Johnson will start the season as a healthy scratch but the talented centreman should find himself on the Blue Jackets roster before long. Patrik Laine being moved to the middle has created an influx of center-depth to start the season for the Blue Jackets, likely factoring into Johnson's early-season healthy scratch. The fifth overall pick from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft is coming off his rookie season with the Blue Jackets which saw him tally 40 points (16G / 24A) in 79 games.

After a fantastic rookie season in 2019-20, where he posted a 2.35 GAA and .923 SV% in 33 games (13-9-8), Merzlinkins has performed progressively worse each year. In 30 games last season (7-18-2), Merzlinkins had a horrendous 4.23 GAA and a .876 SV%. His league-worst GAA (minimum 10 starts) will need to be improved significantly or he will likely find himself battling for starts with backup goalie Spencer Martin. The Blue Jackets go into their season-opener listed as -113 home favourites against the Philadelphia Flyers.

After a fantastic rookie season in 2019-20, where he posted a 2.35 GAA and .923 SV% in 33 games (13-9-8), Merzlinkins has performed progressively worse each year. In 30 games last season (7-18-2), Merzlinkins had a horrendous 4.23 GAA and a .876 SV%. His league-worst GAA (minimum 10 starts) will need to be improved significantly or he will likely find himself battling for starts with backup goalie Spencer Martin. The Blue Jackets go into their season-opener listed as -113 home favourites against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Fabbro had two goals, nine assists, 50 PIMs, 101 SOG, and a -4 plus/minus through 79 games with Nashville in 2022-23 but will be a healthy scratch for their first game of the season vs. Tampa Bay. The 25-year-old defenseman is entering his sixth NHL season and should find himself in the Predators' lineup more often than not this season.

Chinakhov had four goals, nine assists, 44 SOG, 10 PIMs, and a -6 plus/minus through 30 games with Columbus in 2022-23 but will begin the season on the injured reserve as he deals with a back strain. The 22-year-old right-winger is out indefinitely as he enters his third NHL season. The former 1st round pick (21st overall) is expected to be a key depth piece for the young Blue Jackets in 2023-24.

Olivier will be forced to miss the beginning of the 2023-24 season as he was placed on the injured reserve Monday with a leg injury and will be out indefinitely. The 26-year-old forward is entering his fifth NHL season and second as a Blue Jacket after putting up five goals, 10 assists, 75 SOG, 81 PIMs, and a -20 plus/minus in 66 games in 2022-23.

Aston-Reese was released on a PTO earlier in the week by Carolina and has now found himself a spot on Detroit's roster after signing a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000. The 29-year-old forward had 10 goals, four assists, 89 SOG, 25 PIMs, and a -6 plus/minus through 77 games with Toronto in 2022-23. The Red Wings will make his fourth NHL team in seven seasons.

Lundstrom had four goals, 10 assists, 60 SOG, two PIMs and a -13 plus/minus through 61 games in 2022-23 and will now be forced to miss the next six months as he recovers from surgery for an Achilles injury sustained in Sweden. The 23-year-old centre is now expected to return around the turn of the new year and will be hoping to take a step forward after a down season in 2022-23. He currently has 26 goals and 58 points in 212 career NHL games.

Wood had 13 goals, 14 assists, 167 SOG, 76 PIMs and a +1 plus/minus through through 76 game with New Jersey and has signed a six-year contract worth $15.0 million ($2.5M AAV) with Colorado. The 27-year-old left-winger leaves New Jersey after eight successful seasons which saw him score 78 goals and 148 points in 402 career games played.

Columbus selected Fantilli with the No.3 overall pick in this year's draft. Fantilli had an outstanding season at the University of Michigan, scoring 30 goals with 35 assists (65 points) in 36 games. He also added five points (2G / 3A) in seven games while representing Canada at the World Juniors. Fantilli is a candidate to make the Blue Jackets out of training camp and could play a huge role in his rookie campaign.

Olivier had five goals, 10 assists, 75 SOG, 81 PIMs and a -20 plus/minus through 65 games played in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year contract extension worth $1.1 Million AAV through the 2024-25 season. The 26-year-old right-winger is about to enter his fifth NHL season and has 22 points (8G/14A) across 114 NHL career games played.

Monahan was only able to play in 25 games in his first season in Montreal in 2022-23 due to a season-ending groin surgery but managed to pick up six goals, 11 assists, 55 SOG, 16 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus and has earned himself a one-year contract extension worth $1.985 million. The 28-year-old centre is entering his 11th NHL season after being the sixth overall draft pick in 2013.

Voronkov was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL draft and has spent the last four seasons in the KHL. During the 2023 season, he registered 31 points (18G / 13A) in 54 games with Kazan Ak-Bars (KHL).

The Devils signed Severson to an eight-year deal worth $50.0 million ($6.25M AAV) and traded him to Columbus for the Flames' third-round pick (No.80 overall) in this year's draft. Severson was set to become a UFA on July 1st and is coming off of a 33-point season (7G / 26A) in 81 games with New Jersey. Over the last two seasons, Severson is tied for 32nd among defensemen in goals (18) and tied for 37th in points (79).

The Devils signed Severson to an eight-year deal and traded him to the Blue Jackets for a 2023 third-round pick. Severson was set to become a UFA on July 1st.

Provorov was dealt to Columbus as part of a three-team blockbuster trade involving Los Angeles and five players and three draft picks. The 26-year-old defensemen had six goals, 21 assists, 115 SOG, 24 PIMs and a -17 plus/minus through 82 games played with Philadelphia in 2022-23. He has 532 career NHL games played, racking up a career high of 41 points (17G/24A) in 2017-18.

Christiansen had four assists, 25 SOG, a -7 plus/minus and four PIMs through 24 games during the 2022-23 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and has signed a one-way, two year contract through the 2023-24 season. The 23-year-old has 32 career NHL games played and was originally signed as a free agent by the Blue Jackets after he finished junior hockey in Everett (WHL) in 2019-20.

Aston-Reese had a goal, four SOG, and a -2 plus/minus through six games in the playoffs but will be the odd man out of Toronto's lineup for Game 2 vs. Florida on Thursday. Sam Lafferty will replace him on the Maple Leafs' fourth line.

Reese was the odd man out of the Maple Leafs' lineup for the last two games of round one as the team elected to go with seven defensemen but will draw back into Toronto's lineup for Game 1 vs. Florida on Tuesday. The 28-year-old has a goal, three SOG, and a -2 plus/minus through five games so far in the 2022-23 playoffs.