Columbus Blue Jackets: 10 Reasons They Can Make the Playoffs This Season

For the first time in franchise history, the Columbus Blue Jackets have started the season 0-3.

This was clearly not a good start for a team that was talked about in the offseason as a playoff contender.

After making big acquisitions of both All-Star Jeff Carter and one of the best available free agent defensemen in James Wisniewski, the Blue Jackets were expected to come flying out of the gate and be one of the top teams in the West.

Unfortunately, the Jackets have had to face some tough competition in just four days.

They started the season against a powerful Nashville Predators team, followed by a talented Minnesota Wild team the next evening and finished the stretch with the Vancouver Canucks, who were one win away from winning the Stanley Cup last season.

In their most recent game against the Colorado Avalanche, Columbus' first victory was within their grasp, but a late goal by Colorado tied it up, and the Avalanche would later take the victory in a shootout.

Although it is still early, there has been some talk that this Jackets team is just like those of past seasons, and they will once again be on the outside looking in on the playoffs.

However, in an 82-game season, a four-game stretch does not define this team. There is still plenty of time to recover and battle back into the Top Eight of the standings.

Soon, the Blue Jackets will get comfortable and be reunited with their new teammates to quickly become a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.

It's playoffs or bust for the Jackets this year, and here are 10 reasons why that goal will be achieved this season.

1) Return of James Wisniewski

When the Blue Jackets signed defenseman James Wisniewski, they believed that their power play issues had been solved.

Last season, the Jackets finished close to last in the man advantage and were in desperate need of an offensive-minded defenseman who could quarterback the team's power play.

Wisniewski, as well as the fans, were excited to see how the new-look Jackets would play on opening night, now that their power play had received a major upgrade.

However, Wisniewski was not in the lineup that night and will not be until the team plays the Detroit Red Wings at the end of the month.

The 27-year-old was suspended for the rest of the preseason as well as eight regular season games because of an intentional elbow thrown at Minnesota's Cal Clutterbuck after the game had ended.

Without Wisniewski in the lineup, the Blue Jackets defense lacks offensive power. They lost talented Jan Hejda in the offseason during contract negotiations and were not able to add any offensive-minded defensemen aside from Wisniewski.

Because of this, the Jackets' offense from the blue line has struggled, and their power play has yet to score a goal in the first three games.

Once the Jackets get Wisniewski back, they will be a completely different team, and their power play will begin to have a lot of success.

"Wiz's" heavy shot on the blue line not only tallies goals for him, but it also leads to rebounds for the forwards.  

2) When Wisniewski Returns, Steve Mason Will Improve

Even with the acquisitions of Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski, the pressure this season still rests on the shoulders of goalie Steve Mason.

In an offseason where many thought that the front office would go after a veteran goalie to challenge Mason for the No. 1 spot, general manager Scott Howson bet the house on Mason once again.

Mason has struggled with consistency since he won the Calder Trophy three seasons ago, and if we have learned anything from the first three games this season, it's that it's been more of the same.

In four games, Mason has allowed an average of a little over three goals per game and has a save percentage below .900.

His worst performance came against the Minnesota Wild, when he allowed four goals in only two periods and was later pulled in favor of backup Curtis Sanford.

Mason knows that this season is his last chance to show Columbus' front office that he is a legit starting goaltender, and he has yet to prove anything so far.

However, some of that pressure will be lifted off of his shoulders when James Wisniewski returns to the lineup.

When Wisniewski returns, the amount of goals scored by Columbus will increase. With an increase in goals scored, Mason will no longer be required to stand on his head night after night trying to keep the Blue Jackets in the game.

Hopefully, the rough start is just Mason getting used to his new defenseman, and he will soon return to his old form.

Mason's back is against the wall, and he has no choice but to take his game to the next level. And, when he does, the Jackets will be a better all-around team because of it.

3) Jeff Carter

The biggest success to take away from the first three games of the season is the success of the team's top line of Vinny Prospal, Jeff Carter and Rick Nash.

The question that almost everyone was waiting for to be answered was whether or not two proven scorers in Nash and Carter would gel together on the same line.

That question was quickly answered, as the three of them accounted for all of the Jackets' scoring in the season opener.

Carter has yet to light the lamp for the first time as a Jacket, but he has accounted for three assists already and has taken 17 shots on net, which leads the entire league and is good news for Columbus. 

