Columbus Blue Jackets: 2 Biggest Surprises Of The Season So Far

Every NHL team has now played 20 games this season, so we are starting to get a better understanding of what to expect from them moving forward. There have been certain players who have been big surprises thus far and it feels fair to shine a light on them. In this series, we will be looking at two from each team who certainly can be classified as that.

In this piece, we will be looking at the Columbus Blue Jackets. As a whole, they have surprised a lot of fans this season. They currently have a 14-11-1 record, which is very impressive given all the departures they have had. These two players, however, have been major reasons for their success so far and are exceeding intial expectations in the process.

Boone Jenner: The Blue Jackets made Boone Jenner their captain for this season and it's clear that the 28-year-old forward is living up to the role. In 26 games, he already has 11 goals and 18 points. With this, he has already passed his production from last season, as he had eight goals and recorded 17 points in 41 games. If he continues to score goals at this pace, he will hit the 30-goal plateau for the first time since the 2015-16 season. That would be an epic season for him.

Vladislav Gavrikov: Vladislav Gavrikov is quietly having himself a career season this year. In 26 games, he already has two goals and 13 points. With that, he has stayed defensively responsible, as he sports a plus-5 rating. Like Jenner, he already has more points than he did last season (12) and has plenty of time to pass his career-high of 18. With the losses of Seth Jones and David Savard, Gavrikov has been thriving in a bigger role.