2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season

2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets
Division	4th Central
Conference	7th Western
2008–09 record	41–31–10
Home record	25–13–3
Road record	16–18–7
Goals for	226
Goals against	230
Team information
General manager	Scott Howson
Coach	Ken Hitchcock
Captain	Rick Nash
Alternate captains	Rostislav Klesla Fredrik Modin Michael Peca
Arena	Nationwide Arena
Average attendance	15,543
Team leaders
Goals	Rick Nash (40)
Assists	Rick Nash (39)
Points	Rick Nash (79)
Penalty minutes	Jared Boll (180)
Plus/minus	Jan Hejda (+23)
Wins	Steve Mason (33)
Goals against average	Steve Mason (2.29)

The 2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season is the 9th National Hockey League (NHL) season in Columbus, Ohio. On April 8, 2009, the Blue Jackets clinched a playoff berth after a shootout victory against the Chicago Blackhawks, the first berth in team history.

Preseason

The Jackets selected Russian forward Nikita Filatov with the sixth overall pick at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Filatov made an immediate impact with Columbus, scoring a goal in his NHL debut against the Nashville Predators. Columbus was rather aggressive in free agency, signing proven forwardKristian Huselius, and solidifying the defensive core with veteran Mike Commodore. General Manager Scott Howson also engineered two important preseason trades, trading a draft pick to Philadelphia for R.J. Umberger, and trading stars Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche to the New York Rangers in exchange for much-needed defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman.

Regular season

Rookie goaltender Steve Mason, who missed the first month of the season following knee surgery, led the Blue Jackets into playoff contention at the All-Star break. Recalled from the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch following Pascal Leclaire's injury, Mason was named the rookie of the month by the NHL for November after recording five wins in eight decisions, including two shutouts. He again won rookie of the month honors in December, and was named to the Youngstars team at the 57th National Hockey League All-Star Game in Montreal, though he declined to play after suffering back spasms. Captain Rick Nash was the team's representative at the All-Star Game, his fourth appearance at the game. Rookie Nikita Filatov scored his first career hat trick on January 10, 2009 in a 4-2 win against the Minnesota Wild. Filatov's achievement marked the first hat trick by a Blue Jackets rookie. On the eve of the NHL trade deadline, Columbus traded recently oft-injured goaltender Pascal Leclaire and a draft pick to Ottawa for forward Antoine Vermette. Vermette made an instant impact with the club, racking up seven points in his first six games.

Divisional standings

Central Division	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
y-Detroit Red Wings	82	51	21	10	295	244	112
x-Chicago Blackhawks	82	46	24	12	264	216	104
x-St. Louis Blues	82	41	31	10	233	233	92
x-Columbus Blue Jackets	82	41	31	10	226	230	92
e-Nashville Predators	82	40	34	8	213	233	88

Conference standings

Western Conference	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
p-San Jose Sharks *	82	53	18	11	257	204	117
y-Detroit Red Wings *	82	51	21	10	295	244	112
y-Vancouver Canucks *	82	45	27	10	246	220	100
x-Chicago Blackhawks	82	46	24	12	264	216	104
x-Calgary Flames	82	46	30	6	254	248	98
x-St. Louis Blues	82	41	31	10	233	233	92
x-Columbus Blue Jackets	82	41	31	10	226	230	92
x-Anaheim Ducks	82	42	33	7	245	238	91
e-Minnesota Wild	82	40	33	9	219	200	89
e-Nashville Predators	82	40	34	8	213	233	88
e-Edmonton Oilers	82	38	35	9	234	248	85
e-Dallas Stars	82	36	35	11	230	257	83
e-Phoenix Coyotes	82	36	39	7	208	252	79
e-Los Angeles Kings	82	34	37	11	207	234	79
e-Colorado Avalanche	82	32	45	5	199	257	69

x - clinched playoff spot, y - clinched division title, p - clinched Presidents' Trophy and best record in conference, e - eliminated from playoff contention

