Team: 2022-23 Columbus Blue Jackets

Initial Creation Date: Jul. 19, 2022

Published: Jul. 19, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

The centerpiece of this roster I built would be the Chychrun trade, which would greatly improve CBJ's defense, the biggest weak spot of last season. Nyquist and Bean would be a part of that trade, which would allow for Laine to sign without going over the cap. The 2023 1st-round pick in that trade would be lottery protected (top-2 spots). Arizona receives a great prospect in Ceulemans, a good young defenseman in Bean, a good veteran winger and trade deadline asset in Nyquist, and a middling/ok prospect in Bemstrom who will get the ice time to prove his worth in Arizona. A 3rd-round pick would also go to Columbus, though any mid-round pick could replace it. The specifics of this hypothetical trade can be debated, but I think that's pretty close to what a mutually beneficial Chychrun trade would look like.

The ceiling of this team is dependent on whether or not Sillinger and/or Johnson are capable of becoming a top-6 center, and how long it will take for guys like Jiricek and Mateychuk to make the NHL. The expectations for the 22-23 season would be a bubble team, right on the precipice of being a WC team if it doesn't actually make the playoffs. Unless there is a major setback, this team should be a regular playoff contender by the 23-24 season, with cup contention being a solid possibility in the next 3-5 years. Whether or not aging teams like Pittsburgh, Washington, and Boston fall off is also a factor in CBJ's playoff aspirations.

Some other things to note:

- Marchenko, Chinakhov, and Johnson are the prospects to watch for this coming season. All 3 could make the team full-time, with Marchenko being a near-lock.

- There is no true 1C, but Jenner's playstyle fits well with Laine/Gaudreau and Sillinger has an outside chance at developing into a solid two-way center sooner rather than later (Ryan O'Reilly is his ceiling). The center core lacks elite talent right now but it's full of solid middle-6 players.

- The defense is still quite young, but it's balanced and Chychrun is a huge addition. The pairings aren't set in stone either, Gavrikov and Chychrun are both capable of playing their offside well. Blankenburg could also make some noise and force his way into the lineup consistently, which would open up the possibility of some mid-season trades.