Are the Columbus Blue Jackets for real?

How sustainable is the success of the Columbus Blue Jackets?

Back in October, virtually everyone predicted the Columbus Blue Jackets would finish towards the bottom of the standings, if not in last place. Hockey, though, is a very funny game and often unpredictable. So perhaps it’s appropriate that Columbus is on the verge of being tied with the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins for the longest winning streak in NHL history.

However, they’re winning in a completely different way than the Penguins. Pittsburgh’s team during the 1992-93 season was absolutely stacked. They were led by two of the top 20 players of all-time in Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux. Not only that, Hall of Famer Ron Francis was the team’s second best center and fellow Hall of Famer Larry Murphy led the defense. Joe Mullen was another Hall of Famer on the team. They even had a Hall of Famer behind the bench in Scotty Bowman. That’s five current Hall of Famers and Jagr, who will be one.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets probably don’t have any future Hockey Hall of Fame inductees. Head coach John Tortorella could be one. Especially if he can help Columbus accomplish what the 1992-93 Penguins didn’t – win a Stanley Cup. Zach Werenski looks phenomenal early, but it’s still far too early to tell on him. Brandon Saad likely has the best chance of any player. His two Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks certainly helps his case. But his regular season numbers aren’t overly impressive. They’re good, but they’re not Hall of Fame good.

The Blue Jackets are on the verge of tying the Penguins by being one heck of a team. Of course, it helps several players are contributing far more than people thought. Sam Gagner, who has always had talent but never put it together, might be the best bargain in the NHL. As of Jan. 6, he has 28 points in 35 games and he’s only getting paid $600,000 this season.

Captain Nick Foligno is following his worst season as a pro with what might be his best. Saad has always been an impressive player, but now he’s starting to prove he doesn’t need Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa to be a dominant player. Cam Atkinson is proving to be one of the league’s most dominant offensive players. Seth Jones is proving to be more than just a product of the Nashville Predators.

Alexander Wennberg might be the number one center everyone thought Columbus didn’t have after trading Ryan Johansen. David Savard has proven to be one of the top shutdown defensemen in the NHL this season. Even with Boone Jenner being unproductive, the team is thriving.

A large part of the success of the Columbus Blue Jackets has been goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. He has all the talent in the world, but has failed to stay healthy in recent years. The 2012-13 Vezina Trophy winner looks a lot like the goalie who took the NHL by storm during the lockout shortened season.

Tortorella deserves a lot of credit. Many mocked him following Team USA’s debacle at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. But right now, he’s pushing all of the right buttons for his team. His most unique decision was to cancel morning skates on game days. Granted, Tortorella’s incentive to do so likely involved avoiding the media, but it’s clearly helping his players. They’re more fresh and it’s showing.

It appears the Blue Jackets’ success is sustainable. They aren’t riding abnormally high save percentages or shooting percentages over the season. Sure, everything has been going right for them during the winning streak. But this isn’t a fluke. Winning in the postseason can be very tough. The best team doesn’t necessarily win. Sometimes you run into a hot team. Other times, a hot goalie can help a lesser team upset the better team. But thanks to Tortorella’s decision to cut down on practices, the Columbus Blue Jackets could enter the 2016-17 postseason with a significant advantage. They’ll be far more fresh than other teams.

Just look at the Washington Capitals for proof of how hard it is to win a Stanley Cup. Regular season success is often ignored without postseason success, but these Columbus Blue Jackets deserve all the accolades they get. It’s rare to see such a complete team play at such a high level for over a month.