* – division leader

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division
Opponent	Home	Away	Overall	PTS	GF	GA
New Jersey	0–1–0	0–0–0	0–1–0	0	1	2
N.Y. Islanders	1–0–0	0–0–1	1–0–1	3	6	5
N.Y. Rangers	0–1–0	0–0–0	0–1–0	0	1	3
Philadelphia	1–0–0	0–0–0	1–0–0	2	3	0
Pittsburgh	1–0–0	0–1–0	1–1–0	2	5	7

Northeast Division
Opponent	Home	Away	Overall	PTS	GF	GA
Boston	1–0–0	0–0–0	1–0–0	2	2	0
Buffalo	0–0–0	1–0–0	1–0–0	2	6	1
Montreal	1–0–0	0–0–0	1–0–0	2	4	3
Ottawa	1–0–0	0–0–0	1–0–0	2	1	0
Toronto	0–0–0	1–0–0	1–0–0	2	4	3

Southeast Division
Opponent	Home	Away	Overall	PTS	GF	GA
Atlanta	0–0–0	1–0–0	1–0–0	2	2	0
Carolina	0–0–0	1–0–0	1–0–0	2	5	1
Florida	0–0–0	1–0–0	1–0–0	2	3	1
Tampa Bay	0–0–0	0–0–1	0–0–1	1	1	2
Washington	1–0–0	1–0–0	2–0–0	4	6	0

Western Conference

Central Division
Opponent	Home	Away	Overall	PTS	GF	GA
Chicago	1–0–2	2–1–0	3–1–2	8	17	17
Columbus	–	–	–	–	–	–
Detroit	2–1–0	1–2–0	3–3–0	6	17	18
Nashville	3–0–0	0–2–1	3–2–1	7	18	20
St. Louis	1–2–0	0–2–1	1–4–1	3	14	24

Northwest Division
Opponent	Home	Away	Overall	PTS	GF	GA
Calgary	2–0–0	0–1–1	2–1–1	5	13	10
Colorado	2–0–0	2–0–0	4–0–0	8	17	6
Edmonton	1–1–0	1–1–0	2–2–0	4	11	15
Minnesota	1–1–0	0–1–1	1–2–1	3	10	13
Vancouver	2–0–0	1–1–0	3–1–0	6	14	12

Pacific Division
Opponent	Home	Away	Overall	PTS	GF	GA
Anaheim	0–2–0	1–1–0	1–3–0	2	9	13
Dallas	0–1–1	1–0–1	1–1–2	4	10	20
Los Angeles	1–0–0	1–1–0	2–2–0	4	7	10
Phoenix	0–2–0	0–2–0	0–4–0	0	5	13
San Jose	2–0–0	0–2–0	2–2–0	4	9	11

Schedule and results

Pre-season

2008 pre-season game log: 4–4–0 (Home: 3–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0)
#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 23	Columbus	3–4	Chicago				0–1–0	Recap
2	September 24	Columbus	1–2	Minnesota				0–2–0	Recap
3	September 26	Nashville	3–4	Columbus				1–2–0	Recap
4	September 27	Columbus	1–3	Nashville				1–3–0	Recap
5	September 29	Chicago	1–7	Columbus				2–3–0	Recap
6	October 2	Buffalo	5–2	Columbus				2–4–0	Recap
7	October 3	Minnesota	3–5	Columbus				3–4–0	Recap
8	October 5	Columbus	5–4	Toronto	SO			4–4–0	Recap

