I'd list a realistic outcome as 4th behind CAR, NJD, NYR. I don't see how NYI- another aging team that is status quo from their lineup they ended the season with- is marked for any improvement. PIT at least made changes that are riskier, but have more upside. CBJ needs a MASSIVE point increase. Unless Fantilli is a strong Calder candidate, their center depth will still get exploited regularly.

I honestly have CBJ as a team to overachieve and reach at best 4th in the Metro hence the rankings. I also factored in for realistic that all of Karlsson, Letang, and Malkin don’t play 82 which will drop them a spot.

Your realistic option has Columbus ahead of Pitt?

I have them overachieving this year, it’s a hot take, I know, but I feel that everything can and will go right for them. Like I said it’s a hot take🤷‍♂️

A 32 point swing between CBJ and PIT would be pretty crazy. Multiple Pens stars would have to miss significant time for that to happen imo

Hey I like their team and I think they could be pesky, just not better than the pens.

What do you think will happen that will have them do that well? Fantilli calder season? Major merzlinkins bounce back?

I think Kekalainen needs to show major improvement this season to keep his job and went too deep into adding expensive vets to the team. Would have been wiser to allow his young dmen to develop. Don't like the Severson or Gaudreau contracts. Gudbranson is a bad one. He's taking too many high risks for a team way below contender status. If Fantilli isn't a legit 1C quickly, that team is very limited to pretender at best status. I've yet to see a team in the cap era show contender status without at least solid centers. And CBJ could easily end up with a massive mismatch of aging overpriced vets dragging down the rest of the ascending lineup.

Fantilli huge year, Merzlikins bounce back, Gaudreau + Laine bounce back, Kent Johnson big year. Sillinger comes back after his sophomore slump. A lot can go right for this team for them to do good. I know it’s unlikely for that much to go right but crazier things have happened

Absolutely no way do the blue Jackets finish higher than 5th at absolute best overachieving. Realistically they will likely be in that 6 or 7 range as they won’t out suck the flyers but they don’t have much offensive threat outside of Gaudreau, Laine, and Fantilli and not much defensively that’s great while also lacking depth. And goaltending is shaky at best.