Columbus Blue Jackets 2024-25 Stanley Cup Betting
A season that was feared to be lost over tragedy could instead prove to be transformative for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The shocking death of Johnny Goudreau rocked the NHL world during the summer because of a bicycle accident. But out of that horror and the hopelessness that followed has been a team that has purpose and structure. New head coach Dean Evason has the Blue Jackets playing their best hockey in several years. In fact, the CBJ is in the thick of the Eastern Conference Playoff race. Columbus is getting surprisingly good offense, but defense and goaltending remain a concern.
2024-25 Stanley Cup Betting Odds
Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Betting Lines
Columbus Blue Jackets Team Overview
Just past the midway point of the 2024-25 NHL season, the Columbus Blue Jackets were 22-18-7 straight up and 29-17-1 over/under the total.
Also, Columbus was 10th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.
Columbus was one point behind the Montreal Canadiens for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Columbus had NHL rankings of 8th for goals scored and 11th for power play efficiency. In comparison, on defense, the Blue Jackets had NHL rankings of 28th for goals against and 27th for penalty killing.
Columbus Blue Jackets Key Players
RW Johnny Goudreau was tragically killed in a biking accident over the summer. He arrived in 2022 from the Calgary Flames, where he was a star. In his final season at Calgary, Goudreau scored a career-high 40 goals with 75 assists. Fans and gamblers were excited about his potential to turn around the franchise. He is being honored by the club this year.
D Zach Werenski leads Columbus with 15 goals, 36 assists, 51 points, and a +9. Werenski has played for the CBJ since 2016 and is a 2-time All-Star.
RW Kirill Marchenko has a team-best 18 goals, 32 assists, 50 points, and a +26. He has been with Columbus since 2022-23.
C Sean Monahan has 14 goals, 27 assists, 41 points, and a +17. He arrived at the CBJ this season from the Winnipeg Jets but is best known for his days with the Calgary Flames.
Columbus Blue Jackets Goaltenders
Number one goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, age 30, has been with Columbus since 2019. Last year, his save percentage was .897, with a 3.45 goals-against average. So far this season, Merzlikins has a 3.06 goals against average and a .890 save percentage. His record is 16-11-3 with one shutout.
Columbus Blue Jackets Head Coach
Don Waddell, the new general manager of the Blue Jackets, gives the franchise credibility. He arrives from the Carolina Hurricanes, where he was instrumental in the franchise's transformation. Waddell gives the franchise and fans hope for a competent run in the years ahead. His first task was closing on a head coach.
Waddell wisely chose Dean Evason to lead the Blue Jackets. Evason was a successful head coach with the Minnesota Wild from 2019-20 through 2023-24. His career record at Minnesota was 147-77-27.
Season-by-Season Record (Last 6)
| SEASON |
GAMES |
WINS |
LOSSES |
FINISH |
PLAYOFFS |
| 2023–24 |
82 |
27 |
43 |
8th, Metropolitan |
Did not qualify |
| 2022–23 |
82 |
25 |
48 |
8th, Metropolitan |
Did not qualify |
| 2021–22 |
82 |
37 |
38 |
6th, Metropolitan |
Did not qualify |
| 2020–21 |
56 |
18 |
26 |
8th, Central |
Did not qualify |
| 2019–20 |
70 |
33 |
22 |
6th, Metropolitan |
Lost in First Round, 1–4 (Lightning) |
| 2018–19 |
82 |
47 |
31 |
5th, Metropolitan |
Lost in Second Round, 2–4 (Bruins) |
Columbus Blue Jackets History
Founded as an expansion franchise in 2000, the Blue Jackets have struggled to gain an identity. Columbus has usually been a hard team to watch. Typically, the Blue Jackets have had to emphasize defense. Their best run was when they made the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Former head coach John Tortorella led the Blue Jackets to their most successful era. From 2017 through 2020, Torts led the Blue Jackets to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for four consecutive seasons. However, the team was proven inadequate to make a serious run and only got to the second round once.
Columbus has always been seen as a franchise and town that nobody wanted to play for. In the past, a host of quality players left the Blue Jackets the first chance they got.
But with the arrival of Johnny Hockey Gaudreau, the Columbus franchise was thought to have a new lease on life. Suddenly, the good things about the city of Columbus were being highlighted. Gaudreau stunned the NHL world by choosing to play in C-Bus instead of other supposedly attractive towns. Gaudreau said he chose Columbus for its outstanding quality of life, great fans, and reasonable taxes and cost of living. Sadly, he was killed in a biking accident in the summer of 2024 and never got to fulfill his ultimate potential.
Still, the Columbus Blue Jackets are on the cusp of a new and exciting era of opportunity. Finally, CBJ has an identity and momentum as a franchise, and Don Waddell and Dean Evason have given the franchise a sense of direction.
NHL Teams
Eastern Conference - Atlantic
Eastern Conference - Metropolitan
Western Conference - Central
Western Conference - Pacific
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