Ranking 10 greatest Columbus Blue Jackets of all time

09/11/2024 04:26 PM

Since joining the NHL in the 2000-01 season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have had a challenging history, qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs just six times in 24 years. Despite featuring some talented players over the years, the team has never quite managed to come together as a true championship contender.

Despite their struggles, the Blue Jackets have had a few memorable moments in franchise history, along with some standout players who have left their mark. So, who can claim to be among the top 10 players in Blue Jackets history? Our list below includes players on the original squad that hit the ice in 2000 as well as Olympic gold medalists.

1) Captain Columbus Rick Nash

There’s no question as to who holds the title of the best player in Blue Jackets history, and he also happens to be the only player to have his jersey number hanging from the rafters at Nationwide Arena.

Rick Nash, selected first overall in the 2002 NHL Draft from the OHL’s London Knights, spent the first nine years of his career in Columbus. His tenure included being named team captain in 2008, along with two 40+ goal seasons. Nash also scored 30 or more goals in seven of his nine seasons with the Blue Jackets and earned five All-Star Game selections.

Eventually traded to the New York Rangers, Nash left Columbus as the franchise’s all-time leader in goals and assists. He now serves as the Blue Jackets’ director of player development, and in 2022, the team officially retired his No. 61 jersey.

2) Brick wall goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky

While the Blue Jackets relied on the talents of Ron Tugnutt, Marc Denis, Pascal Leclaire, and Steve Mason for much of their first decade in the NHL, their goaltending received a major upgrade in 2012 with the acquisition of Sergei Bobrovsky from the Flyers.

Affectionately known as ‘Bob,’ Bobrovsky spent the next seven years of his career in Columbus, leading the Blue Jackets to four postseason appearances. He won the Vezina Trophy twice as the NHL’s best goaltender and helped the franchise secure its first-ever postseason series win—a stunning four-game sweep of the President’s Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019.

Now a Stanley Cup champion with the Florida Panthers, Bobrovsky remains the Blue Jackets franchise leader in wins, as well as goals-against average, save percentage, and shutouts for goaltenders who played more than six games with the team.

3) Goal-scoring forward Cam Atkinson

Originally selected by the Blue Jackets in the 2008 NHL Draft, Atkinson quickly established himself as a reliable 20+ goal scorer in each of his first three full NHL seasons, before breaking out with 35 goals in 2016-17.

Atkinson reached a career-high 41 goals during the 2018-19 season, helping the Blue Jackets make their first and only trip to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, his goal-scoring declined over his final two seasons with the team, leading to a one-for-one trade with the Philadelphia Flyers that brought former Blue Jackets forward Jake Voracek back to Columbus.

4) Russian sniper Artemi Panarin

In a trade that still makes Chicago Blackhawks fans cringe, Russian sniper Artemi Panarin was sent from Chicago to Columbus in exchange for Brandon Saad, a 2015 Stanley Cup winner who returned to the Blackhawks.

Affectionately known as the ‘Breadman,’ Panarin set single-season franchise records during his two years with Columbus, totaling 169 points and adding seven goals and 11 assists in 16 postseason games. Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, he rejected a reported $96 million contract extension in 2019 and chose to move to the Big Apple.

Despite his brief tenure, his time in Columbus remains among the most successful individual seasons in the team’s history.

5) Gone far too soon: the late Johnny Gaudreau

One of the biggest free-agent signings in team history, the Blue Jackets made headlines by luring former Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau to central Ohio following his career-best 115-point season in 2021-22. Despite being one of the most talented players to wear a Blue Jackets sweater, Gaudreau's statistical output declined, totaling 134 points over his two years with the team.

Tragically, Gaudreau never had the opportunity to return to the star form that made him the League’s top free agent in 2022 and one of the top players in Flames history in what would have been his third year in Columbus. Late last month, he and his brother Matthew lost their lives last month after being struck by a drunk driver while cycling in New Jersey, just before their sister’s wedding.

The heartbreaking news was compounded by the revelation that Gaudreau's wife, Meredith, is pregnant with the couple's third child, who will now never have the chance to meet their father due to the reckless and selfish actions of the driver responsible.

6) Reliable blue liner Zach Werenski

One of the most dynamic defensemen the Blue Jackets have ever featured, Werenski now plays in the shadow of The Ohio State University, despite having played college hockey for their bitter rival, the Michigan Wolverines.

Selected eighth overall by Columbus in 2015, Werenski is the team's leading defenseman, contributing in all situations. He recently agreed to a long-term contract extension that will keep him in central Ohio through 2028.

7) Ohio State Buckeye R.J. Umberger

Speaking of Ohio State, the Blue Jackets secured a local talent when they acquired forward R.J. Umberger from the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2008 offseason. Fresh off helping the Flyers reach the Eastern Conference Final, Umberger scored 26 goals in his first season with Columbus and also netted the franchise’s first-ever postseason goal.

He would surpass the 20-goal mark in four of his six seasons in Columbus before being traded back to the Flyers in 2014.

8) “Wizard” Ray Whitney

Though his tenure with the Blue Jackets was relatively brief at just 2.5 seasons, Whitney left a lasting impact on both the fans and team management, who named him team captain for the 2002-03 season.

Acquired from the Florida Panthers at the 2001 NHL Trade Deadline, Whitney recorded 140 points in 151 games with Columbus before departing in 2003 to join the Detroit Red Wings.

9) Original Blue Jacket David Vyborný

Although drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 1993, Vyborný never played for the franchise and was eventually signed by the expansion Blue Jackets in June 2000. As an original member of the Blue Jackets, Vyborný made his NHL debut and accumulated 109 points in his first three seasons before scoring 53 points during the 2003-04 campaign.

After the lockout that canceled the entire 2004-05 season, Vyborný achieved a career-best 64 points in the 2005-06 season. He matched this performance the following year, recording another 64 points, including 48 assists.

He would return to his native Czechia to play after registering only 26 points in 2007-08, his final NHL season.

10) Rookie of the Year Steve Mason

Making his NHL debut in November 2008 due to an injury to starter Pascal Leclaire, Mason quickly made a name for himself and was soon named the League’s Rookie of the Month thanks to his exceptional performance. His impressive play also earned him a spot in the 2009 NHL YoungStars Game.

Mason played a key role in leading the Blue Jackets to their first-ever postseason appearance, though they were swept by the defending champion Red Wings in the opening round. Despite the early exit, Mason won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie and received consideration for the Vezina Trophy as the League’s best goaltender.

Unfortunately, Mason struggled to replicate his early success over the next three seasons and was eventually traded to the Flyers in 2013. Despite this, his 2009 Calder Trophy-winning performance remains notable, as he is still the most recent goaltender to have received the award.

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