The Columbus Blue Jackets are dare I say ... fun again?
Over the past week, they won three of their last four games for the first time since November. The team has played markedly better since February's All-Star Break, going 6-8-0. Under .500, but a more competitive day-in and day-out team in the second half.
They've gone 6-6-0 since Feb. 15, when they released Jarmo Kekalainen from his duties.
Second-half signature wins for the Blue Jackets include two of three wins in California, which is never easy, regardless of the respective rebuild projects by the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks. Columbus has only won a 'California trip' three times since their move to the Eastern Conference.
Over the past few weeks, they knocked off Stanley Cup contenders.
A 4-2 win over the New York Rangers, a 6-3 defeat of the Vegas Golden Knights featuring Alex Nylander's hat trick, and a 4-2 winner over Connor McDavid's Edmonton Oilers.
Nylander has benefitted from the Pittsburgh trade and a newfound chemistry with Cole Sillinger, registering seven points (five goals, two assists) in eight games. He tied Antoine Vermette as the only Blue Jackets to record at least five goals in their first seven games with the franchise.
John Davidson and the club might have initially been more interested in the conditional draft pick the Penguins included in their swap, with Emil Bemstrom joining the Black and Gold. Bemstrom can ultimately net Columbus a third-round draft pick in the 2026 NHL draft if he can score six goals.
He scored in his Penguins debut, though nothing since.
The goaltending has been better. Daniil Tarasov played in the wins over the Golden Knights and Oilers, providing a glimpse of what we've seen in the past before injuries stunted his development.
Since Feb. 21, Tarasov is 3-3-0 with a .935 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average. He matched his career-high with 47 saves in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators. Merzlikins is 3-2-1, .918, 2.63 in the same span.
Dmitri Voronkov was co-leading all NHL rookies with 17 goals until Connor Bedard's two-goal game on Sunday. We thought a Blue Jacket might have something to say about the Calder race, but Voronkov?
Press conferences from head coach Pascal Vincent this season have suggested in so many words how close his team is or that they're playing with confidence, like after Thursday's win.
"I think we played a solid 60 minutes tonight."
— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) March 8, 2024
Coach Pascal Vincent felt the @BlueJacketsNHL did a great job managing the ice and challenging on the defensive end in their 4-2 win over the Oilers at Nationwide Arena.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/uFr1HwzVfU
It's a nice run of late, considering how much of a train wreck the season had felt early on with so many different storylines. Still, they're only 22-32-10, sitting last in the Metropolitan Division and 29 of 32 teams.
A lottery pick has been in the Blue Jackets' future virtually all season.
Macklin Celebrini is 17 years old, plays for Boston University, and is projected as the No. 1 overall pick this summer. The Jackets will have the chance to land the coveted overall pick for the first time in franchise history, and we'll find out if their chances are better this go-round versus how things went last time in the lottery.
Though Adam Fantilli is a prize.
No matter what happens with the draft, the Blue Jackets need to turn a corner and play up to the potential as advertised. And maybe that's happening now. But we've also seen this episode a time or two before where the club plays with newfound energy or a spark once the standings are all but decided, and the pressure is off.
Sure, there's always pressure. The NHL is a hard league to win in, and all players and coaches will collect as many wins as possible regardless of when they might occur. There is an 82-game pressure for players playing and coaches coaching for jobs.
Especially this time, as the Blue Jackets search for their next general manager for the first time since 2013. Whoever occupies that chair will have lots to say about this roster and this coaching staff behind the bench.
The 2014-15 Blue Jackets famously ripped off a 15-1-1 record over the final 17 games. From Mar. 1 through the end of the season, the Blue Jackets went 16-4-1. Only the Ottawa Senators were better (16-3-3), as they clinched the first wild card spot by one point.
It was exciting, although the Blue Jackets finished the season with 89 points, nine points behind the final wild card.
There was undoubtedly excitement for the next season to see if the team could carry over the wave of late-season success over an off-season and into the next campaign.
Instead, a 0-8-0 start cost Todd Richards his job. Then entered John Tortorella, who was instrumental in the organization's best years.
Though Columbus probably never had a serious shot at the top pick, the 2015 NHL draft that summer included McDavid, Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin, Mitch Marner, and Ivan Provorov. And Zach Werenski. So, that still worked out for Columbus.
The other side is you can't always be collecting lottery picks, but after such a dreadful start to the season, it's the consolation that exists. There's no guarantee that the play occurring right now will carry over to next October.
It's all out of our control. Is what we're seeing any more than a late-season spark, or is it actual sustained growth?
That's the question.
Can the Blue Jackets end up with Celebrini and simultaneously start next season off on the right foot?
That's the goal. If not Celebrini, they'll end up with a really good prospect, at least.
