2011–12 Columbus Blue Jackets season

2011–12 Columbus Blue Jackets
League	30th of 30 teams NHL
Division	5th Central
Conference	15th Western
2011–12 record	29–46–7 (65 pts.)
Home record	17–21–3
Road record	12–25–4
Goals for	202
Goals against	262
Team information
General manager	Scott Howson
Coach	Scott Arniel (Oct–Jan) Todd Richards (Jan–Apr) interim
Captain	Rick Nash
Alternate captains	Jeff Carter (Oct–Feb) Derek Dorsett (Feb–Mar) Vaclav Prospal (Feb-Apr) R. J. Umberger Antoine Vermette (Oct–Feb) James Wisniewski (Oct-Mar)
Arena	Nationwide Arena
Average attendance	14,660 (80.8%)
Team leaders
Goals	Rick Nash (30)
Assists	Vinny Prospal (39)
Points	Rick Nash (59)
Penalty minutes	Derek Dorsett (235)
Plus/minus	Derek MacKenzie (+4)
Wins	Steve Mason (16)
Goals against average	Curtis Sanford (2.60)

The 2011–12 Columbus Blue Jackets season is the 12th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 25, 1997. The Blue Jackets finished the season as the last place team the first time in franchise history and marking the third straight year that they missed the playoffs. Despite having the statistically best chance to have the number one draft pick, after their last place finish, they lost the lottery to the Edmonton Oilers and received the second pick in the draft.

The Blue Jackets began the year with the worst start in franchise history and the worst start to an NHL season in 19 years. After an 11–25–5 start head coach Scott Arniel was fired replaced by assistant coach Todd Richards. The poor season prompted several personnel changes including the trade of Jeff Carter, who was acquired with much fanfare during the off-season. With the prospect of another rebuild looming the Blue Jackets' captain and best player, Rick Nash, requested to be traded, though he would remain with the team for the entire season.

The team was involved in a controversial loss to the Los Angeles Kings, when the Staples Center clock appeared to freeze at 1.8 seconds allowing the Kings time to score the tying goal, before winning in overtime. During the season Columbus managed only two winning streaks of three or more games. One of which came towards the end of the year helping the Blue Jackets finish with 65 points, the third worst point total in franchise history.

Off-season

The acquisition of Jeff Carter was one of Columbus' big moves in the off-season

In the off-season the Blue Jackets' approach to building their team changed, moving from a team of young players developing to one with established players. The first deal general manager Scott Howson made was the acquisition of star forward Jeff Carter. The deal sent one of Columbus' young developing players, Jakub Voracek, and the eighth overall pick in the 2011 draft to the Philadelphia Flyers for Carter. The trade received a positive response in Columbus from fans and management who felt they finally had a number one center to play alongside of their best player, Rick Nash. Next they traded for the negotiating rights of soon to be free agent James Wisniewski. Wisniewski scored a career high 51 points during the 2010–11 season splitting time between the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens. The point total was tied for fifth in the league for defenseman scoring. The Blue Jackets came to terms with Wisniewski an hour prior to the start of free agency signing him to a six-year $33 million dollar deal.

Columbus also traded former first round draft pick Nikita Filatov to the Ottawa Senators for a third round pick in the 2011 draft. Filatov had failed to live up to expectations in Columbus, playing in only 44 games over three seasons scoring six goals. Prior to the start of the season the Blue Jackets were questioned for not signing a veteran back-up to starting goaltender Steve Mason. The former Calder Trophy winner had struggled in consecutive seasons and the Blue Jackets signed Mark Dekanich as the back-up who had only 50 minutes of NHL experience prior to the start of the season. Columbus did sign a veteran Curtis Sanford to be their third string goaltender and to start for their American Hockey League affiliate the Springfield Falcons. Sanford had not played in the NHL since 2009. During training camp Dekanich suffered a high ankle sprain that was expected to keep him out of the line-up for a month. Sanford suffered a groin injury, leaving Allen York as the backup. York had only played four professional games, all in the American Hockey League, entering the season.

