The Blue Jackets have had the busiest off-season of any team in the National Hockey League so far. They've reportedly hired Mike Babcock to be their next head coach, added traded for defenseman Ivan Provorov, and acquired blueliner Damon Severson in a sign-and-trade.
However, they still do not have a No. 1 center. As good as Boone Jenner was last year, scoring 26-19--45 in 68 games, he's not a No. 1 center. If the Blue Jackets want back in the playoffs in 2024, as every move they've made suggests, they need a No. 1 center.
Look at all the teams that made the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference, the Devils have Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, the Rangers have Mika Zibanejad, the Maple Leafs have Auston Matthews, the Lightning have Brayden Point, the Panthers have Aleksander Barkov, the Bruins have Patrice Bergeron, the Islanders have Mathew Barzal, and the Hurricanes have Sebastian Aho. In the Western Conference, the Kraken have Matty Beniers, the Avalanche have Nathan MacKinnon, the Jets have Mark Scheifele, the Golden Knights have Jack Eichel, the Oilers have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Kings have Anze Kopitar, and the Stars have Roope Hintz. The only team that might not have one is the Minnesota Wild, whose best center is Joel Eriksson Ek, who is still a solid center.
Now let's look at the teams in the Eastern Conference that missed the playoffs, as the Blue Jackets will be fighting against those teams for a playoff spot. The Penguins have Sidney Crosby, the Sabres have Tage Thompson, the Red Wings have Dylan Larkin, the Senators have Tim Stutzle, the Canadiens have Nick Suzuki, and when healthy, the Flyers and Capitals have Sean Couturier and Nicklas Backstrom, respectively.
Even though the Jackets will almost surely draft a future No. 1 center with the third overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, there's a good chance that player doesn't play for the Blue Jackets in 2023-24.
So, what do they do? Do they hope Kent Johnson moves from the wing to center or Cole Sillinger takes a massive step forward in year three? Johnson will probably be a winger for the foreseeable future and it's not fair to throw enormous responsibilities on a 20-year-old Sillinger who's coming off a down year. Do they make a trade for a center or sign one in free agency?
Regardless of what they do, if the Blue Jackets want to return to the playoffs, they must upgrade the center position and add a No. 1 center to their roster.
