"Kirill Marchenko looks like a superstar in the making, posting 74 points in his age-24 season last year. Dmitri Voronkov isn't far behind him with 23 goals and 24 assists in his sophomore campaign. And Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson are even younger. The East feels so crowded that it's hard to say if last year's ninth-place finisher is going to muscle its way into the playoffs, but it's easy to talk yourself into the idea that Columbus is on the upswing."
"Zach Werenski LARPed as Hercules last season, leading the league in ice time as he desperately tried to cover for a deficient defensive corps. That he finished second in the Norris voting even though the Jackets finished 25th in goals against and 28th in shot attempts against tells you a lot about the gap between him and the rest of the Columbus back end. None of their goalies, except a kid named Jet Greaves, played well at all,"
Columbus posted a substantial regular-season points increase, fueled by a rising cohort of young forwards and accumulated draft capital. Kirill Marchenko delivered a 74-point, age-24 breakout while Dmitri Voronkov scored 23 goals with 24 assists, and prospects Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson remain on the rise. Defensive performance lagged, forcing Zach Werenski into heavy minutes and Norris consideration despite team defensive metrics near the league bottom. Goaltending was largely ineffective aside from Jet Greaves. The Eastern Conference depth makes a playoff berth far from guaranteed despite clear offensive momentum.
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