Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced Thursday head coach John Tortorella will take a leave of absence from the team.

Assistants Brad Larsen and Brad Shaw will share coaching duties until Tortorella returns to the bench.

Tortorella said:

Regrettably, there is a personal matter that requires my immediate attention that will force me to leave the team temporarily and miss the All-Star Game in Los Angeles. This decision was not made lightly as representing the Columbus Blue Jackets is something I am very proud of, but it is the right decision for my family and I. I appreciate the support of our organization and the National Hockey League and my hope is to be back with the team next week.

On Friday, Tortorella told Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch he was taking the leave because one of his family's five dogs is currently sick.

"I appreciate so much the number of messages I have received since the announcement," the coach said. "But this absolutely is not an emergency. I want to clear that up. I needed a few days during the All-Star break—not having to go to the All-Star Game—to take care of something very important to my family and my son."

In Tortorella's second season, the Blue Jackets have become one of the best teams in the league. Their 68 points are the second-most in the Eastern Conference behind the Washington Capitals (72 points), and they reeled off 16 straight wins earlier in the year, which was one victory short of the NHL record.

Tortorella was set to be one of four coaches to take part in Sunday's NHL All-Star Game. The league has yet to name his replacement.

It used to be that any story that started with the line "The Columbus Blue Jackets could win the Stanley Cup this year" was automatically rendered a work of fiction. Not humanly possible. The Blue Jackets were punching bags on the ice and punch lines off.

In the team's first 12 seasons, after joining the NHL as an expansion franchise in 2000, the Blue Jackets won zero playoff games. The only time they made it in those 12 seasons (2008-09), they were swept in the first round by the Detroit Red Wings. The Blue Jackets are one of only two current NHL franchises that have never won a playoff series, along with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets.

This year, their 16th NHL season (not including the lost one in 2004-05), Columbus' chances of making the playoffs, according to USA Today, were somewhere between slim and none. The Blue Jackets were coming off another sub-.500, non-playoff year, one in which they changed coaches, with Todd Richards yielding to John Tortorella. Tortorella replaced Richards early last season, one in which the Blue Jackets set a modern NHL record for most consecutive losses to start a campaign (eight).

This is still the John Tortorella, the guy with so much extra baggage he could put Samsonite out of business. Tortorella came into the season from a fresh round of ridicule after a disastrous United States performance in the World Cup of Hockey in September. The Americans' performance in Toronto would mirror the Blue Jackets' performance in Columbus under Tortorella, the experts said. The Tortorella who, it went, cared more about the art of blocked shots than scoring goals.

So how, as the calendar nears the middle of January, are the Blue Jackets first overall in points in the NHL despite some near competitors having played four more games than them? How is it that this longtime, sad-sack franchise came within one victory of tying the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins' NHL record for most consecutive wins (17) before losing to the Washington Capitals? To hear team president John Davidson explain it, the story is a mixture of about one-part serendipity and three parts elbow grease and due diligence.

"We had some good pieces in place, but we couldn't put them all together the right way. So in that sense, this has not been a total rebuild situation here. I was in St. Louis, where that was a total rebuild. This was a build situation," Davidson said. "We had some really good pieces, but we needed someone to come in and build a real foundation with them, to look at things maybe in a different way."

Despite all Tortorella's recent baggage, from the World Cup flame-out to a one-and-done season tenure in Vancouver, Davidson and his front-office colleagues believed him to be the man for the job and have kept their faith in him.

"Everybody has baggage, and there's no question he's earned his," Davidson says with a laugh. "But a lot of the perceptions about him are wrong. When we were looking for a new coach, [GM Jarmo Kekalainen, assistant GM Bill Zito and I] canvassed a lot of really good players who'd played for him, and one right after the other said he was the best coach they ever played for, that a lot of players would run through a wall for him."

He led them to a respectable 34-33-8 record after taking over last season, but he made it loud and clear to his players as summer commenced: Next season, mere respectability wouldn't do. Many players came to camp in leaner physique, including goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who, according to the Columbus Dispatch's Tom Reed, dropped 17 pounds, down to 182.

"He pushed them to a level they've never been pushed," Davidson said. "And we had a culture change. It's happened; it's real. The locker room, since I've been here, has never been better. The leadership from within, the relationship with coaches—the whole thing. Everybody is on the same page."