Regular season

October – December

Derek MacKenzie takes a face-off against the Vancouver Canucks Manny Malhotra during the December 13 game

After the first 5 games, all losses, Carter suffered a broken foot that kept him out of the line-up for 10 games. With carter out the Blue Jackets had a chance to end their losing streak in a game versus the Ottawa Senators. Columbus held a 3–2 lead with under a minute to play. Jason Spezza tied the game on a late powerplay and with just 4.7 seconds reaming Milan Michalek notched the winning goal for the Senators. The loss helped set a franchise record for futility with a 0–7–1 record to start a season. The losing streak came to an end three days later with a win versus the Detroit Red Wings. During the game several milestones were reached, Wisniewski made his Columbus debut, Ryan Johansen and John Moore scored their first career NHL goals, and Grant Clitsome had a career high three assists. Columbus was unable to create any momentum from the win and continued to struggle, culminating in a 2–12–1 record, which was the worst start to an NHL season in 19 years. With the team struggling management attempted to "shake things up" by making some roster moves. The first move was the acquisition of second year center Mark Letestu from the Pittsburgh Penguins, next they traded defenseman Kris Russell, to the St. Louis Blues for defenseman Nikita Nikitin. As the clubs slow start continued rumors were that they would fire head coach Scott Arniel and replace him with Ken Hitchcock. Hitchcock had previous coached the Blue Jackets to their only playoff appearance in club history and was still under contract with the franchise through the end of the season. Before any of these rumors came to fruition the Blues asked Columbus for permission to hire Hitchcock, the Blue Jackets agreed and St Louis proceeded to hire him. Hitchcock began his Blues coaching career with a 6–1–2 record in his first 9 games, while Columbus amassed a 6–13–3 record to start the season.

During the same time frame as the Hitchcock rumors Sanford returned from his groin injury on November 13. He made his first start of the season against the Boston Bruins, losing 2–1 in a shootout. Sanford continued his strong play going 3–1–2 record, 1.38 goals-against average and .947 save percentage. Sanford started 12 consecutive games before Mason made is next start. The number of starts might not have been as numerous, but prior to the November 23 game Mason was hit in the head by a Nash shot during pre-game warm-ups and suffered a concussion. Mason returned from his concussion after two games making a start against the Vancouver Canucks. Mason allowed only one goal in the game despite suffering from cramping in the third period, temporarily being replaced by Sanford for just over three minutes. Columbus won the game 2–1 in a shootout breaking a 9 game losing streak to the Canucks. After the game Arniel stated that Sanford was still seen as the team's number one goaltender. However, Mason started four of the next six games with the Blue Jackets going 0–5–1 during that stretch.

January – February

Trade rumors surrounded Rick Nash during the season

With the losing continuing more rumors began to surface. Unlike before the rumors were about player moves rather than coaching changes. The majority of rumors were that the Blue Jackets would trade Nash. While Howson stated that he had never brought up trading Nash in discussions, other teams had inquired about his availability. Nash stated that if Columbus felt it would make the franchise better than he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause. Howson publicly stated that he had no intention of trading Nash. More rumors came to light when reports attributed to RDS stated that Carter was unhappy in Columbus and demanded a trade. Howson, Carter, and his agent all denied that a trade request was ever made and they were unsure where the reports were coming from. With the trade dead line approaching speculation picked up on the Blue Jackets trading Carter, reports were that Columbus was trying to trade Carter and that he was "100 percent available".

At the half way point of the season with the Blue Jackets barley into double digit wins with an 11–25–5 record, worst in the league, and sitting 20 points out of playoff position, Columbus fired Arniel. He was replaced by assistant coach Todd Richards on an interim basis. Richards previously coached the Minnesota Wild. He recorded his first coaching victory for the Blue Jackets in his second game a 4–3 win over the Phoenix Coyotes. The change in coaching did not change the fortunes of the team as they reached the All-Star break with a 13–30–6 record. At the break Blue Jackets' owner John P. McConnell sent out a letter to fans stating his understanding of their frustration. He added that action would be taken around the trade deadline, the Entry Draft, and free agency to indicate the new direction of the team. When speaking of the season McConnell stated "disappointing is not a strong enough word" and that he was committed to giving fans a team of which they can be proud of. He also thanked them for their dedication and passion, while reiterating that the team goal was to "win consistently and compete for the Stanley Cup". Days later a 250 person protest occurred outside of Nationwide Arena. Fans were upset with the Blue Jackets' management and were calling for changes at the top. The same day the fans protested it was announced that the franchise would host the 2013 All-Star Game. Columbus was without a representative for the 2012 All-star game, but Johansen represent the club as a rookie participant in the super skills competition. In the competition Johansen participated in the "Allstate Insurance NHL Breakaway Challenge", a shootout themed event judged by the fans. He received just 1% of the vote and finished last.

