The Columbus Blue Jackets were not fortunate enough to win the Draft Lottery in 2023. Connor Bedard is not headed to Ohio.
However, Adam Fantilli is as he fell to third for them. The Anaheim Ducks decided to go with Leo Carlson at number two instead so Columbus got a player they love in that spot.
Fantilli is the type of player that can transform the look of a franchise. If he reaches his potential, he could be one of their best players ever.
Last off-season, they landed another player that could be a franchise great and his name is Johnny Gaudreau. His skills are unlike most that have ever suited up for them.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are lucky to have a good player like Johnny Gaudreau.
The team had a down year as a whole and Gaudreau’s first year was only okay on a personal level. In 80 games played, he had 21 goals and 53 assists for 74 points.
He is hoping that some of the additions made by Columbus, including Fantilli, can help him reach some of the offensive heights he’s reached in the past.
Artemi Panarin’s 87 points in 2018-19 are the most that any Columbus Blue Jackets player has ever had in a single season. Gaudreau would love to break that franchise record.
If he can score some more goals and just lift the assist total a little bit, he could do it. The only question is whether or not his team can help him get there. If Fantilli and other guys play well, Gaudreau can do this.
A lot was made about Columbus having a terrible year last year. The difference between them and the other terrible teams was that they were trying to win. It all went wrong, including tons of injuries.
This isn’t to say Columbus will be a playoff team or anything like that but they should be heavily improved over last year. That is especially true if Gaudreau is able to break the franchise record for points! It should be a fun team to watch in that sense.