Regular season

2008–09 Game Log
October: 4–6–0 (Home: 2–2–0 ; Road: 2–4–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 10 Columbus 5 – 4 Dallas OT Leclaire 18,532 1–0–0 2 Recap 2 October 11 Columbus 1 – 3 Phoenix Leclaire 17,125 1–1–0 2 Recap 3 October 14 Columbus 2 – 5 San Jose Leclaire 17,496 1–2–0 2 Recap 4 October 17 Nashville 3 – 5 Columbus Leclaire 17,930 2–2–0 4 Recap 5 October 18 Columbus 3 – 6 Nashville Norrena 13,259 2–3–0 4 Recap 6 October 21 Vancouver 2 - 4 Columbus Leclaire 12,057 3-3-0 6 Recap 7 October 24 N.Y. Rangers 3 - 1 Columbus Leclaire 14,724 3-4-0 6 Recap 8 October 25 Columbus 1 - 2 Minnesota Leclaire 18,568 3-5-0 6 Recap 9 October 27 Anaheim 3 - 2 Columbus Norrena 10,494 3-6-0 6 Recap 10 October 30 Columbus 4 - 2 Colorado Norrena 14,945 4-6-0 8 Recap
November: 6–4–3 (Home: 4–3–1 ; Road: 2–1–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 11 November 1 Chicago 4 - 3 Columbus SO Norrena 14,680 4-6-1 9 Recap 12 November 3 Columbus 3 - 4 N.Y. Islanders OT Norrena 10,184 4-6-2 10 Recap 13 November 5 Edmonton 4 - 5 Columbus Mason 11,228 5-6-2 12 Recap 14 November 7 Montreal 3 - 4 Columbus SO Mason 14,603 6-6-2 14 Recap 15 November 8 Calgary 1 – 3 Columbus Mason 14,088 7–6–2 16 Recap 16 November 12 Phoenix 5 – 2 Columbus Mason 11,350 7–7–2 16 Recap 17 November 14 Columbus 6 – 1 Buffalo Leclaire 18,690 8–7–2 18 Recap 18 November 15 Columbus 2 - 3 Minnesota SO Mason 18,568 8-7-3 19 Recap 19 November 18 Edmonton 7 - 2 Columbus Leclaire 12,689 8-8-3 19 Recap 20 November 22 Columbus 2 - 0 Atlanta Mason 15,561 9-8-3 21 Recap 21 November 26 Phoenix 3 - 2 Columbus Mason 14,569 9-9-3 21 Recap 22 November 28 Columbus 3 - 5 Detroit Leclaire 20,066 9-10-3 21 Recap 23 November 29 Washington 0 - 3 Columbus Mason 17,448 10-10-3 23 Recap
December: 7–6–1 (Home: 5–1–0 ; Road: 2–5–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 24 December 1 Vancouver 2 - 3 Columbus Mason 13,299 11-10-3 25 Recap 25 December 4 Columbus 2 - 3 San Jose Mason 17,496 11-11-3 25 Recap 26 December 6 Columbus 0 - 3 Los Angeles Mason 15,235 11-12-3 25 Recap 27 December 7 Columbus 3 - 5 Anaheim Leclaire 16,914 11-13-3 25 Recap 28 December 11 Nashville 1 - 2 Columbus SO Mason 13,484 12-13-3 27 Recap 29 December 13 N.Y. Islanders 1 - 3 Columbus Mason 15,443 13-13-3 29 Recap 30 December 14 Columbus 1 - 3 Chicago Mason 21,379 13-14-3 29 Recap 31 December 17 San Jose 1 - 2 Columbus OT Mason 13,884 14-14-3 31 Recap 32 December 18 Columbus 5 - 6 Dallas SO Leclaire 16,281 14-14-4 32 Recap 33 December 20 Columbus 0 - 2 Phoenix Mason 16,125 14-15-4 32 Recap 34 December 23 Los Angeles 3 - 0 Columbus Mason 15,145 14-16-4 32 Recap 35 December 27 Philadelphia 0 - 3 Columbus Mason 18,402 15-16-4 34 Recap 36 December 29 Columbus 2 - 0 Los Angeles Mason 18,118 16-16-4 36 Recap 37 December 31 Columbus 2 - 0 Anaheim Mason 16,758 17-16-4 38 Recap
