The Columbus Blue Jackets will be entering their 17th season as a NHL franchise this year, so we thought it’s about time we celebrate the 17 greatest Blue Jackets. This list won’t be filled with the best players per say, but rather the most impactful, durable, and lovable Jackets in our minds.
If you missed No. 6, make sure to go back and read that before this one so you can learn about Cam Atkinson.
Related Story: #6 - Cam Atkinson
#5 – Jack Johnson
To start off our top five, Jack Johnson is here. The 30-year-old defenseman has spent five full seasons in Columbus and he has already solidified himself as a dependable force and veteran leader for the franchise.
Johnson was part of the infamous 2012 Kings-Jackets trade that saw Jeff Carter shipped to Los Angeles. Some fans didn’t really care who Johnson was when he arrive here; they were just happy Carter was gone. Fortunately for them, JJ is actually a pretty talented player.
And he actually showed that immediately after being traded. Despite only tallying 24 points in 61 games with the Kings prior to the trade, JJ put up 14 points in 21 games as a part of the CBJ and led the team in TOI average for the rest of the season.
Although Jack didn’t keep up that scoring pace (it’s not like people expected him to anyway), he settled into his role as a reliable and veteran defenseman. That was the most evident this past season as he and David Savard killed opposing teams when they were on the ice.
JJ set a career-high in plus-minus at +23 and he played in all 82 regular season games, the first time he’s done that since the 2013-2014 season.
The Indianapolis-native’s name comes up in a lot of the major statistics in franchise history. To just to name a few, JJ is ninth in games played (can move in to sixth this season), ninth in assists (can move in to sixth this season) and third in defensive point shares.
JJ’s ups and downs in his personal life and playing career since being in the NHL makes him the perfect person for the young guys in the locker room to listen to. His experiences and perspective thing is an incredible asset for the Blue Jackets franchise.