Columbus Blue Jackets Training Camp Preview
The Columbus Blue Jackets 2016-2017 season was basically a roller coaster ride. They lost there first two games and the Blue Jackets wondered if they were going to have another bad season. At one point, they won 16 in a row in the middle season and they limped into the postseason with losing six out of seven.
The Blue Jackets opponent in the first round of the playoffs was against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They lost in five games, but Columbus played very hard in all of the games. Columbus is young and they might be one of the teams in the east to dethrone Pittsburgh in a possible playoff series, but time will tell.
Trading Brandon Saad will hurt this team, but acquiring Artemi Panarin from the Chicago Blackhawks will help out Columbus's offense. Columbus has three good lines and it is up to there fourth line whether or not they can win a possible playoff series or two.
Head Coach John Tortorella has this team heading in the right direction and will be a serious contender for the next few years. They have one of the best goalies in the game in Sergei Bobrovsky and he needs to stay healthy in order for this team to compete at a high level.
Projected lines: Line 1: Artemi Panarin-Alexander Wennberg-Josh Anderson
Line 2: Nick Foligno-Brandon Dubinsky-Cam Atkinson
Line 3: Sonny Milano-Boone Jenner-Oliver Bjorkstrand
Line 4: Matt Calvert-Lukas Sedlak-Jordan Schroeder
Defense 1: Zach Werenski-Seth Jones
Defense 2: Jack Johnson-David Savard
Defense 3: Markus Nutivaara-Ryan Murray
Sergei Bobrovsky will be the starting goalie. Joonas Korpisalo will be the backup.
Expect these players to step up in case of injury: Tyler Motte, Markus Hannikainen, Sam Vigneault, Andre Benoit, Gabriel Carlsson, and Matiss Kivlenieks.
Columbus will most likely make the playoffs, but it will depend who they draw in the first-round of the playoffs to see whether or not they can win a playoff series.