Under Tortorella, the Blue Jackets not only own the NHL's best record (28-7-4), but the best goal differential (132-85) and the best power-play percentage (26.7). Their crisp, fast puck movement on the power play makes one reminiscent of a veritable Harlem Globetrotters on ice. Maybe "Sweet Georgia Brown" should play whenever the Jackets go on one.

Another key to the Blue Jackets' success was the offseason luring of assistant coach Brad Shaw away from the St. Louis Blues. As the boss of a mostly babyfaced Columbus defense, Shaw has gotten ovation-worthy performances from kids such as Zach Werenski, Seth Jones, Ryan Murray and Markus Nutivaara—all 23 or younger. With 25 points in his first 39 games as a 19-year-old, Werenski appears to be a fixture in Columbus. For graybeards such as David Savard (26) and Jack Johnson (29), their play has improved considerably.

"There was a real bidding war last summer for the services of Brad Shaw," NHL television analyst and former GM Pierre McGuire said. "And the results speak for themselves. The most improved defenseman in the NHL is David Savard, and Jack Johnson is playing like he was a few years ago and even better. There's a lot of good pieces in place in Columbus, a lot."

But are there enough to solve the grinding, torturous puzzle of a Stanley Cup run this spring, when any one misfortune can send them flying off the table in disarray?

If there remains a potential flaw, McGuire and other experts say, it is up the middle. While the Blue Jackets have a very promising center in 22-year-old Swede Alexander Wennberg (34 points in his first 39 games), veteran Brandon Dubinsky (three goals his first 37 games) is probably more of a third-line guy than his current No. 2 center role.

The Blue Jackets traded young center Ryan Johansen last season to Nashville for Jones, and while the current record would make it seem as if Columbus hardly misses him, McGuire and the NHL Network's Dave Reid seem to think more is needed up the middle to be a true Cup contender. As it stands, sixth-year right winger Cam Atkinson is the Blue Jackets' leading scorer with 39 points in 39 games, followed by left wing and captain Nick Foligno's 35 in 37.

"I think they're 'for real,' but they may need another game-breaker for the playoffs," Reid said. "It's tough to win it all without a superstar. Youngsters on the back end are not always a recipe for playoff success, so maybe acquiring another proven veteran defenseman might be [necessary]."

Said McGuire: "Going against [Pittsburgh's] Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, that's not easy, or against [Philadelphia's] Brayden Schenn and Claude Giroux. They could use one more center probably or one more top-six forward."

There is at least one high-end center [the Colorado Avalanche's Matt Duchene] currently available on the trade block, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. While the March 1 NHL trade deadline remains a fair bit in the distance, it's not too soon to ask Davidson the question: If the Blue Jackets are still leading the league by then, will it be overly tempting to perhaps give up a young prospect or two or three for immediate help toward a possible Cup run this spring?

"Well, we'll be having our pro [scouting] meetings a bit down the road here, and we'll take a look at everything then," Davidson said. "The key is to find out how healthy you are at that time, what price you're going to pay and where you think you need help, if you do need help. I don't think we're going to be a team that does anything silly, for sure. But there are going to be opportunities, without question. I'm not saying we're an upper-echelon team yet. We have a lot of hard divisional games still to go, a lot more still to prove before we get to that kind of thing."

So, while Columbus may not be a prohibitive Stanley Cup favorite, one thing by now seems for sure: The Blue Jackets are no longer the NHL's laughingstock.

   

Adrian Dater covers the NHL for Bleacher Report.

The Columbus Blue Jackets pulled off a clutch 4-3 overtime win Sunday night against the Vancouver Canucks to tie a franchise-record nine-game winning streak. The victory was also head coach John Tortorella's 500th win, making him the winningest American-born NHL coach. 

Is the Jackets' hot streak a sign they will contend for the Stanley Cup or merely a fluke?

Columbus Blue Jackets left winger Matt Calvert further proved on Friday night why hockey players are some of the toughest athletes on the planet. 

During a game against the New York Rangers, Calvert took a Nick Holden slap shot to the face with 10 minutes, 32 seconds remaining in the second period.

It required 30 stitches and left what Adam Gretz of NBCSports.com described as "a pool of blood" on the ice.

