Columbus Blue Jackets bold predictions for 2024-25 NHL season

09/18/2024 10:53 AM

After an impossible offseason, the Columbus Blue Jackets have to somehow focus on hockey with training camp already open. The losses of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau are immeasurable, and the tragedy will loom large over both this franchise and the entire hockey world in 2024-25 and beyond.

But the business must go on, and the Blue Jackets already opened training camp for their 24th National Hockey League season. Players reported for physicals at the OhioHealth McConnell Spine, Sport and Joint Center on Wednesday, with the squad holding the first on-ice practice of the new campaign on Thursday in Ohio.

And the expectations could not be lower. This team finished last in the Eastern Conference in 2023-24, and will feel the loss of their best player all campaign long. It doesn’t help that general manager Don Waddell didn’t do much to improve the roster this summer, shipping out Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens and adding Sean Monahan and James van Riemsdyk in free agency.

It’s hard to gauge what the ceiling is for this club in the Metropolitan Division, but it’s not hard to see what the floor is: the basement of the NHL. The team wasn’t quite that bad last year, finishing ahead of the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks. But it’s going to be very difficult for the city to fully focus on hockey this season, and the roster on paper doesn’t inspire much confidence at all.

Still, there are a few exciting storylines to watch ahead of Columbus opening their new season against the Minnesota Wild in Saint Paul on October 10. Here are four Blue Jackets bold predictions for 2024-25.

Zach Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in scoring

Expecting Zach Werenski to lead the Blue Jackets in scoring in 2024-25 probably isn’t very bold considering the quality of the offensive core. But it should be, considering the star American is a defenseman. The 27-year-old was one of, if not the best player on the team last year, finally putting his injury woes in the rearview mirror and accumulating 11 goals and 57 points in 70 games. That was second to just Gaudreau, who scored 12 goals and 60 points.

Entering the new campaign, Werenski will again be the work horse on the blue line, and if he can stay healthy, he should be able to continue improving offensively as he remains in his prime. The supporting cast is not what it once was, and he should challenge all of captain Boone Jenner, Kirill Marchenko and Monahan — the team’s projected top line — in points.

Besides the late Gaudreau, no one on the roster besides Werenski had more than 42 points last year, and his average of 24:27 of time on ice will not be matched by any player. It’s likely he’ll play even more this season, with an average of over 26 minutes not out of the question.

Werenski remains one of the more underrated offensive defensemen in the league, mainly due to his injury troubles. But if he stays healthy, he should be the leader of this team both offensively and defensively in 2024-25.

Daniil Tarasov usurps Elvis Merzlikins as starter, wins over 15 games

The Blue Jackets enter training camp with one of the weaker tandems in the NHL in Daniil Tarasov and Elvis Merzlikins. But the Russian was certainly more effective than the Latvian in 2023-24 despite appearing in 17 less games.

Merzlikins started 41 contests, playing to a 13-17-8 record, along with a dismal 3.45 goals-against average and .897 save percentage. The 30-year-old struggled mightily, and there’s no evidence that that will improve this time around. Tarasov, on the other hand, played 24 games, and managed a 3.18 GAA and .908 SV% despite a difficult 8-11-3 record of his own.

Still, the stats show that Tarasov was the better goaltender last year, and he’s much younger at just 25-years-old. Both netminders will get a long look in training camp, but there’s a serious chance that Tarasov usurps Merzlikins as the starting as soon as opening night. If not, it probably won’t be long after that that the former No. 86 overall selection in the 2017 NHL Draft takes over.

If we’re being bold, let’s say Tarasov starts at least half of Columbus’s games, and wins between 15-20 behind a lacking defensive core.

Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan combine for over 70 goals

There will be huge expectations on both Marchenko and Monahan to help carry the offense after what transpired this summer. Marchenko had a breakout year with the Jackets, recording 23 goals and 42 points in 78 games, good enough for third on the team. With even more responsibility on the top line and first powerplay unit, the 24-year-old should be able to improve on those totals further in 2024-25.

Monahan is in an extremely difficult boat, as he joined Columbus on a five-year pact mainly to play with Gaudreau. He was excellent with the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets last year, between the two teams amassing 59 points over 83 games. It looks like, similar to Werenski, he has put his injury woes in the rearview mirror. But it’s hard to predict what kind of player this will be going forward.

Still, both Marchenko and Monahan will have huge opportunities, both on the top line and first man advantage unit, and they should produce in those roles. It’ll be interesting to see how PP1 meshes, with the duo set to be joined by Jenner, Werenski and sophomore Adam Fantilli, but both should see an increase in ice time.

Blue Jackets finish last in the National Hockey League

Although there are a couple of intriguing storylines to watch, including the continued development of Fantilli and Kent Johnson, there’s not a lot of hope that this roster will do anything meaningful this season. There really isn’t star power at any position besides Werenski on the blue line, and the offensive group projects as one of the weaker ones in the league.

If one of Tarasov or Merzlikins can surprise between the pipes, it could help keep the Blue Jackets afloat. But considering how bad this squad was last year, and the changes that have been made over the summer, there’s a realistic chance that Columbus finishes No. 32 in the league. There are definitely brighter times ahead for this franchise, but 2024-25 is almost certainly going to be a lost season in Ohio.

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