Blue Jackets Quarter Century Team reaction: 2018-19 team that won franchise’s first playoff series well represented

On Thursday, the Columbus Blue Jackets unveiled their Quarter-Century teams, naming their best players since 2000, voted on by broadcasters and former players.

As each team releases its Quarter-Century squad, we’ll provide analysis on Daily Faceoff as to what the voters got right and wrong. Today, we look at the Blue Jackets.

THE TEAM

First Team

FORWARDS

Cam Atkinson
Rick Nash
Artemi Panarin

DEFENSEMEN

Seth Jones
Zach Werenski

GOALIE

Sergei Bobrovsky

Second Team

FORWARDS

Nick Foligno
Johnny Gaudreau
Boone Jenner

DEFENSEMEN

David Savard
Fedor Tyutin

GOALIE

Steve Mason

WHAT THEY GOT RIGHT

The Blue Jackets are a tough team to nail down for a topic like this, because they have only had a few stars roll through their organization (at least, that have played well), and they don’t really have a lot of highs to look to, with just one appearance in the second round. It shouldn’t be a surprise then that eight players from that 2018-19 team that upset the Tampa Bay Lightning in a sweep and made the second round appear on this list.

That includes Panarin, who could have conceivably missed the teams entirely considering that he spent just two seasons with them. But he’s the only player in Blue Jackets’ franchise history to produce at above a point per game pace during their time there, so it’s good to see credit given to him for what he did when he was in Columbus.

It’s also nice to see Mason get the nod as the Blue Jackets’ second goaltender. No one was touching Sergei Bobrovsky and what he’s done with this franchise, but it would have been very easy for them to give the nod to Joonas Korpisalo or Elvis Merzlikins considering they were part of the tandem that gave them their other unofficial series win. But, Mason is second in wins and is the only player outside of Bobrovsky and Rick Nash to win an award (for on-ice achievements), with his Calder Trophy-winning season being a big reason for the Blue Jackets’ first playoff appearance in 2008-09.

WHAT THEY GOT WRONG

Atkinson may be third among skaters in games played and second in all-time points, but Gaudreau’s play in just the short time he played for them before his tragic passing is topped by very few players to don the Blue Jackets’ jersey. Only Panarin, Sean Monahan and Ray Whitney have a higher points-per-game as a Blue Jacket than Gaudreau, and Gaudreau played the most games of the bunch. Atkinson still makes sense when you consider his longevity and being an important part of that 2018-19 team, but it would have been a solid nod to the legacy that Gaudreau did have in Columbus and probably would have had if he was included on the first team.

BIGGEST SNUB

There isn’t really a player that was left off of these teams whose absence is really noticed. That said, if you had to pick one that both had a solid stint with the team and could have conceivably made it over a player on the second team, it’s probably Marc Denis. He was on the inaugural team in 2000-01, and was on the team during the highs and (mostly) lows of their first six seasons. Among Blue Jackets goalies with at least 200 games played, he’s second in save percentage at .907. But, Mason had the better highs with the team, and was just as successful with the franchise, so it’s not a decision to lose sleep over.

VERDICT

The Blue Jackets have always felt like an organization that really appreciates players that stick around, regardless of their skill levels, so it’s a happy surprise to see that that wasn’t always reflected here. Every player selected felt like a good representation of both the players that made a career out of Columbus or were really good during their time with the team, and the few decisions you could complain about aren’t really that major.