January: 7–5–1 (Home: 4–2–0 ; Road: 3–3–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 38 January 2 Columbus 6 - 1 Colorado Mason 14,482 18-16-4 40 Recap 39 January 3 Columbus 2 - 5 St. Louis Mason 19,150 18-17-4 40 Recap 40 January 6 Columbus 0 - 3 Detroit Mason 19,717 18-18-4 40 Recap 41 January 9 Columbus 3 - 0 Washington Mason 18,277 19-18-4 42 Recap 42 January 10 Minnesota 2 - 4 Columbus Mason 16,605 20-18-4 44 Recap 43 January 13 Colorado 3 - 4 Columbus Mason 15,343 21-18-4 46 Recap 44 January 16 New Jersey 2 - 1 Columbus Mason 17,738 21-19-4 46 Recap 45 January 18 Columbus 6 – 5 Vancouver SO Mason 18,630 22–19–4 48 Recap 46 January 20 Columbus 3 – 4 Edmonton Mason 16,839 22–20–4 48 Recap 47 January 21 Columbus 4 – 5 Calgary SO Mason 19,289 22–20–5 49 Recap 48 January 27 Detroit 2 - 3 Columbus OT Mason 16,348 23-20-5 51 Recap 49 January 30 Ottawa 0 - 1 Columbus Mason 17,080 24-20-5 53 Recap 50 January 31 Dallas 7 - 3 Columbus Dubielewicz 18,049 24-21-5 53 Recap
February: 7–4–1 (Home: 4–2–1 ; Road: 3–2–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 51 February 3 St. Louis 4 - 2 Columbus Mason 13,560 24-22-5 53 Recap 52 February 6 Columbus 1 - 4 Pittsburgh Dubielewicz 17,050 24-23-5 53 Recap 53 February 7 San Jose 2 - 3 Columbus OT LaCosta 18,144 25-23-5 55 Recap 54 February 10 Colorado 0 - 3 Columbus LaCosta 14,506 26-23-5 57 Recap 55 February 13 Detroit 2 - 3 Columbus Mason 18,802 27-23-5 59 Recap 56 February 14 Columbus 5 - 1 Carolina Mason 18,680 28-23-5 61 Recap 57 February 16 Dallas 3 - 2 Columbus SO Mason 15,006 28-23-6 62 Recap 58 February 18 St. Louis 3 - 4 Columbus Mason 14,305 29-23-6 64 Recap 59 February 19 Columbus 4 - 3 Toronto SO Mason 19,179 30-23-6 66 Recap 60 February 21 Anaheim 5 - 2 Columbus Mason 18,628 30-24-6 66 Recap 61 February 24 Columbus 1 - 4 Calgary Mason 19,289 30-25-6 66 Recap 62 February 26 Columbus 1 - 0 Edmonton Mason 16,839 31-25-6 68 Recap
March: 9–4–2 (Home: 6–2–0 ; Road: 3–2–2) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 63 March 1 Columbus 1 - 3 Vancouver Mason 18,630 31-26-6 68 Recap 64 March 3 Los Angeles 4 - 5 Columbus Mason 15,049 32-26-6 70 Recap 65 March 5 Columbus 2 - 4 Nashville Mason 13,064 32-27-6 70 Recap 66 March 7 Columbus 8 - 2 Detroit Mason 20,066 33-27-6 72 Recap 67 March 10 Boston 0 - 2 Columbus Mason 16,675 34-27-6 74 Recap 68 March 12 Pittsburgh 3 - 4 Columbus SO Mason 19,167 35-27-6 76 Recap 69 March 13 Columbus 5 - 3 Chicago Dubielewicz 22,176 36-27-6 78 Recap 70 March 15 Detroit 4 - 0 Columbus Mason 18,685 36-28-6 78 Recap 71 March 18 Chicago 3 - 4 Columbus OT Mason 15,190 37-28-6 80 Recap 72 March 21 Columbus 3 - 1 Florida Mason 17,032 38-28-6 82 Recap 73 March 24 Columbus 1 - 2 Tampa Bay OT Mason 14,454 38-28-7 83 Recap 74 March 26 Calgary 0 - 5 Columbus Mason 16,327 39-28-7 85 Recap 75 March 28 Columbus 3 - 4 St. Louis SO Mason 19,250 39-28-8 86 Recap 76 March 29 St. Louis 5 - 2 Columbus Mason 17,095 39-29-8 86 Recap 77 March 31 Nashville 1 - 2 Columbus Mason 14,495 40-29-8 88 Recap
April: 1–2–2 (Home: 0–1–1 ; Road: 1–1–1) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 78 April 4 Columbus 4 - 5 Nashville OT Mason 16,750 40-29-9 89 Recap 79 April 5 Chicago 1 - 0 Columbus OT Mason 15,957 40-29-10 90 Recap 80 April 8 Columbus 4 - 3 Chicago SO Mason 21,536 41-29-10 92 Recap 81 April 10 Columbus 1 - 3 St. Louis Mason 19,250 41-30-10 92 Recap 82 April 11 Minnesota 6 - 3 Columbus Mason 19,013 41-31-10 92 Recap
Legend:       Win (2 points)       Loss (0 points)       Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Playoffs

