Blue Jackets' All-Star Candidates
We also discuss goaltending, the World Junior Championship, and more!
Welcome to the THW Columbus Blue Jackets Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of CBJ writers.
In today’s edition, we’ll discuss the Blue Jackets’ All-Star candidates, goaltending rotation and much more!
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Blue Jackets’ Options for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game
January 3, 2024 by Nicholas Arnold
It has been an interesting season for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Despite a couple of moves to shore up their defense in the offseason, along with adding a top-three pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, they still find themselves among the bottom-five teams in the standings.
As the calendar hits 2024, we look ahead to the next major milestone in the season: the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. This year’s event is happening in Toronto, the begrudgingly conceded “Mecca” of the hockey world. For a lot of teams, the decision of which player will represent them is kind of obvious. However, for the Blue Jackets, there hasn’t been a guy that’s been far and away their best player. That means there are a few different options. Let’s explore.
Blue Jackets’ 3-Goalie Rotation Proving to Be Unsustainable
January 3, 2024 by Mark Scheig
The Columbus Blue Jackets had a decision to make in the early part of December. With goaltender Daniil Tarasov ready to play NHL games, it was thought something would have to give with the goaltending with both Elvis Merzlikins and Spencer Martin in the fold.
The Blue Jackets ultimately made a decision. They decided to keep all three goalies on the roster. With Tarasov missing the season to date due to an injury, keeping three goalies around would allow them insurance in case something happened to one of them. It would also allow them time to evaluate all of their options in net. This meant punting a decision down the road.
CBJ Union Junction Podcast: World Juniors, Contracts & More
January 2, 2024 by Nicholas Arnold
Another week, another edition of the Union Junction podcast, which is your home at The Hockey Writers for everything Columbus Blue Jackets related. The Jackets have been playing well as of late with a 4-3-3 record securing 11 of a possible 20 points. While it’s a far cry from a playoff-level record, it is most certainly an improvement over times earlier in this season. In the last week, they’ve had a big win against the Toronto Maple Leafs and made their way to overtime in losses to the New Jersey Devils and the Buffalo Sabres.
Blue Jackets End of Year Mailbag: What Comes Next?
December 31, 2023 by Mark Scheig
Welcome to the final Sunday Long Read of 2023. We thought this would be an appropriate time to say thank you for continuing to follow our coverage of the Blue Jackets then, now and in the future. As a token of our appreciation, we are dedicating this piece to you, the reader. Any question, any topic. Honest answers. This is the end of 2023 mailbag.
Blue Jackets’ Prospects Making an Early Impact at 2024 WJC
December 27, 2023 by William Espy
The Columbus Blue Jackets may be struggling at the NHL level, but a couple of their prospects are off to a hot start at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC). They have four representatives in the tournament, which features the best players from each nation who are under the age of 20.
From the 2023 Draft class, Gavin Brindley is representing the United States of America and Oiva Keskinen is playing for Team Finland. Meanwhile, Canada has two of the Blue Jackets’ top prospects, who are a little older, Jordan Dumais and Denton Mateychuk.