The Columbus Blue Jackets have yet to take the ice for the 2020-21 season but it doesn't mean that we can't prognosticate and talk about what this upcoming season may bring.
First off, let's get a little bit of housekeeping out of the way. Let's talk about the reverse retro jerseys for the Blue Jackets.
Are the reverse retros actually bad?
— Boogalu (@Boogalu) December 3, 2020
Here is the issue with judging any jersey, it is almost always subjective. In the case of the Blue Jackets reverse retro, you can have two objective gripes. The first being the old school CBJ logo. As someone who remembers those jerseys fondly, there is absolutely no way I can dislike a jersey with that emblem.
The second gripe you can have is the similarity to that of the Washington Capitals jerseys. In reality, they are scary close. So when you think about the identity of the team, it isn't entirely original but for a throwback jersey, it isn't a bad effort. It will be interesting to see future iterations of Blue Jacket jerseys. The early 2000s were wild, man.
If Granlund signs with the Jackets where does he play?
— Ryan Beachy (@Beachy_gtown) December 3, 2020
This is a very exciting question. If you read my last mailbag, I like the idea of Granlund joining the team. Immediately, I think you can play him anywhere in your middle six. He is likely a current upgrade over Mikko Koivu in the 3C slot and if you wanted to move him to Domi's wing that is a gift for your team. His point total this past year may not be to his normal standard but his underlying numbers are still solid and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him with a 50+ point season in the right situation.
Now that Andersons gone, would the blue jackets had an easier time re-signing William Karlsson, if they had protected him instead of Anderson?
— Robinsons Renegades (@cbj50robinson) December 3, 2020
This one stumped me for a while. It is tough viewing William Karlsson other than what he has become with the Vegas Golden Knights. In reality though, if Karlsson stayed with the Blue Jackets, he would not be the breakout player that the Golden Knights received. He needed a change of scenery, he needed the opportunity and he wasn't going to get that with Columbus. So it would have been easier to re-sign him. In a parallel universe though it would have been interesting to see what Josh Anderson would have been on that first Golden Knights team.
Whos winning the Cup this year?
— Andrew Dickinson (@HoboAndyJoe) December 3, 2020
Oh, man. I had to end the mailbag with this one. It is so broad and there is so many different ways that I can take it. The Eastern Conference still has a couple of juggernauts that I think can win it all. Tampa Bay has a chance to repeat. They haven't had to shed anyone yet from their roster like many thought they were going to do after their cup run. That could of course change given how their salary cap situation shakes out. They may have to lose an important piece or two to remain in a good spot.
I also still really like the Toronto Maple Leafs. They are going to continue to burn people that believe in them but no one has the offensive firepower that they do and if they can get a good defensive showing in the playoffs, they are a bounce or two away from making noise.
Similarly, in the Western Conference, it is tough to doubt the Stars after what they did last year. They have a great mix of veteran presence on offense and "up and coming" defensemen that can make the Cup final for years in a row and it shouldn't come as a surprise.
It isn't fun to go chalk but with not much turnover on rosters, it makes sense that we could see a couple of teams from last year in the Cup mix.