The Staples Center clock (score board shown) appeared to freeze costing the Blue Jackets a standings point

Following the break the Blue Jackets were on the road playing the Los Angeles Kings, with the game tie late in the game Kings' defenseman Drew Doughty scored with just 0.4 seconds reaming to win the game. Upon review of the goal it was determined that the clock at Staples Center froze at 1.8 seconds for over a full second, which would have resulted in time expiring prior to the goal being scored. Kings' GM Dean Lombardi stated that the clock was correct and no extra time had been added, due to the way the clock self corrects at various times. Howson stated the team's blog that "It is an amazing coincidence that with the Kings on a power play at Staples Center and with a mad scramble around our net in the dying seconds of the third period of a 2–2 hockey game that the clock stopped for at least one full second" adding that "Either there was a deliberate stopping of the clock or the clock malfunctioned." Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell stated that the Blue Jackets were wronged but that the outcome of the game could not be changed and that the delay was not noticed by the off-ice officials or the situation room in Toronto. To determine the true cause of the clock pause the NHL launched an investigation, talking with the clocks' manufacturer and interviewing the Staples Center staff.

Two weeks prior to the NHL trade deadline Columbus announced that unlike earlier in the season they would listen to trade proposes involving Nash, though they were not actively shopping him. Howson stated that the team was open to all options for improving the team, including trading Nash. Speculation was that in return for Nash the Blue Jackets would ask for a "combination of young, proven players, high-end prospects and draft picks". Leading up to the trade deadline the Blue Jackets dealt Antoine Vermette to the Coyotes for two draft picks and goaltender Curtis McElhinney. Despite being injured at the time, the acquisition of McElhinney was believed to give Columbus the flexibility to trade Sanford. The following day on February, 23 Columbus traded Carter to the Kings. In the deal Columbus acquired defenseman Jack Johnson and a first round draft pick. The Blue Jackets were given a choice of either taking the pick in 2012 or 2013. At the deadline Columbus was unable to come to terms on a deal involving Nash, but did make one more move. The Blue Jackets sent center Samuel Pahlsson to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for two fourth round draft picks and minor league defenseman Taylor Ellington. Following the trade deadline Howson announced that the team had attempted to trade Nash at the player's request. Nash stated that he had requested the trade after being informed that the franchise was going into another rebuilding phase. He further noted that he felt that he "could be a huge part of that towards bringing assets in," and in his view "it was the best thing for the team, the organization, and personally for [his] career." After the personnel changes the Blue Jackets closed out the month with a three game losing streak.

March – April

The Blue Jackets playing the Chicago Blackhawks at Nationwide Arena on February 18, 2012

Columbus started March with a 2–0 shutout against the Colorado Avalanche. They proceeded to win their next game against the Phoenix Coyotes 5–2 which marked the first time that the Blue Jackets posted back to back regulation victories. Columbus again defeated the Coyotes three days later to earn their first three game win streak of the season. They extended the streak to four with a win over the Kings before it came to an end with a 4–1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. It was the only four game win streak of the season for the Blue Jackets. They immediately matched their four game win streak with a four game losing streak and with 10 games reaming the Blue Jackets were the first team eliminated from playoff contention. Shortly after being eliminated they were defeated by the Edmonton Oilers 6–3, the loss clinched last place in the NHL for Columbus. It was the first time in franchise history the Blue Jackets finished in 30th place.

Three days later, on March 28 Mason was injured in the morning skate when a shot from Colton Gillies hit him in the mask. With Sanford again injured, York was forced to make an emergency start. Playing against the Detroit Red Wings York made 29 saves including 17 in the third period helping Columbus to a 4–2 victory and giving York his first career NHL win. York remained the starter and led the Blue Jackets to a second three game winning streak. In his fourth start Columbus was shutout by the Coyotes despite a franchise record 54 shots on goal losing 2–0. The 54 saves by Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith set an NHL record for a regulation shutout. Mason returned to the starters roll the final two games, winning both. The two victories gave Columbus 65 points for the year, their third lowest total in franchise history.