The Blue Jackets have reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Western Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (2) Detroit Red Wings: Detroit won series 4–0 # Date Visitor Score Home Columbus goals Detroit goals OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 16 Columbus 1–4 Detroit Umberger Hudler, Ericsson, Kronwall, Franzén Mason 20,066 0–1 Recap 2 April 18 Columbus 0–4 Detroit Rafalski, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Hudler Mason 20,066 0–2 Recap 3 April 21 Detroit 4–1 Columbus Umberger Holmström, Cleary, Zetterberg (2) Mason 19,219 0–3 Recap 4 April 23 Detroit 6–5 Columbus Huselius, Nash, Umberger, Russell, Modin Lidström, Holmström, Cleary, Hossa (2), Franzén Mason 18,889 0–4 Recap
Legend:       Win       Loss

Player stats

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Regular season Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Nash, RickRick Nash 78 40 39 79 +11 52 Huselius, KristianKristian Huselius 74 21 35 56 +1 44 Umberger, R.J.R.J. Umberger 82 26 20 46 -10 53 Voracek, JakubJakub Voracek 80 9 29 38 +11 44 Malhotra, MannyManny Malhotra 77 11 24 35 +9 28 Tyutin, FedorFedor Tyutin 82 9 25 34 +1 81 Williams, JasonJason Williams 39 12 17 29 +5 16 Modin, FredrikFredrik Modin 50 9 16 25 +2 28 Brassard, DerickDerick Brassard 31 10 15 25 +12 17 Commodore, MikeMike Commodore 81 5 19 24 +11 100 Peca, MichaelMichael Peca 71 4 18 22 -6 58 Chimera, JasonJason Chimera 49 8 14 22 +8 41 Russell, KrisKris Russell 66 2 19 21 -10 28 Hejda, JanJan Hejda 82 3 18 21 +23 38 Torres, RaffiRaffi Torres 51 12 8 20 -4 23 Methot, MarcMarc Methot 66 4 13 17 +7 55 Boll, JaredJared Boll 75 4 10 14 -6 180 Vermette, AntoineAntoine Vermette 17 7 6 13 +5 8 Murray, AndrewAndrew Murray 67 8 3 11 -6 10 Klesla, RostislavRostislav Klesla 34 1 8 9 +2 38 Backman, ChristianChristian Backman 56 2 5 7 +5 32 Novotny, JiriJiri Novotny 42 4 3 7 +4 14 Dorsett, DerekDerek Dorsett 52 4 1 5 -1 150 Filatov, NikitaNikita Filatov 8 4 0 4 +3 0 MacDonald, CraigCraig MacDonald 8 1 1 2 +1 0 Gratton, ChrisChris Gratton 6 0 1 1 +2 2 Rome, AaronAaron Rome 8 0 1 1 +1 0 Tollefsen, Ole-KristianOle-Kristian Tollefsen 19 0 1 1 -4 37 Picard, AlexandreAlexandre Picard 15 0 1 1 -1 26 Wilson, ClayClay Wilson 5 0 1 1 -2 0 York, MikeMike York 1 0 0 0 0 0 MacKenzie, DerekDerek MacKenzie 1 0 0 0 -1 2 Mayorov, MaximMaxim Mayorov 3 0 0 0 0 0

