2023–24 Columbus Blue Jackets season
National Hockey League season
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The 2023–24 Columbus Blue Jackets season was the 24th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 25, 1997.
| 2023–24 Columbus Blue Jackets | |
|---|---|
| Division | 8th Metropolitan |
| Conference | 16th Eastern |
| 2023–24 record | 27–43–12 |
| Home record | 17–19–5 |
| Road record | 10–24–7 |
| Goals for | 237 |
| Goals against | 300 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Jarmo Kekalainen (Oct. 12 – Feb. 15) John Davidson (interim, Feb. 15 – Apr. 16) |
| Coach | Pascal Vincent |
| Captain | Boone Jenner |
| Alternate captains | Erik Gudbranson Sean Kuraly Zach Werenski |
| Arena | Nationwide Arena |
| Average attendance | 17,009[1] |
| Minor league affiliate | Cleveland Monsters (AHL) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Kirill Marchenko (23) |
| Assists | Johnny Gaudreau (48) |
| Points | Johnny Gaudreau (60) |
| Penalty minutes | Erik Gudbranson (74) |
| Plus/minus | Nick Blankenburg Luca Del Bel Belluz (+1) |
| Wins | Elvis Merzlikins (13) |
| Goals against average | Malcolm Subban (3.00) |
In the off-season, on July 1, 2023, the Blue Jackets hired Mike Babcock as head coach.[2] However, Babcock resigned after the conclusion of an investigation about improper behavior with players on September 17,[3] and was replaced by Pascal Vincent.[4]
On March 24, 2024, the Blue Jackets were eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth consecutive season following the Washington Capitals' 3–0 win against the Winnipeg Jets.[5]
Standings
Divisional standings
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | p – New York Rangers | 82 | 55 | 23 | 4 | 43 | 282 | 229 | +53 | 114 |
| 2 | x – Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 52 | 23 | 7 | 44 | 279 | 216 | +63 | 111 |
| 3 | x – New York Islanders | 82 | 39 | 27 | 16 | 29 | 246 | 263 | −17 | 94 |
| 4 | x – Washington Capitals | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 32 | 220 | 257 | −37 | 91 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 38 | 32 | 12 | 32 | 255 | 251 | +4 | 88 |
| 6 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 38 | 33 | 11 | 30 | 235 | 261 | −26 | 87 |
| 7 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 33 | 264 | 283 | −19 | 81 |
| 8 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 27 | 43 | 12 | 21 | 237 | 300 | −63 | 66 |
Source: National Hockey League[6]
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy; x – Clinched playoff spot
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy; x – Clinched playoff spot
Conference standings
| Pos | Div | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AT | x – Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 45 | 29 | 8 | 37 | 291 | 268 | +23 | 98 |
| 2 | ME | x – Washington Capitals | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 32 | 220 | 257 | −37 | 91 |
| 3 | AT | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 32 | 9 | 27 | 278 | 274 | +4 | 91 |
| 4 | ME | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 38 | 32 | 12 | 32 | 255 | 251 | +4 | 88 |
| 5 | ME | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 38 | 33 | 11 | 30 | 235 | 261 | −26 | 87 |
| 6 | AT | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 39 | 37 | 6 | 33 | 246 | 244 | +2 | 84 |
| 7 | ME | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 33 | 264 | 283 | −19 | 81 |
| 8 | AT | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 37 | 41 | 4 | 25 | 255 | 281 | −26 | 78 |
| 9 | AT | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 30 | 36 | 16 | 20 | 236 | 289 | −53 | 76 |
| 10 | ME | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 27 | 43 | 12 | 21 | 237 | 300 | −63 | 66 |
Source: National Hockey League[7]
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
x – Clinched playoff spot
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
x – Clinched playoff spot
Schedule and results
Preseason
The Columbus Blue Jackets preseason schedule was released on June 22, 2023.[8]
| 2023 preseason game log: 4–3–1 (home: 3–1–0; road: 1–2–1) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Recap |