Post-season

Finishing with the worst record in the NHL Columbus had the best chance of receiving the first overall pick in the 2012 draft. With the NHL's weighted draft lottery the Blue Jackets had a 48.2% chance of drafting first overall. However, the lottery was won by the Oilers who proceeded to leapfrog Columbus and secure the number one draft pick for a third consecutive year. It was the fifth time that the Blue Jackets were dropped one draft position in the franchises twelve lottery participations.

A month later, on May 14, the blue Jackets announced that Richards would remain as head coach and signed him to a two-year contract. During the press conference Howson noted "Our team continuously improved under Todd and he has earned the opportunity to build upon the work he started." Columbus posted an 18–21–2 record under Richards including winning seven of their final eleven games.

Standings

Central Division GP W L OTL ROW GF GA Pts 1 y - St. Louis Blues 82 49 22 11 45 210 165 109 2 Nashville Predators 82 48 26 8 43 237 210 104 3 Detroit Red Wings 82 48 28 6 39 248 203 102 4 Chicago Blackhawks 82 45 26 11 38 248 238 101 5 Columbus Blue Jackets 82 29 46 7 25 202 262 65

Western Conference R Div GP W L OTL ROW GF GA Pts 1 p – Vancouver Canucks * NW 82 51 22 9 43 249 198 111 2 y – St. Louis Blues * CE 82 49 22 11 45 210 165 109 3 y – Phoenix Coyotes * PA 82 42 27 13 36 216 204 97 4 Nashville Predators CE 82 48 26 8 43 237 210 104 5 Detroit Red Wings CE 82 48 28 6 39 248 203 102 6 Chicago Blackhawks CE 82 45 26 11 38 248 238 101 7 San Jose Sharks PA 82 43 29 10 34 228 210 96 8 Los Angeles Kings PA 82 40 27 15 34 194 179 95 8.5 9 Calgary Flames NW 82 37 29 16 34 202 226 90 10 Dallas Stars PA 82 42 35 5 35 211 222 89 11 Colorado Avalanche NW 82 41 35 6 32 208 220 88 12 Minnesota Wild NW 82 35 36 11 24 177 226 81 13 Anaheim Ducks PA 82 34 36 12 31 204 231 80 14 Edmonton Oilers NW 82 32 40 10 27 212 239 74 15 Columbus Blue Jackets CE 82 29 46 7 25 202 262 65

Divisions: CE – Central, NW – Northwest, PA – Pacific ROW: Total of games won in regulation or overtime, not shootout.

* – Division leader, y – Won division, p – Won Presidents' Trophy (best record in NHL)

Schedule and results

Pre-season

2011 Pre-season game log: 5–2–1 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 1–2–1)
#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Record	Recap
1	September 20 (split-squad)	Winnipeg Jets	1–5	Columbus Blue Jackets		Dekanich	1–0–0	Recap
2	September 20 (split-squad)	Columbus Blue Jackets	1–6	Winnipeg Jets		Sanford	1–1–0	Recap
3	September 21	Washington Capitals	3–4	Columbus Blue Jackets	OT	Mason	2–1–0	Recap
4	September 23	Columbus Blue Jackets	3–4	Minnesota Wild	OT	York	2–1–1	Recap
5	September 25	Buffalo Sabres	1–4	Columbus Blue Jackets		Mason	3–1–1	Recap
6	September 26	Columbus Blue Jackets	1–3	Washington Capitals		Sanford	3–2–1	Recap
7	September 29	Minnesota Wild	2–4	Columbus Blue Jackets		Mason	4–2–1	Recap
8	September 30	Columbus Blue Jackets	3–2	Carolina Hurricanes		Mason	5–2–1	Recap

Regular season

• Green background indicates win (2 points).
• Red background indicates regulation loss (0 points).
• Silver background indicates overtime/shootout loss (1 point).

