But it also means that Columbus has another lever to pull that the Leafs may not... simply increasing the playing time of their best forwards will make them tougher to beat in the playoffs than they were in the regular season. Depth charts related updates can be found at @CF_DepthCharts; Time-on-ice roster analysis uses an algorithmic analysis of each players time-on-ice data in relationship to the roster to determine a teams roster depth in games that have been played; Bjorkstrand and Dubois are the closest thing they have to offensive stars, and they’re good, but they’re not Auston Matthews.At this point, there’s been enough digging into the Columbus Blue Jackets to broadly get an idea of what they’re about, especially relative to the Leafs. If you added Panarin and Duchene to this team, then they’re clear favourites.
None of this is news to you, dear reader, because you are intelligent and have read all of Katya’s excellent articles that go into greater detail about exactly this (among other things).Those names probably don’t strike crazy amounts of fear into you.
It’s smart, and it works, tilting the odds closer to Columbus’ favour than you’d expect reading the names off the team sheet. I’m genuinely worried about a forward line of Bjorkstrand, Foligno, and Dubois, and even if they’re not together, those guys are all individually good enough to cause serious problems for the Leafs.Bjorkstrand and Foligno are the most played overall and the most played at 5v5. Jenner is typically the 2C on this team, more out of default than anything, as the only guy who can challenge him is Wennberg, whose offense has completely dried up in recent years. Riley Nash is probably the most familiar of these names to Leafs fans due to his time on the Bruins, and he largely sums up what they’re about. As much as I’ve spoken positively about Foligno, his offense is nothing to write home about.
For context, Mitch Marner recorded 2.17. I expect Bjorkstrand to acquit himself well against whoever he faces, but if you’re Auston Matthews or John Tavares, you’re getting paid eight figures to win matchups against good players, not just bad ones. I want to know what John Tortorella thinks of his team, and how well that matches what I can glean of them from afar.
When we look at the situations in which these two play, it’s clear how much Tortorella values them.Conversely, it’s hard to see how Columbus does that either (barring a massive goaltending differential between teams). He is coming off a solid playoff performance for Cleveland but is a restricted free agent. Even with Ryan Murray, Markus Nutivaara and Adam McQuaid injured - three of the team's top six defensemen, come playoff time, in a perfect world -- the Blue Jackets got solid performances out of Scott Harrington, Dean Kukan, Adam Clendening and Vladislav Gavrikov in the postseason. In the pipeline, the top prospect is Foudy, who used his tremendous wheels and skill to have a solid season with London of the OHL as he scored 36 goals and was named the league's best shorthanded player with five goals, one off the league lead. An experienced netminder on the international stage, Merzlikins could very well finally get his shot at the NHL after signing a deal in May. That means the team could lose its leading scorer from two years running and perhaps its most creative player, but the cupboard will not be bare.
He’s also one of the few players on the Blue Jackets who has a history of above average shooting. Shutting down offense to the degree that they do is impressive, and once again, is likely to keep it close.