The CBJ Writer

 So, I had a chance to see family I hadn't seen in years and missed the first two periods of tonight's game. I came in when the Mammoth and Blue Jackets were tied 2-2. That said, I think I saw the best period of the night! The Mammoth would score two goals early in Period 3. The first would belong to Alexander Kerfoot at 3:00, and this would become his second goal this season. Michael Carcome would add his eleventh assist on the primary, while MacKenzie Weeger would add his nineteenth on the secondary. Then, at 4:54, the Mammoth would have its largest lead of the night after Logan Cooley added his tenth goal of the season. Lawson Crouse gets his sixteenth assist this season on the primary, while Ian Cole gets his fiftieth assist this season on the secondary. Now, if you left Nationwide Arena with the Blue Jackets down 4-2 on a Saturday night after the revitalization this team has had since hiring Rick Bowness, that's your fault! At 13:38, Adam Fantilli would pick up his eig...

Did you go to bed yet, 5th Line? Finally, being a night owl pays off on NHL Trade Deadline Day! As of 12:20 a.m., we have a new Blue Jacket! The Vancouver Canucks have accepted two draft picks from Columbus, a third-round pick this year (2026) and a second-round pick (2028), for Conor Garland!  The 29-year-old, who turns 30 next week, has appeared in 50 games for the Canucks. In that time, he's scored seven goals and nineteen assists for twenty-six points. Not bad at all. From 2018-2021, Conor Garland was with the team that drafted him in round 2 in 2015, the Arizona Coyotes. From 2021 to now, he's been in Vancouver with the Canucks. In that time, he's appeared in 535 NHL games, scoring 129 goals and 188 assists for 317 points.  It's no secret that the Vancouver Canucks would be looking to sell during this year's trade deadline. They haven't had the best season. I know I said in a post, literally two hours ago, that I didn't think we needed to add. That said...

So, a few days ago, I wrote a blog post that I hoped wouldn't hold up. I think my hopes have been realized. In that post, I centered on how our captain, Boone Jenner, had been listed as out against the Nashville Predators under 'maintenance'. I got an uneasy feeling this could result in a trade due to the timing and the reason he wouldn't play. Tonight, he not only played against the Florida Panthers but also had the game-winning goal. So, although anything can still happen, I feel less anxious about Boone leading us tomorrow before the NHL Trade Deadline at 3:00 p.m. So, with that said, what would I do if I were Don Waddell?  Nothing.  You read that right, 5th Line, I wouldn't touch this team. I say this for two main reasons. First, our best player and defenseman, Zach Werenski, has been out ill for the last three games. This team has rallied without him to win once in overtime and twice in regulation in those three games. Further, the first game they won without h...

 Tonight, the Blue Jackets were at home and showed the control we saw before the Olympic Break. Impressive considering Zach Werenski missed another game due to Illness, and I hope he feels better soon. Further, our D-Line would take another hit as Dante Fabbro was announced out minutes before puck drop with a lower-body injury. I wish both men well and hope to see them back on the ice soon!  Now, the Florida Panthers haven't looked great recently. That said, as someone who played sports herself, you never underestimate an opponent, no matter how bad their playing. You don't want to be the team that relaxes and gives an underperforming team its mojo back. Adding emphasis to this point, both of these teams are fighting for playoff hopes, and this team has won it all the last two seasons. So, best believe they'll bring it, and they did, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's recap some hockey, 5th Line!   The Blue Jackets would have the only goal in Period 1. It would ...

Last night was a nailbiter in Madison Square Garden. 61:06 of hockey allowed the Blue Jackets to win 5-4 in a game they led 4-0 with 20 minutes left in the game. They got their much-needed two points, but it was a quick turnaround with no time to celebrate as they flew home to face Nashville tonight. Both teams were coming off a game, with the Nashville Predators losing at home last night to the Detroit Red Wings, 4-2. Each team is trying to fight its way to a playoff spot, so tonight promised to be a good game, and it was!  The first goal tonight was scored by the same Blue Jacket who scored the first goal in New York last night. Adam Fantilli adds goal number seventeen to his season at 14:23. and he's getting hot! The goal gives Kirill Marchenko his twenty-ninth assist this season on the primary, while the secondary goes to Mason Marchment, becoming his sixteenth assist this season. The Blue Jackets nearly escaped the opening period with a 1-0 lead, but Mason Marchment would go t...

I'll start out by saying what I normally do the first week of March every season: Unless under special circumstances, I only allow myself to speculate one week a year, and that is NHL Trade Deadline Week.  I could be wrong, and I only have information avalible to the public. I am not an insider, and I've never claimed to be. That said, something has happened tonight that gives me a gut feeling our General Manager, Don Waddell, could be up to something. What I am about to lay out is either a coincidence or a fact, and only time will tell. Here are my thoughts. Let me make this very clear: I have multiple reasons to love each of our players. So, what I'm about to say comes from a business standpoint only. Kent Johnson had been a healthy scratch for the last two games. He's a young player with decent numbers, which could be an asset to any of the other 31 NHL teams. I firmly believed that he'd be leaving us, and, if he did, I would of course wish him nothing but the be...