Player stats

Skaters

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals 

Regular season Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Nash, RickRick Nash 82 30 29 59 −19 40 Prospal, VinnyVinny Prospal 82 16 39 55 −11 36 Brassard, DerickDerick Brassard 74 14 27 41 −20 42 Umberger, R. J.R. J. Umberger 77 20 20 40 −10 27 † Nikitin, NikitaNikita Nikitin 54 7 25 32 −5 14 Wisniewski, JamesJames Wisniewski 48 6 21 27 −13 37 ‡ Vermette, AntoineAntoine Vermette 60 8 19 27 −17 12 Tyutin, FedorFedor Tyutin 66 5 21 26 −21 49 ‡ Carter, JeffJeff Carter 39 15 10 25 −11 14 † Letestu, MarkMark Letestu 51 11 13 24 −3 6 Johansen, RyanRyan Johansen 67 9 12 21 -2 24 Dorsett, DerekDerek Dorsett 77 12 8 20 −11 235 Johnson, AaronAaron Johnson 56 3 13 16 −12 26 MacKenzie, DerekDerek MacKenzie 66 7 7 14 4 40 Atkinson, CamCam Atkinson 27 7 7 14 1 14 † Johnson, JackJack Johnson 21 4 10 14 5 15 ‡ Clitsome, GrantGrant Clitsome 51 4 10 14 −6 24 ‡ Pahlsson, SamuelSamuel Pahlsson 61 2 9 11 −6 22 Savard, DavidDavid Savard 31 2 8 10 0 16 Methot, MarcMarc Methot 46 1 6 7 −11 24 Moore, JohnJohn Moore 67 2 5 7 −23 8 † Gillies, ColtonColton Gillies 38 2 4 6 −4 25 Lebda, BrettBrett Lebda 30 1 3 4 −1 14 † Boyce, DarrylDarryl Boyce 20 0 3 3 −5 19 Boll, JaredJared Boll 54 2 1 3 −8 126 Calvert, MattMatt Calvert 13 0 3 3 −5 16 ‡ Russell, KrisKris Russell 12 2 1 3 −1 13 Russell, RyanRyan Russell 41 2 0 2 −7 2 Mayorov, MaksimMaksim Mayorov 10 1 1 2 −3 2 Kubalik, TomasTomas Kubalik 8 1 1 2 −3 6 Giroux, AlexandreAlexandre Giroux 9 1 0 1 −2 8 Martinek, RadekRadek Martinek 7 1 0 1 −3 0 Bass, CodyCody Bass 14 0 1 1 0 32 Huselius, KristianKristian Huselius 2 0 0 0 −2 2 Joudrey, AndrewAndrew Joudrey 1 0 0 0 0 0 Byers, DaneDane Byers 8 0 0 0 0 29 Goloubef, CodyCody Goloubef 1 0 0 0 1 0 Prout, DaltonDalton Prout 5 0 0 0 1 0

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% SO G A PIM Mason, SteveSteve Mason 46 2534 16 26 3 143 3.39 1355 .894 1 0 2 2 Sanford, CurtisCurtis Sanford 36 1983 10 18 4 86 2.60 971 .911 1 0 0 0 York, AllenAllen York 11 417 3 2 0 16 2.30 199 .920 0 0 0 0 Hunwick, ShawnShawn Hunwick 1 3 0 0 0 0 0.00 0 .000 0 0 0 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

Milestones

Regular Season
Player	Milestone	Reached
Cam Atkinson	1st Career NHL Game	October 7, 2011
Ryan Johansen	1st Career NHL Game	October 7, 2011
David Savard	1st Career NHL Game	October 7, 2011
Cam Atkinson	1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	October 10, 2011
David Savard	1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point	October 15, 2011
Ryan Johansen	1st Career NHL Assist 1st Career NHL Point	October 22, 2011
Rick Nash	600th Career NHL Game	October 22, 2011
Fedor Tyutin	500th Career NHL Game	October 22, 2011
Ryan Johansen	1st Career NHL Goal	October 25, 2011
John Moore	1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	October 25, 2011
Allen York	1st Career NHL Game	October 25, 2011
Rick Nash	500th Career NHL Point	November 10, 2011
Antoine Vermette	300th Career NHL Point	November 19, 2011
Derek Dorsett	200th Career NHL Game	November 23, 2011
Vaclav Prospal	1,000th Career NHL Game	November 25, 2011
Jared Boll	300th Career NHL Game	November 27, 2011
Vaclav Prospal	700th Career NHL Point	December 1, 2011
R.J. Umberger	500th Career NHL Game	December 2, 2011
Mark Letestu	100th Career NHL Game	December 10, 2011
John Moore	1st Career NHL Assist	December 29, 2011
Ryan Russell	1st Career NHL Game	January 7, 2012
Tomas Kubalik	1st Career NHL Goal	January 13, 2012
Ryan Russell	1st Career NHL Goal 1st Career NHL Point	January 13, 2012
Steve Mason	200th Career NHL Game	January 31, 2012
Andrew Joudrey	1st Career NHL Game	February 1, 2012
David Savard	1st Career NHL Goal	February 7, 2012
Colton Gillies	100th Career NHL Game	February 11, 2012
Cam Atkinson	1st Career NHL Assist	February 26, 2012
R.J. Umberger	300th Career NHL Point	March 3, 2012
Cam Atkinson	1st Career NHL Hat-trick	March 5, 2012
Maksim Mayorov	1st Career NHL Assist	March 8, 2012
Jack Johnson	100th Career NHL Assist	March 23, 2012
Allen York	1st Career NHL Win	March 28, 2012
Dalton Prout	1st Career NHL Game	March 31, 2012
Cody Goloubef	1st Career NHL Game	March 31, 2012
Nikita Nikitin	100th Career NHL Game	April 3, 2012
Derick Brassard	100th Career NHL Assist	April 7, 2012
Shawn Hunwick	1st Career NHL Game	April 7, 2012