It won't be long until Carter scores his first goal of the season, and his goal total will begin to increase.

Carter is yet another player that will benefit from the return of James Wisniewski, as his shot will create a lot of rebound chances for Carter on the power play.

In only a few games, the chemistry between Carter and Nash has been fun to watch and a breath of fresh air for fans.

Carter has had three straight 30-plus goal seasons, and if he and Nash continue to play well together, he may do so again and exceed the expectations that are set for him.

4) Rick Nash

The biggest winner in Columbus' offseason had to be captain Rick Nash, as he finally has a top-line center to skate alongside in Jeff Carter.

And, because of it, he could have a career year.

Nash has shouldered the load for the Blue Jackets since being drafted in 2002 and has excelled, averaging 70 points in the last four seasons.

With Carter next to him, as well as Vinny Prospal, he could record his first 80-point season.

In just four games, these three have shown a great amount of chemistry together.

According to Mike MacLean over at The Cannon, the days of Nash doing everything on his own are finally over.

"Nash is used to carrying the puck into the offensive zone solo, turn his butt to the net, looking for a linemate," MacLean said.

"Now, you're seeing him skate into the zone with more purpose, playing give-and-go with Carter, and actually getting the puck back for a scoring chance," he said. "Nash is also more and more entering the zone and going right to the net, waiting for a pass from his star centerman."

At only 27 years old, Nash is just now entering his prime, which is scary for the rest of the league.

Now that he finally has the proper pieces around him, he should take his game to a whole other level that we have not witnessed yet.

5) Vinny Prospal

It was assumed that the start of the season would be the Carter-Nash show, but no one has had a more impressive first three games than 36-year-old Vinny Prospal.

Prospal was an emergency addition in the offseason when winger Kristian Huselius went down with a torn pectoral muscle.

With Huselius out of the lineup until possibly January, Prospal has stepped into the team's top line with both Jeff Carter and Rick Nash.

In the first four games, Prospal has tallied two goals and two assists and is taking advantage of having two of the league's best players alongside him.

Prospal was originally brought in to help set up Carter and Nash, as he has tallied 35-plus assists in six of his last 10 seasons.

However, it has been the exact opposite so far, as Prospal is lighting the lamp with Nash and Carter setting him up.

Prospal missed a bulk of last season with the Rangers due to injury, so his health is still in question this early in the season.

If he can stay healthy, he will be a huge help to the Jackets' top line until Huselius is ready to return.

Even after that, Prospal would be an instant upgrade to the second or third lines if coach Scott Arniel keeps Huselius on the first line.

If the Slovak keeps it up, he could have his second 50-plus point season in three years.

6) Talented Youth

When it comes to the Blue Jackets' prospects, the one name that comes to mind is center Ryan Johansen.

After having an impressive season and postseason in the WHL, it was assumed that the "Johan" would be making his NHL debut this season.

Because of Johansen's success and promise, there has not been a lot of talk about some of Columbus' other impressive young talent.

One name that comes to mind is Cam Atkinson.

At the beginning of training camp, it was assumed that Atkinson would begin the year in the AHL and possibly get called up later in the year.

However, Atkinson turned a lot of heads in camp, as well as the preseason, and earned himself a roster spot come opening night.

In his first two games, the rookie struggled and finished with a minus-three rating, causing coach Scott Arniel to put him on the fourth line.

Early this week, Atkinson showed Arniel that he made the right choice, burying his first career NHL goal against the Vancouver Canucks in only seven minutes of ice time.

Atkinson has incredible speed and a "nose for the net," and is slowly showing the rest of the league why he earned himself a roster spot in the offseason.

With the suspension to James Wisniewski, other prospects, such as defenseman David Savard, have been able to log some time in the big leagues as well.

The Jackets have always been a team that builds their franchise through the draft, and this year it will finally begin to pay off.

7) Emergence of Ryan Johansen

With all of the youth that has been getting ice time in Columbus, one face we have yet to see on a consistent basis is that of Ryan Johansen.

As mentioned in the previous slide, Johansen had an incredible season last year in the WHL and really had no other options but to come to Columbus because of the age requirements in the AHL.

Johansen had little trouble earning himself a roster spot, but he's been a healthy scratch in two of the team's four games.

