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Jun 21, 2023

Let's Go: With The Roster Set, Here Are The Opening Night Line Projections

The roster is set. The Columbus Blue Jackets trimmed their roster to the required 23 players Monday, and in the process, answered the final remaining questions of a competitive training camp. With the

The roster is set.

The Columbus Blue Jackets trimmed their roster to the required 23 players Monday, and in the process, answered the final remaining questions of a competitive training camp.

With the opening night roster now set, here's a look at what the lines and pairings could be for Wednesday night's opener in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Johnny Gaudreau — Boone Jenner — Patrik Laine

If one line has been set in stone throughout training camp, it's this one. Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine gelled well together throughout training camp, and in limited action, Boone Jenner looked to fit in just fine between the two. You can write this opening night line in permanent marker. Nothing else to discuss.

Yegor Chinakhov — Jack Roslovic — Jakub Voracek

Who led the league in goals this preseason? Yegor Chinakhov. While that doesn't warrant getting his spot in the Hall of Fame ready, it's not entirely meaningless. Chinakhov went from needing to fight for a roster spot at the beginning of the summer to being a guy that earned not just a spot, but a high one. He looked to be the most improved skater on the ice throughout camp.

That said, having him on the second line is at least partially a default move. He's too talented to be on the fourth line, and the Blue Jackets organization is far too wise to put him there as opposed to logging big minutes in Cleveland. The third line makes a little more sense by pure slot, but it's not a good fit in this case. If Chinakhov were paired with Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson on the third line, you would have three players all 21-years-old or younger, with a combined 150 games of NHL experience. Not exactly the best way to develop top young talent.

But putting him on the second line checks all the boxes: it gives him the opportunity to log quality minutes. It pairs him with veteran Jakub Voracek, who is one of the most skilled passers on the team. It also puts him on a line with Jack Roslovic, who can certainly make mistakes but has a lot of offensive skill that should generate chances for the young Chinakhov.

Gustav Nyquist — Cole Sillinger — Kent Johnson

For the same reason that Chinakhov is on the second line, Gus Nyquist slots perfectly on the third line. It gives balance to a middle six that has three first-or-second year guys and three far more experienced players, and it allows Sillinger and Johnson to play with a responsible, two-way forward.

While there seemed to be at least a small degree of chatter about Johnson starting the season in Cleveland, the fact that he's here means he'll see decent ice time. As is the case with Chinakhov, the Blue Jackets would not have these players here to skate on the fourth line and play only a few minutes a night. Thus, Johnson — a center by definition — starts his career as a winger.

Eric Robinson — Sean Kuraly — Justin Danforth

Let's call the spade a spade: this might be the best fourth line in franchise history. Danforth has impressed throughout camp, and the 5th Line has already seen that Robinson and Kuraly are competent, capable NHL forwards. These aren't going to be point-a-game players, but there have been seasons where this is a middle-six line for the team. As an added bonus, it prevents having any of the young guys — even those in Cleveland to start (Kirill Marchenko) — sit on the bench far more than they should.

Zach Werenski — Adam Boqvist

As with the top forward line, Werenski goes here in permanent marker. Andrew Peeke had the right slot with Werenski for most of the second half of the season in 2021-22, but the close of the exhibition season saw head coach Brad Larsen pair Boqvist with Werenski and that is likely a sign of things to come. It's a bit unnerving to have two offensively-minded defensemen on the top pairing, but... there is no but. It'll be stressful at times. One of the weak spots of this team is that (at least for now) there is only one true first-pairing caliber blue-liner, and that's Werenski.

Vladisalv Gavrikov — Andrew Peeke

With Peeke and Erik Gudbranson the only real options to pair with Gavrikov on line two, the job goes to Peeke. He played admirably last season in a role that should have been way over his head, and has looked up to the task of doing it again this season. Giving him some time on the second line will let him develop more instead of being thrust in against the best of the opposition, and that'll be good for both him and the Blue Jackets in the long run.

Jake Bean — Erik Gudbranson

The second-high paid defenseman on the Blue Jackets is on the third pairing. An interesting scenario but one that makes sense. Gudbranson got the contract that he did not just to play on the blue line, but to give the team both leadership and muscle.

Bean by a hair over Blankenburg, though it's six of one and half-dozen of another. The second-year Blue Jacket sort of feels lost in the shuffle, but it looks as if he'll get another crack at regular playing time this season.

SCRATCHED: Liam Foudy — Mathieu Olivier — Nick Blankenburg

Olivier draws in when the Blue Jackets are in need of a physical presence, and Foudy figures to draw in on an as-needed basis. Blankenburg is the odd man out for now, though as mentioned, it's close with Bean. Don't sleep on the fact that the Blue Jackets opted to keep rookie David Jiricek just a couple of hours up I-71. There were several options for him, and this one is certainly a sign that Columbus sees him as a guy that can likely break into the league this season.