Tough Start To 2023: The Columbus Blue Jackets January Schedule Is Brutal — But That Might Not Be A Bad Thing

And the beginning of 2023 isn't likely to do much to change that.

With just 11 wins in their first 35 games, the Blue Jackets kick off the new year with 16 games in January. 

There are few games — if any — that Columbus will be favored in.

It starts innocent enough, with a Tuesday game against the .500 Ottawa Senators from north of the border on January 3rd. But four of the next five come in an eight-day stretch and feature two each against the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals. Both series have one game at home and one on the road. The fifth game is in Tampa against the Lightning, so there's no reprieve there. 

Then there's another five games in eight-day stretch. Between January 14th and January 21st, the Blue Jackets battle Detroit, New York (Rangers), Nashville, Anaheim, and San Jose. The last two are from Nationwide Arena and at the time of this writing, the only two in the set (and two of the three games in the entire month) that come against an opponent with a losing record.

January 2023 Schedule

Day	Date	Versus	Day	Date	Versus
Tuesday	1/3	Road	Tuesday	1/17	Road
Thursday	1/5	Home	Thursday	1/19	Home
Saturday	1/7	Home	Saturday	1/21	Home
Sunday	1/8	Road	Monday	1/23	Road
Tuesday	1/10	Road	Wednesday	1/25	Road
Thursday	1/12	Home	Friday	1/27	Road
Saturday	1/14	Road	Saturday	1/28	Road
Monday	1/16	Home	Tuesday	1/31	Home

The final five-game stretch features the western Canada swing (Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver), followed by the Blue Jackets second-ever trip to Seattle for a battle against the Kraken. The last game of the month — on the last day of the month — brings Columbus back home for their third meeting of the month against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals.

If you're of the tank mentality (if not, it's something to reconsider), the first month could be a stretch that cements Columbus' place near the bottom of the league. 

In that mentality, the tough start may be a blessing in disguise. With 24 points, Columbus and Anaheim are tied for the second-worst record in the league, four points ahead of Chicago. They're separating themselves from the other teams that are struggling — the next-worst record belongs to San Jose, who is at 31 points and seven clear of the Blue Jackets and Ducks. 

On this final day of 2022, the data strongly suggests that the #CBJ may want to look towards the future. In fact, Columbus would need to double their point total to be tied for a wildcard spot.

A loss to Chicago today would put Columbus in a tie for last place in the league. pic.twitter.com/bgb1cRvJzT

— CBJ Stats (@BlueJacketStats) December 31, 2022

It goes without saying at this point that Connor Bedard is the prize of the 2023 draft and is most likely an immediate franchise-changing player. Another center, Adam Fantilli, is likely the second pick — and the Michigan standout would go #1 overall in most other years. Even Leo Carlsson (yet another center) is someone who has top-pick potential in most seasons. 

If Columbus finishes with the worst record in the league, they'll be guaranteed a top-three pick and thus, one of the three elite-elite centers. Things can go either way after that, but the Blue Jackets draft luck is historically bad. 

Competitive losses — 4-3 games against good teams, let's say — may be the best thing for the long-term success of this franchise. It means the young players are doing good things, and it's not as demoralizing as some other (ahem, Buffalo) losses have been this season. 

And competitive or not, January will bring plenty of chances for what may be valuable losses.