Blue Jackets roster projection: Veterans added, but youth will decide club’s fate
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The additions of veterans Sean Monahan , James van Riemsdyk and Jack Johnson should bolster the Columbus Blue Jackets' lineup in 2024-25, but the continued emergence of the club's young talent will determine what kind of season this will be.
Adam Fantilli is 19 years old (turning 20 two days after the Oct. 10 opener), Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger are 21, while Yegor Chinakhov is 23. They join 24-year-olds Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov to comprise one-half of the forward group.
On defense, 20-year-olds David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk are expected to battle for spots, with Jiricek almost certain to start the season in Columbus.
The Blue Jackets haven't made the playoffs — and they haven't had a winning record — in four seasons. Exactly nobody expects either of those to change this season, especially after the tragic loss of top winger Johnny Gaudreau late last month.
But the best path to being one of the NHL 's surprise teams is for that wave of young talent, many of whom already have significant playing time in Columbus, to "pop" this season.
The big offseason development here is the arrival of Monahan, an NHL veteran who, after a frustrating run of injury-riddled seasons, was finally healthy again last season. He scored 26 goals and 59 points in 83 games with Winnipeg and Montreal .
Not only does Monahan take considerable pressure off Fantilli — the youngster can, for now, settle into a No. 2 role with more favorable defensive matchups — but he allows Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner to switch back to left wing, where he played at the start of his NHL career.
Fantilli, the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2023, has said he's 100 percent healthy after a lengthy recovery from a lacerated calf suffered in a game last winter. He could very well be the Blue Jackets' most impactful forward in short order, but there's still plenty he can learn — defensive-zone coverage, faceoffs, etc. — from a savvy veteran such as Monahan.
Incredibly, Sillinger already is heading into his fourth NHL season. He bounced back in 2023-24 after a challenging sophomore season and started to look like the highly competitive, two-way center the Blue Jackets expected when they drafted him No. 12 overall in 2021.
That leaves Kuraly, a fourth-line fixture for the fourth straight season. It's a role be embraces, along with being a top penalty-killer. If you understand how coach Dean Evason's teams typically play — think Minnesota Wild the last few seasons — it stands to reason that Kuraly will be one of his guys.
Left wing
Jenner and van Riemsdyk joining this side of the ice should radically transform the Blue Jackets' look. They're no longer light on the puck and fighting an uphill battle in most one-on-one battles, allowing them to win the puck back on one end of the ice and possess it on the other.
Jenner, 31, has had 20-plus goals in each of the last three seasons, but his best offensive season — 30-19-49 — came in 2015-16, when he was playing on the wing.
He and van Riemsdyk, who signed a one-year contract this week, could actually be interchangeable on the top two lines, depending on who works better with Monahan or Fantilli. He's another sturdy, hard-on-the-puck player who should help the Jackets hang onto the puck longer.
Then again, if Kent Johnson lives up to his considerable talents — he has elite-level vision and playmaking ability, the type rarely seen on the wing — he could play his way much higher in the lineup. Johnson had a strong rookie season (16-24-40 in 77 games in 2022-23) before slumping last season.
We picked Danforth for the fourth-line spot, even though he'll be slowed at the start of camp due to offseason wrist surgery. He's one of the NHL's more under-appreciated players, but he'll need a strong camp to hold off James Malatesta , Gavin Brindley , Owen Sillinger and others.
Right wing
Marchenko and Jenner are the only Blue Jackets to score 20-plus goals in each of the last two seasons. Yes, the goal-scoring potential is certainly there for Marchenko, and he could be in for a big season — 30 or more goals? — if he sticks on Monahan's wing.
The big challenge for Marchenko — and what coaches will demand if he's going to draw top-line minutes — is that he become more aware and more consistent in the defensive zone. In his third NHL season, he could finally play his way onto the league's radar.
Voronkov is a fascinating player. He ran out of gas last season, his first in the NHL, and Blue Jackets coaches didn't think he was in good enough shape to eat significant minutes. The hope is that Voronkov, now with a clear picture of what's expected, spent the summer getting ready for a bigger role.
If so, this could be a powerful player. He's 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, but his hands are pretty quick and soft. He moves well for his size, but is better suited on the wing, where he can really lean on opponents physically.
Chinakhov began to emerge as a goal-scorer last season, putting up 16 goals in only 53 games despite some minuscule minutes, which could be a challenge again this year. He's starting to fill out physically, though, and it's not out of the question that he could play his way higher in the lineup.
