All-Time Teams: Blue Jackets

Fire the cannon! It's time to take a look at one of the newest franchises in the NHL. Here's the All-Time team for the Columbus Blue Jackets:

The Blue Jackets won a playoff series for the first time in 2018-19, sweeping the heavily-favored Tampa Bay Lightning. Boston won the second-round match-up in six games.

 

1st Line

Left Wing - Rick Nash First overall pick in the 2002 Draft is first in Blue Jackets history with 289 goals, 258 assists, and 547 points in 674 games. Leads the Jackets in even-strength goals, power play goals, short-handed goals, and game-winning goals. His 41 markers in 2003-04 set a franchise single-season record (since tied) and earned him a share of the NHL lead. Served as Columbus's captain for five seasons.

Center - R.J. Umberger Ohio State alum ranks fourth in Blue Jackets' annals with 120 career goals and 250 total points, leading all Columbus centers in both categories. Posted three seasons of 50+ points from 2008-2011. Only two players in Blue Jackets history have potted more power play goals.

Right Wing - Cam Atkinson Connecticut native is second in Columbus history with 198 goals, 368 points, and 571 games played. Tied Rick Nash's single-season franchise mark of 41 goals in 2018-19. His six career hat tricks are a team record and he trails only Nash for the Blue Jackets' career lead in goals per game average.

2nd Line

Left Wing - Nick Foligno The Blue Jackets' captain since 2015, Foligno ranks third in Blue Jackets history in several categories including games played, goals, assists, and points. Won the King Clancy award for Leadership and Community involvement and the Mark Messier award for Leadership in 2017. Nick's father Mike Foligno was named to the Sabres All-Time Team.

Center - Brandon Dubinsky Originally a Ranger, Brandon Dubinsky was a key piece of the blockbuster trade that sent Rick Nash to New York in 2012. In seven seasons with the Blue Jackets "Dubi" totaled 153 assists and 225 points, the sixth-highest totals in team history. A chronic wrist injury has sidelined him since May 2019, likely ending his career.

Right Wing - David Vyborny Czech winger played seven seasons in the NHL, all with Columbus. Ranks second in Blue Jackets' annals with 204 assists and his 317 points for the team are one fewer than Foligno's current total.

3rd Line

Left Wing - Alexander Wennberg Ranks fifth in Blue Jackets history with 161 assists and eighth with 201 points, boosted by a career year in 2016-17 (46 assists, 59 points). Currently a Florida Panther, Wennberg will move from his natural center position on this All-Time team.

Center - Boone Jenner Tied with Vyborny for fifth in franchise history with 113 goals, Jenner can climb to fourth place with eight more markers in 2021. His 20 game-winning goals are one fewer than Foligno for fourth-best among Blue Jackets and his 89 even-strength tallies are also fourth on the team's all-time list. Jenner set a career high with 30 goals in 2015-16.

Right Wing - Nikolai Zherdev Selected fourth overall by the Blue Jackets in 2003, Nikolai Zherdev spent the minimum four seasons in Columbus before a 2008 trade to the New York Rangers. In 283 games with the Jackets, the Russian winger scored 76 goals - the ninth-highest total in team history. 25 of those tallies came on the power play, good enough for seventh on the team's all-time list. 

4th Line

Left Wing - Matt Calvert The only other natural left wing worth considering for this roster, Matt Calvert spent eight seasons in Columbus from 2010-2018. Scored 11 goals in his first 25 NHL games, but hasn't netted more than 13 in an entire season. His 8.0 offensive point shares (or OPS?) aren't enough to earn a third-line role but his versatility is valued on his current team, the Colorado Avalanche. 

Center - Derick Brassard The sixth overall pick in the 2006 Draft, Brassard was shipped to the Rangers in a 2013 trade after playing parts of six seasons with the Blue Jackets. His four year stint on Broadway was more productive as he tallied five fewer points (169 total) in 55 more games (309 total) yet he ranks fifth among Jackets' centers in assists and points. Fellow lottery pick Ryan Johansen had better numbers in 'lumbus, but he's needed on his current team's All-Time roster.

