What a strange reality that the Columbus Blue Jackets may find themselves in this offseason.
The club, who at best will finish with a bottom-three record in the NHL, may, paradoxically, have too many NHL-caliber forwards on the 2022-23 roster.
Of course, no team, much less one as putrid as this, runs back the same roster year-over-year. But the Blue Jackets have no UFA forwards on the roster, so there will be no organic departures. And with only 14 forward spots available, it gets crowded pretty quickly. Perhaps the organization is able to parlay a 'two-for-one' or something to that effect. Here is the club by the numbers:
The "No Doubters"
It's hard to say that a bottom-feeding team has a list of untouchable players, but I feel confident saying these players are near-locks to return to the lineup next season:
(1) Johnny Gaudreau
(2) Boone Jenner
(3) Kirill Marchenko
(4) Kent Johnson
The "Incumbents"
These players appear to have a roster spot, but it's not written in ink:
(5) Cole Sillinger
(6) Sean Kuraly
(7) Mathieu Olivier
The "Are We Sure This Player Is Part Of The Solution?"
These players have been good soldiers for the organization but may be redundant or, for various reasons, not be seen as part of the long-term solution.
(8) Patrik Laine
(9) Jack Roslovic
(10) Eric Robinson
(11) Emil Bemstrom
The "Returning From Absence"
These players were seen as roster players last year but effectively didn't play (at least, not here) this year. Are their spots safe?
(12) Alexandre Texier
(13) Justin Danforth
The "Young Player With Expectations"
These players were inconsistent this season but showed moments of promise. Both were first-round picks and, accordingly, have high expectations. Plus, both are under contracts that suggest they are NHL players.
(14) Liam Foudy
(15) Yegor Chinakhov
The "Import"
This 22-year-old KHLer is seen as a plug-and-play option, probably as the club's third-line center.
(16) Dmitri Voronkov
The "We're Gonna Need To See More"
These players were late-season roster players that need to have huge training camps to have a shot at cracking the NHL roster.
(17) Hunter McKown
(18) Lane Pederson
The "Elephant In The Room"
Barring a major disappointment this week, and then again next month, the Blue Jackets are in a position to land an NHL-ready forward at the top of the draft. Much will be written in May, after the lottery, about the Blue Jackets' options in this space. But the reality is that any of Connor Bedard (certainly), Adam Fantilli (probably), and Leo Carlsson (possibly) could be in the NHL next season.
(19) Berard/Fantilli/Carlsson
The "Unlikely But Never Say Never"
It's either a year too early or a year too late, but crazier things have happened.
(20) Jordan Dumais
(21) Gus Nyquist (UFA returning)
Who can say what this offseason will have in store, but the club has a plethora of decisions to make, and all players will - and should - be scrutinized. Perhaps there are external options not listed here, either by trade or free agency. But even within the organization, there will be difficult decisions.
