Columbus Blue Jackets 2024 Stanley Cup Odds
Born in 2000-01, the Columbus Blue Jackets have never been a serious threat to the Stanley Cup championship. The best run Columbus ever had was in 2019 when coach John Tortorella led them to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Columbus last made the playoffs in 2020 and is unlikely to make the postseason in 2023-24. Columbus was next to last in the Eastern Conference and 14 points out of the final playoff spot. The Jackets continue to operate in anonymity with decent fan support. But the fan base is tired of mediocrity. Eventually, the Blue Jackets will have to make a serious run to be taken seriously and capture the imagination of their market.
2024 Stanley Cup Betting Odds
Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Betting Lines
At the approach of the All-Star Break, the Columbus Blue Jackets are 15-23-9 straight up and 18-21-3 over/under the total. Also, Columbus is 9th in the Eastern Conference wild card playoff standings. Columbus is 16 points behind the Detroit Red Wings in the Eastern Conference wild card playoff race. Late on, Columbus has covered three out of their last 13 games. While the Blue Jackets have gone over the total in two of its previous six matchups. Columbus has NHL rankings of 22nd for goals scored and 25th for power play efficiency. In comparison on defense, the Blue Jackets have NHL rankings of 31st for goals against and 18th for penalty killing.
As the metrics show, Columbus has no real strengths. There is nothing in their numbers that shows any ability to make a serious charge to the playoffs.
Columbus Blue Jackets Key Players
Although he is not as productive as he used to be, Johnny Gaudreau is the biggest name on the Blue Jackets. Gaudreau scored only seven goals in his first 44 games, with 21 assists and 28 points to lead the team. That in itself is a tell as to how weak the Blue Jackets lineup truly is. Gaudreau is a seven-time All-Star. In 682 career games, Gaudreau has 231 goals, 452 assists, and 683 points.
Columbus does boast one of the best defensemen in Zach Werenski. The 8th overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft has spent his entire career in Columbus. Werenski has 79 goals, 166 assists, and 245 points in 416 career games.
Columbus Blue Jackets Goaltenders
Number one goaltender Elvis Merzlikins was off to a solid start with a save percentage of .906 in his first 24 starts and a 3.22 goals against average. Merzlikins was on the 2020 All-Rookie team. He is trying to recover from a terrible 2022-23 season in which he had a .876 save percentage and 4.23 goals against average.
Columbus Blue Jackets Head Coach
Head coach Pascal Vincent is a rookie head coach. He served in the Winnipeg Jets organization as an assistant and minor league head coach of the Manitoba Moose.
Season-by-Season Record (Last 5)
| SEASON |
GAMES |
WINS |
LOSSES |
FINISH |
PLAYOFFS |
| 2022–23 |
82 |
25 |
48 |
8th, Metropolitan |
Did not qualify |
| 2021–22 |
82 |
37 |
38 |
6th, Metropolitan |
Did not qualify |
| 2020–21 |
56 |
18 |
26 |
8th, Central |
Did not qualify |
| 2019–20 |
70 |
33 |
22 |
6th, Metropolitan |
Lost in First Round, 1–4 (Lightning) |
| 2018–19 |
82 |
47 |
31 |
5th, Metropolitan |
Lost in Second Round, 2–4 (Bruins) |
Columbus Blue Jackets History
Founded as an expansion franchise in 2000, the Blue Jackets have struggled to gain an identity. Columbus has usually been a hard team on the eyes. Typically, the Blue Jackets have had to emphasize defense. Their best run was when they made the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Former head coach John Tortorella led the Blue Jackets to their most successful era. Torts led the Blue Jackets to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for four consecutive seasons from 2017 through 2020. But the team was proven inadequate to make a serious run and only got to the second round once.
Columbus has always been seen as a franchise and town that nobody wanted to play for. In the past, a host of quality players left the Blue Jackets the first chance they got.
But with the arrival of Johnny Hockey Gaudreau, the Columbus franchise has a new lease on life. Suddenly, the good things about the city of Columbus are being highlighted. Gaudreau stunned the NHL world by choosing to play in C-Bus instead of other supposedly attractive towns. Gaudreau said he chose Columbus for its outstanding quality of life, great fans, and reasonable taxes and cost of living.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the cusp of a new and exciting era of opportunity. Finally, CBJ has an identity and momentum as a franchise.
NHL Teams
Eastern Conference - Atlantic
Eastern Conference - Metropolitan
Western Conference - Central
Western Conference - Pacific
Log into BookMaker Sportsbook and get the best NHL Betting Odds, NHL Betting News and information about this and all other sports betting events!
