The Columbus Blue Jackets 2017-2018 season expectations vary from winning a playoff round to hoisting the Stanley Cup. Either way, the season will be a bust if the Jackets don’t get to the playoffs.
In the toughest division in the NHL, beating the teams you are supposed to is vital. That means beating up on Philadelphia, New Jersey and Carolina. That’s what the Jackets did last season. They went 8-3-1 against those teams for 17 out of a possible 24 points.
The problem for the Jackets this season is that all three of those teams got better in the offseason.