The current roster of the Columbus Blue Jackets is thick with talent. Patrik Laine is an elite goal scorer, Johnny Gaudreau is a former 115-point elite playmaker, and Zach Werenski is a two-time NHL All-Star. There is also significant potential in terms of prospects. Adam Fantilli has the look of a franchise center, David Jiricek a top-pair defenseman, and Kent Johnson a top-six playmaking winger. Other players like Kirill Marchenko and Yegor Chinakhov also show potential. That doesn’t even include prospects like Jordan Dumais and Denton Mateychuk, who have yet to play an NHL game.
The above is all excellent news for the future of the franchise, but they are also reasons fans had hopes for a much-improved team this season.