ESPN's Craig Custance continues his survey of the NHL's 30 teams' "best players" by examining the Columbus Blue Jackets' franchise player today:

Blue Jackets' Most Important Player: Ryan Murray, Defenseman

It’s no secret that the Columbus Blue Jackets will likely be toast if goalie Sergei Bobrovsky isn’t healthy all season and playing to his high standard. So let’s get that out of the way first.

Assuming Bobrovsky reaches those expectations, the ceiling for this Blue Jackets team is excitingly high for a franchise that is still looking for its first playoff series win. The development and health of defenseman Ryan Murray will dictate just how high that ceiling is this season.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen has built the forward group into one of the deepest in the East, with the addition of Brandon Saad making a solid group potentially great. He inherited a franchise goalie in Bobrovsky from former GM Scott Howson.

The defense? Well, that’s a work in progress. As it stands, the bluelines of division rivals New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders and Washington Capitals are deeper and more talented. Even landing one of the veteran free agent defensemen stragglers won’t change that.

Custance continues...