The past week has led to two more fan bases losing out on playoff hopes — officially. Following in the footsteps of their three predecessors, the Columbus Blue Jackets were officially bounced from playoff contention on March 24 for the fourth consecutive season, becoming the fourth team knocked out this season.
In fact, the last time the Blue Jackets saw playoff hockey was in 2019-20 during the shortened season where they won the qualifying round against the Toronto Maple Leafs before losing 4-1 in a best-of-seven series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
While direction might be a question mark for this team, they do have a lot to look forward to. That said, here’s a look at what went wrong and what they can do moving forward beyond the 2023-24 season.
Where the Blue Jackets Season Went Wrong
Like many of the other teams at the bottom of the league right now, injuries played a role in their season. When it comes to the Blue Jackets, a number of their young up-and-comers missed significant time — making it tough to see just what this team has.
That list includes Yegor Chinakhov, Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson, as well as Patrik Laine who entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program earlier in the season.
Related: Anaheim Ducks 2023-24 Obituary – Playoffs No Fly Zone
With all that under consideration, their fate was determined fairly early in the season. After kicking off the season with a 3-2-0 record, the Blue Jackets went on a four-game losing streak from October 24 to October 30 — including losses to the lowly Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens.
Another win later, and they went on their longest losing streak of the season spanning from November 4 to November 19 and lasting nine games leaving them at 4-11-4 through the team’s first 19 games of the season.
The team was forced to experiment with new lines and new faces throughout the season, getting to know what they having moving forward with players like Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov, while other storylines surfaced regarding the possible frustration from 20-year-old David Jiriček and his situation with the team.
Blue Jackets Had Changing of the Guard Midseason
It may have come too late, but hindsight is 20-20. While he led the team to a number of firsts during his 10 and a half seasons as the team’s general manager, the Blue Jackets fired Jarmo Kekalainen midway through his 11th season with the franchise.
The change came just three weeks out from the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline — where interim GM and president of hockey operations made three moves, landing Malcolm Subban and Jakub Zboril and trading away Andrew Peeke and Jack Roslovic.
While the moves don’t really affect the team for the remainder of the season, the changes do open up the door to bigger moves down the road.
The Blue Jackets’ Future is Full of Question Marks
Where will the GM search lead this summer? Who’s safe and who isn’t? Is this the end of Elvis Merzlikins and David Jiriček in Columbus?
There shouldn’t be a full fire sale with the Blue Jackets this offseason, but there is change coming for the team. They still have a lot to look forward to with Cole Sillinger, Johnson and Fantilli, but there has also been frustration shown by some players with the direction of the organization.
Along with a new GM will also come more change. They will build the team around their beliefs of what a winning franchise looks like and players that were once untouchable could become sacrifices of the new regime.
Suddenly the focus could be on Gaudreau and his no-trade clause and how they can talk him into waiving it for a better situation for both parties. As mentioned, Merzlikins could be on the move. Regardless, if you’re a Blue Jackets fan this summer, hold off on buying yourself a new jersey of your beloved team. There’s no guarantee of who will make their opening night roster for the 2024-25 season.
For now, we’ll count this as their fourth consecutive year without playoffs and focus on what comes next for the Blue Jackets and their fans. As for the 2023-24 edition of the team, rest in peace — there’s no playoffs this time around.