The Blue Jackets used to spend their summers adding muscle and bulk. They raved about the size and reach of No. 1 center Ryan Johansen, the NFL linebacker-like build of R.J. Umberger and Jack Johnson, the punishing hits —and punches — of Jared Boll and Dalton Prout.
Like so many other clubs in the old, rugged Western Conference, playing the Jackets was supposed to exact a physical toll.
But what you’ll see beginning tonight, when the Blue Jackets open the 2017-18 season against the New York Islanders, is a smaller, speedier, more skilled club that has transitioned abruptly in the past two seasons.
Portzline: Need for speed has Blue Jackets icing a much smaller club in 2017-18
