Blue Jackets’ dangerous youth their biggest advantage

If the season ended today, the Columbus Blue Jackets would earn their highest division finish in franchise history.

The club ranks second in the Metropolitan, though just two points above the Pittsburgh Penguins with 20 games to go. Even if Sidney Crosby and Co. overtake them, the Jackets appear likely to finish no lower than third, which would match their previous best, set back in 2005-06.

Needless to say, it's been a good year for the former basement-dweller, as Columbus has emerged as one of the league's best on both ends of the rink. Their 3.19 goals per game rank fifth-most among all NHL clubs, while their 2.34 goals against rank third-lowest.

But one key characteristic separates the Jackets: age.

While the rest of the league's top contenders - the Penguins, Washington Capitals, Minnesota Wild, and Chicago Blackhawks - rank among the league's 10 oldest teams in terms of average age, Columbus sits on the other end of the spectrum.

With an average age of 26.6, they're in fact the seventh-youngest team in the NHL, roughly level with the rookie-led Toronto Maple Leafs.

That discrepancy is significant, as it speaks to what Columbus' 2016-17 success really means. Nothing is guaranteed, but this doesn't appear to be a flash of brilliance on an otherwise mediocre timeline.

The Blue Jackets have enough pieces to make waves come playoff time, and with their youth playing a key role, that success is looking sustainable.

A look at who's carrying the mail in Columbus makes this clear. Of the club's top 10 goal-scorers, six are under the age of 25, just approaching their prime:

Player Age Goals
Cam Atkinson 27 29 Goals
Nick Foligno 29 22 Goals
*Brandon Saad 24 19 Goals
*Josh Anderson 22 14 Goals
Sam Gagner 27 14 Goals
Scott Hartnell 34 13 Goals
*Alexander Wennberg 22 12 Goals
*Boone Jenner 23 12 Goals
*Seth Jones 22 10 Goals
*Zach Werenski 19 9 Goals

The Jackets haven't seen the best of the majority of that top-10 group, while the team's top scorer, Cam Atkinson, is just hitting his stride.

The league's other top clubs are working on much shorter timelines.

Pittsburgh has just two players under age 25 among its top 10 goal-scorers, while Washington, Chicago, and Minnesota each have three. Those teams will likely dominate for the next few seasons, but, with most of their top weapons getting on in age, their inevitable decline isn't far.

Whether Columbus is ready to truly contend with those powerhouses remains to be seen, but it's clear the Jackets are miles beyond their fellow young gun squads.

As compared to the rest of the 10 youngest teams, they've achieved the most overall success by far. The Edmonton Oilers are the only other team among that group to rank even in the top half of their conference heading into the season's home stretch.

Toronto has its crew of elite rookies in Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. Edmonton has the game's next No. 1 star in Connor McDavid. But if we're talking depth and the ability to put it all together for team-wide results, the future looks to belong to the jackets.

It's an unexpected turn of events, to say the least.

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