Good teams need a lot to go right. Playoff teams and Stanley Cup contenders need lots to go right, a little luck, and it never hurts to have a Hall of Fame caliber goaltender getting hot at the right time and backstopping the team through April, May, and June. The Columbus Blue Jackets have enjoyed limited success in its 23-year run on the ice in Central Ohio. A few key members come to mind as the highlight of the franchise's best era, which saw the team make the playoffs between 2016-20. More specifically, the 2019 playoffs when the Blue Jackets shocked the world and eliminated the Presidents ..read more

The Columbus Blue Jackets will discover their draft lottery fate tomorrow evening. What we know: the Blue Jackets will pick somewhere between first and sixth, and they have nearly a 2/3 chance of picking fifth or sixth and only a 9.5% chance of picking first. What we don't know: the quality of the player that will be selected. With that in mind, here are three lessons from recent NHL drafts: Generational Players Swing The Draft The 2021 and 2022 NHL Drafts were headlined by Owen Power and Juraj Slafkovsky. Both are nice prospects who have shown that they could be top-of-the-lineup players ..read more

The Columbus Blue Jackets aren't part of these Stanley Cup playoffs but several notable ex-Blue Jackets are partaking in a chance at the Stanley Cup. Sergei Bobrovsky Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports 2023-24 Stanley Cup Playoffs GP W L OTL SV% GAA   5 4 1 0 .896 2.78 How about Sergei Bobrovsky? After an amazing run with the Florida Panthers last year in which he began entering the conversation for Conn Smythe, and the Panthers fell in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final, Bob's Panthers are back and better than ever. Florida knocked out the Tampa Bay Lightn ..read more

Now that the 2023-24 NHL regular season has come to an end, it's a fair time to perform a post-mortem on the Columbus Blue Jackets.   The Blue Jackets finished 31st of 32 teams in power play opportunities, generating just 212 chances in 82 games. The club also finished 31st in overall power play success rate, at just 15.1%, and scored just 32 power goals.  It's obvious to say that having a successful power play is a surefire way to have a better chance of making the playoffs. Of the 19 teams to score 50 or more power-play goals, 13 made the playoffs, including each of the t ..read more

Cole Sillinger was one of the few pleasant storylines from the 2023-24 Columbus Blue Jackets. After a tough sophomore season in which he scored just 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 2022-23, Sillinger bounced back this past season with a career-high 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists). The 19 helpers also set a career watermark. Sillinger is still only 20 years old and has three NHL seasons under his belt, with 220 career games to his credit. Does he feel like one of the veterans on the team now as he prepares for his fourth NHL season? "I don't think I'm an established veteran," Silling ..read more

The season is over, the Columbus Blue Jackets are focusing on next year, and we have a lot of off-season activity to look forward to in the meantime. First, we reflect on the 2023-24 season and what lies ahead for the club in the coming days, weeks, and months. The Blue Jackets coaches and players had their end-of-season media availability last week, and captain Boone Jenner had a lot of interesting things to say. Columbus finished 27-43-12 with 66 points and 29th in the NHL to secure the fourth-best odds of landing the first pick in the upcoming NHL draft lottery. Slightly better than th ..read more

The Columbus Blue Jackets may not be participating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that doesn't mean that they aren't paying attention. Whoever becomes the next GM of the club is likely to come from the current 16-team field - though it's possible it could end up being someone like the OHL's Mark Hunter. Regardless, it'll be a person with a history of deep postseason success, regardless of level. Through two days and nights of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I couldn't help but wonder what tenants and themes would be important for that person to bring to the Blue Jackets. Here are three though ..read more

As one chapter ends, a few others begin. Tuesday night marked game No. 82 for the Columbus Blue Jackets as their regular season came to a close with a 6-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Jeff Rimer called the final game of a 47-year career as a broadcaster, including the last 20 years with the Blue Jackets. Jason Stypinski, assistant equipment manager for the Blue Jackets, worked his last game. And a pair of exciting new players made their NHL debuts on Tuesday night for the Blue Jackets. Rookie laps in the book for Gavin Brindley and Luca Del Bel Belluz #CBJ pic.twitter.com/DkQeyn2kyp — Je ..read more

One game to go before the most important offseason to date gets started for the franchise. The Columbus Blue Jackets play the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, and once the final horn signifies the end of the 2023-24 regular season for Columbus, the offseason will be underway. A franchise desperate to get back to the playoffs has a lot of work to do this summer to start down that goal. Looking back at head coach Pascal Vincent's first year in Columbus, things started okay before nine straight November losses all but ended the club's chances of playing meaningful hockey this time of ye ..read more

The Blue Jackets signed Gavin Brindley, the No. 34 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning this season and expiring after the 2025-26 season. He's expected to make his NHL debut on Tuesday when the Blue Jackets host the Carolina Hurricanes. Because Brindley's entry-level contract begins this season, he is ineligible to play in this year's AHL playoffs. Brindley, the 2023-24 Big Ten Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American, posted 25-28--53 in 40 games in his sophomore season at Michigan that saw the Wolverines lose in the Frozen Four semifina ..read more