Well, the 2017 Expansion Draft has come and gone. The Columbus Blue Jackets lost William Karlsson to the Vegas Golden Knights, as was expected once a trade was made with Vegas. That aforementioned trade ensured that the Knights would not take Josh Anderson, Joonas Korpisalo, or Jack Johnson. For a 2017 first round pick and a 2019 second round pick, Vegas would leave those players alone, as well as take the contract of David Clarkson off of the books.
To that last point- the Blue Jackets could now comfortably approach the cap without having to worry about making 8 paper moves on Opening Day to accommodate any major signings or trades that the team makes.