| 1[A] | September 24 | Columbus | 2–3 | Pittsburgh | SO | Dell | 13,341 | 0–0–1 | Recap |
| 2[A] | September 24 | Pittsburgh | 3–4 | Columbus | OT | Cajan | 13,255 | 1–0–1 | Recap |
| 3 | September 26 | Columbus | 2–3 | St. Louis | Dell | 15,417 | 1–1–1 | Recap | |
| 4 | September 30 | Columbus | 3–4 | Buffalo | Merzlikins | 12,209 | 1–2–1 | Recap | |
| 5 | October 2 | St. Louis | 3–5 | Columbus | Greaves | 10,239 | 2–2–1 | Recap | |
| 6 | October 4 | Buffalo | 3–5 | Columbus | Merzlikins | 10,169 | 3–2–1 | Recap | |
| 7 | October 5 | Washington | 4–2 | Columbus | Martin | 11,491 | 3–3–1 | Recap | |
| 8 | October 7 | Columbus | 4–2 | Washington | Merzlikins | 12,961 | 4–3–1 | Recap | |
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Regular season
The Columbus Blue Jackets regular season schedule was released on June 27, 2023.[9]
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Player statistics
As of April 16, 2024
Skaters
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Gaudreau | 81 | 12 | 48 | 60 | –27 | 22 |
| Zach Werenski | 70 | 11 | 46 | 57 | 0 | 22 |
| Kirill Marchenko | 78 | 23 | 19 | 42 | −5 | 14 |
| Boone Jenner | 58 | 22 | 13 | 35 | −8 | 28 |
| Dmitri Voronkov | 75 | 18 | 16 | 34 | −6 | 52 |
| Cole Sillinger | 77 | 13 | 19 | 32 | −4 | 46 |
| Ivan Provorov | 82 | 5 | 27 | 32 | −11 | 20 |
| Alexandre Texier | 78 | 12 | 18 | 30 | −5 | 38 |
| Egor Chinakhov | 53 | 16 | 13 | 29 | −3 | 6 |
| Damon Severson | 67 | 9 | 19 | 28 | –10 | 51 |
| Adam Fantilli | 49 | 12 | 15 | 27 | −21 | 16 |
| Justin Danforth | 71 | 10 | 16 | 26 | –10 | 26 |
| Erik Gudbranson | 78 | 6 | 20 | 26 | −14 | 74 |
| Jack Roslovic‡ | 40 | 6 | 17 | 23 | −9 | 14 |
| Sean Kuraly | 62 | 9 | 9 | 18 | −5 | 40 |
| Kent Johnson | 42 | 6 | 10 | 16 | −2 | 10 |
| Alexander Nylander† | 23 | 11 | 3 | 14 | −1 | 6 |
| Jake Bean | 72 | 4 | 9 | 13 | −10 | 32 |
| Mathieu Olivier | 54 | 5 | 7 | 12 | −4 | 70 |
| Emil Bemstrom‡ | 32 | 5 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 10 |
| David Jiricek | 43 | 1 | 9 | 10 | –4 | 22 |
| Adam Boqvist | 35 | 1 | 9 | 10 | –8 | 0 |
| Patrik Laine | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | −10 | 6 |
| Andrew Peeke‡ | 23 | 1 | 7 | 8 | −2 | 6 |
| James Malatesta | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | –1 | 4 |
| Brendan Gaunce | 24 | 2 | 2 | 4 | –1 | 6 |
| Trey Fix-Wolansky | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Carson Meyer | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −2 | 2 |
| Mikael Pyyhtia | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −5 | 0 |
| Jake Christiansen | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −5 | 2 |
| Nick Blankenburg | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
| Luca Del Bel Belluz | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 0 |
| Eric Robinson‡ | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −3 | 0 |
| Gavin Brindley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Butler | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Angle | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 |
| Liam Foudy‡ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltenders
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elvis Merzlikins | 41 | 40 | 2,258:40 | 13 | 17 | 8 | 121 | 3.45 | 1,266 | .897 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Daniil Tarasov | 24 | 23 | 1,376:28 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 63 | 3.18 | 796 | .908 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jet Greaves | 9 | 8 | 515:52 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 3.49 | 327 | .908 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spencer Martin‡ | 13 | 10 | 707:13 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 43 | 3.65 | 379 | .887 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malcolm Subban | 1 | 1 | 60:00 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3.00 | 35 | .914 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Blue Jackets. Stats reflect time with the Blue Jackets only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Blue Jackets only.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record.
