Welcome to NHL season review: a brand new series that will breakdown every NHL team this offseason. You can expect to see new posts all summer, starting from the 30^th place team, and finishing with the Stanley Cup champions. With so many changes coming in the offseason, some teams will be improving dramatically, while others will be forced to make some tough decisions for the future. It’s going to be a fun summer of hockey talk, so sit down, hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

Year in Review

 2014-2015 Stats

• Record: 42-35-5 (89 points)
• Goals per game: 2.77 (13^th)
• Goals against per game: 3.02(25^th)
• Power play: 21.7% (5^th)
• Penalty kill: 80.2% (23^rd)
• Shots per game: 28.9 (24^th)
• Shots against per game: 33.4 (28^th)

The Blue Jackets missed the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Any team that gives up over three goals a game is not going to have a very successful year. In their defense, they were completely decimated by injuries, losing All-Star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for 17 games due to a knee injury. With so many other key players missing time due to injury, it’s understandable that they finished near the bottom of the league in goals against, but it wasn’t all due to injuries.

As a team, the Blue Jackets finished 28^th in shots against per game behind only the Leafs and Sabres. Anytime a team gives up that many shots, you’re bound to give up goals and lose hockey games. According to Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com, Columbus finished 25th in Corsi-for (CF%) last season. It’s a proven hockey fact that a team that doesn’t have the puck can’t score goals, and the Blue Jackets didn’t have the puck very often. Add all that up, and you get a below-average team that doesn’t play good defense.

Fans will probably chalk last season up and as an injury-plagued season, but they weren’t a playoff team before that and won’t be again this year if they don’t address their team’s style of play away from the puck.

General Manager Jarmo Kekäläinen and his scouting staff decided to use the eighth overall pick in this years draft to select defenseman Zach Werenski from the University of Michigan. The 6-foot-2 Michigan native is exactly what the team needs: a puck moving, smooth skating defenseman who can shut down opposing players. He finished last season with 25 points (9G, 16A) in 35 regular season games and should be a staple on their blue line for years to come. There’s a strong chance he returns to Michigan next season to continue his development, but the Jackets desperately need help on the back end, so I expect them to give the 18-year-old a serious look in training camp.

Offseason Game Plan

Columbus made a splash this offseason when they acquired forward Brandon Saad from the Chicago Blackhawks. With the Hawks right up against the cap and Saad due for a major salary increase, the Blue Jackets were in a position to get Saad without having to give up a significant piece in return. The team later signed the 22-year-old to a six-year $36 million dollar deal, making him the second-highest paid player on the team behind Bobrovsky. He’s coming off a very impressive season that saw him set career highs in goals, assists, points and shots. They may not be the powerhouse offensive Chicago is, but Saad should be able to rack up 60-plus points next season, barring any injuries.

On the defensive side of the ice, Columbus has a lot of question marks. Outside of Jack Johnson and Fedor Tyutin, there really isn’t much to be excited about. David Savard emerged as a top-four defenseman, while Ryan Murray once again struggled with injuries. Both are talented, young defenseman with incredible upside, and I expect them to be major factors in helping the Blue Jackets makes a push for the playoffs.

Up front, Columbus is stacked. Their top-six is one of the best on paper, and if they could all just stay healthy for an extended period of time, they could easily be one of the best offenses in the league next season. Ryan Johansen and captain Nick Foligno will once again be the engines that run the offense, but the additions of David Clarkson and Gregory Campbell will make them a much tougher team to play against night after night.

As for goaltending, it’s really simple math: the more games Bobrovsky plays, the better chances they have of making the post season. He’s by far their best player, and the team will only go as far as he can carry them. Despite missing those 17 games, he still finished with an impressive 30-17-3 record in 51 games with a .918 SV%. The 26-year-old is an elite goalie that can carry a team on his back when needed, but a little support from his teammates wouldn’t hurt either.

All of this of course depends on the team staying healthy for the majority of the season. Every team has to deal with injuries, but to say Columbus experienced their fair share of injuries last season is probably an understatement.

The graph pretty much says it all. Columbus did everything possible to make a push for the playoffs, but anytime a team loses that many players to injuries, it’s almost impossible to overcome. I’m not quite sure what the team did to piss off the hockey gods, but they clearly need to seek forgiveness before the start of the season.

The Blue Jackets will have their work cut out for them next season, but I expect them to at least compete for a playoff spot and be a much better team than what their record showed. If you think about it, managing to win 42 games with that many injuries is an accomplishment in itself. If healthy, this team can win 50 games next season, but that’s a big if, and one I’m not willing to bank on just yet.