It wasn’t the season that the Columbus Blue Jackets wanted – they failed to get over the first-round hump once again – but there is still plenty to be happy about when looking back. Let’s take a look back on some of the stellar performances and memorable finishes from the 2017-18 season. Here are our top ten moments:
10: Jarmo's Deadline Deals
Jarmo Kekalainen’s reputation is that of a skilled talent evaluator, shrewd negotiator and patient dealmaker. He flexed all of those talents on NHL trade deadline day, making three moves that paid off in spades for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In came Ian Cole, Mark Letestu and Thomas Vanek – all of whom had stellar impacts down the stretch. Out went a handful of mid-level picks, a fringe roster player (Tyler Motte) and a former waiver claim (Jussi Jokinen). The Blue Jackets didn’t mortgage their future to make a short-term splash; rather, they parted with nonessential assets to shore up the team depth. And boy did it work – the Blue Jackets finished the regular season 14-4-2 following the deadline, earning a playoff spot for the second consecutive year.
9: Letestu Scores In Return To Nationwide
While the deadline gave Blue Jackets fans an opportunity to appreciate the talents of Cole and Vanek, they knew exactly what they were getting in Mark Letestu. A savvy veteran brought in to provide stability to a fourth line in dire need, Letestu was a fan favorite during his previous tenure with the Blue Jackets.
He didn’t take long to re-introduce himself to the crowd at Nationwide Arena.
That goal, unfortunately, ended up being the only goal he scored after returning to Columbus, but the nostalgia factor blew the roof off of Nationwide Arena – and that excitement carried over to Letestu himself.
#CBJ first period summary: pic.twitter.com/ZUWLHOU913
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) February 27, 2018
8: Panarin the Playmaker
Speaking of Jarmo Kekalainen additions, Artemi Panarin’s first season in union blue couldn’t have gone much better. He drove possession on the Blue Jackets’ top line all season long, dominating in the offensive zone and firing crisp passes to tee up his linemates. No game better exemplified that than the Blue Jackets 5-3 win over New Jersey on December 9.
Five goals for the Blue Jackets, and all due to Panarin’s influence. His five primary assists set a new team record – and was the first such performance in more than 22 years.
Artemi Panarin's 5 assist game for the @BlueJacketsNHL tonight was a rare one indeed, as it put him on this exclusive list dating back 25 seasons pic.twitter.com/XwLoG0YAJN
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) December 9, 2017
Speaking of Panarin’s linemates…
7: Pierre-Luc Dubois Proves Doubters Wrong
Remember when pundits lambasted the Blue Jackets for passing on Jesse Puljujarvi? Pierre-Luc Dubois remembers.
Dubois had his fair share of highlights this season – a goal on opening night, going toe-to-toe with Sidney Crosby, a shootout winner and a playoff snipe – but no night was bigger than his first career hat trick in Calgary.
By recording his 16th, 17th and 18th goals of the season, Dubois blasted past Rick Nash to set a new rookie goal scoring franchise record. He’d add two more before season’s end, passing his teammate Zach Werenski for the franchise’s points mark, with 48 on the year.
6: Jackets Trade for Panarin
This list would look a lot different if not for Jarmo Kekalainen's biggest draft day deal yet. Kekalainen wanted a game breaker in Columbus, and he got one in Panarin. Suffice to say that nobody is asking about his competency away from Patrick Kane anymore.
No Blue Jacket had ever hit the 80 point mark until Panarin did so in Game 80 against Detroit, the penultimate game of a 23-game stretch that saw him put up a ridiculous 12-24–36 line. That's one more point than Brandon Saad – the player Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman gave him up for – put up all season long.
5: Jackets Get 10
This year’s big streak didn’t reach historic levels like the famous 16-game streak of 2016-17, but it did reach double digits. The cherry on top was an emphatic shutout by Sergei Bobrovsky against the then red-hot Florida Panthers.
4: Jackets Salvage Point With Ridiculous Comeback
The Blue Jackets may not have walked away with a win, but salvaging a point in the midst of a tight playoff race was a minor miracle after falling behind 4-1 with just 5:57 left against the Vancouver Canucks. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored with just under four minutes to go, and the Jackets pulled even with just 1:21 left after scoring twice in just 16 seconds.
Panarin and Seth Jones each notched four points on the night – and three in the final four minutes of regulation to salvage a point. Alexander Edler won it for the Canucks in the extra frame, but the thrill of tying it up late is enough to warrant placement on this list.
3: Jackets Complete Comeback in Detroit
A few nights after the near-comeback against Vancouver, the Jackets pulled off the impossible to complete a similar comeback – and come out on top in overtime – against the Detroit Red Wings.
Artemi Panarin’s 80th point – discussed above – came in the form of a ridiculous tying goal, where he more or less willed the Blue Jackets into overtime. That goal was the game's salient highlight before Pierre-Luc Dubois sniped the game-winner past Jimmy Howard in what turned out to be the final Blue Jackets regular season win of the season. That win put them just one point away from clinching their second consecutive playoff berth – a feat they would achieve a few nights later with an overtime loss to Pittsburgh.
2: Matty Clutch
“WERENSKI LOOKS FOR SOME OPEN ICE... SCORES!! MATT CALVERT!! JACKETS GO UP 2-NOTHING IN THIS SERIES” #CBJ pic.twitter.com/V4scf7LPpj
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 16, 2018
We won’t talk about what happened in the next four games, but Matt Calvert added onto his clutch legacy for the Blue Jackets with an overtime winner in Game 2 against the Washington Capitals, giving the Blue Jackets an unprecedented 2-0 series lead with the series coming back home.
Those home games didn't go so well, but at least the in-arena pregame show was fire.
1: Bread Bomb
“PANARIN TRYING TO CUT IN... SCORES!!! GAME WINNER IN OVERTIME!!! WHAT A GOAL!!!” #CBJ pic.twitter.com/XCYTw75Dhe
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 13, 2018
The sickest goal scored by the Blue Jackets all season long came at the biggest possible moment, as Artemi Panarin absolutely broke physics to give the Jackets their first ever playoff series lead.
Who else in the entire league could have scored that goal? Connor McDavid, Taylor Hall, Nathan MacKinnon, end of list? Panarin turned Dmitry Orlov inside out at the blue line, blasted down the wing, made a sharp cut towards Philipp Grubauer, deftly got the puck to his forehand (somehow?!) and fired a pinpoint shot into the far corner of the net – all at full speed.
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