After suffering through a 37-38-7 season in 2021-22, the Columbus Blue Jackets made waves this offseason.
Those who bet online watched the Blue Jackets miss the playoffs for a second straight season, but with some new pieces added to the puzzle and a lot of hype surrounding them, this is a group that can get significantly better.
Let’s take a closer look at their 2022-23 prospects and the best bet versus the NHL betting odds in terms of their regular season win total.
Let’s check the latest NHL picks, stats, injury reports, and NHL predictions. We’ve plenty of NHL expert picks for you to consider.
Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
- To win Stanley Cup +8000
- To win Eastern Conference +4000
- To win Metropolitan Division +4000
- To make playoffs Yes +500 / No -800
Player to Watch
Without a doubt, the signing of Johnny Gaudreau was among the most shocking moves we saw this offseason. Gaudreau was definitely not expected to even be considering the Blue Jackets at the time as most believed he’d join the Philadelphia Flyers, the New Jersey Devils or New York Islanders.
The massive seven-year deal means the Blue Jackets trajectory changes immediately for this season and beyond. After all, we’re talking about one of the top scorers in the NHL as Gaudreau finished with the second-most points last season.
This huge move – along with some other additions like adding Erik Gudbranson — have the Blue Jackets fan base thinking big coming into the new season. It’s also a reason why their regular-season point total spiked in the sportsbook.
- Player to Watch: LW Johnny Gaudreau
Breakout Player
One of the most exciting things about the Blue Jackets this coming season is that they have a number of young studs who could emerge. Many eyes will be on Kirill Marchenko and Adam Boqvist.
However, if we had to pick one player who is set for a breakout, it would be Canadian Kent Jones.
Jones was one of the stars of the World Junior Hockey Championships when he scored the golden goal, sealing the win for Canada in overtime. The main question is how NHL-ready is he?
Last season, Jones got a brief look as he played seven games with the Blue Jackets. He only compiled three assists, which is not what most expected. An offseason of seasoning and bulking up should help him a lot.
There is a lot of young talent on this roster and they should develop together. Jones should be one of the guys leading the way, though.
- Breakout Watch: C Kent Jones
Blue Jackets Outlook
The Blue Jackets are clearly wanting to turn things around after missing the playoffs. The signing of Gaudreau could be exactly what they needed to do just that.
His addition to a line that already featured Patrik Laine might make them a significantly better offensive unit. Remember, this team finished 13th in the NHL in goals per game at 3.14, so they have a chance to be top-10 or top-five now.
There’s certainly going to be an improvement on the offensive end and it’s going to result in a better season overall when it comes to their final point total. When looking at their futures, go over the regular-season point total for your NHL picks.