After passing a concussion test, the 26-year-old returned to the game and scored the game-winning, short-handed goal with 8:25 left in the game to give the Blue Jackets a 4-2 victory, via the NHL:

Matt Calvert took a slapshot to the face.

Matt Calvert returned and scored the @BlueJacketsNHL game-winner. https://t.co/JhCDd0bwiA

— NHL (@NHL) November 19, 2016

It was a rare feat for Calvert, who had just one goal and one assist in 14 games heading into Friday night as a third-line winger.

And understandably so, he looked pretty banged up after the game, via NHL.com:

The goal lifted the Blue Jackets' record to 9-4-2 to start the season, which is their best mark through 15 games in franchise history.  

After seeing what Calvert went through to deliver that win, the two points are well-deserved, too. 

            

Stats courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets placed Seth Jones on injured reserve on Nov. 7 after the defenseman suffered a hairline fracture of his foot in a Nov. 5 game against the St. Louis Blues, per the team's official website.

He has since been activated, but an official date for his return has yet to be announced.

Continue for updates.

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Jones Activated Off of IR

Monday, Nov. 21

The Blue Jackets announced Jones' return to the main roster, with left winger Markus Hannikainen being sent down to Cleveland.

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Latest on Jones' Timeline for Return

Monday, Nov. 7

Jones is expected to be sidelined for three weeks with the injury, per the team's official website.

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Jones Impressive to Start 2016-17 Season

Jones, 22, has been excellent this season, scoring three goals and adding three assists while averaging 24:14 of ice time across 10 games, the most on the team and 17th in the NHL. He also has a plus-one rating on the season.

Jones was traded to Columbus last season after spending his first two-and-a-half years with the Nashville Predators in a megadeal that sent center Ryan Johansen to the Preds. In 41 games with the Blue Jackets last season, Jones notched two goals and 18 assists and logged an average of 24:27 of ice time.

Jones and 19-year-old rookie Zach Werenski had made up the team's top defensive pairing, solidifying the back line for Columbus.

       

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

Sports fandom can be taken to extremes.

Showing off your fandom at the arena, stadium or ballpark is a way to show pride for your city and its team.

Kevin Schroeder, aka "Dancing Kevin," is a Columbus Blue Jackets superfan who has become an internet sensation.

Schroeder is well known for painting his big body and dancing furiously during breaks in the action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q7iwys0edw

However, at the Blue Jackets' season opener Thursday, he showed off his new, slender body for the Nationwide Arena crowd.

Yes, Dancing Kevin lost 160 pounds and now weighs under 200 pounds.

The Columbus crowd applauded Schroeder for his amazing physical transformation.

Schroeder may have lost all that weight, but he didn't lose his passion to cheer on the Blue Jackets.

Props to Schroeder for shedding the weight and continuing to show off his body game after game.

[Fox Sports]

After acquiring him in a trade with the Nashville Predators last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets locked up defenseman Seth Jones on Wednesday with a six-year contract extension worth $5.4 million per season.

Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reported the extension, and TSN's Darren Dreger confirmed it.

The Blue Jackets later confirmed the news as well.  

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen commented on the organization's decision to extend the 21-year-old blueliner, per the team's official website:

Acquiring [Jones] was very important to our organization and reaching a long-term agreement with him to remain a Blue Jacket was a priority, so we are extremely excited about having done so today. At 21, Seth is just beginning to tap into his potential as a player. He has everything you look for in a defenseman and is going to be a very important player and leader on our team for many years.

Craig Custance of ESPN The Magazine praised the move and the fact that Columbus didn't have to break the bank in order to keep Jones:

Nice work by Columbus to get Seth Jones signed at a reasonable number. Had reason to believe an offer sheet was a real threat there.

— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 29, 2016

The American rearguard posted a career-high 31 points last season split between the Preds and Jackets, including 20 points in 41 games during his time with Columbus.

He also averaged over 24 minutes per game as a Blue Jacket after never reaching 20 minutes per contest during his two-and-a-half-year tenure in Nashville.

The 2013 No. 4 overall draft pick has all the makings of developing into a stud defenseman should his progress continue, which could make his contract a bargain in the coming years.

Columbus gave up a big piece to get Jones in the form of forward Ryan Johansen, and it is abundantly clear that the Blue Jackets are committed to giving Jones every opportunity to become the No. 1 blueliner he was billed as when he entered the league.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will reportedly be short-handed for the next four games. 

