There is a buzz surrounding the Columbus Blue Jackets this season after an exciting offseason that involved GM Scott Howson bringing in a couple of big name players to bolster this roster. Howson started by trading for Philadelphia center Jeff Carter. Carter has three consecutive seasons of at least 33 goals, and provides the forward group with a legitimate top line scoring talent to go with Rick Nash. Howson then traded for the rights of James Wisniewski and signed the talented offensive defenseman to a long-term deal.

The adjustments did come at a cost though as Jakub Voracek was a necessary price in the Carter deal. The team also parted ways with Scottie Upshall, Jan Hejda, Mike Commodore, Sami Lepisto, Mathieu Garon and several other useful depth NHLers. Veterans Radek Martinek, Vinny Prospal and Curtis Sanford help boost this unit, but coach Scott Arniel will be relying upon his younger players to step up and take bigger roles as the Blue Jackets aim to take the next step and make the postseason for the second time in their history.

Forwards

Nash has been shouldering the offensive burden for a long time in Columbus without a genuine #1 center. He now has Carter and the pair should give the Blue Jackets a true #1 line. Nash had 32 goals and 66 points last season, but he can be expected to increase his production playing on a line with Carter all season. The third member of that line isn’t certain for the time being with several options possible including Vinny Prospal and Derick Brassard. Prospal is a reliable veteran, but Arniel may use Brassard because he has more offensive upside, and the team will be looking for him to develop with his best effort just 47 points in four professional seasons.

R.J. Umberger and Antoine Vermette will almost certainly form the second line. Umberger and Vermette are reliable two-way players, they scored 57 and 47 points respectively. This is a second line that Arniel can trust and will probably use against opposing teams’ top lines. With Kristian Huselius, Jared Boll and Derek MacKenzie all injured, 22-year old Cam Atkinson looks set to take the spot on the second line. Atkinson might not play in the role for long, but he has had a strong preseason, and he is coming off a 31-goal college season for Boston College. 2010 fourth overall pick Ryan Johansen is set to get at least a nine-game tryout as third line center. Johansen has an incredible skill set and will probably play between Maksim Mayorov and Prospal or Brassard. Mayorov is another member of the cast that Columbus will hope steps up his game this season. Matt Calvert, Samuel Pahlsson and Derek Dorsett will probably start as the team’s physical, energy line. This group has a few too many question marks, but the returns of Boll and Huselius will certainly help. If a few of the team’s younger players perform well, this could be an excellent group.

Defense

Wisniewski starts the season suspended for a late preseason hit, a loss that makes this Columbus defense look significantly weaker. The Blue Jackets won’t want to fall behind early in what is a very tough looking conference. When Wisniewski does play, he will offer the team a significant offensive boost from the blue-line and should improve the team’s previously anaemic power-play. Even with Wisniewski, the blue-line could be a weakness. Fedor Tyutin is under-rated around the league, he is a solid two-way player with a well-rounded game and will probably partner Wisniewski for most of the season.  Marc Methot took a step forward in his development last year and will probably form a solid defensive pair with veteran addition Martinek. Young Kris Russell will be expected to take the next step and be a regular offensive producer, especially with Wisniewski missing the first nine games. Grant Clitsome rounds out of the blue-line after he enjoyed a strong all-round performance in 201o-11. Talented youngster David Savard and Aaron Johnson look set to compete over seventh spot, while another talented blue-liner John Moore returns to the AHL for more seasoning. Still, this is not a deep group, nor does it really possess top end talent.

Goaltending

Steve Mason burst onto the scene during the 2008-09 season posting a .916 save percentage and 2.29 GAA to lead the Blue Jackets to the first playoffs in franchise history. Since then, he really hasn’t lived up to expectations, often losing starts to Mathieu Garon. Mason has posted a .901 save percentage and GAA above 3.00 in each of the last two seasons. Mason’s talent isn’t in doubt, but there are now questions about his ability to be successful as a starter in this league. Howson hasn’t brought in any obvious competitor for Mason. Sanford and Mark Dekanich will probably alternate as back-up during the season. However, it would seem likely that if Mason struggles; Columbus will be looking for goaltending help elsewhere. Mason holds the key to the ability of Columbus to compete for now.