The Hockey News Sunday Recap: Columbus Blue Jackets

OPENING NIGHT COUNTDOWNS

67 Days Until Opening Night: James MalatestaMalatesta was drafted 133rd overall by the Blue Jackets in 2021.

Last season, Malatesta set a career-high in games played at 57. He scored 10 goals and totaled 18 points, while setting a career-high with 87 PIMs. He was signed to a one-year extension by Columbus last month and will be an RFA once again at the end of 2027. 

66 Days Until Opening Night: Mario Lemieux Mario Lemieux was drafted first overall in 1984.

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Super Mario only played two games against the Blue Jackets, one in the 00-01 season, and one in the 02-03 season. He had 167 combined points in those two seasons, and could not muster a single point against Columbus. That’s a win!

In those two games he had zero points, was a minus-3, had 6 shots, and played 25:40 per game. 

65 Days Until Opening Night: Luca Del Bel BelluzDel Bel Belluz was drafted in 2022, #44 overall, by Columbus.

Del Bel Belluz was drafted in 2022, #44 overall, by Columbus, a pick that some considered a steal at the time. Later in 2022, he would sign his entry-level contract with the CBJ. The Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL drafted the Woodbridge, Ontario product, and then, in his final year, he was traded to the Sarnia Sting, also of the OHL.

64 Days Until Opening Night: The History Of Jersey #64There have only been two players wear the #64 for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Unfortunately for Columbus, neither one of them made a significant impact for Columbus. Cleveland is a different story, however.

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Fix-Wolansky never got an extended chance to prove he could be an everyday NHL player and was not tendered a contract in 2025. He went on to sign a deal with the New York Rangers. He would never play for the Rangers, but played 72 games for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, scoring 31 goals and totaling 55 points.

62 Days Until Opening Night: The History Of Jersey #62The Columbus Blue Jackets have only had four players wear #62 in their history, and in a weird twist, three of them have been since 2023. They haven’t had any real impact players wear the number in their short 25-year history, but that could change one day.

Alex Broadhurst –  Draft: Chicago, 7th round – 199th overall – 2011

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Broadhurst was traded by Chicago to Columbus on June 30, 2015, along with Brandon Saad and Michael Paliotta, for Artem Anisimov, Jeremy Morin, Corey Tropp, Marko Dano, and Columbus’ 4th-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. He would only play in a pair of games for the CBJ during the 2017-18 season. Where Broadhurst would excel would be in the AHL for the Cleveland Monsters. He played in 229 games for Cleveland, scoring 48 goals and totaling 132 points. On February 25, 2019, he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets. He would play 2019-20 with the San Diego Gulls, and then leave for Europe. He spent two seasons in Liiga and the last four playing in the KHL. He is signed to play for the Fischtown Pinguins of the DEL in 26-27.

61 Days Until Opening Night: Rick NashThe Jackets have only had one player wear the #61. No one else will wear it.

Nash went on to score 41 goals in his 2nd NHL season, securing the Rocket Richard Trophy, which he shared with snipers Jarome Iginla and Ilya Kovalchuk. He was the youngest player in league history to lead the league in goals.

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NEWS

A Second Buyout Window For Columbus Has Opened And Why They Won’t Use ItThe Columbus Blue Jackets have a long streak of not going to arbitration with any RFA’s, and it continued this year by signing Jet Greaves and Cole Sillinger just before their scheduled hearings.

Now, per CBA rules, they have 48 hours to buy out any players by putting them on outright waivers. The rule kicks in 72 hours after their final arbitration hearing, or, in this case, by signing Cole Sillinger and avoiding a hearing. The window will close on Thursday. 

Former Blue Jackets Goalie Retires After 11-Year NHL CareerThis former Blue Jackets goalie is calling it a career.

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Hutchinson spent the 2022-23 season with the Blue Jackets organization. In 16 games with Columbus that campaign, he posted a 2-6-3 record, an .877 save percentage, and a 4.29 goals-against average. This would be his lone season with the Blue Jackets, as he spent his first NHL season with the Detroit Red Wings in 2023-24. 

Cole Sillinger Excited To Play With Coyle & Olivier For Years, But Know They Have To Take It To Another LevelCole Sillinger sat down with the media for a short press conference to talk about his new deal.

“We’ve talked about it; it starts with our belief, just what we’re capable of doing, and I know those two guys that they have more of themselves as well. Obviously, was super pumped to see Charlie extend for six more years at the start of the summer.” 

Blue Jackets Rank Surprisingly High In NHL Contract Efficiency RankingsDom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic ranks every team in the NHL based on their contract efficiency, which you can see here. Luszczyszyn compares his algorithm’s market value to a roster’s actual salaries in order to see if a team is making the most of its salary cap space.

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Regarding the defense, Zach Werenski came in with a positive of 99.7%, which puts his total model value at a staggering $18 million per season. Don Waddell better hope Werenski and his camp don’t see this model. 

3 Former Blue Jackets Who Are Still Free AgentsThese three former Blue Jackets are still free agents in August.

Patrik Laine, James van Riemsdyk, and Nick Blankenburg are three former Blue Jackets who are still free agents at this juncture of the off-season.

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