There was a small tweak from day 1 to day 2 of training camp. Evason elevated Chinakhov to the second line, with Fantilli and van Riemsdyk, and dropped Voronkov to the third line with Johnson and Sillinger.
Nobody was more excited by the Evason hire than Mathieu Olivier , whose style of play and willingness to drop his gloves will be appreciated and utilized by the new coach. If the Blue Jackets play the style Evason envisions — and they have the size, suddenly, to do that — Olivier could be a busy man.
Left defenseman
Zach Werenski is the Blue Jackets' big-minutes, all-situations blueliner, and now, at 27, he's well into his prime years. Last season, he set personal highs with 46 assists and 57 points, ranking 11th and 12th, respectively, in the NHL. Pretty impressive on a club that was 25th in scoring.
The big question, ever since Seth Jones was traded to Chicago in 2021, is who would play on Werenski's right side. At this point, it looks like it'll be Damon Severson . But Werenski would only benefit if that spot ceased to be a revolving door under Evason.
Just behind Werenski, at least for now, is veteran Ivan Provorov , who is heading into his second season since he was traded to Columbus from Philadelphia. We say "for now" because Provorov is a serious candidate to be moved next spring before the NHL trade deadline, due to Mateychuk's expected emergence and the fact that Provorov is in the final year of his contract.
The depth of the Blue Jackets' defense on both sides bears watching, but especially the left side. Jordan Harris came to Columbus in the trade that sent Patrik Laine to Montreal, and Harris, only 24, will likely get first dibs to claim the third-pair spot.
Be advised, though: this may be the position with the most competition in training camp. Veteran Jack Johnson, who is back in Columbus as a free agent, understands that his role may not include a spot in the lineup every game, but he won't go quietly, either.
There's also Mateychuk, who is close to being NHL-ready after a wondrous junior career with Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League. General manager Don Waddell is a big proponent of letting prospects develop at their own pace, and he may want to see Mateychuk thrive with AHL Cleveland before his NHL career dawns.
Right defenseman
Severson signed a massive contract (eight years, $50 million) last summer to join the Blue Jackets, but his first season in Columbus — by his own admission — was a struggle at times. That's not unusual for a free agent switching teams, especially with the pressure of a big-ticket contract.
The Blue Jackets don't need Severson to be a Norris Trophy candidate. They don't really need him to be anything more than he was for most of his nine seasons with New Jersey . If he sticks next to Werenski, perhaps he'll be able to just relax and play.
Evason seemed confident the Jiricek, the No. 6 overall pick in 2022, will be ready to not just claim a spot in the Blue Jackets' lineup, but to hold down a top-four job next to Provorov. There's a lot to like about Jiricek's game, but his skating — especially when asked to change directions unpredictably — can look awkward.
Jiricek had major issues with Blue Jackets coaches and management last season. The new regime may handle things differently, but Jiricek will need to justify a top-four spot with his play. He believes he's ready.
You don't hear many complaints about Erik Gudbranson 's $4 million price tag these days. For one, he played pretty well last season in a mostly third-pair role, plus his presence — on the ice and in the room — is highly valued by coaches and teammates.
There are many across the NHL who would list Gudbranson (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) as one of the most feared fighters in the league. The Blue Jackets may well be in some high-temperature games this season, which suits "The Sheriff" well.
Waddell was quite blunt when discussing Elvis Merzlikins this offseason, saying his $5.4 million salary (with three years remaining) would make it impossible for him to be traded, all the while being way too expensive (and long-term) to buy out.
But the Blue Jackets' aren't approaching this as if they're stuck with Merzlikins, either. The hope, once again, is that the Blue Jackets can play a more competent level of defense — that's forwards and defensemen — in front of their goaltenders.
Merzlikins was much better last season (.897 save percentage) than he was in 2022-23 (.876), but he needs to be significantly better again in 2024-25. It would also help if he could stay healthy long enough to get into a rhythm. He played only 41 games last season. He's averaged only 38 games per season in his career.
The Blue Jackets — now under a new GM and coach — aren't beholden to Merzlikins like the previous regime was. Don't be surprised if Daniil Tarasov gets an equal opportunity to win the No. 1 job, and don't be surprised — if his play deserves it — if he elevates into the No. 1 job.
Tarasov gained significant trust in the dressing room late last season when he seized the job.
There's another goaltender waiting in the wings, too. Jet Greaves has a two-way NHL/AHL this season, but it becomes a one-way deal in 2025-26. That's an ominous sign that change — one way or another — is in the wind.
(Photo of Adam Fantilli: Bruce Bennett / )
