Did you miss anything from the past week at The Hockey News - Columbus Blue Jackets? If you did, we have you covered with the Sunday Recap. Click on each card below to read the stories from the past week.
OPENING NIGHT COUNTDOWNS
Chinakhov had only played junior hockey in Russia before being drafted, and he would make his KHL debut during the 2020-21 season for Avangard Omsk. In his first pro season in the KHL, he scored 10 goals and had 17 points. Chinakhov played so well that he was elevated to Avangard Omsk's top line. After one season in the KHL, Chinakhov was signed to a three-year NHL ELC in May of 2021.
Savard won a Stanley Cup after he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021. He then left to sign a contract with his hometown Montreal Canadiens in 2021, where he would play for four seasons. Although his Habs teams weren't very good, Savard remained a steady presence on the Montreal Blue Line. He had 76 points over four seasons while blocking 646 shots over those four years.
Heinze was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, grew up in North Andover, Massachusetts, and played college hockey at Boston College. It was only right, then, that he played the first nine years of his career for the Boston Bruins after being chosen 60th overall in the 1988 NHL Draft.
Daňo made his NHL debut in 2014 and played 35 games. He scored 8 goals, totaled 21 points, and was a plus-12 in his first NHL season. It seemed that Marko Daňo had arrived and was ready to be a good player for Columbus. That was until the following season.
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen - Drafted out of Norway in 2002, Tollefsen was known for his heavy fists. In his first season with Columbus, he played in 70 games and had a whopping 123 PIMs. In his second season, he played in 51 games and had 111 PIMs. After those two years, he would only play another 19 games for Columbus and another 18 for the Philadelphia Flyers. He returned to Europe in 2010 and retired in 2017. Tollefsen is now the head coach for the Norway U20 team.
Columbus originally drafted McQuaid in the 2nd round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. McQuaid would never play for the CBJ, though. While he was still in the OHL, he was traded to Boston by Columbus for Boston's 5th-round pick in the 2007 NHL Draft on May 16, 2007. The pick the Jackets sent to Boston turned out to be Jamie Benn.
NEWS & NOTES
Adam Foote had a private plane waiting for him, and everything he needed was waiting for him in Calgary. Some say Foote got nasty because everyone knew his plans, and when the CBJ didn’t want to accommodate those plans, that’s when it went off the rails.
During this past season with the Calgary Flames, Lomberg threw 129 hits. This marked the fifth season in a row that the 5-foot-9 forward recorded over 100 hits. He also threw 90 hits with the Florida Panthers in 2020-21, but that was only in 34 games played.
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Denton Mateychuk was undoubtedly a nice bright spot during the 2025-26 season. In 75 games this past campaign with the Blue Jackets, the 2022 first-round pick set new career highs with 13 goals, 18 assists, and 31 points.
Two Columbus Blue Jackets forwards are continuing to be viewed as trade candidates as the summer rolls on. In his most recent trade board for Bleacher Report, Lyle Richardson included Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson.
The Columbus Blue Jackets will be aligning themselves with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, per a CBJ announcement. The agreement is for two years through the 2027-28 season.
Former Cleveland Monsters right winger Hudson Fasching has signed with Skellefteå AIK in the SHL. The deal is for one year. The team plays in Skellefteå, Sweden.
Following being traded to the Blue Jackets, Garland recorded five goals and seven points in 21 games. This was after he had seven goals and 26 points in 50 games with the Canucks before the trade.
Former Cleveland Monsters defenseman Ole Julian Bjørgvik-Holm has signed a deal to play with the Graz99ers of ICEHL in Austria. The team plays in Graz, Austria.
Now that it is August, NHL free agents should soon be signing professional tryout (PTO) agreements with teams. When looking at the Columbus Blue Jackets' roster, it is fair to wonder if they will sign anyone to a PTO before the start of training camp.
Bayreuther has launched the Bayreuther Hockey Club. The club will be designed to develop complete hockey players and to "help every player become the best version of themselves."
