It’s nearly August, and nothing has changed on the Laine front. He’s still in the Player Assistance Program and is still a Columbus Blue Jacket. GM Don Waddell was hoping that Laine would be cleared by the program before free agency, but now that the busy part of the off-season has come and gone, one has to wonder what happens from here. With training camp only two months away… Source ..read more

Just hours after I complained about the long coaching search and picked Dean Evason as the profile image…the Columbus Blue Jackets announced on Monday afternoon that the former Minnesota Wild head coach will be the 13th head coach in franchise history. My top choice for this job was Todd McLellan, who had left things better than he found them in San Jose, Edmonton, and Los Angeles. Source ..read more

There is perhaps no position in sports more difficult than an NHL goalie who has to play in front of a bad defense. Frankly, the fact that Tarasov had a .908 save percentage and a GSAx of -1.84 is quite impressive. He did have a slow start to the season, having a save percentage below .900 in 8 of his first 11 games, but he rebounded nicely down the stretch. In his last 13 games, he had only 3… Source ..read more

Earlier this month, the Columbus Blue Jackets (along with the other 31 NHL teams) released their full schedule for the upcoming season. The most anticipated game will be on March 1, with the Jackets playing in their first outdoor game in franchise history. They will be hosting the Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium. Ticket information has not been released yet, but once it is… Source ..read more

Personally, my bar for Adam Fantilli’s rookie season was high. I thought he would topple about every franchise rookie record. He was never able to put together long stretches of offensive contribution over the course of the season. Then again, point me to someone on the team who didn’t experience the same problem. To truly evaluate his season, you need to take a deeper look at the numbers. Source ..read more

When Sean Kuraly signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the summer of 2021, it was a feel-good story that a player who grew up in Central Ohio was choosing to come home. He also was going to provide much-needed center depth, and over the last three seasons he has met expectations. Through five seasons in Boston, Kuraly had a career high of 8 goals. He has eclipsed that each year in Columbus. Source ..read more

PD and Dale are back to discuss a flurry of moves made in the last few weeks including: The Cannon Cast is brought to you by Fans First Sports Network. Our theme music is the song “Green Eyes,” by Angela Perley and the Howlin’ Moons off of their album Homemade Vision. Check out angelaperley.com for music, news, and show dates. Angela’s newest album is out now! Source ..read more

Don Waddell was hired as general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets on May 28. After taking a few weeks to get the lay of the land, he has been actively making his own mark on the team over the last two weeks. June 17: Waddell fired head coach Pascal Vincent. Vincent had one year remaining on his contract, and one could understand giving him one more chance, under better circumstances. Source ..read more

After days of discussion of possibly trading down, the Columbus Blue Jackets held on to the #4 overall pick and selected Cayden Lindstrom, a center from Medicine Hat of the WHL. He is a big, skilled, power forward who adds more young talent and depth to the middle along with Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger. For more on Lindstrom, read our prospect profile here. Welcome to Columbus… Source ..read more

Live from The Sphere in Las Vegas, we have the last edition of the NHL draft where all of the front offices and prospects are in the same room. Round 1: Friday, June 28 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN Rounds 2-7: Saturday, June 29 at 11:30 a.m. ET, NHL Network, ESPN+ Round 1: #4 Round 2: #36 (by the end of Round 1, the Blue Jackets will decide whether to retain this pick or send it to… Source ..read more