The 19-year-old did make his NHL debut on opening night against Nashville, but he was limited to under nine minutes of ice time. He got the start against Colorado on the second line with RJ Umberger and Matt Calvert, but again, had little ice time.

It is clear that the Blue Jackets are trying to ease Johansen into the NHL and take their time like the Boston Bruins did with second overall draft pick Tyler Seguin last season.

If Johansen was the proper age, he would most likely have spent the beginning of the year with the Springfield Falcons before he was ready to make the jump to Columbus.

The Jackets, as well as the league, see a lot of promise in Johansen, and they do not want to damage that by throwing him to the sharks before he is ready.

Johansen will have to show everyone that he is ready for the big leagues in the little ice time that he is given.

It won't be long before he is ready to make the jump, earning more ice time and beginning to contribute on a consistent basis.

I am not saying Johansen's first season will play out like that of Seguin's, but his speed and athletic ability should be a huge improvement for the Jackets' third or fourth lines.

8) Schedule Is More Spread Out After Hectic First Three Games

When the NHL season starts, it's not too long before some teams experience a tough stretch of games, including the Columbus Blue Jackets.

While some teams, like the Edmonton Oilers, have only played one or two games so far this season, the Blue Jackets have had to play three games in just four days, all against tough competition.

They battled it out with the Nashville Predators on opening night, and shortly after that, hopped on a plane and headed to Minnesota.

After a tough loss to the Wild, the Jackets came home for one day of rest before they went up against the defending Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks.

For the Canucks, they had only played one game so far in the season and had a four-day break before their game on Monday.

It was clear late in the game that the travel and amount of early games had taken a toll on the Jackets, as their shifts were short and they could not keep the pace with the Canucks.

“Their team has played one game, they flew in on Saturday and they were kind of sitting and waiting for us, so you could really see it," head coach Scott Arniel said to the Columbus Dispatch.

"Our guys were coming off after 25, 30 seconds. We were running out of gas, and they’re a veteran team. They know what to do when they see a team tired.”

Luckily for the Blue Jackets, they will not have another stretch of three games in four days until late December.

Until then, the Jackets will have plenty of time to rest in between games and will be able to get their feet underneath them.

As seen in their game on Monday, a day of rest can be the difference between a win and a loss.

On Wednesday, the Blue Jackets looked fresh after a day's rest and will continue to do so throughout the season.

It has only been four games, but one of Columbus' toughest stretches is already behind them, and they will eventually bounce back and pick up some W's.

9) Favorable Schedule at the End of the Season

Toward the end of last season, as the Blue Jackets were looking to stay in playoff contention, their schedule was all but favorable.

In the last 14 games of the season, eight of them were against future playoff teams. As we all know, the Jackets were only able to win two of those games and had an awful finish to a promising season.

This season, in the final 19 games, 11 of them are against teams that were also unsuccessful in reaching the playoffs.

If Columbus is anywhere close to the Top Eight of the Western Conference, a favorable schedule could help them reach the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history.

After what happened at the end of last season, no other team should know the importance of late-season wins more than the Blue Jackets.

Winning the games that they are supposed to, will bring confidence in those tougher matchups against Detroit, Chicago or Los Angeles.

If the Jackets can win 10 or more of their last 19 games, it will be a huge help in putting the team into the playoffs.

10) It's Now or Never

At the end of last season, Scott Howson knew that if the Blue Jackets ended this season with the same result, he would be out of a job.

That's why he stepped outside of his comfort zone and had one of, if the most aggressive offseason in franchise history by trading away his first-round draft pick.

It is now or never for Howson, and he will do whatever it takes to put the Jackets into the postseason—or at least drastically improve their win-loss record.

If the Blue Jackets are struggling come the trade deadline, look for Howson to yet again be aggressive to find the missing piece that is going to take Columbus to the next level.

The biggest question so far in this young season is the play of goalie Steve Mason.

If his struggles continue, Howson may go to the phones to try to either deal the youngster or bring in a replacement that will get the job done.

Howson tried last year to trade Mason and was unsuccessful, and there is no reason why he wouldn't try to do so again.

There is no telling what someone will do when his back is against the wall, and Howson is no different.

If the Blue Jackets continue their early struggles, Howson could make a major shake-up in a last-ditch effort to save his job.