The Columbus Blue Jackets head into the 2022-23 season as strong as they've ever been on the wing.
Between Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine, Gustav Nyquist, Jakub Voracek, to say nothing of youngsters like Kirill Marchenko, Yegor Chinakhov, and Kent Johnson, the Blue Jackets feel good about icing eight wingers over their four lines.
But questions remain at center ice. Cole Sillinger had an outstanding season for an 18-year-old rookie, but is probably a year or two away from assuming the vaunted 1C role. He's probably best suited for the 2C/3C role, which is still an excellent development for the franchise in the short and long-run. Sean Kuraly is well-suited as the club's 4C, but having a 4C locked down is of low priority.
That leaves players like Boone Jenner, Jack Roslovic, and Alexandre Texier to figure out the rest. All three are squarely in the club's top 12 forwards (arguably all three are in the club's top six), so it's not a matter of them playing, but more so a matter of them slotting into the correct role.
Jenner has time and time again performed exceedingly well when asked to move from wing to center. I still tend to think that, on a team that challenges in May/June, Jenner is a winger, given his ability to win pucks, forecheck, and play along the wall. But he's shown that, between his faceoff prowess, hockey intellect, and overall ability, that he can play center at a high level.
Is he a 1C? No, but on this team, he may have to be.
This leads us to Roslovic and Texier, who we can more or less lump together, although for different reasons. Both are young players (Texier will be 23 when the next season starts, Roslovic 25) who have had ups and downs.
Texier was arguably the club's best player for stretches last season, but he only played in 36 games. His December was particularly notable, and between 12/2 and 1/1, he posted 5-5-10 (G-A-PTS) in 10 games. Still, I don't think anyone can reasonably argue that somehow who has topped out at 20 points and has never played 50 NHL games in one season is somehow ready to skate as a 1C.
Roslovic is a bit different in that he's shown an ability to play and produce for full NHL seasons. Last year, he finished with career highs in games played (81), goals (22), assists (23), and points (45). His skating and ability to play in transition makes him an intriguing player in a top-six role, but his defensive game and sometimes questionable decision-making are not indicative of other top-six centers around the NHL.
Other options exist, though none are appealing as of today. Someone like Kuraly could maybe move into a 3C role, allowing someone like Justin Danforth to slot into 4C. Maybe Johnson eventually plays center, but it's extremely unlikely he starts there in the NHL, seeing as how he hasn't played center with the University of Michigan or even at the ongoing IIHF World Junior Championships with Team Canada.
My best guess is the club plays Jenner as the 1C by default, in hopes that he's able to develop some chemistry with Gaudreau. That would leave Roslovic, Texier, and Sillinger fighting for the 2C and 3C roles, with Kuraly fitting snuggly in at 4C. With a healthy lineup, give me Texier on the wing alongside one of the kids - Chinakhov, Johnson, or Marchenko.
Broadly speaking, strong teams have strong center play. The Blue Jackets will need some - or all - of these players to take significant steps for the team at large to take its next leap forward.
