comments from general manager Jarmo Kekalainen on what he expects out of his edited personnel groups.

Forwards

If there was a spotlight on the Blue Jackets coming into the offseason, it was up front, where Columbus really had to work to score goals a season ago.
By the end of the 70-game regular season, Columbus finished with 2.57 goals per game, good for just 27th in the 31-team NHL. It was no easier to get on the board during the playoffs, as the Blue Jackets saw the average drop slightly to 2.40 goals per game.
For many, the takeaway from the season is that while the Blue Jackets overcame injuries by becoming one of the most organized and stingy defensive teams in the league, it was clear that to be a true contender, Columbus would have to add scoring this offseason.
With the acquisitions so far, Kekalainen thinks he'll see improvement in that department in the coming campaign.
"Max Domi had over 70 points in his best year, and that was not last year but the year before that, so he is going to add to our offense," Kekalainen said. "He scored 28 goals that year (in 2018-19). Mikko Koivu has had over 700 points and is over 1,000 games in the National Hockey League. He's very hungry to prove that he still provide offense.
"Don't forget the growth from within that we always talk about. (Oliver) Bjorkstrands and (Alexandre) Texiers and (Emil) Bemstroms and Cam Atkinson (having) a bounce back year. We're going to get a lot more scoring just from the growth within. Pierre-Luc Dubois, the way he played in the playoffs, if we see that through the whole regular season, that's another level that he was at in the playoffs. I'm excited about our team."
Projected lineup
Alexandre Texier - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Nick Foligno - Max Domi - Cam Atkinson
Boone Jenner - Mikko Koivu - Mikhail Grigorenko
Eric Robinson - Riley Nash - Emil Bemstrom
Also in the mix: Liam Foudy, Nathan Gerbe, Ryan MacInnis, Stefan Matteau, Kole Sherwood, Kevin Stenlund, Trey Fix-Wolansky
Injured:Gus Nyquist
Analysis:One thing that stands out is the Blue Jackets certainly have options, as six of the seven options in the "also in the mix" category played NHL games for Columbus a year ago.
But working our way down the lineup, one thing stands out -- perhaps the most important player on the roster at the start of next season will be Texier, the extremely talented 21-year-old who seems likely the way the roster is currently constructed to start the season on the top line with budding stars Dubois and Bjorkstrand.
Texier has played in 38 NHL regular season games to this point, posting seven goals and seven assists for 14 points, and is coming off a solid playoff performance. He's a huge part of the CBJ future, and if he's ready to make a jump to consistent top-line minutes, it'll allow much of the rest of the roster to slot in from there.
Of course, head coach John Tortorella isn't ever married to lines, so keep in mind things can and will move around a bit at times during the season. But there is a lot to like here, from Dubois and Bjorkstrand anchoring a young, talented top line, to a second line that could be a driver of offense to a third line that might be one of the toughest to play against in the NHL.
The addition of Domi -- who had 28 goals and 72 points in 2018-19 then a 17-27-44 line last year -- fills a big need in the middle, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Atkinson deliver that bounce-back year Kekalainen referred to after an injury-filled 2019-20 season ended with 12 goals for the longtime CBJ standout. The third line, too, will have a veteran nature and be able to play against the best scoring lines in the league, as Koivu has long been one of the top defensive centers in the NHL and Jenner should become a forechecking monster in his return to the wing.
With Nyquist out to start the season because of shoulder surgery, it appears Foligno will move up to the second line, so we've moved Grigorenko onto the third line, but the truth is there are any number of line combinations that could ensue. Given Grigorenko's experience at the NHL level, though, we're starting him there, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see anyone from Foudy to Bemstrom to Robinson get that chance as well.
That's because there is no shortage of contenders to fill spots in the bottom six as things are presently constructed. Grigorenko is coming off two straight impressive seasons in the KHL and could also be a key piece of the power play. Another question will revolve around Foudy -- he showed he's NHL-ready during the playoffs, but how exactly will he fit in while the team grooms him for a center spot down the road? He could force his way into the mix based on his two-way ability and blinding speed.
Speaking of speed, Robinson brings plenty of that and proved he's an NHL player this past season, while Bemstrom was impressive this fall in Finland and could bring high-level goal scoring abilities after he progressed throughout his rookie campaign. Plus, players like Gerbe and Stenlund showed they can play at the highest level, as well, so there's no lack of depth.

