In what has become relatively unsurprising news each year, the Blue Jackets will have one of the youngest teams in the NHL this season.
Adam Boqvist (21) and Jake Bean (23) were brought in over the offseason, while Cam Atkinson (32), Nick Foligno (33), David Savard (30), and Riley Nash (32) were all traded during last season.
The Blue Jackets will likely only have two players on the roster who are 29 or older: Jakub Voracek and Gustav Nyquist, who are both 32. That's a bit mind-boggling and doesn't exactly bode well in terms of success this season.
Or does it?
It all depends on how you frame success. Yes, in an ideal world, the Blue Jackets would win the President's Trophy and the Stanley Cup. However, that's not the reality of their roster right now. With that in mind, it's important to measure their success this season by how effectively they are able to develop young talents like Boqvist, Bean, Liam Foudy, Emil Bemstrom, Andrew Peeke, Alexandre Texier, Patrik Laine, and Jack Roslovic.
Their roster could get even younger, too. Yegor Chinakhov has made a splash by scoring three goals in the opening two games of the Traverse City prospect tournament, and he's just 20. Cole Sillinger has also been excellent for the Blue Jackets' prospect team, and he's only 18.
Andrew Peeke (33 GP), Emil Bemstrom (76 GP), and Adam Boqvist (76 GP) haven't even played a full season in the NHL yet. Alexandre Texier (87 GP) is just over the threshold. If they can stay healthy this year, those four will reap the benefits of suiting up every night for the Blue Jackets.
There's a very high chance that the Blue Jackets miss the playoffs. By most projections, they're predicted to finish in the basement of the Metropolitan Division. Even if that happens, they can still make big strides towards being competitive in the future by making sure that their young guns get adequate playing time at the appropriate level.
