There aren't many things surrounding the Columbus Blue Jackets that you can take to the bank these days.
That is to say, there are very few certainties with the Blue Jackets, who are seemingly near the end of a roster overhaul that saw over a third of January's opening night lineup depart.
But one thing you can bet the house on is that Zach Werenski is the new anchor of the Columbus defense.
Werenski, who turned 24 in July, used his birth month to ink the largest contract in club history (by average annual value). He's the best player on the Columbus blue line, and he will finally be given a chance to separate himself from Seth Jones - a name synonymous with Werenski during their five years together as a pairing.
Who replaces Jones to slot in with Werenski on the Blue Jackets top defensive pairing, though? It's an intriguing and debatable question, and one that may not fully be answered under the season draws near. Behind Werenski are a plethora of second pairing defensemen. Pending a trade, however, one of them will need to separate from the pack enough to get the extra minutes on line one. Does that wind up being the young Adam Boqvist, acquired as part of the Jones draft-day trade? Jake Bean, acquired indirectly in the Jones deal, could make a case. The steady-handed Vladislav Gavrikov is an option, and with a good camp, youngsters Andrew Peeke and Gabriel Carlsson could make a push for the top spot.
With about two months until the start of the season, here's how the chips may fall.
Z'S PARTNER
The most popular choice for the spot is Boqvist, who does seemingly have the inside track, but there are concerns. He'll be just 21 when the season starts and has just 76 games of NHL experience, averaging 16:35 of ice time in those games. Throw him to the wolves too early and the Blue Jackets risk stunting his growth, but with such a young core of defensemen, that statement rings true for most of the other options.
How young is the potential #CBJ top defensive pairing of Zach Werenski and Adam Boqvist?
— CBJ Stats (@BlueJacketStats) August 9, 2021
Zdeno Chara turns 45 in March, at which point hell be the same age as Werenski (24) and Boqvist (21) combined.
By days on planet earth:
Chara: 16,215
Z + Bo: 16,451
Boqvist, like Werenski, is also an offensive-minded defenseman. Putting the two together will be fun at times, but also makes them prone to giving up their fair share of goals. Will the Blue Jackets want to balance the puck-moving Werenski with more of a stay-at-home, safe type? In a perfect word, yes, but this isn't a perfect world. The Blue Jackets are a rebuilding team, and Boqvist did make a number of strides in his defensive game during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. He's alright a right-handed shot, which only he and Peeke can offer among current Blue Jacket defensemen. This pairs nice with Werenski, a left-handed shot. As Werenski continues to mature into a shutdown defender, his game is steady enough for Columbus to pair him with Boqvist.
The Pick: Boqvist
The Second Pairing
As easy as it is to put Werenski on the top line, it's equally as easy to pencil in Gavrikov to anchor the second pairing. At 25 (and turning 26 early in the season), he has quickly climbed the rinks to become one of the veteran leaders of the Blue Jackets blue line. The third-year Gavrikov predicates his game on his size (6'3", 215lbs) and strength, and has proven himself a consistent, safe, stay-at-home defenseman. Peeke, who has a similar frame and style, is yet to see regular NHL ice time but could be ready to have a breakout season. Provided he has a good camp, Peeke gets the nod here. Given the rebuild, there's too much potential for the 23-year-old to not see consistent ice this season, and pairing him with a similar player will only help him develop.
The Pick: Gavrikov & Peeke
Group Three
Bean is a really good player and the third line seems low for him given the lack of expectations for the Blue Jacket this season, but Bean is wedged in here to start the season. As for his potential partner, it's a toss-up. If Dean Kukan can get back to some of the early success he had before a miserable 2020-21 season, he's a good option. Mikko Lehtonen, who the team resigned as a free agent, showed some good things in his 17 games with Columbus last season after being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Carlsson, a first-round draft pick in the 2015 draft, could be entering his do-or-die season. He's yet to earn the favor of Blue Jackets management, as evident by playing in just 37 games over five seasons with the team. Gavin Bayreuther and Scott Harrington are back with the team this year, but neither has the upside that Carlsson has, and the Blue Jackets absolutely need to figure out what they have with the 24-year-old.
The Pick: Bean & Carlsson
