Am I the only person who think Columbus is set up for failure? They lack talent down the middle, have tons of money tied up in bad contracts, and have now entered cap hell. They have some really elite pieces but as an overall team I just don’t see it. I’m open to being convinced otherwise and hope to be wrong but having watched my team fail for years and years I get very similar vibes from their current situation.

You aren’t the only person, and that’s why I hate seeing all the Columbus trades selling off the future for a singular player.

Interesting. Which contracts are the bad ones?
Also as for the centers, I agree we don’t have a 1C. We do have at least 2 guys who can produce at 2c levels and another who scored 30 points as a defensively responsible center at age 18. So tbh I think this team is set up to be successful for a long time. An established winger core of bjorkstrand, laine and Johnny is Stanley cup contender for sure. Werenski showed he can grow into a 1D and have plenty of young guys ready to take steps as older guys move out. Nyquist this year and voracek the year after.

I think your right unless sillinger develops in a hurry and turns into atleast a 1b, there’s lots of tkachuk trades on here to colombus and I think they are going after the right team but wrong position, some Center depth would be huge for colombus, somebody that could play a 1a role with elite linemates. Cap is getting to tight for any super buy highs but I think there could be a fit out there to buy sometime for the kids.

They'll likely miss the playoffs this year, and I'm honestly fine with that. If they keep their assets (i.e. top-end prospects and high draft picks), they'll be well-positioned for 2023-24 and beyond. But this isn't the season to expect big things.

CBJ fans - what contract would you want to see traded out to create more wiggle room for call-ups, etc. ?

Bean most likely (my hope) and nyquist is the other likely candidates.

While your worst 2 contracts are obviously close to expiring they’re not going to leave you with enough money to add much external talent and I just don’t know if I see enough talent in Columbus’ prospect pool to sustain long term success. I like Columbus so I do hope I am wrong but if gives me bad vibes. I know it’s also a very hot take but I think Elvis’ term and aav are pretty rough for his age and performance.

This is me being actually curious, and not in any way condescending. I'm just trying to learn more about a team I didn't watch last year, so I would love any CBJ fan's input.

Is Sillinger really the 1C already? Who played that role after PLD left last year?




As I said above, I don't know too much about Columbus, but I'm trying to give an unbiased opinion. You say they lack talent down the middle, but I'd argue that their center talent just isn't quite NHL ready. I don't think Johnson/Sillinger is a TOP TIER 1/2 punch in the NHL, but I also don't think it's something to scoff at either, especially a year or two down the road.

Their contract situation doesn't look good right now while they still haven't moved out money to make room for the new Laine contract, but only of Chinakov and Gavrikov are the notable names I see that need contracts next year. The year after, Voracek's contract runs out and I doubt they re-sign him, so that's another 8mil to play with.

I think people automatically assume that being at the cap ceiling is equal to "cap hell", but I only view that as a situation for teams that have to move out key players to make room, not just cap dumps. Something like Toronto and Kadri, Minnesota and Fiala, etc etc.

That's just my 2 cents anyway.

Definitely isn’t the 1C yet. However I think he brings the perfect amount of skill and defensively responsible play to that line that our other centers don’t have. As for china and gavy, I agree this next offseason is also gonna be a squeeze. However at most gavy gets a million more and china hasn’t shown he’s worth more than 1 mill. After Jake’s contract is up it’s free and clear as the cap should be going up again after that so we should be out of the worst of it.

Cool thanks. So who played the 1C role last year?

Very true. I don’t think this year is our go for it year by any means. We should miss the playoffs in around the same spot as last year 10-14. So adding external help shouldn’t be a priority.
Elvis is definitely a different contract. He had a rough season last year personally and on the ice. I’m willing to give him slack for last year if he can improve this year.

Also our team defense sucked last year. Most goals allowed in franchise History. And we’ve had some ****ty teams.

Jenner primarily between voracek and laine. Was on pace for 30 goals and 60 points
Roslovic at the end of the season after Jenner got injured.

This about nails everything. I don't think Jarmo signed Johnny with the expectation this makes us a contender for the Cup. Immediately, I'd be happy if we could at least be in contention for a WC spot near the end of the season.



Sillinger, Johnson, Marchenko, Jiricek, Mateychuk are all very high-end prospects. It'll undoubtedly be a few years for them all to be NHL level (though Silly arguably already is), but the near-term future is pretty damn bright. Silly in particular has gotten the sort of "low-end 1C a la Bergeron" type comparisons that a player like Shane Wright got during this past draft. Frankly, if that is the type of player he can develop into, I would be elated.

JG's game is built around play-driving, a la Panarin, so I actually think he'll do a lot to elevate the play of the F group, and balance the lines. For instance, PLD is a very talented guy, but playing with Panarin on his wing absolutely covered up for some of his rookie-warts when he first got to the NHL. And never forget that Josh Anderson had those big 20+ goal seasons playing besides Panarin. Dude parlayed that into a big contract that MTL is now regretting.

Significant progress for this team is going to depend on (1) The D developing some consistency; and, (2) Goaltending developing some consistency. That include Elvis regaining some of his form from the two years prior to last, and Tarasov having his AHL/KHL success translate to the NHL. It's just tough because I understand those two issues can go hand-in-hand.

All told, I think set up for "failure" is a strong word. I think you ask most people who follow CBJ, they are actually set up very well to get better and better over the next few years; but, that's the thing - it's going to be a process over the next few years, not a radical change overnight. ACGMs that are making moves thinking now is the time to go for the Cup are...very wrong.



No. Now is clearly the time to give up Silly, Johnson, and Jiricek for five years of JT Miller. Or one year of Tkatchuk.