I'll preface this by saying that I think Columbus is taking a very dumb risk, assuming that they keep Panarin and Bobrovsky for a run. That they even make the playoffs is in doubt, and their prospects of doing anything if they get there are low, to say the least.
That said, I see the method to the madness. The BJs have been around some time now, and have had a pretty horrible history. It took them nearly a decade to get into the playoffs. They've since made it 4 times, and have yet to win a series. Last season was the first time they'd gone back-to-back years in the playoffs. The highest they've ever placed in a division is 3rd. Alongside this mediocrity, they've dealt with player retention problems. What talent they've been able to get seems to want out pretty regularly. Nash, Foote, Carter, Johansen, Panarin, etc. Combine that with some bad luck early in their drafting, and Columbus always seems to be playing catch up. Fans have to be sick of it. The organization has to be sick of it.
With all of that bearing down, Kekalainen and Davidson might figure that it's worth the risk to at least give themselves a shot to do something in the postseason this year. To give the fans something other than the same old song and dance. Yeah, it's almost certainly going to end badly for them, but what's the alternative? Wait until the pieces they get from trades mature into something that can make the playoffs again, and repeat ad infinitum? This might very well be their best chance in a while to even attempt to be anything other than mediocre. It might be doomed, but maybe the franchise and the fanbase needs that right now more than they need another batch of promises and patience.