Sure it is only a preseason game, it doesn't mean much. It will be a rough year for Blue Jackets fans no matter what. They now don't have any of the depth that they had last year that made them such a successful team. But it is nice to see Eichel and Hamitlon still have the chemistry they had late last season when they were both healthy. The Jackets missed it big time as they only played together in 1 game in the playoffs. If Eichel had been healthy it could've been the Jackets playing against the Flames in the finals. But that was not the case, and the Jackets will be looking to get to that stage again. Only not as an underdog, but as a contender. The Eichel - Hamilton connection will be key to that. 

Hamilton had 2 goals versus the Penguins, the team the beat in the 2nd round these past playoffs. Hamilton was a steadying presence for the Jackets in that series, but he couldn't get his offensive dominance that he showcased in the regular season to show up in the playoffs. This time however, he had Eichel helping him out. Eichel had primary assists on both of Hamiltons goals, with future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane getting a secondary assist on one of the goals. Despite this effort, they still lost 5-4 in a shootout, but it was still promising to see that the 2 pillars that the Jackets will continue to lean on for a long time still play exceptionally well together. Will they carry the Jackets to the playoffs? Likely not, Quick's best days are behind him and the Jackets don't expect a Vezina/Hart level performance of him. But what will excite the Jackets faithful is the youth that managment hopes to surrond these 2 with in the next few seasons, and hopefully they get another shot at getting another banner added to their barns rafters.