Playoffs Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Nash, RickRick Nash 4 1 2 3 -4 2 Umberger, R.J.R.J. Umberger 4 3 0 3 0 0 Huselius, KristianKristian Huselius 4 1 1 2 -4 4 Torres, RaffiRaffi Torres 4 0 2 2 -3 2 Russell, KrisKris Russell 4 1 1 2 0 2 Klesla, RostislavRostislav Klesla 4 0 1 1 0 0 Modin, FredrikFredrik Modin 4 1 0 1 -2 0 Williams, JasonJason Williams 4 0 1 1 -2 2 Chimera, JasonJason Chimera 4 0 1 1 0 2 Rome, AaronAaron Rome 1 0 1 1 +2 0 Voracek, JakubJakub Voracek 4 0 1 1 0 8 Malhotra, MannyManny Malhotra 4 0 0 0 -2 0 Peca, MichaelMichael Peca 4 0 0 0 +1 2 Commodore, MikeMike Commodore 4 0 0 0 -7 18 Vermette, AntoineAntoine Vermette 4 0 0 0 -4 10 Tyutin, FedorFedor Tyutin 4 0 0 0 0 0 Methot, MarcMarc Methot 4 0 0 0 -3 2 Hejda, JanJan Hejda 3 0 0 0 -5 2 Boll, JaredJared Boll 1 0 0 0 -2 0 Dorsett, DerekDerek Dorsett 3 0 0 0 -1 2

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA= Goals Against Average; SA= Shots Against; SV= Saves; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO= Shutouts

Regular season
Player GP TOI W L OT GA GAA SA SV Sv% SO Mason, SteveSteve Mason 61 3663 33 20 7 140 2.29 1658 1518 .916 10 Leclaire, PascalPascal Leclaire 12 673 4 6 1 43 3.83 324 281 .867 0 Norrena, FredrikFredrik Norrena 8 323 1 3 2 17 3.16 133 116 .872 0 Dubielewicz, WadeWade Dubielewicz 3 168 1 2 0 10 3.56 77 67 .870 0 LaCosta, DanDan LaCosta 3 155 2 0 0 4 1.54 80 76 .950 1

Playoffs
Player GP TOI W L GA GAA SA SV Sv% SO Mason, SteveSteve Mason 4 239 0 4 17 4.26 139 122 .878 0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Blue Jackets. Stats reflect time with the Blue Jackets only.
^‡Traded mid-season
Italics denotes franchise record

Awards and records

Awards

Steve Mason - Calder Memorial Trophy

Rick Nash - NHL Foundation Player Award

Records

Player	Record	Number	Reached
Steve Mason	Consecutive shutout minutes	199:19	January 2, 2009
Rick Nash	Most Points Scored - Career	318 pts	January 18, 2009
Team	Most Goals Scored - Game	8 goals	March 7, 2009
Team	Largest Margin of Victory	6 goals	March 7, 2009
Steve Mason	Most Wins - Season	28 wins	March 12, 2009
Team	Most Wins - Season	36 wins	March 13, 2009
Team	Most Points - Season	82 points	March 21, 2009
Steve Mason	Most Shutouts - Season	10 shutouts	March 26, 2009
Rick Nash	Most Points Scored - Season	79 pts	April 8, 2009
Jan Hejda	Highest Plus/Minus Rating - Season	+23	April 11, 2009

