Fast forward to right now: The Blue Jackets are sitting 31st out of 32 in the league with 56 points. Only two defenseman have played 70 games or more: Andrew Peeke and Erik Gudbranson (Gudbranson is done for the year due to a separated shoulder). Cole Sillinger, who was coming off of a 16-goal rookie campaign, only notched three goals in 64 games and was sent to the AHL Cleveland Monsters, most likely for the rest of the year. Zach Werenski was hurt 13 games into the season, and has not played since. Nick Blankenburg, who impressed many through his seven-game stint he had last year, has been out of the lineup the majority of this year, only playing 36 games. Patrik Laine has struggled with injury, and has 52 points in 56 games, not far off from the point-per-game mark he was at last year, but is still injured.

The Blue Jackets have had very few positive things happen to them this season, but there are a few notable pros:

“Kirill the Thrill” came from SKA St. Petersburg in the Russian KHL. He started off in Cleveland, putting up over a point per game. After 16 games with the Monsters, he was called up to Columbus. In 54 games with the Jackets, he has put up 21 goals and four assists, breaking Pierre Luc Dubois’ rookie scoring franchise record for goals. He is a big winger that has a lot of upside, and he reminds me a bit of Tage Thompson. 

We saw a load of prospects this year, but perhaps the most intriguing is one has yet to suit up in the red, white, and blue. Jordan Dumais, a third-round pick, has put up 140 (!!!) points this year in the QMJHL for Halifax. In the CHL, the umbrella for the three major junior hockey leagues in Canada, Dumais is behind only Connor Bedard in total points, trailing by three.

There is truly no other fanbase quite like the “Fifth Line”. Through 23 years, it is no secret Columbus has struggled in the National Hockey League. This fanbase has sold out the past dozen games at Nationwide Arena, night in and night out there are 19,000 people cheering on the almost dead last Blue Jackets. San Jose struggles to sell out 50% of their arena on Saturday nights, and Anaheim has the same story, even with one of the most exciting players in hockey there to entertain in Trevor Zegras. Columbus has shown that they are a hockey town since 2017, and this season, the fans have not disappointed.

“I’ve been there when it was hard to get 9,000 people in the building.” said longtime season ticket holder Matt Sanders. “I think it’s because (the fans) are seeing a different commitment.”

The bigger commitment ties back to the big signing over the summer, Johnny Gaudreau. That signing brought a lot of new fans to the rink, and it showed that the stars are committed to Columbus.

Okay, he isn’t having a 100-point year. Oh well. He is playing on a team that has 56 points in the home stretch of the season. He is currently on a line with Marchenko, known for his shot and goal scoring ability, not passing. He has done all he could this year, and he still leads the team in points, with 71. Last year he hit 115 with a legit Stanley Cup contender. It isn’t a stretch to imagine him reaching that point again next year with a competent number one center and Laine or Johnson (depending on how much he develops this summer) on the other wing.

Getting that number one center can happen in a couple of different ways. General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen can work his magic and try to get a trade for a big name, or sign a free agent.

Some notable centers this year that are pending free agents this summer include Patrice Bergeron, Ryan O’Reilly and Jonathan Toews. It is a bit of a stretch to think those players would come to a team in a rebuild. That means we will have to test our luck with the big “L Word”:

Listen, I will be the first to tell you that losing is no fun. I have played hockey for almost a decade, and there never once was any benefit I took away from losing. Some people use the phrase “You either win or learn”, but I never was able to see how that made any sense. You learn if you win too. I can tell you that those guys in the locker room do not want to lose, but while the Jackets are already eliminated from the playoffs, the bigger picture moves to next year and the following years.

There is no easy way to say this; the more we lose, the better chance we have at getting 17-year-old phenom Connor Bedard in the NHL Draft Lottery. I have been watching this kid's highlights since he was 14 years old, and I believe he is the most intriguing player in the NHL draft since Connor McDavid.

Watching him at the World Junior Championship, he absolutely dominated the tournament, playing with players that were mostly three years older than him. He put up 23 points in seven games, and if you didn’t know his name before that tournament, you definitely did afterwards.

The idea of him in Union Blue is extremely exciting. He could be the missing piece down the middle with Laine and Gaudreau, or he could play on a line with Kent Johnson, who he played with in the 2021 world junior.

Finishing last gives Columbus a 25.5% chance at getting him, and as of right now, losing is not the worst thing in the world. If Columbus doesn’t get Bedard, Adam Fantilli had 64 points in 35 games for Michigan, and there is also Matvei Michkov in Russia, who would not be available until around 2026, but is rumored to be a Bedard level talent.

With that being said, it is still fun to watch young kids like Joona Luoto, Josh Dunne and Hunter McKown fight for a roster spot, and any diehard fan would never cheer against their team. For now, the boys will fight like heck, and the future could not be any brighter for this team, even if it is Fantilli or Michkov rather than Bedard that ends up in the 614.

--- Ian Phillips for Ohio Hockey Digest