After the Columbus Blue Jackets lost 9-4 to the Buffalo Sabres Wednesday night, Adam Proteau writes it's a reminder of the team's struggles this season.
In a season in which virtually nothing has gone right for them, the Columbus Blue Jackets may have reached their low point Wednesday night.
Playing at home in front of an American national TV audience, the Blue Jackets had a calamitous, indefensible outing against the struggling Buffalo Sabres.
Ten minutes into the first period, they trailed the Sabres 4-0 and managed only a single shot on net. Starting goalie Joonas Korpisalo was pulled after surrendering three goals on five shots.
But if that wasn’t bad enough, it got worse: netminder Elvis Merzlikins allowed a goal on the first shot he faced, then he allowed another five goals by the end of the second period, leading Korpisalo to return for the third.
Sabres star forward Tage Thompson scored five goals on the night.
For the 16th time this season, Columbus allowed four goals or more, and for the ninth time this season, they allowed five goals or more.
There really aren’t words that can adequately convey how rotten the Blue Jackets have been this year.
By the end of Wednesday, the Blue Jackets’ record had fallen to 8-15-2 – the worst record in the Eastern Conference and the third-worst mark in the NHL. Since Oct. 23, they’ve gone 5-11-2. Their season is effectively over, and it’s not even Christmas. And there’s plenty of blame to go around.
It’s true, injuries have played a large role in the annihilation of Columbus’ post-season hopes.
Top defenseman Zach Werenski is out for the season. Star forward Jakub Voracek is out long-term with concussion symptoms. Blueliners Adam Boqvist and Jake Bean are currently injured. And star winger Patrik Laine missed 13 games before recently returning to action.
Most teams would be in trouble if they went without the types of pieces the Blue Jackets have been without.
But who’s kidding who – even with Werenski, Bean and Boqvist, Columbus’ defense corps is one of the least imposing in the league.
And Merzlikins and Korpisalo have largely been gnarly. Korpisalo has a save percentage of .899, and Merzlikins’ SP is .856. Some of that can be laid at the feet of the Blue Jackets’ defensemen, but the team is paying the duo a combined $6.7 million this season. For that type of money, it’s not too much to ask to post an SP of at least .900.
Off-season marquee acquisition Johnny Gaudreau has been one of the few bright lights for Columbus this year, generating a team-best 19 assists and 28 points. But no Blue Jackets player has more than nine goals, and only Gaudreau and center Boone Jenner (each with nine goals) have more than six goals this season. Only Gaudreau has a points-per-game average of better than 0.76.
In sum, it’s been an all-around disappointment for Columbus. And there doesn’t appear to be much help coming on the horizon – next year, they’ve already got $71.4 million committed to only 13 players.
There likely won't be another elite player signed out of free agency, but they may get to draft one. Otherwise, they’ve got what they’ve got, and it probably isn’t going to be enough to make them a playoff team in 2023-24.
Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen has been running the team for nearly a full decade, and at their best, the Blue Jackets have won only two second-round games. Needless to say, this is not a great record.
Kekalainen is a pioneer as the NHL’s first European GM, and while we’re not pinning all of the organization’s struggles on him, he is responsible for the bottom line – wins and losses.
Wednesday night’s dismal showing underscores the macro picture for this franchise, and it’s not a pretty one. It’s going to feel like an eternity between now and next season’s training camp, and by that point, there should be significant alterations made to the Blue Jackets.
They’re not good enough in just about every facet of the game, and their loyal fans deserve a lot more.