Milestones

Regular Season
Player	Milestone	Reached
Jakub Voracek	1st NHL Game 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	October 10, 2008
Derek Dorsett	1st NHL Game	October 11, 2008
Mike Commodore	300th NHL Game	October 17, 2008
Nikita Filatov	1st NHL Game 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	October 17, 2008
Marc Methot	1st NHL Goal	October 18, 2008
Derek Dorsett	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	October 21, 2008
Derek Dorsett	1st NHL Assist	October 30, 2008
Steve Mason	1st NHL Game 1st NHL Win	November 5, 2008
Steve Mason	1st NHL Shutout	November 22, 2008
Maksim Mayorov	1st NHL Game	January 3, 2009
Nikita Filatov	1st NHL Hat Trick	January 10, 2009
Fredrik Modin	800th NHL Game	January 10, 2009
Ken Hitchcock	500th NHL Victory	February 19, 2009

Transactions

Trades

June 20, 2008	To Columbus Blue Jackets R. J. Umberger Fourth-round pick in 2008 draft.	To Philadelphia Flyers First-round (19th overall) pick in 2008 Third-round pick in 2008 draft.
July 1, 2008	To Columbus Blue Jackets Raffi Torres	To Edmonton Oilers Gilbert Brule
July 2, 2008	To Columbus Blue Jackets Fedor Tyutin Christian Backman	To New York Rangers Nikolai Zherdev Dan Fritsche
January 10, 2009	To Columbus Blue Jackets Mike Blunden	To Chicago Blackhawks Adam Pineault
January 14, 2009	To Columbus Blue Jackets Jason Williams	To Atlanta Thrashers Clay Wilson Sixth-round pick from San Jose in 2009 draft
March 4, 2009	To Columbus Blue Jackets Antoine Vermette	To Ottawa Senators Pascal Leclaire Second-round pick in 2009 draft
March 4, 2009	To Columbus Blue Jackets Kevin Lalande	To Calgary Flames Fourth-round pick in 2009 draft

Free Agents

Player Former team Contract Terms Mike Commodore Ottawa Senators 5 years, $18.75 million Kristian Huselius Calgary Flames 4 years, $19 million

Player New team Ron Hainsey Atlanta Thrashers Zenon Konopka Tampa Bay Lightning

Claimed from Waivers

Player Former team Date claimed off waivers Wade Dubielewicz New York Islanders January 17, 2009 Chris Gratton Tampa Bay Lightning February 21, 2009

Draft picks

The Blue Jackets entered the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa with the 6th overall selection. Columbus drafted Russian forward Nikita Filatov with the pick. Filatov started the season with the Jackets' American Hockey League affiliate, scoring two goals in two games for the Syracuse Crunch before being recalled to the NHL. Filatov made his NHL debut on October 17, scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators.

Rnd	Pick	Player	Nat	Pos	Team (league)	NHL statistics
						GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1	6	Nikita Filatov	Russia	LW	CSKA Moscow (RSL)	Made debut in 2008–09
2	37	Cody Goloubef	Canada	D	Univ. of Wisconsin (NCAA)
4	107	Steven Delisle	Canada	D	Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
4	118	Drew Olson	United States	D	Brainerd High School (USHS-Minnesota)
5	127	Matthew Calvert	Canada	LW	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
5	135	Tomas Kubalik	Czech Republic	RW	HC Plzen (Czech Extraliga)
5	137	Brent Regner	Canada	D	Vancouver Giants (WHL)
6	157	Cameron Atkinson	United States	RW	Avon Old Farms School (USHS-Connecticut)
7	187	Sean Collins	Canada	C	Waywayseecappo Wolverines (MJHL)

Roster

Updated April 6, 2009.

