Are the Blue Jackets better or worse today?

Dec 27, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle (13) looks to pass as Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov (9) defends during the second period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn ImagesNow that we are almost a week removed from the start of NHL free agency and much of the off-season business has been addressed, it’s time to look at where things stand and ask: are the Columbus Blue Jackets better or worse now than they were over the last season?

A few caveats: of course, this is just looking at things on paper. We can’t project how healthy the team may be (hopefully changes to the training and medical staff can help), and we can’t…