Which former Blue Jackets are playing in the NHL Playoffs this year?
The NHL regular season concluded last night, which means all 8 playoff series are set. 16 teams have qualified, and almost all of them have at least one former Blue Jacket player.
There are plenty of quality former Blue Jacket players sprinkled throughout the league. Of the 16 teams to qualify for the playoffs this year, only two (New York Islanders, Winnipeg Jets) do not have a player who wore the Union Blue.
Whether it helps you decide who you're cheering for or not, I thought it would be interesting to go around the league and see which former Jackets might make a run at a Stanley Cup.
Let's start in the Eastern Conference. The battle of Florida will take place in the first round, with the Panthers taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
You don't have to dig too deep to find a former Blue Jacket on either roster. For the Panthers, they'll roll out Sergei Bobrovsky as their starting goaltender. He won two Vezina Trophies in Columbus, and will be a pivotal piece of the Panthers in their playoff run.
They also have Kevin Stenlund playing in a depth role; and Zac Dalpe could be called upon if injuries pile up as well.
The Lightning have two wingers who played in Columbus: Anthony Duclair and Tyler Motte. Neither guy had a long tenure here, but both became fan favorites in Central Ohio for different reasons.
The other Atlantic Division matchup features the Boston Bruins (Andrew Peeke) against the Toronto Maple Leafs (Max Domi). Both guys became change of scenery candidates after their time in Columbus - and both are very important to their current team's success.
In the Metropolitan Division bracket, the New York Rangers may have a lot of CBJ hearts cheering them on this spring. Artemi Panarin, Alexander Wennberg, and Jack Roslovic will all play important roles for the blue shirts in their Cup push.
Lest we overlook Blue Jacket flash in the pan Jonathan Quick, who will be the backup in goal. The Rangers also have Riley Nash playing in their system; though I don't see him being called upon, unless things get really crazy for them.
They'll face the Washington Capitals in the first round. Sonny Milano provides much-needed secondary offense for an otherwise stingy Capitals team.
The other matchup on the Metro side features the Islanders taking on the Carolina Hurricanes. Just one former CBJ player in this series: Canes backup goaltender Spencer Martin.
Heading out west, there are some more beloved former Jacket players taking the ice in the playoffs.
The Central division's prime matchup features the Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets.
Just one player taking the ice in this series: long-time CBJ defenseman Jack Johnson will play on the third defense pairing for the Avalanche.
The other matchup from the Central has the Dallas Stars taking on the Vegas Golden Knights.
Dallas has Matt Duchene, who is a huge part of their offense. He was only a Blue Jacket for a couple of months, but we'll never forget his play in the 2019 playoff run. The Stars also have Gavin Bayreuther in their system, though he probably will not see any NHL ice time.
On the Vegas side, they have two former Blue Jackets: William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault. Both "original misfits" are pivotal to their success, and should see heavy minutes in all situations.
In the Pacific bracket, the Vancouver Canucks won the division this year. They have former Jacket defenseman Ian Cole patrolling their blue line.
They take on the Nashville Predators, who made the playoffs in part because of a surprising offensive outburst from Gustav Nyquist this season. The Preds also have Liam Foudy hanging around, but don't expect to see him on the ice this spring.
The final series out west has the Edmonton Oilers taking on the LA Kings.
Lots of former Blue Jackets in this one. For the Oilers, Sam Gagner will be a depth/secondary contributor. They also have Lane Pederson, who could also be leaned upon if injuries pile up.
The Kings have two Tortorella-era fixtures: Pierre-Luc Dubois and Vladislav Gavrikov. Both are pivotal to the success or failure here. In their system are two more former Jackets: Kevin Connauton and TJ Tynan, neither of whom will likely be called upon.
If you haven't kept track, that's 28 former Blue Jackets that are currently signed by playoff teams (including the AHL guys). If you're cheering for teams with former CBJ players, you have a lot of options!
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