Off-season Review: Will Patrik Laine rebound for the Columbus Blue Jackets?
They were flat, uninteresting, and all-around awful. The 2020-21 Columbus Blue Jackets were bad.
Their 18-26-12 record and -50 goal differential placed them dead last in the Central Division and the fourth-worst team in the league.
Since, they’ve traded Seth Jones and made a number of other moves along with hiring a new coach in Brad Larsen.
What happened in 2021?
Early in the year, they flipped Pierre-Luc Dubois for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic in a massive deal shaking the franchise. Did it pay off? Not quite. Laine was nothing short of disappointing posting 10 goals and 21 points in 45 games.
They staggered out of the gate with a 8-10-5 through February and quickly found themselves on the outside looking in. Sure, they made things tight heading into the final month of the season, but once again the wheels fell off the wagon as they lost 16 of their last 20 games. Woof.
They scored just the second least amount of goals last season with Oliver Bjorkstrand leading the way with 44 points in 56 games. On the back end, Jones and Zach Werenski took steps backwards while still being heavily relied on, and in net? Well, it was a tale of two evils.
Joonas Korpisalo took the majority of games with 33 posting a 9-13-7 record, a .894 save percentage and -12.7 GSAA. Elvis Merzlikins, meanwhile, played in 28 posting a 8-12-5 record, a .916 save percentage and an impressive +7 GSAA.
What did they do in the off-season?
Notable Additions: Adam Boqvist, Jakub Voracek, Jake Bean
Notable Subtractions: Seth Jones, Cam Atkinson
Arguably the biggest deal of the summer saw the Blue Jacket’s deal Seth Jones, a 2021 1st round pick, and a 2022 sixth-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for Adam Boqvist, Chicago’s 2021 1st round pick, their 2021 2nd round pick and a 2022 1st round pick. Phew.
It was a massive deal and one that will undoubtedly shape Columbus for years to come. Jones’ game has taken a step backwards and they were able to deal him for two first round picks and a tremendous prospect in Boqvist. Columbus tried to shoot for the stars with forward talent in Kirby Dach and Alex DeBrincat, but Boqvist is a great addition, nonetheless.
The team also brought in Jake Bean in a summer trade acquiring a player looking for a place to flourish. Bean’s ice time was limited in Carolina, but it’s clear the talent is there.
Lastly, the team brought back Voracek who had been dealt out of Columbus early in his career. It’s a tough pill for fans to swallow seeing Atkinson leave, but a rejuvenated Voracek should provide some balance in their lineup.
What to expect in 2021-22?
With John Tortorella no longer at the helm, it will be interesting to see how the team responds. While lacking depth through their lineup, it’s hard to see them being a playoff team this season heading back to a tough Metro Division.
Much like the Devils I wrote about yesterday, they’ll be in contention with them, the Rangers and Flyers for a playoff spot. Werenski will need to rebound, and offensively they need to take a step forward.
One bold prediction…
Patrik Laine scores 40 goals. He admits to having a horrible 2020-21 campaign and given all the circumstances, it’s hard to blame him for the struggles.
But in 2021-22, he regains the scoring prowess we all know he has.
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