Defensemen

Columbus needed all of its defensemen a season ago as injuries racked up, but the reality is the Blue Jackets had to scratch really good players when everyone was healthy thanks to the impressive debut seasons of Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrew Peeke adding to what already was a staunch defensive group.
So the trades of Murray and Nutivaara came from a position of strength, and even with those two players gone, Kekalainen isn't worried about any lack of depth on the blue line.
"We still have Dean Kukan, who played all the games in our top six through the playoffs," Kekalainen said. "Andrew Peeke, I think, is ready to step in and play in the NHL full-time. We have Scott Harrington, who has been a really loyal and great solider for us. I think he can play in the top six regularly, and Gabriel Carlsson, he earned his opportunity and deserves it.
"That's the eight players we have now, and don't forget (Adam) Clendening played great for us in the playoffs a year ago and he's a solid pro who can step in and play at any time. We signed Gavin Bayreuther to a two-way contract. He can play in the NHL. He's excited about the opportunity to compete for a spot in our lineup, and I think he's very capable of doing that.
"We're 10 deep there on defense of players that are capable of playing in the top six … so I think we're in good shape."
Projected lineup
Zach Werenski - Seth Jones
Vladislav Gavrikov - David Savard
Dean Kukan - Andrew Peeke
Also in the mix:Scott Harrington, Gabriel Carlsson, Adam Clendening, Gavin Bayreuther
Analysis: Well, Kekalainen answered the question about depth, and even without Murray and Nutivaara, this is still a pretty darn good defensive corps.
Werenski and Jones need little introduction, as the two are considered by many NHL observers to each be among the top 10 defensemen in the league. Werenski comes off a season in which he led league defensemen with 20 goals, while Jones remains a 25-minute-per-night workhorse who can play in all situations and will begin the season in the discussion for the Norris Trophy.
The Gavrikov-Savard pairing a year ago was a bit of a revelation as well, as Columbus found a shutdown pairing that can play difficult defensive minutes and complement the Werenski-Jones pairing nicely. Each also has a surprising amount of offense in them as well, and the duo can play 20 minutes per game against any kind of competition.
Kukan and Peeke could be a fun pairing as well, as Kukan's legs and poise on the puck have made him a full-time NHL player over the past two seasons, while Peeke looks like a smooth defensive-minded blueliner with a touch of offense in him who should be an NHL player for a long time.
Harrington has proved to be a solid defensive option over the past few years, while the team believes big things are possible for Carlsson, who is still just 23 years old. Clendening has proved to be one of the AHL's top offensive defensemen over the past few seasons, while Bayreuther was signed to add depth in free agency.

Goaltenders

Projected lineup
Joonas Korpisalo/Elvis Merzlikins
Also in the mix:Matiss Kivlenieks, Veini Vehvilainen
Analysis:You have to include the netminders in this breakdown, but CBJ fans know the team has what should be one of the best tandems in the league in Korpisalo and Merzlikins.
Korpisalo was an All-Star a season ago and turned in a memorable playoff performance, while Merzlikins' athleticism and love of the spotlight make him capable of turning in red-hot stretches of play. With the goalie market flooded this offseason, Columbus has held on to both netminders thus far, and the Blue Jackets will likely go into the campaign with the two battling for the No. 1 job after each showed they can handle that responsibility a season ago. Having two reliable options should be a positive, though, considering the compacted 56-game schedule to be played over 116 days.
Kivlenieks, meanwhile, made his NHL debut a season ago by appearing in six contests and was re-signed. After an injury-plagued 2018-19 season, the young Latvian was solid at both the AHL and NHL levels a campaign ago. If teams have to carry three goalies this year, as appears likely, he may have to fend off a challenge from Vehvilainen, who started strong in Cleveland last year and plays a solid, steady game.