Jody Shelley has a very bold take on how the Jackets/Leafs series will play out

The NHL is coming BACK. Well, it’s coming back. Last week league commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the NHL would conclude their regular season with the current games played depicting the standings, and move straight into a 24-team playoff format which includes a play-in round for the bottom 16 teams.

It put the league in a very unique situation, as teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and the Montreal Canadiens were suddenly in playoff positions. On top of that, it changed up basically all the matchups from what fans were expecting all season long.

For Leafs Nation, suddenly it was the Columbus Blue Jackets in the crosshairs.

In a way, there may be a sigh of relief from Leafs fans that were dreading what looked to be a first round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. While they will still likely have their work cut out for them when the official first round rolls around, the Jackets may be a nice primer.

Of course, there’s the other side of this too. The one where the Jackets defeat the Leafs and the laughter targeted at the tortured Toronto franchise becomes louder than ever. Former Blue Jacket Jody Shelley believes that’s what’s going to happen, he may even think it will be worse than that.

Excerpt from the Columbus Dispatch:

“I love the Blue Jackets in that series,” Shelley said. “Skill versus hard-working skill. Jackets win that series. Do I dare say sweep? Noooooooo.”

What Shelley’s tone of voice said was, “Who would ever think of the Columbus franchise sweeping the Center of the Hockey Universe? That’d be like sweeping the mighty, 62-win, 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning. Unthinkable!”

Sarcasm obviously doesn’t quite read the same way through text, but you get the point. He confidently declares that the Jackets will take the series, and then sarcastically insinuates that a sweep is totally on the table.

Being a former Blue Jacket, Shelley MAY have a little bit of a bias showing. Saying that, the thought of getting sweeped by the Jackets during a play-in round is enough to a Leafs fan shrivel to one-third their size.

After all, this is the Leafs we're talking about. It would be pretty on-brand with how they've disappointed over the last few decades.