The 2020 NHL postseason included a thrilling Columbus Blue Jackets' series victory over the Maple Leafs -- as well as a breakout for Pierre-Luc Dubois, the No. 3 pick of the 2016 draft.
Will they build on that momentum this season, amid questions on whether they added enough offensive firepower to one of the league's best blue-line groups? Here's our 2020-21 preview.
Big question: Will Pierre-Luc Dubois be on this team all season?
Oh no, not this again. Just two years after the Blue Jackets dealt with the looming departures of Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus has another star that might want out. Pierre-Luc Dubois, who continues to develop as the team's No. 1 center, signed a deal for just two years this offseason. Dubois reportedly told management he didn't want to commit to the organization long term.
This gives GM Jarmo Kekalainen two seasons to strike on Dubois' value and initiate a trade -- or see if the 22-year-old may have a change of heart. Coach John Tortorella and captain Nick Foligno have experience dealing with this dynamic in the past (see: Panarin, Bobrovsky) but this is less than ideal.
Did realignment hurt or help?
Carolina is the only regular divisional foe Columbus will face this season, but a bevy of new teams isn't a bad thing for the Blue Jackets. The Metropolitan Division was getting crowded, and there's much more opportunity to rise to the top in the reconfigured Central Division.
Offseason comings and goings, plus the cap situation
The Blue Jackets have $4,225,875 in projected cap space, according to Cap Friendly. The big additions this offseason were forwards Max Domi and Mikko Koivu, as well as wild card Mikhail Grigorenko from the KHL.
The team parted with a pair of young defensemen in Ryan Murray and Markus Nutivaara to clear cap space, traded Josh Anderson and bought out the remaining three years of Alexander Wennberg's contract. Defenseman Michael Del Zotto is coming to camp on a PTO. Columbus also has the ability to put Brandon Dubinsky's contract on LTIR to clear more space.
Bold prediction
The Blue Jackets trade a goalie this season. Last season -- especially the postseason -- was a revelation for Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins. They entered the season as unknowns and left the bubble as cult heroes (combined .942 save percentage over 10 games). Columbus has decent organizational depth in net, so Kekalainen could float either of them as midseason bait (likely for more scoring help).
Breakout candidate: Liam Foudy
Foudy got a big audition in the 2020 postseason bubble. The teenager played in all of Columbus' 10 postseason games, quickly earning John Tortorella's trust. Now 20, Foudy could take the next step as an everyday player.
"He had a good summer," Tortorella said the first week of camp. "He's put on some good weight. He's a guy who can skate, with some speed we're really interested in."
Biggest strength: The top defense pairing
Another season preview means another chance to gush about the Blue Jackets' top pairing of Seth Jones and Zach Werenski, which is one of the top tandems in the league. They shoulder big, shutdown minutes (each averaging more than 30 minutes per game), while Werenski scored a career-high 20 goals last season -- just one shy of Oliver Bjorkstrand for the team lead.
Biggest weakness: offensive output
Only the Ducks, Kings and Red Wings (all non-playoff teams) scored fewer goals than the Blue Jackets' 2.57 per game last season. GM Jarmo Kekalainen hopes Max Domi will provide more offense. Other than that, the Blue Jackets will have to look from within. They're banking on a bounce-back campaign from Cam Atkinson (44 goals in 2018-19, just 12 in 44 games last season) and contributions from youngsters.
Blue Jackets in NHL Rank
No. 19: Seth Jones, D
No. 40: Zach Werenski, D
No. 65: Pierre-Luc Dubois, C
Prospect perspective
Pipeline ranking: 20
Prospects in the top 100: No. 31 Kirill Marchenko (LW), No. 67 Liam Foudy (C/W)
Fantasy facts to know
The locks are the blue-line duo of Werenski and Jones. Both are among the top 25 defensemen, and Jones could make a play for top-12 status with a good season.
The offense is teeming with players that could really pop for fantasy if the right combination comes together and finds chemistry. Dubois would be the centerpiece of success, but the other pieces would come from some combination of Domi, Bjorkstrand, Alexandre Texier, Atkinson or even Grigorenko. For the draft value, I like Bjorkstrand and Grigorenko as late-round shots.
The most likely scenario has both goalies playing too often for either to be much of a value individually. -- Sean Allen