According to Todd Jones of the Columbus Dispatch, the NHL suspended Blue Jackets forward Jared Boll on Thursday for four games for the hit he levied against Pierre-Edouard Bellemare of the Philadelphia Flyers during Tuesday's game.  

Mark Spector of Sportsnet.ca weighed in on the decision:

https://twitter.com/SportsnetSpec/status/713087244823699461

According to NHL Player Safety (via NHL.com), Boll was “considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.” In addition to the suspension, Boll will have to forfeit $82,926.84 to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. His salary level is what determined the total monetary punishment.

Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch noted the Blue Jackets decided not to appeal the suspension. 

NHL.com shared a video with the play and a detailed explanation of the penalty:

Boll only has two points on the entire season and is seen more as a physical enforcer for Columbus than anything else. He has not scored double-digits points since the 2010-11 campaign, when he tallied 12 on seven goals and five assists. What’s more, he has only played 28 games this season and already has 59 penalty minutes, per ESPN.com.

This is another blow in what has been a disappointing season for the Blue Jackets. They came into the year with high hopes but are only 30-35-8 and nowhere near the postseason picture in the Eastern Conference. According to ESPN.com's current playoff picture, Columbus trails the Flyers by 15 points for the final spot in the East as of Thursday.

Although it has been a lackluster campaign in the standings, the Blue Jackets at least have other pieces to play right winger while Boll is out with his suspension. Cam Atkinson and Nick Foligno will likely be asked to shoulder more minutes as bigger goal-scoring threats than Boll.

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday that Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout will be suspended for one game.   

The punishment is a result of Prout's punch on Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov.

The incident happened in the second period of what proved to be a 4-0 win for Tampa Bay on Sunday. Blue Jackets winger Nick Foligno and Lightning defenseman Andrej Sustr were jostling on the boards. As Kucherov was attempting to pull Foligno away, Prout skated in and threw a right-handed punch at Kucherov's head.

Prout received a 10-minute game misconduct and a two-minute penalty for roughing.

"That's a tough play," said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper after the game, per Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. "It's out of my hands. I'm sure if there's something wrong with it, the league will look at it."

The Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline argued the reaction immediately after Prout's punch was somewhat overblown:

My Twitter feed suggests #CBJ D Dalton Prout is second coming of Vlad the Impaler. Suspension/fine, maybe? But come on people.

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) March 14, 2016

Prout will miss Columbus' matchup with the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. According to Rob Mixer of the team's official website, the 26-year-old was also fined $5,779.57.

According to Smith, Kucherov will be in the lineup for the Lightning for Tuesday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and defenseman Ryan Murray have agreed to a two-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday.

Columbus drafted the 22-year-old second overall in the 2012 NHL draft. He has totaled 17 points this season while playing in every game.

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen released a statement, per the team's website:

Ryan Murray is a talented, smart player who has been a very steady performer on our blue line and we are extremely happy to have this deal completed. Ryan has earned more ice time, showed steady improvement and contributed in all situations for us throughout the season. We look forward to his continued growth and development with our club.

Murray was set to be a restricted free agent after this season, per Spotrac.

Rob Mixer from BlueJackets.com notes that Murray's deal will be worth $2.825 million per year.

Todd Sharrock, the team's vice president of team communications, also tweeted out this picture of the Saskatchewan native signing his contract:

Congrats to #CBJ defenseman Ryan Murray, who signed a two-year contract extension today. pic.twitter.com/pZRrQBfZFG

— Todd Sharrock (@ToddSharrock) February 11, 2016

Murray is a crucial part to a young Blue Jackets team that has played well under head coach John Tortorella, after Columbus fired Todd Richards seven games into the season, per the Blue Jackets. Murray, center Boone Jenner and left wing Brandon Saad comprise the nucleus of Columbus' front line that's gone 21-21-6 since Tortorella became head coach.

Even though the Blue Jackets are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 48 points, Columbus has potential with its young core, beginning with Murray. His ice time has increased each month, per Hockey Reference, which comes off as a good sign to how Columbus is utilizing its young talent. 

With Murray locked up the next two years, and Columbus showing signs of competitiveness under Tortorella, the Blue Jackets seem poised to be a team on the rise next year with their young collection of talent.