Right Wing - Oliver Bjorkstrand Danish forward has played just 246 games for the Blue Jackets across five seasons. However his 65 goals are tied for 12th in team history with Josh Anderson, who was traded to Montreal in October and Pierre-Luc Dubois, a center who isn't yet eligible for this All-Time roster. Bjorkstrand ranks ahead of Anderson for fourth in team history with a plus/minus rating of +30.

 

Spares - Manny Malhotra, Jared Boll

Yet another ex-Ranger, Malhotra didn't live up to his seventh-overall status in New York but eventually matured into a valuable defensive center for several teams. Boll is the Blue Jackets' all-time leading enforcer, serving 1,195 penalty minutes over 518 games. Neither he nor Jody Shelley scored much - and Shelley averaged more PIMs per game - but I'm going with Boll for his longevity and positive point shares rating (0.6) over Shelley's -0.3 total.

Defense Pair 1

 

Seth Jones - David Savard

In just five seasons with the Blue Jackets Jones has tallied 150 assists, the seventh-highest total in team history. He ranks ninth in team annals with 195 total points and only two Jackets have a higher assists per game average for the franchise. Savard is the Blue Jackets' career leader in plus/minus with a +43 total and ranks first in Defensive Point Shares with 27.6. He's tied with Nick Foligno for third on Columbus's all-time list for games played.

Defense Pair 2

 

Zach Werenski - Fedor Tyutin

Werenski was the Blue Jackets' first round pick in 2015 and finished third in Calder trophy voting two years later. His rookie season totals of 36 assists, 47 points, and a +17 rating remain career highs. The 23 year-old Michigan alum is the second-youngest member of any All-Time team. Tyutin trails Savard by just four games for fifth in Blue Jackets history and only Savard has posted a higher DPS for Columbus. Yet another ex-Ranger on this roster, Tyutin was acquired in the 2008 trade that send Nikolai Zherdev to New York.

Defense Pair 3

 

Jack Johnson - Rostislav Klesla

How's this for a change - Jack Johnson is a current member of the Rangers. The third overall pick in 2005, Johnson signed with the Blueshirts in October after two seasons playing for Pittsburgh. Only Savard, Tyutin, and Rostislav Klesla played more games and posted more defensive value for the Blue Jackets than Johnson. Klesla, the Blue Jackets' first-ever draft pick in 2000, was named to the NHL's All-Rookie team in 2002. He leads all Columbus defensemen with 508 penalty minutes.

Spare - Ryan Murray

The second overall pick in the disappointing 2012 draft, Ryan Murray spent seven injury-filled seasons in Ohio's capital. He set career highs with 28 assists and a +20 rating in 2018-19 despite playing just 56 games. In 2015-16 Murray suited up for all 82 games and blocked a career-high 171 shots, good for 14th in the NHL. He was traded to New Jersey in October.

Goalies

 

Starter - Sergei Bobrovsky

Backup - Steve Mason

Bobrovsky leads all Blue Jackets players in Point Shares with 75.3, led the NHL in goals saved above average twice, and won two Vezina trophies. The Jackets' career leader in every goaltending category, Bob signed with the Florida Panthers in July 2019. Mason and Marc Denis have fairly pedestrian numbers for Columbus. Denis posted a slightly better save percentage and more point shares. Mason set the bar high in his rookie season, winning the Calder trophy and finishing second in Vezina voting. He finished his Columbus career ahead of Denis in wins, shutouts, and goals against average.

Head Coach: John Tortorella  Captain: Nick Foligno

The winningest coach in Blue Jackets history, John Tortorella is the fourth-longest tenured head coach in the NHL. He guided the Tampa Bay Lightning to their first championship in 2004 and helmed the Blue Jackets for their first playoff victory in 2019. In between he coached the - you guessed it - New York Rangers.

I hope you'll join us tomorrow for our next All-Time Team, the Dallas Stars.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

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