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With any new franchise there are bound to be questions. Columbus is no exception. For starters, can the Blue Jackets survive in Buckeyeland? Early returns say "yes." The club met the NHL requirement of 12,000 season tickets sold by March 31, and it's now approaching 13,000 for the home opener in October.

Next up: How competitive can this team be under coach Dave King? Team president Doug McLean concentrated on acquiring smallish but speedy forwards, sizable defenseman and capable goaltenders. The strength of the team without a doubt will be goaltending, most notably in Marc Denis and Ron Tugnutt. But there are major question marks at every other position.

Finally: How soon can the Blue Jackets be respectable? That depends on how younger players, such as top prospect Rostislav Klesla, develop. McLean, who learned under Florida GM Bryan Murray, realizes how vital it is to stockpile decent talent for the future.

For more on the Blue Jackets, bookmark this page and check back Wednesday, Oct. 11 for a Sports Illustrated Scouting Report.

BRIGHT SPOTS		GRAY AREAS
No pressure to succeed right away is the tonic this team needs, since it will give draftees time to get better. A glut of prospects, including fourth pick G Greg Gardner, who was stellar at Niagara University last season with a 1.53 GAA and .936 save percentage. Welcome back to the NHL, Ohio. The memory of Gilles Meloche and the Cleveland Barons lives on. May better days be ahead for the Blue Jackets. They may not be familiar now, but remember the names of Jan Caloun, Espen Knutsen, Martin Spanhel and David Vyborny. They're talented players who could make an impact.		Growing pains. The Blue Jackets may have to grin and bear it for the next two years until young players are ready for the NHL. Where is the scoring going to come from? Creaky RW Kevin Dineen, brought in to provide leadership, can't even dream of 40 goals anymore, let alone 10. Forwards Robert Kron and Geoff Sanderson are the most potent threats; each scored 13 goals last season. Seventeen back-to-back games can't help. History doesn't bode well for expansion teams. In the last two years, Nashville (63 points) and Atlanta (39) have employed weak talent. Columbus can probably expect nothing more than 40-45 points.

Comings
Player	Pos.	From	Via
Serge Aubin	C	Colorado	Free agent
Matt Davidson	RW	Columbus	Re-signed
Marc Denis	G	Colorado	Trade/Re-Signed
Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre	D	Columbus	Re-signed
Steve Heinze	LW	Columbus	Re-signed
Sergei Kilmentiev	D	AK Bars-Kazan (Russia)	Free agent
Kent McDonell	RW	Detroit	Trade
Krzysztof Oliwa	RW	New Jersey	Trade/Re-signed
Geoff Sanderson	LW	Columbus	Re-signed
Ron Tugnutt	G	Pittsburgh	Free agent
Tyler Wright	F	Pittsburgh	Expansion

Goings
Player	Pos.	To	Via
Dallas Drake	RW	St. Louis	Free agent
Lyle Odelein	D	Phoenix	Free agent
Dwayne Roloson	G	St. Louis	Free agent
Mathieu Schneider	D	Los Angeles	Free agent
Turner Stevenson	RW	Columbus	Trade
Rick Tabaracci	G	Dallas	Free agent

Prospect Watch
Rostislav Klesla, D, 6'2", 198
Born: March 21, 1982 in Novy Jicin, Czech Republic
Acquired: 2000 draft, first round (No. 4 overall)
Named to the Ontario Hockey League's All-Rookie Team, Klesla was considered the best defenseman of the draft. He is projected as a No. 1 or 2 defenseman in the NHL. He was named Best Body Checker in the Western Conference in the 2000 OHL Coaches Poll. One of his best attributes is his hard shot from the point, clocked at 97.1 mph at the CHL Top Prospects game.

Get the Highlighter
Sat., Oct. 7 vs. Blackhawks: Chicago christens the Nationwide Arena. Real mystery, though is how Blue Jackets will break it in.
Thurs., Oct. 12 at Calgary: First-ever road game takes place at Calgary.
Wed., Dec. 27 at New Jersey: First of two games against Stanley Cup champion Devils. Both occur in a span of four days.
Mon., Jan. 15 vs. Wild: The fight for expansion dominance begins as the Wild invades Columbus.
Wed., Jan. 17 at Minnesota: In the second of three meetings, the Blue Jackets make their first visit to Minnesota.

Quoteworthy
"I've had an opportunity to play in what I felt was the best building in the league in Toronto, a great new arena with a unique hockey atmosphere. But I'll tell you, once I stepped inside (Nationwide) for the first time, I just couldn't believe it. With all due respect to Toronto, I think we're going to have the best rink in the league."
--Forward Kevyn Adams

Team-by-team previews compiled by CNNSI.com's Ken Klavon, Jamie MacDonald and Jimmy Traina.

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