COLUMBUS, Ohio — It figures to be a momentous offseason for the Columbus Blue Jackets. A new general manager is on the way, but there’s an ominous feeling that much bigger changes — affecting all areas of the organization — could be in the offing.
Tuesday, the Blue Jackets had one final chance to put a stamp on their fourth consecutive losing season. There’s no getting around the fact that it was a long, arduous and disappointing campaign, but they somehow managed to end it with a smile.
The Blue Jackets beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3 in front of 17,289 fans at Nationwide Arena. Well, it was some version of those franchises. The Jackets’ lineup was peppered with AHL call-ups because of a rash of injuries, and the Hurricanes sat eight veteran players to keep them rested for the playoffs.
Zach Werenski had two goals and two assists, and Johnny Gaudreau, Luca Del Bel Belluz, James Malatesta and Alex Nylander scored goals for the Blue Jackets. Goaltender Jet Greaves finished with 38 saves, continuing to shine on a club that is not easy to backstop.
“The message today was, ‘We’re going to compete as hard as we can,’” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. “We owe it to the fans and the jersey we wear. We’re still evaluating the character of our team and how people handle themselves in these moments.
“Well, winning that game in front of our fans, last game of the season, that’s the cherry on the cake.”
The Blue Jackets finished 27-43-12 (66 points), only 7 points better than last season. There’s so much to fix here, so much that needs to be changed. And yet it is not a hopeless situation, as seen by three stories that developed throughout the evening.
Del Bel Belluz was watching film in suburban Cleveland with AHL coaches when he was summoned to Columbus around 1 p.m. to make his NHL debut. For the past six weeks, the Jackets have faced a lineup calamity almost daily, and Tuesday it was a sudden illness to Dmitri Voronkov.
It was a rat race afternoon for Del Bel Belluz, who drove to his apartment in downtown Cleveland, then headed south to Columbus.
“There were so many thoughts,” said Del Bel Belluz, a second-round pick (No. 44) in 2022. “I had a lot of people calling me on the way.”
Say it with us LUCA DEL BEL BELLUZ!!!! 🗣🗣🗣
#65 WITH HIS 1ST NHL GOAL, IN HIS 1ST NHL GAME, ON HIS 1ST SHOT 🤯@Nationwide | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/0fyZdCbcuA
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 16, 2024
Del Bel Belluz’s first NHL shift ended after only nine seconds when the Jackets were called for too many men on the ice, which he was selected to serve. But when Del Bel Belluz emerged from the penalty box, the wildest thing happened.
He scored on his first NHL shot — only 3:37 into the game — from the left circle; it eluded former Blue Jackets goaltender Spencer Martin.
Del Bel Belluz’s day was easy compared to that of his parents. They got the call in Toronto shortly after 1 p.m. It’s a 6 1/2-hour drive to Columbus (in good traffic), so Angelo Del Bel Belluz had little time to spare.
“I had it pegged at 180 the whole way,” Angelo said. Let’s hope he was exaggerating. That’s kilometers, yes, but that’s still 112 mph.
Unfortunately, the Del Bel Belluzes arrived at Nationwide Arena after Luca’s first NHL goal.
“They drove a long way,” Luca said. “I’m just glad they could make it.”
Del Bel Belluz, who played only 9:35, had two shots on goal and won 4 of 10 faceoffs. Gavin Brindley, a second-round pick last summer, also made his NHL debut Tuesday and played 12:20. The two played on a line together with Mikael Pyyhtia, another AHL call-up.
It was a good night for veterans, too.
Werenski’s 4-point night — he also matched a career high with a plus-5 rating — allowed him to match Seth Jones’ single-season points record for defensemen. He finished with 11 goals, 46 assists and 57 points, along with an even rating on the season.
“Once I got 2 in the first and had 3 by the third period, guys were pushing me to get it,” Werenski said. “(Assistant coach Steve McCarthy) kept throwing me over the boards, and (Ivan) Provorov changed, actually, right before my last goal.
“I owe it to a lot of guys, but it was pretty good to end it that way.”
Z finishes his INCREDIBLE season with one more goal!@FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/8wc3Pe8tcl
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 17, 2024
The other sweet touches of the night were generated off the ice.
Blue Jackets TV play-by-play voice Jeff Rimer, who was calling his last game at the end of a 47-year run in the NHL, was given the honor of reading the starting lineup to the Blue Jackets’ players just before they took the ice for the start of the game.
As part of his presentation, Rimer made a request of Werenski: “He said he wanted one assist and 4 points from me,” Werenski said. “So that was for him, too.”
When the game clock worked its way into the final minute of play, the Nationwide crowd — which has known losing like no other organization since it joined the NHL in 2000 — rose to their feet and began chanting, “CBJ! CBJ! CBJ!”
This, mind you, is the club that finished dead last in the Eastern Conference and fourth worst in the league this season.
“It makes me dream of giving them playoffs, of having those guys cheer for playoff hockey,” Vincent said. “They’ve been amazing all year. Well, all three years since I’ve been here. They’re a big piece of the Blue Jackets.”
It was a bittersweet send-off to a summer that could bring massive changes to the organization.
“We know we’re going to have a new GM,” Vincent said. “What’s going to happen from there, I don’t know.
“When it comes to me, it’s going to be up to the new GM to decide what he wants to do. I certainly hope I’ll be here, but it’s going to be up to him, I believe.”
(Photo: Ben Jackson / NHLI via Getty Images)
