For those who missed the Blue Jackets pre-season events, don’t worry. You’ve missed a lot but you’re not that far behind.Since training camp began, the roster has been reduced from 64 players to 23. There have been 73 power plays for the Jackets, 46 penalty kills, 12 goals scored with a man advantage, 25 total goals scored, 28 goals scored against, three wins, five losses and one tie.Of course, come tomorrow night none of this will make a difference, but a look at the past never hurts when it might help predict what the future will bring.It wasn’t until the last two games of the pre-season that Columbus played with a roster that looked more like what will be seen this year. Up until then, the lines run by the Blue Jackets seemed more like disorganized pick-up games than pro hockey.But through it all, names stood out and a NHL team began to form.The Blue Jackets finished the pre-season by splitting a two-game series with the Florida Panthers. In the Jackets’ 4-3 victory, left wing Serge Aubin notched two assists, giving him five on the year. Although not a scoring machine (he only had one goal), Aubin looks to be a fixture for the Blue Jacket offense. The winger is 25 years old and has played only 29 games in the NHL. Of those games, 17 were in the playoffs with Colorado last year. Aubin could be a piece of the developing puzzle that will eventually lead the Blue Jackets to succeed.Even the 3-0 loss in the split series with the Panthers was not a complete waste.With the roster reduced, the Blue Jackets could focus less on evaluating talent and more on developing the power play. They still need quite a bit of work, though. Columbus went 0 for 7 and gave up an empty-net goal at the end of the game. The Panthers went up by two goals just 17 minutes and 51 seconds into the first period, but the Jackets showed resilience, holding Florida scoreless for two periods, until the open-netter. The Blue Jackets’ last pre-season game at home was a dismal performance as they lost 5-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.Jaromir Jagr and his band of merry men showed up and proved why it’s more important to spend all your money on big-name players rather than keep a goalie who can help significantly on your way to the Stanley Cup.Truth be told, Jean-Sebastien Aubin had a great night in net for the Penguins, allowing one goal on 13 shots. He also had a little help as his team scored twice while a man down.Blue Jackets goalie Ron Tugnutt, who came to Columbus from Pittsburgh, struggled a bit in the game, allowing four goals in the second period, but he didn’t get much help from his teammates.Head coach Dave King said he felt like his team played as “separate entities” in the loss. He also felt his team had been taught a good lesson and they had learned something from the experience.What they learned was that Jagr is one good hockey player. The Blue Jackets had a thriller at Nationwide Arena in a 4-4 overtime tie with the New York Rangers.Stepping up big for the Jackets was… chance. The tying goal was scored by the Rangers, on the Rangers. After going down by two in the first, right wing David Vyborny started the Blue Jackets’ run with a goal in the second. Left winger Geoff Sanderson scored the go-ahead goal in the middle of the third.Vyborny scored three goals in the preseason. He could be a goal-scorer for Columbus and he’s going to need to turn it on if the Blue Jackets will succeed this year.The Blue Jackets played four earlier pre-season games, three losses and one win. As the coaching staff was evaluating a roster that looked more, in size, like that of a football team, the win/loss record shouldn’t be examined too closely.Of course, one of those games is a little significant, not only because it was a winning game, but because it was the first Blue Jackets game ever to be played in Columbus. The Jackets’ 5-2 win over Detroit marked the official entry of hockey in central Ohio. Strangely enough, the players that were big in the game are many of the same players that will be on the ice this season.Defenseman Lyle Odelein scored once and had an assist in the game. Odelein is going to be an important piece of the Blue Jacket team. With 10 years experience in the NHL, the veteran is going to be needed to score some goals. What he won’t be needed for is his ability to get penalized. Odelein led the Phoenix Coyotes with 123 penalty minutes last year. But, when there is a player that constantly gets penalized, there’s a player that is tough and aggressive. The Blue Jackets will need a lot of aspects in their game to come together quickly. By only cutting the roster three days ago, the players have not had the chance to mesh and get used to each other.Don’t worry though, it’s a long season. There will be plenty of time.