44 Days Until Opening Night At Nationwide Arena: Erik Gudbranson

The 2024-25 season is coming up fast. 

When it was announced in the late afternoon of July 13th, 2022 that Erik Gudbranson was going to be the lone signing for the Columbus Blue Jackets, many people who follow the team were left underwhelmed.

Former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen signed Gudbranson to a 4-year, $4 million per season contract, leaving some Jackets fans to wonder what Kekäläinen was doing. A couple of hours later, the Jackets stunned the hockey world when they announced the signing of former Calgary Flames forward Johhny Gaudreau. 

Gudbranson played in 70 games in his first season with Columbus. He managed to score only a single goal and had 12 assists. He had 137 blocks and 119 hits as well. On a team that was absolutely devastated by injuries, he stayed relatively healthy. That of course would come to an end on March 24th of 2023, when he separated his shoulder, which ended his season. 

In his second season, he would stay healthy on yet another injury-filled season for Columbus. Despite that, he set personal bests in many categories. He tied a career-best with 6 goals, had 20 assists (which bested his career-high of 12 set in 2023), 26 points, had 170 blocks (33 more than his previous high in 2023), 21 takeaways, and was on the ice for 1533 minutes. His 78 games played also tied a career-high. 

Many discount the season that Gudbranson had in 2023-24, but he had an excellent season despite everything that went on. His 1.02 points per 60 minutes played was the best of his career as well. His 26 giveaways were the 5th lowest of his career, and his defensive zone giveaways were also the 5th lowest in his 13 NHL seasons. 

The 2024-25 blueline will include newcomers Jordan Harris and Jack Johnson, and most likely David Jiříček, to go along with Zach Werenski, Damon Severson, Erik Gudbranson, and Ivan Provorov. Many expect this defensive unit to take a step forward under new coach Dean Evason, and they had better. 

For several seasons now, the defense hasn't played well in front of their goalies. They have to take strides to be better this year. Don Waddell will be evaluating everyone from top to bottom, and if they want a future in Columbus, they need to play well and improve this season. 

Rest In Peace Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. 

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