Blue Jackets battle through trying season

The Columbus Blue Jackets venture to the Air Canada Centre for a clash with the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday night in the midst of a trying season.

The Jackets had high expectations coming into this season after leading the NHL in man games lost due to numerous key injuries in 2014-15. They were supposed to contend, with stud centre Ryan Johansen and off-season acquisition Brandon Saad leading the way up front, and young defenceman Ryan Murray and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky — who hasn't played since Dec. 8 with a groin injury — representing the key parts on the back end.

Things have not worked out.

Columbus started the season 0-8-0, failing to record a single point. The horrible start set the record for longest pointless streak to start a season in the NHL's expansion era and lead to the firing of head coach Todd Richards just two weeks into the season.

The void was filled by John Tortorella who hadn't coached since the Vancouver Canucks fired him in 2013-14. He hasn't fared much better — the Blue Jackets own a 15-25-4 record and sit dead last in the NHL. They're four points away from the second worst teams in the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres, and five points behind the Leafs.

The Jackets are 15-18-4 since Tortorella's hiring, recording the third lowest amount of points in the NHL during that time period and are the worst road team since Nov. 28, posting a 2-9 record over 11 games.  

Tortorella and company are clearly frustrated. Brandon Dubinsky brought that to light Tuesday night after a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders, saying the team "played like a bunch of boys tonight."

They haven’t won since trading a struggling Johansen, who was supposed to be an integral part of the current and future success of the team, for defenceman Seth Jones of the Nashville Predators on Jan. 6. Jones has failed to record a point and is minus-3 for Columbus over the three-game stretch. They've allowed at least three goals in each of the past nine games. 

Adding to the turmoil this season, 21-year-old prospect Kerby Rychel, a first-round pick in the 2013 draft, has asked for a trade out of Columbus, citing a lack of opportunity with the Blue Jackets. He's played just 18 games over two seasons. 

The 2015-16 season might end up being one of their worst in franchise history for an organization that has only made two playoff appearances in its 15-year existence.

Looking at a few simple stats, you can see how Columbus got to this point.

The lopsided numbers can be partially blamed on the fact that some of their best and highest paid players are simply not producing. Even though Saad, who signed a six-year, $36 million contract this summer after being traded out of Chicago, has put up good numbers (16 goals and 14 assists in 43 games), the rest of the core hasn't. 

Captain Nick Foligno signed a deal that will pay him $33 million over the next six seasons, but has only six goals in 2015-16. David Clarkson, who wasn't producing in Toronto when Columbus acquired him before the Trade Deadline last season, has spent more time on the sidelines than on the ice. With Saad, Dubinsky, Clarkson, Foligno, Bobrovsky, Jack Johnson and Scott Hartnell locked in long term, their most expensive players will need to start turning things around if it’s ever going to work out with this group.  

Looking forward, with just under $3 million in cap space currently available and only the contracts of Rene Bourque ($3.3M) and Justin Falk ($600,000) coming off the books this summer, general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen might find it difficult to sign highly touted restricted free-agent defencemen in Jones and Ryan Murray, as well as forward  Boone Jenner.

Columbus is 13 points out of the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The team will need to replicate the Ottawa Senators’ second-half run of last season to have any chance at the postseason.