Who do CBJ fans want to see win the Stanley Cup?
The Stanley Cup Finals begin on Saturday (6/8) night, matching up the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. Do Blue Jackets fans have an interest in the outcome of the finals?
In prior seasons, the Blue Jackets organization had some interest in which teams found success in the playoffs because the team owned some draft capital acquired from those teams (via a trade).
The most recent example was in 2021, when the Blue Jackets dealt defenseman David Savard to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for their 1st round pick. The Blue Jackets preferred that Tampa did not win the Stanley Cup nor finish in the final four. That would elevate that 1st round selection by at least 4 spots. Unfortunately for the team, the Lightning did win the cup and that pick was 32nd overall (last pick of the 1st round).
The only benefit for the Blue Jackets this postseason was if the New York Rangers made it to the finals. If the NY Rangers went to the Stanley Cup Final, the 4th round selection (2026) acquired in the trade for Jack Roslovic would become a 3rd round pick (2026).
The Rangers didn’t have to win the cup; they just had to get to the final. While not much, it was the only way that the team would benefit from the results of the playoffs this season. Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, the Rangers did not make it past the Eastern Conference Finals and thus, the 4th round pick stays a 4th round pick in 2026.
For this Stanley Cup Final, the club has no vetted interest in the outcome from a perspective of draft pick compensation. No trades were made with either Edmonton or Florida. So, from a results standpoint, nothing helps or hurts the Blue Jackets in this final.
So, does the 5th Line have any interest in the winner this season? Maybe yes and maybe no. The only interest the fans have is if any former Blue Jackets win the Stanley Cup. In this final, there are three former Blue Jackets.
Florida has two former Blue Jackets on its roster: Kevin Stenlund and Sergei Bobrovsky.
Many 5th Liners may not remember Stenlund, as he played primarily on the 4th line and didn’t make a huge impact with the Blue Jackets. He played portions of four seasons with the club.
Bobrovsky, on the other hand, is quite familiar for the 5th Line. He played for the Blue Jackets for seven seasons. In that time, he won two Vezina trophies and helped the team make the playoffs four times. He was the backbone of the team and was a fan favorite.
Unfortunately for the club, things ended poorly with Goalie Bob, as he was not interested in signing a contract extension with the team following the 2018-2019 season. He signed a lucrative 7-year, $70 million contract with the Florida Panthers. Now, he has them in the Stanley Cup Finals in back-to-back seasons.
Should we cheer for Bob and the Panthers? Let's look at some more examples on the next page.
In addition to the two players, Florida is led my general manager Bill Zito, who used to be an assistant general manager with the Blue Jackets.
Edmonton only has one former Blue Jacket on its roster: Sam Gagner. However, Gagner has not played in these Stanley Cup Playoffs and only played in 28 regular season games with the Oilers. Since Gagner has not been a part of the team in these playoffs and has played sparingly all season, one can assume that he will not suit up for the Oilers in the finals unless injuries occur.
Surprise Thursday poll:
— Union and Blue (@UnionAndBlue) June 6, 2024
Who are you cheering for in the Stanley Cup Final? I promise, there's a #CBJ related reason for this poll, we will elaborate tomorrow!
In terms of former Jackets, the biggest name is obviously Bobrovsky. While his departure from Columbus was difficult to swallow, he is still considered the best goalie in franchise history and delivered the team to the playoffs four out of the six times that the club has qualified for the playoffs (if you include the Covid bubble in Toronto).
At his age (35), he probably only has a couple of seasons left in his career. This may be his last chance to get a cup. I know that I am pulling for Bob to hoist the cup. He did a lot for our team and brought us a lot of good memories. I would like to see him get his name engraved on the cup. I’m sure that many other 5th liners feel the same way.
So, there you have it. If you would want to see Bob win a championship, then the 5th Line should cheer for the Florida Panthers. If the Panthers win the cup, then two former players and one former assistant manager would be a champion.
If you don’t care about seeing former Blue Jackets win the cup, then that’s fine too. You probably don’t care about the outcome and just want to see good hockey. There is nothing wrong with that approach either.
feed