"The Columbus Blue Jackets play hockey like they're skating on some sort of ice treadmill: You see a lot of effort, but they don't actually go anywhere. This is a squad that always listens to those jamokes in the stands who yell shooooot, playing a fast and loose style that has them both third in the league in shots taken and third in the league in shots allowed."
"If you want that aesthetic to win games, ideally you need both of two things: top-class finishers who convert more of their chances than the other team, and a steady goaltender to cover all the action in front of him. Right now, the Jackets don't have the skaters, and they don't really have the goaltending, yet, so even though it might be tiring to play against them, they're one of the easier teams in the NHL to get a win against."
"The Blue Jackets, historically, are the least successful team in the NHL, and even after a quarter century of existence they're still struggling to shake the expansion-franchise blues. For five years in a row they've missed the playoffs. However, last season was by far the most promising. They padded their stats a bit with a high-scoring six-game win streak to close out the year, but under new head coach Dean Evason they showed some real moxie."
Columbus plays an aggressive, high-shot-volume style that produces lots of effort but little progress and concedes many chances. The team ranks third in the league in both shots taken and shots allowed. Successful adoption of that aesthetic requires elite finishers and a reliable goaltender, neither of which Columbus currently possesses, making them easy to beat despite tiring opponents. Historically the least successful NHL franchise, the Blue Jackets have missed the playoffs five straight seasons. Last season showed promise under coach Dean Evason as young forwards and recent lottery picks created a more efficient, dangerous attack and a modest plus-five goal differential.
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