Complete Preview for the Columbus Blue Jackets' 2014-15 Season

The Columbus Blue Jackets were one of the hockey community's favorite teams to watch last season, and it seemed like everyone was on the #Lumbus bandwagon.

The Blue Jackets officially entered the NHL during the 2000 expansion draft, but the team made history last season by picking up its first playoff victory, and first playoff home victory.

The Nationwide Arena was a rocking venue last season, and there is no reason why America's hottest new hockey market shouldn't continue to be successful.

What We Learned in 2013-14

Last season we learned that the Columbus Blue Jackets were not a fluke. After falling just short of making the playoffs during a lockout-shortened season, the Blue Jackets were a playoff team in 2013-14.

The Blue Jackets built upon the success sustained in 2012-13, and they showed that there is no reason why that shouldn't continue going forward. Sergei Bobrovsky won the Vezina Trophy in 2012-13, and although he wasn't a finalist in 2013-14, he was good enough to get the Jackets their first two playoff wins in franchise history.

His ability to be a show-stopper set the tone for the Blue Jackets, and a number of key players stepped up in a big way. Among them was Ryan Johansen, a forward currently trying to capitalize on his amazing campaign from 2013-14.

Johansen entered 2013-14 with 33 points in his previous two seasons combined, but last season he tallied 33 goals and 63 points in 82 games. Other players who stepped up were James Wisniewski and Brandon Dubinsky, "young veterans" whose offense helped propel the Blue Jackets to a playoff spot.

Wisniewski's 51 points on the blue line helped facilitate offense, and Dubinsky's offense, physicality and two-way ability were a driving force during the regular season and playoffs. Despite the success of last year, the Blue Jackets lacked the necessary experience to finish out a team like the Pittsburgh Penguins when they were down, and Columbus addressed that this summer.

Outlook for 2014-15

The Blue Jackets were successful against the Penguins when Brandon Dubinsky was a thorn in the side of Sidney Crosby, so management went out and acquired a player who also has a penchant for needling Crosby.

Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers is a talented top-six winger who not only will help the Blue Jackets' offense, but also their ability to annoy and frustrate opponents like Crosby.

Hartnell can step into the Blue Jackets' lineup along with Dubinsky, and he will provide the physicality and frustration that enabled Columbus to be a successful team last season. He will also add some veteran playoff experience, an area the Blue Jackets lacked last season.

In the interim, he will be a nice replacement for Nathan Horton who remains sidelined with an injury related to his degenerative back condition.

In addition to the acquisition of Hartnell, youngsters such as Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray could have a bigger impact on the roster. Murray is a talented defender whose rookie season was cut short with an injury, and Jenner is a solid top-nine forward who is frustrating to play against.

Both are two of the key youngsters who, along with Johansen, represent the future of the Blue Jackets. They will be great complements to already established players such as Dubinsky, Hartnell, Nick Foligno and Cam Atkinson, and that will lead to another successful season of Blue Jackets hockey.

Johansen doesn't have a contract at this point, but it is a question of when he will sign, not if he will sign. He's already turned down multiple offers according to the Columbus Dispatch, and although both sides remain apart, the young center isn't foolish enough to miss multiple regular-season games as a holdout.

When you consider the fact the Blue Jackets have quality goaltending, a rising group of forwards and defenders, it is hard to not see them as a playoff contender in 2014-15. If Johansen continues to grow, Bobrovsky continues to play like a Vezina candidate and the contingent of Dubinsky, Horton and Hartnell are able to play their respective games, Columbus could be a dark horse to win the Metropolitan Division in 2014-15.

Both general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and president John Davidson have done a good job shaping the roster since joining the organization, and the tweaks made this summer should be enough to ensure that Columbus contends for a Metropolitan Division title in 2014-15, or a playoff spot at the very least.