Blue Jackets lines in early camp are really interesting

With just two weeks to prepare, and only four preseason games to sort out their roster; the Blue Jackets have not wasted any time at training camp. If their day one lines are any indication, the roster is mostly set, and it gives us some insight into their strategy this year.

Obviously, we can't nail down the full roster just yet. Adam Fantilli has yet to sign a contract, so he is not at camp or listed on any of the lines. However, it's pretty easy to see what the plan is here, with Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko playing on the same line together.

Currently, they are being centered by Cole Sillinger, though that's just a placeholder for now. Why am I so sure? Well, Bowness himself noted that Cole would be moving back to the middle at his own request this season-on a line with Conor Garland.

With that in mind, and assuming they figure out Fantilli's contract, the plan for the opening night lineup seems to look something like this:

Marchenko - Fantilli - Johnson
Nichushkin - Monahan - Voronkov
Wood - Coyle - Olivier
Lomberg - Sillinger - Garland
Del Bel Belluz

The other forwards we assume to be in the mix are playing as a trio on the "fifth line": Jack Williams is centering Mikael Pyyhtia and Danton Heinen. Assuming the two wingers can clear waivers, I can see this being the top line of the Cleveland Monsters this year.

Meanwhile, the defense pairings are about as we would expect, but there does seem to be a battle forming for that third pairing job. Here is how they are lining up:

Werenski - Severson
Provorov - Mateychuk
Soucy - Fabbro
Christiansen - Gudbranson

Of this group, Carson Soucy is the one without a contract. So, it's a little bit telling that he's paired with Dante Fabbro early in camp. It's possible that the Blue Jackets could add him for depth, since Jake Christiansen struggled to gain the trust of Rick Bowness near the end of last season.

This lineup makes sense.

I really like the look of these lines. For the first time, it seems like the coaching staff is ready to let the highly talented youngsters take the reins and lead this team offensively. Putting Fantilli between Marchenko and Johnson makes a ton of sense.

They are the most skilled forwards on this roster, and they should be playing together. No more trying to cram a Boone Jenner or Sean Monahan in there for their two-way games. Let the kids play.

Further bolstering this last point: Denton Mateychuk is going to see power-play time. Finally.

The other lines are set up to insulate that top line. For starters, the Monahan line is going to be an absolute nightmare to play against. At 6'2" and 206 pounds, Monny is the smallest guy out of that trio. All three can chip in some offense, and they should be able to match up against any line in the league.

Meanwhile, Miles Wood takes Sillinger's spot on the "identity line", which gives them another responsible two-way group that should be able to do exactly what they did last season: grind out hard minutes. With Charlie Coyle down the middle and Mathieu Olivier on the other wing, that's another line that is going to make the opposition cringe when they take the ice.

Finally, how about that potential Sillinger line with Garland and Ryan Lomberg? Any time this team needs a spark, they can roll these three out and watch them forecheck the opposition into oblivion. And, similar to the other lines, they should be more than serviceable in all situations.

If this all clicks, there is no reason the Blue Jackets shouldn't be right on the cusp of something special here. There is a lot of talent taking the ice in Columbus this fall, and there shouldn't be any more excuses. It's time to start winning.