Last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets set the single-season franchise goal-scoring record at 258 goals.
With the firepower they're bringing to the table this year, it's not ludicrous to think they might repeat that feat again this season.
That begs the question: what would have to happen in order for the Blue Jackets to have a chance to once again set the franchise goal-scoring record?
There are many factors that go into calculating a team's chances of setting a particular record, such as health and chemistry. Without getting into any of that, let's simply take a look at each players goal-scoring average for their career and see whether the players need average or record-setting years for the Blue Jackets to make their mark.
| Player | Goal Average | Goal Record |
|---|---|---|
| Johnny Gaudreau | 23.33 | 40 |
| Patrik Laine | 29.33 | 44 |
| Jakub Voracek | 15.86 | 23 |
| Gustav Nyquist | 16.4 | 28 |
| Jack Roslovic | 10 | 22 |
| Cole Sillinger | 16 | 16 |
| Sean Kuraly | 6.33 | 14 |
| Boone Jenner | 16 | 30 |
| Kent Johnson | 0 | 0 |
| Yegor Chinakhov | 7 | 7 |
| Eric Robinson | 5 | 10 |
| Justin Danforth | 10 | 10 |
| Erik Gudbranson | 2.7 | 6 |
| Zachary Werenski | 12.67 | 20 |
| Vladislav Gavrikov | 4 | 5 |
| Adam Boqvist | 5.67 | 11 |
| Jake Bean | 2.67 | 7 |
| Nick Blankenburg | 1 | 1 |
| Andrew Peeke | 1 | 2 |
| Mathieu Olivier | 1 | 3 |
| Emil Bemstrom | 6.33 | 10 |
| Totals | 192.29 | 309 |
As you can see, the Jackets would have to perform somewhere in between their average and record-setting pace in order to set the goals record again in 2022-23.
Kent Johnson only played nine games last year in what has been his only season so far in the NHL. He had no goals last year, so both his average and high would be zero. You would be hard pressed to find a single analyst out there that projects Johnson to once again score zero goals this coming season.
There are also a few guys that are unlikely to hit their average, such as Jake Voracek. His average is nearly 16 goals per season, however he only netted six this past year, and he figures to be largely be a facilitator once again this season.
With this team being so young, there are probably more young guys that will outperform their previous averages than aging players that will underperform against theirs. So therefore, the teams cumulative average goals per season is probably a bit lower than reality.
Whatever the case may be, solely based off of the players' previous goal-scoring outputs, this team should have a legitimate shot to once again break the single season goal-scoring record by a Blue Jackets team.
