5 Columbus Blue Jackets storylines to follow in the second half
It was a needed respite.
After falling to the Washington Capitals in overtime Jan. 31 at Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets couldn’t get away from hockey fast enough for a “bye” week that lasted eight days and included last weekend’s NHL’s All-Star festivities. It was a glorious rest period for a team that’s 15-32-4, sitting dead last in the NHL and still dealing with a season-long mountain of injuries.
All good things must end, of course, so “R & R” is over.
The Blue Jackets return this weekend with a home-and-home against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday at Nationwide Arena and Saturday in Toronto, so here’s a glance at five storylines to follow in the final 31 games:
Columbus Blue Jackets and the NHL draft lottery
This topic will be the biggest for fans to follow in the final two-plus months and there won’t be a close runner-up. Going into the final stretch, the Blue Jackets are 32nd in the 32-team league and the watch to see whether they stay there will be intense.
Finishing last gives whichever team that gets that dubious distinction the best odds at winning the draft lottery, which this year includes the right to draft Connor Bedard, considered by NHL executives and scouts as the league’s next “generational talent.” The last place team only gains a 25.5% chance to win the first pick, but that’s the best percentage in the field.
It only drops from there, which is something the Blue Jackets know after damaging their draft odds with meaningless hot streaks during previous seasons of struggle.
Will it happen again?
Trade deadline looming for Columbus Blue Jackets
Prior to the Blue Jackets’ swing through Western Canada and Seattle that preceded the break, there were three players who jumped off the page of potential trade targets: defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, forward Gustav Nyquist and goalie Joonas Korpisalo.
A shoulder injury to Nyquist has knocked him out for the remainder of the regular season, but his salary-cap charge could be valuable for a cap-crunched contender to place on long-term injured reserve. There’s also the possibility he might return in the postseason. Gavrikov will almost certainly be moved and Korpisalo will also draw interest with a cheap cap number juxtaposed against a strong rebound season.
Will those be the only Blue Jackets names that surface on the trade market?
Johnny Gaudreau chasing Columbus Blue Jackets scoring record
Through 51 games, the Blue Jackets’ star is on pace for 79 points on 23 goals and 56 assists in his first season after signing a seven-year deal last summer worth $68.25 million. That’s not enough to top either of Artemi Panarin’s single-season franchise scoring records of 82 points in 2017-18 and 87 points in 2018-19, but it's not far off.
Gaudreau was producing at a point-a-game pace before captain Boone Jenner missed three weeks with a fractured thumb and now Jenner's back. Gaudreau and Patrik Laine are also working on their chemistry and there’s plenty of time left for “Johnny Hockey” to catch Panarin.
He’s closer to a record-setting pace in assists, which is also held by Panarin with 59 in 2018-19.
Columbus Blue Jackets star Patrik Laine looking for a hot streak
Prior to the break, Laine recorded points in six of seven games and strung together a season-high streak of five straight games that led to a 2-6-8 scoring line. The streak was his longest in a frustrating, injury-marred season and he’s looking to unleash one of his patented “heaters.”
The latest of those happened last season, when Laine piled up 13 goals, eight assists and 21 points during an 11-game point streak that included four two-goal games plus a hat trick. Should Laine rattle off another one of those in the Blue Jackets’ remaining games, it could have interesting ripple effects.
It might help Gaudreau pass Panarin, for instance, but also spark a winning streak that damages the Jackets’ lottery odds.
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins aims to rebound
This is the first season of Merzlikins’ five-year contract extension that carries an annual cap charge of $5.4 million, which has become a huge number based on performance.
Merzlikins, 28, is 5-14-0 in 21 appearances and has ghastly numbers in save percentage (.870) and goals-against average (4.42). He has also struggled to stay healthy while dealing with a lower-body injury and multiple illnesses that included a fourth COVID-19 infection that severely affected his breathing.
Now recovered and rested, Merzlikins’ sole task for the remainder of the season is to find the form that earned the contract. His cap number likely precludes a “change of scenery” trade, so it's up to Merzlikins and goaltending coach Manny Legace to right the ship.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets storylines for the second half
