Does Columbus have the horses to make the playoffs?  They'd like to think so, but with some serious questions in some key areas the Blue Jackets may still be a season or two from seriously competing in the West.

These previews will now appear five a day (hopefully), or one division on each of Monday (Central), Tuesday (Northwestern), and Wednesday (Pacific) until the season starts on October 5th.  They will be put on-site by division, roughly in order of predicted finish.  Note that the rookies listed are only those most likely to make the team, not necessarily ones who have already sewn up a spot, and surprises always occur in training camp, though with camps out at this point the guesses are more solid than they were two weeks ago.  The In/Out portion represents significant players added and lost since the end of the 2003-04 season.  And now, on with the show...

In: Adam Foote, Bryan Berard, Martin Prusek, Radoslav Suchy, Jan Hrdina, Francois Beauchemin

Out: Andrew Cassels, Freddie Brathwaite, Anders Eriksson, Brian Holzinger, Scott Lachance, Jaroslav Spacek, Derrick Walser

Rookies: Gilbert Brule, Alexandre Picard, Jaroslav Balastik, Dan Fritsche, Pascal Leclaire, Steve Goertzen

Columbus made a rather dramatic impact in the NHL’s new economic system this off-season, signing prized defensemen Foote and Berard out from the noses of some of the league’s more traditional free agent players.  The Blue Jackets then gave a new five-year deal to budding superstar forward Rick Nash, giving further notice that this is indeed a team to watch now and in the future.  With a nice collection of young players and now a group of character veterans led by Foote, Columbus may need just another piece or two to become a dominant team in the new NHL.

Strengths:  1. Nash remains the focal point of the offense but unlike 2003-04 he should see some good support this season.  A big reason for that is the fact that fellow young star Nikolai Zherdev will spend a full season in Columbus.  They’ll be aided by the rather underrated David Vyborny, who had 53 points in 2003-04 and was among the Czech league’s leading scorers last season with 46 points.  After that, the picture gets a little fuzzy, but surely at least one or two of veterans Todd Marchant, Geoff Sanderson and free agent signing Jan Hrdina will be able to return to form a little and provide 40-50 points.  Of slightly more interest will be the possible cast of rookies the team may use this season; Picard and Brule are only 19 and 18, respectively, but one or both may be ready for the NHL.  Balastik, who tied Vyborny in points in the Czech league last season but had 30 goals among his 46 points, was making a strong case to make the team in training camp as well, and could provide some excellent offensive support.  The key is still Nash, of course, who tied for the league lead in goals in 2003-04 at the tender age of 20; those who saw Nash play in 2004-05 for Davos in Switzerland or for Canada in a number of international competitions say he may well be coming back to Columbus as an even better player than when he left.  As a group, they’re quick, they can score, and they’re only going to get better.

2. His numbers haven’t always reflected it, particularly in the wins column, but since taking over as the team’s number one goaltender in 2002-03, the Blue Jackets' lack of success has been despite Marc Denis’ best efforts, not because of them.  Denis followed up his 77-game 2002-03 season with one of fewer games but better numbers in 2003-04, and despite the fact that he didn’t play professionally anywhere last season Columbus will be expecting him to shoulder the load again this season and to excel.  Denis’ .918 save percentage in 2003-04 was phenomenal on a team that didn’t get even a sniff of the playoffs, and was eighth among number one goaltenders across the league, better even than Vezina Trophy winner Martin Brodeur’s.  The Blue Jackets may still be looking for players to emerge at some key positions, but the starter’s role seems set, with former Sens backup Martin Prusek and prospect Pascal Leclaire waiting in the wings.

Weaknesses: 1. What this team really lacks is a true top-line scoring center.  Eventually that role will probably fall to Brule, but at 18 it’s far too much to expect him to step into it now.  However, the other candidates for the position really don’t seem up to the job; Hrdina did score 57 points in a season once but seems lost after leaving Pittsburgh, Marchant once scored 60 but his career best before that was only 40 and he doesn’t have the skills to center a top line, Malhotra has never been able to consistently play to his abilities, and Fritsche, like Brule, is too young, and is more of a gritty two-way type anyway.  That leaves Alexander Svitov, who not only has been thus far unable to parlay his great talent into a full-time NHL job due to inconsistency, but he wasn’t even in camp and may spend the entire season in Russia.  That leaves no suitable candidate for the Jackets’ top line center spot, and maybe not even one that really fits well as a second-line center either.

2. Behind Foote and Berard, the Columbus defense is really just a big question mark.  The team badly needs a breakout season from young Rostislav Klesla, who is only 23 but is already entering his fourth full NHL season.  He may have been rushed into the pros too soon; the team desperately hopes that he regained some confidence playing in Europe last season.  Captain Luke Richardson returns for his third season in Columbus, but at 36 and never being the fleetest of foot to begin with, whether Richardson can compete as the league attempts to move towards speed and offense is unknown.  Outside of that, the defense is composed of castoffs and largely unproven defenders; the last spots will likely be nailed down by three of Radoslav Suchy, a former Coyote who really isn’t consistent or physical enough to be a top NHL defenseman, Duvie Westcott, who’s small and gets hurt a lot, Francois Beauchemin, who’s played all of one NHL game, and Aaron Johnson, who played well for Columbus in 2003-04 but took a step back in his development in the minors last season.   Foote and Berard will have to log big minutes and Klesla will have to find his game for this defense to be effective.

Don’t be Surprised If: Columbus becomes a serious player in the trade market late in the season if they’re still in a playoff race.  The Blue Jackets could easily find themselves in eighth, ninth or tenth place when the NHL’s trade deadline rolls around, and GM Doug MacLean may well decide that he’s just one major piece, probably a center or defenseman, away from a playoff spot.  The Blue Jackets payroll sits at less than $30 million to start the season, well under the league’s new salary cap, and if there are veterans to be had for cheap late in the season Columbus will probably be listening.

Outlook: Columbus has got a shot at the playoffs in just their fifth season of existence and will probably be in the race until the end, but at this point it’s tough to say whether they’ll make it or not.  It could easily depend on what moves MacLean can swing late in the season; his team’s needs are clear, and a good offensive center or top four defenseman may well become available from a team that’s out of the race or having cap problems.  Either way, Columbus should be an entertaining team to watch this season, and probably for years to come as well.

Centres: 1. Todd Marchant  2. Jan Hrdina  3. Manny Malhotra  4. Gilbert Brule  5. Mark Hartigan  6. Ben Simon

Wingers: 1. Rick Nash  2. Nikolai Zherdev  3. David Vyborny  4. Geoff Sanderson  5. Trevor Letowski  6. Tyler Wright  7. Jaroslav Balastik  8. Dan Fritsche  9. Jody Shelley  10. Steve Goertzen  11. Alex Picard

Defensemen: 1. Adam Foote  2. Bryan Berard  3. Luke Richardson  4. Rostislav Klesla  5. Radoslav Suchy  6. Francois Beauchemin  7. Duvie Westcott  8. Aaron Johnson

Goalies: 1. Marc Denis  2. Martin Prusek  3. Pascal Leclaire