Stat Hockey’s Columbus Blue Jackets 2023-24 Line Projections

This is a look at the Columbus Blue Jackets 2023-24 line projections. It will cover all forward lines, defense pairings, goaltenders, and scratches.

Projected Lineup

F

Johnny Gaudreau – Boone Jenner – Patrik Laine

Kent Johnson – Adam Fantilli – Kirill Marchenko

Alexandre Texier – Cole Sillinger – Jack Roslovic

Eric Robinson – Sean Kuraly – Yegor Chinakhov

S- Liam Foudy, Emil Bemstrom

D

Zach Werenski – Damon Severson

Ivan Provorov – Adam Boqvist

Erik Gudbranson – Andrew Peeke

S- Jake Bean

G

Elvis Merzlikins

Daniil Tarasov

Forwards

The Blue Jackets are going to be better this season, as long as they stay healthy. The top line should remain intact, but there is a chance Laine is moved to the second line to spread out the scoring and the age. This top line is able to produce, and that’s what I think we see to start. The hope is that Gaudreau gets a full season of help from Laine and Jenner.

The second line looks like it is going to be young and dynamic. Fantilli looks to slot in right away in the top-six and I believe he can handle it. Johnson took a step forward and is only getting better. He may be a center option eventually, but he’s been solid on the wing. Their winger who we could see move up at times to the top line is Marchenko. He proved he can finish plays and will need to do so again this season.

The bottom-six is where things start to get interesting. The team has a lot of talent that can be interchanged. A mainstay on the third line who could even swap with Fantilli if he struggles at the start is Roslovic. He is a pretty good player and can play center and the wing. Since Sillinger is the natural center here and doesn’t play the wing, Roslovic may start on his right. Their other winger, Texier, is returning from a year off from the NHL. Texier was a talented scorer and it would only make sense to put him in a position to succeed upon his return.

As I mentioned, many players can be swapped around in the bottom-six potentially. Robinson and Kuraly are likely sticking to the fourth line at best, but Chinahkov should get an opportunity higher. Bemstrom and Foudy are in the same boat. There just isn’t enough room. Look for the bottom-six to contribute offensively more than most teams.

Defense

The defense got a lot better for the Blue Jackets, so much so that there’s not enough room for everybody. Werenski is back and ready to go, so he will have newly acquired and signed Severson alongside him. This will be a very good tandem who can be effective at both ends of the ice. I would say they will eat a lot of minutes, but the rest of the defensive unit is also deserving of playing time.

Severson and Provorov were targeted specifically not only because of their talent level, but because of their durability. Neither of them miss very many games at all. Injuries were a problem last season. Provorov is looking for a fresh start and I think he will be able to get it in Columbus. His partner might change at times, but Boqvist is the future and on the rise.

Related: Stat Hockey’s Colorado Avalanche 2023-24 Line Projections

The third pairing is very strong for the Blue Jackets. Gudbranson will be a mainstay as he is effective defensively and very physical. As for his partner, Peeke has proven to be a very good young player. He’s not an offensive talent, but he’s strong defensively and makes that pairing’s average height 6’4. While I think Bean has to get the final spot on the team as an extra, the Blue Jackets have eight other defensemen in the system who played at least a game last season in the NHL.

Goaltending

Goaltending needs to be better in Columbus, and I think we will start to see it can be. Merzlikins has struggled more and more as the Blue Jackets have gotten worse. Last season he really had zero help with all of the injuries. This season I think he can come back and post a SV% at or near .900. If not, the team has a bit of a problem. As for Tarasov, he has the ability to steal starts if things aren’t going great for the starter. He had better numbers last season with a smaller sample size.