Transactions
The Blue Jackets have been involved in the following transactions during the 2023–24 season.
Key
† Contract is entry-level.
‡ Contract initially takes effect in the 2024–25 season.
Trades
| Date | Details | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 29, 2023 | To Vegas Golden Knights 7th-round pick in 2023 |
To Columbus Blue Jackets 7th-round pick in 2024 |
[94] |
| December 6, 2023 | To Buffalo Sabres Eric Robinson |
To Columbus Blue Jackets conditional NSH 7th-round pick in 2025 |
[95] |
| February 22, 2024 | To Pittsburgh Penguins Emil Bemstrom |
To Columbus Blue Jackets Alexander Nylander conditional 6th-round pick in 2026 |
[96] |
| March 8, 2024 | To New York Rangers Jack Roslovic (50% retained) |
To Columbus Blue Jackets Conditional 4th-round pick in 2026 |
[97] |
| To Boston Bruins Andrew Peeke |
To Columbus Blue Jackets Jakub Zboril 3rd-round pick in 2027 |
[98] | |
| To St. Louis Blues Future considerations |
To Columbus Blue Jackets Malcolm Subban |
[99] | |
Players acquired
| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 29, 2023 | Spencer Martin | Vancouver Canucks | Waivers | [100] | |
| March 1, 2024 | Max McCue | London Knights (OHL) | 3-year†‡ | Free agency | [101] |
Players lost
| Date | Player | New team | Term | Via | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2023 | Lane Pederson | Edmonton Oilers | 2-year | Free agency | [102] |
| Justin Richards | Buffalo Sabres | 1-year | Free agency | [103] | |
| July 2, 2023 | Gavin Bayreuther | Dallas Stars | 1-year | Free agency | [104] |
| September 12, 2023 | Joona Luoto | SC Bern (NL) | 1-year | Free agency | [105] |
| October 6, 2023 | Michael Hutchinson | Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency | [106] |
| October 11, 2023 | Tim Berni | Genève-Servette HC (NL) | 4-year | Free agency | [107] |
| October 21, 2023 | Liam Foudy | Nashville Predators | Waivers | [108] | |
| January 19, 2024 | Spencer Martin | Carolina Hurricanes | Waivers | [109] |
Signings
| Date | Player | Term | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 30, 2023 | Marcus Bjork | 1-year | [110] |
| July 1, 2023 | Adam Fantilli | 3-year† | [111] |
| October 11, 2023 | Justin Danforth | 1-year‡ | [112] |
| April 15, 2024 | Gavin Brindley | 3-year† | [113] |
Draft picks
Below are the Columbus Blue Jackets' selections at the 2023 NHL entry draft, which was held on June 28 to 29, 2023, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
| Round | # | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Adam Fantilli | C |  Canada |
Michigan Wolverines (B1G) |
| 2 | 34 | Gavin Brindley | C |  United States |
Michigan Wolverines (B1G) |
| 3 | 66 | William Whitelaw | RW | United States |
Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) |
| 4 | 98 | Andrew Strathmann | D | United States |
Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) |
| 114 | Luca Pinelli | C | Canada |
Ottawa 67's (OHL) | |
| 5 | 156 | Melvin Strahl | G |  Sweden |
Modo Hockey (J20 Nationell) |
| 7 | 194 | Oiva Keskinen | C |  Finland |
Tappara (U20 SM-sarja) |
| 224 | Tyler Peddle | LW | Canada |
Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) |