There is no better story right now in hockey—maybe in all of sports—than the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Who would have guessed halfway through January that the perpetually downtrodden Blue Jackets, amidst horrific tragedy at the season’s eve and seemingly perpetual adversity during the campaign, would be sitting in a playoff position?
Make that not just sitting in a playoff position but gaining momentum.
Amidst the litany of surprising success stories in the NHL this season, the prosperity of the Blue Jackets is one everyone can celebrate.
Unless you are a curmudgeon of the highest accord in need of visits by a series of ghosts, what the Blue Jackets are achieving must put a smile on your face.
Remember how it appeared before the puck dropped on the 2024-25 season? The Blue Jackets, who have missed the Stanley Cup playoffs the past four seasons, were dealt a huge blow when sublime offensive force Johnny Gaudreau was killed, along with his brother, Matthew, while riding bikes near their childhood home.
Not only galvanized to do their best for their fallen brother, whose dressing room stall remains, but also implored by Johnny’s widow, Meredith, to “Go play hockey,” the Blue Jackets have exceeded all expectations.
But Gaudreau’s death is not the only mountain they have been forced to climb to push into the Eastern Conference’s wild-card position. A horrendous rash of injuries has impacted Columbus all season.
Yet, as the Blue Jackets prepare to play host to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, they are ahead of the pack in what is shaping up to be a close battle among more than a half-dozen squads for that ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Here’s the kicker. Not only are the Blue Jackets winning games—they are on a 9-2-1 run and won five straight heading into Thursday’s affair—but they are winning with an exciting style.
Defensively, Columbus is hardly a steel trap. Only the Pittsburgh Penguins have allowed more goals against per game. However, the Blue Jackets are thrilling with an offensive flair nobody saw coming, especially without Gaudreau.
Offensively, they sit fifth in the league, averaging 3.6 goals per game. At home, nobody comes close to their 4.09 goals per outing. Want offense? This is a team that has scored six or more goals in 10 outings and blown a lot of eardrums with that canon.
Thanks to their up-tempo style, there are several players fans should be paying more attention to.
With 15 goals and 50 points, defenseman Zach Werenski is their leading scorer and is running neck-and-neck with Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche for the points lead among blueliners. Werenski has the green light from coach Dean Evason to join the attack and is rewarding that faith and the organization with a breakout season.
In turn, several young players are learning to light up the league. Kirill Marchenko, Kent Johnson, Cole Dillinger, Adam Fantilli, Dmitri Vronokov and the currently injured Yegor Chinakov are all 24 years old or younger and racing around like wild horses.
Oh sure, there are causes for concern in Columbus. The lack of defense has a tendency to catch up to clubs down the stretch. Looming just as large is the team’s home-away split. While the Blue Jackets have an impressive 15-5-3 record at home, they have managed a paltry 6-12-3 mark away from Ohio.
For now, though, the whole sporting world should be pulling for the Blue Jackets to keep on keeping on, all the way through the Stadium Series outdoor game when they host the Detroit Red Wings on March 1 and to the end of the season.
It would be a heartwarming story if they could do it for Johnny.
