Blue Jackets eliminated, rough start, problems on offense among culprits

The Columbus Blue Jackets failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

The Blue Jackets (23-36-12) were eliminated from contention when the Washington Capitals defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-0 on Sunday. They’re 2-6-2 in their past 10 games.

Columbus hasn’t qualified for the playoffs since 2020, when they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifiers and lost 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round.

Here is a look at what happened in the 2023-24 season for the Blue Jackets and why things could be better next season.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Brendan Gaunce, F.

Potential restricted free agents: Alexandre Texier, F; Kirill Marchenko, F; Cole Sillinger, F; Yegor Chinakhov, F; Carson Meyer, F; Alex Nylander, F; Jake Bean, D; Jake Christiansen, D.

Potential 2024 Draft picks: 6

What went wrong

Rough start: The season got off to a rocky start before the puck even dropped when coach Mike Babcock resigned Sept. 17 and was replaced by associate Pascal Vincent. The Blue Jackets won three of their first five games before losing 13 of their next 14. That put them in a deep hole, and they could not escape. Columbus has not won more than two consecutive games all season.

Offensive woes: Johnny Gaudreau struggled in his second season with the Blue Jackets and has been unable to come anywhere near the offensive numbers he had during his final season with the Calgary Flames. The forward has 52 points (11 goals, 41 assists) in 71 games, down from the 115 (40 goals, 75 assists) he had in 2021-22 before leaving the Flames as an unrestricted free agent. Gaudreau has not had much help; Columbus has 205 goals this season, tied for 23rd in the NHL.

Injuries: The Blue Jackets went into their game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday having lost 237 total man-games to injury. They’re without forwards Adam Fantilli (leg), Kent Johnson (shoulder), Justin Danforth (concussion), Sean Kuraly (lower body) and Chinakhov (upper body), and defenseman Adam Boqvist (upper body). Forward Patrik Laine broke his clavicle Dec. 14 and entered the NHL/NHL Players’ Association Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28.

Reasons for optimism

Leadership: Captain Boone Jenner took part in his first NHL All-Star Weekend this season and is leading an otherwise young roster. Though injuries have hampered the forward, he’s still putting together a good season with 33 points (21 goals, 12 assists) in 56 games. The 30-year-old has two seasons left on his contract and will be an important part of turning things around.

Promising future: There are some good young players on the roster with forwards Fantilli, 18, Sillinger, 20, Johnson, 20, Dmitri Voronkov, 22, Chinakhov, 22, and Marchenko, 23, and defensemen David Jiricek, 19, and Boqvist, 23. If the Blue Jackets can surround Gaudreau with more talent and get Laine back and playing to his potential, they can become a…