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
5	Sweden	Backman, ChristianChristian Backman	2.0 D	L	45	2008	Alingsås, Sweden
40	United States	Boll, JaredJared Boll	7.0 RW	R	39	2005	Charlotte, North Carolina
16	Canada	Brassard, DerickDerick Brassard	4.0 C	L	38	2006	Hull, Quebec
25	Canada	Chimera, JasonJason Chimera	6.0 LW	L	46	2005	Edmonton, Alberta
22	Canada	Commodore, MikeMike Commodore	2.0 D	R	46	2008	Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta
15	Canada	Dorsett, DerekDerek Dorsett	7.0 RW	R	39	2006	Kindersley, Saskatchewan
34	Canada	Dubielewicz, WadeWade Dubielewicz	1.0 G	L	46	2009	Invermere, British Columbia
28	Russia	Filatov, NikitaNikita Filatov	6.0 LW	R	35	2008	Moscow, U.S.S.R.
77	Canada	Gratton, ChrisChris Gratton	4.0 C	L	50	2009	Brantford, Ontario
8	Czech Republic	Hejda, JanJan Hejda	2.0 D	L	47	2007	Prague, Czechoslovakia
20	Sweden	Huselius, KristianKristian Huselius	6.0 LW	L	47	2008	Österhaninge, Sweden
97	Czech Republic	Klesla, RostislavRostislav Klesla  (A)	2.0 D	L	43	2000	Nový Jičín, Czechoslovakia
27	Canada	Malhotra, MannyManny Malhotra  (A)	4.0 C	L	45	2003	Mississauga, Ontario
1	Canada	Mason, SteveSteve Mason	1.0 G	L	37	2006	Oakville, Ontario
3	Canada	Methot, MarcMarc Methot	2.0 D	L	40	2003	Ottawa, Ontario
33	Sweden	Modin, FredrikFredrik Modin  (A)	6.0 LW	L	51	2006	Sundsvall, Sweden
17	Canada	Murray, AndrewAndrew Murray	4.0 C	L	44	2001	Selkirk, Manitoba
61	Canada	Nash, RickRick Nash  (C)	6.0 LW	L	41	2002	Brampton, Ontario
12	Czech Republic	Novotny, JiriJiri Novotny	4.0 C	R	42	2007	Pelhřimov, Czechoslovakia
19	Canada	Peca, MichaelMichael Peca  (A)	4.0 C	R	51	2007	Toronto, Ontario
24	Canada	Rome, AaronAaron Rome	2.0 D	L	42	2007	Brandon, Manitoba
10	Canada	Russell, KrisKris Russell	2.0 D	L	38	2005	Red Deer, Alberta
55	Norway	Tollefsen, Ole-KristianOle-Kristian Tollefsen	2.0 D	L	41	2002	Oslo, Norway
14	Canada	Torres, RaffiRaffi Torres	6.0 LW	L	44	2008	Toronto, Ontario
51	Russia	Tyutin, FedorFedor Tyutin	2.0 D	L	42	2008	Izhevsk, U.S.S.R.
18	United States	Umberger, R. J.R. J. Umberger	4.0 C	L	43	2008	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
50	Canada	Vermette, AntoineAntoine Vermette	4.0 C	L	43	2009	St-Agapit, Quebec
93	Czech Republic	Voracek, JakubJakub Voracek	7.0 RW	L	36	2007	Kladno, Czechoslovakia
29	Canada	Williams, JasonJason Williams	7.0 RW	R	45	2009	London, Ontario

Farm teams

Johnstown Chiefs

GM Scott Howson announced on August 22, 2008 that the Blue Jackets reached an agreement with the Johnstown Chiefs to serve as the club's ECHL affiliate for the 2008-09 season, replacing the Elmira Jackals.

Media

Cable TV
Network	Play-by-play	Color commentator	Ice level reporter	Studio host	Studio analyst
FSN Ohio	Jeff Rimer	Danny Gare

Radio
Flagship station	Play-by-play	Color commentator	Studio host
WBNS–AM 1460 (main) WWCD–FM 101.1 (backup)	George Matthews	Bill Davidge

See also

• 2008–09 NHL season

References

• Player stats: Columbus Blue Jackets player stats on espn.com
• Game log: Columbus Blue Jackets game log on espn.com
• Team standings: NHL standings on espn.com