In just a scant few hours, the puck drops on the Columbus Blue Jackets 2023-24 season. With that in mind, a final parting thought on all 23 players who are on the official opening night roster:
Forwards
- Cole Sillinger: A recharged Sillinger at 3C with 2C potential could change the trajectory of the franchise long-term.
- Sean Kuraly: A perfectly fine 4C with leadership capabilities, it would be a shame for the local with a game built for the playoffs to spend his Blue Jackets career on a bad team.
- Adam Fantilli: No pressure kid, but the organization is counting on him to become a bonafide 1C, future captain, and general franchise icon.
- Johnny Gaudreau: It would be a shame to waste his elite talents for another season in the midst of his prime.
- Justin Danforth: A heart-and-soul player who shows that there is a place on an NHL roster for a guy who plays an honest and hard game.
- Liam Foudy: Potential is a nice word we say about players we hope to take a leap, and Foudy may be running out of runway.
- Patrik Laine: If the Laine-to-center experiment works, the Blue Jackets have a wholly different feel throughout their lineup.
- Boone Jenner: The captain has been an exemplary cog for this franchise since he was drafted, and now should be the time that he is properly slotted a bit lower in the lineup.
- Alexandre Texier: At his best, he influences a game with his speed, creativity, and physicality, but will we get that game consistently?
- Eric Robinson: The 28-year-old pending UFA is playing for his NHL future this season; is speed down the wing all he can bring?
- Emil Bemstrom: See Foudy, Liam.
- Kirill Marchenko: My hot take for the season is that Marchenko leads the Blue Jackets in goals, and my hotter take is that it's not particularly close.
- Kent Johnson: His likely omission on opening night is perplexing, but it shouldn't define his season.
- Jack Roslovic: This season sure feels like Roslovic's swan song in Columbus, but he has time to change the narrative.
Defensemen
- Andrew Peeke: I would imagine that Peeke isn't sending Jarmo Kekalainen a holiday card after back-to-back offseasons where the GM signed right-hand shot defensemen.
- Zach Werenski: Arguably last season's MVP, as it was obvious how much the club missed his presence after playing just 13 games due to injury.
- Ivan Provorov: He could stabilize the defense, but his play on a bad Philadelphia team the past two seasons wasn't inspiring.
- Jake Bean: In hindsight, that the astute Carolina Hurricanes gave up on Bean should have been a warning sign about his future prospects.
- Adam Boqvist: He's only 23, and his offensive skills are high-end, but his defensive play is so worrisome that his NHL future is still unsure.
- Erik Gudbranson: I believe that Gudbranson can be an effective player in an appropriate role, and that is a third-pairing defenseman who plays a bit of penalty kill.
- Damon Severson: If he can form chemistry with Werenski, it will do wonders for the overall defense corps.
Goalies
- Elvis Merzlikins: Show me a good goalie and I'll show you a good hockey team; unfortunately, the inverse is also true.
- Spencer Martin: There are no bad days in the NHL, and the journeyman goalie has to be happy to have an opportunity.
