Once he was drafted, Rick Nash quickly became the centerpiece of the Columbus Blue Jackets. It didn't take him long to prove himself worthy of such a label.
Now the Blue Jackets' captain, Nash has blossomed into one of the best players in the NHL. Coming off the team's first-ever appearance (albeit a short one) in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Nash was about to enter his final season before unrestricted free agency. Instead, he's become the highest-paid player in franchise history.
It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Central Division.
The Chicago Blackhawks are trying to build off a magical season. Columbus got its first taste of playoff hockey, while St. Louis returned to the playoffs after a far-too-long absence. Meanwhile, Nashville is trying to rebound after just missing the cut for the Western Conference playoffs.
On its surface, the decision of the Columbus Blue Jackets to drop television host and reporter Jim Day is not a terribly newsworthy one. Around the league, such changes will be made with little to no fanfare.
When you examine some of the details of this story, however, you see another sign of problems that have existed in the local television business for many years. As it seems, the decision to remove Day, who had been with the team since its inception, had nothing to do with his talent or his salary.
Aside from helping lead his team to the postseason for the first time in franchise history, Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason has an opportunity to take home some serious hardware at the NHL's award ceremony in June. After being named as one of the finalists for the Calder Trophy as the top rookie, the 20-year-old Mason is also a nominee for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender. Joining Mason as finalists are Boston's Tim Thomas and Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom.
The penalty that gave the Red Wings a late power play happened with 94 seconds left in regulation. Fredrik Modin didn't wait long enough to play a puck as he came off the bench, catching his team with six players on the ice thanks to a slow change. After a rough-and-tumble first 18:30 of the third period, the call didn't sit well with Columbus.
The St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets are the first two teams eliminated from the Western Conference playoffs. The first team knocked out in the East - Montreal - could take a few lessons from how the former two played in their elimination games.
The Blue Jackets went all-in against Detroit Thursday night. They may have dropped a heart-wrenching 6-5 decision, but the way they played won them a lot of respect all around the league, including the opposing dressing room.
The nominees for this year's NHL awards are starting to be announced, and on Wednesday we learned that Columbus' Steve Mason, Anaheim's Bobby Ryan and Chicago's Kris Versteeg were the top vote-getters for the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year.
There's no surprises here, as it's been assumed for much of the season that Mason, Columbus' 20-year-old goalie, is a slam dunk winner. Despite his struggles in the playoffs (awards are voted on before the postseason begins, by the way) no goalie recorded more shutouts during the season (10) while he also finished second in the league with a 2.29 goals average and 12th with a .916 save percentage. He is, perhaps, the biggest reason Columbus made its first trip to the postseason in franchise history.
The Detroit Red Wings are having their way with the Columbus Blue Jackets in their Western Conference Quarterfinal series, jumping out to a commanding 3-0 lead thanks to a 4-1 win on Tuesday night. Speaking of which, midway through the second period, Detroit's Brad Stuart dished out a crushing (and clean) hit on Columbus' R.J. Umberger.
In hockey, the home team gets the last line change before a faceoff. This typically means the coach of that team will be able to pick the line-on-line matchups throughout the game.
For a team like Columbus, one that only has one really lethal line, this can be a major deal. While Rick Nash was shut down in the first two games against the Wings, the Blue Jackets get to play at home Tuesday night. That means Ken Hitchcock picks the matchup for Nash. That's a good thing, right?
The Columbus Blue Jackets are getting ready to play the first home playoff game in franchise history on Tuesday night, and while they find themselves in a 2-0 hole against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings, some good news might be on the horizon. Hopefully, for the Blue Jackets sake, it's not a case of too little, too late.
According to Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch, 21-year-old center Derick Brassard has been cleared for physical contact, and while he's not likely to play on Tuesday, it's possible he could see action in game 4 on Thursday.
NHL columbus Blue Jackets 
Once he was drafted, Rick Nash quickly became the centerpiece of the Columbus Blue Jackets. It didn't take him long to prove himself worthy of such a label.
It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Central Division. 
On its surface, the decision of the Columbus Blue Jackets to drop television host and reporter Jim Day is not a terribly newsworthy one. Around the league, such changes will be made with little to no fanfare.
Aside from helping lead his team to the postseason for the first time in franchise history, Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason has an opportunity to take home some serious hardware at the NHL's award ceremony in June. After being named as one of the finalists for the Calder Trophy as the top rookie, the 20-year-old Mason is also a nominee for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender. Joining Mason as finalists are Boston's Tim Thomas and Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom. 
Johan Franzen's power-play goal ended Columbus' season Thursday night, and the Blue Jackets aren't taking it very well.
The St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets are the first two teams eliminated from the Western Conference playoffs. The first team knocked out in the East - Montreal - could take a few lessons from how the former two played in their elimination games.
The nominees for this year's NHL awards are starting to be announced, and on Wednesday we learned that Columbus' Steve Mason, Anaheim's Bobby Ryan and Chicago's Kris Versteeg were the top vote-getters for the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year. 
In hockey, the home team gets the last line change before a faceoff. This typically means the coach of that team will be able to pick the line-on-line matchups throughout the game.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are getting ready to play the first home playoff game in franchise history on Tuesday night, and while they find themselves in a 2-0 hole against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings, some good news might be on the horizon. Hopefully, for the Blue Jackets sake, it's not a case of too little, too late. 