Transactions

The Blue Jackets have been involved in the following transactions during the 2011–12 season.

Trades Date Details June 23, 2011 To Philadelphia Flyers Jakub Voracek 1st-round pick (#8 overall) in 2011 3rd-round pick (#68 overall) in 2011 To Columbus Blue Jackets Jeff Carter June 25, 2011 To Ottawa Senators Nikita Filatov To Columbus Blue Jackets 3rd-round pick (#66 overall) in 2011 June 29, 2011 To Montreal Canadiens Conditional 7th-round pick in 2012 To Columbus Blue Jackets James Wisniewski (negotiating rights) July 7, 2011 To Montreal Canadiens Mike Blunden To Columbus Blue Jackets Ryan Russell November 8, 2011 To Pittsburgh Penguins 4th-round pick in 2012 To Columbus Blue Jackets Mark Letestu November 10, 2011 To St. Louis Blues Kris Russell To Columbus Blue Jackets Nikita Nikitin February 22, 2012 To Phoenix Coyotes Antoine Vermette To Columbus Blue Jackets Curtis McElhinney 2nd-round pick in 2012 Conditional 5th-round pick in 2013 February 23, 2012 To Los Angeles Kings Jeff Carter To Columbus Blue Jackets Jack Johnson Conditional 1st-round pick in 2012 or 2013 February 27, 2012 To Vancouver Canucks Samuel Pahlsson To Columbus Blue Jackets Taylor Ellington Two 4th-round picks in 2012

Free agents signed Player Former team Contract terms Andrew Joudrey Hershey Bears 2 years, $1.175 million Nicholas Drazenovic St. Louis Blues 1 year, $550,000 Mark Dekanich Nashville Predators 1 year, $575,000 Curtis Sanford Hamilton Bulldogs 1 year, $600,000 Alexandre Giroux Edmonton Oilers 1 year, $825,000 Aaron Johnson Milwaukee Admirals 1 year, $550,000 Radek Martinek New York Islanders 1 year, $2.2 million Dane Byers San Antonio Rampage 1 year, $550,000 Martin St. Pierre Karpat 1 year, $600,000 Cody Bass Ottawa Senators 1 year, $600,000 Vinny Prospal New York Rangers 1 year, $1.75 million Brett Lebda Springfield Falcons 1 year, $700,000 Shawn Hunwick University of Michigan 1 year, $525,000 entry-level contract

Free agents lost Player New team Contract terms Gustaf Wesslau Djurgårdens IF 1 year Scottie Upshall Florida Panthers 4 years, $14 million Mathieu Garon Tampa Bay Lightning 2 years, $2.6 million Mike Commodore Detroit Red Wings 1 year, $1 million Jan Hejda Colorado Avalanche 4 years, $13 million Trevor Frischmon New York Islanders 1 year, $615,000 Kyle Wilson Nashville Predators 2 years, $1.1 million Ben Guite San Jose Sharks 1 year, $525,000 Sami Lepisto Chicago Blackhawks 1 year, $750,000 Andrew Murray San Jose Sharks 1 year, $575,000 Ethan Moreau Los Angeles Kings 1 year, $600,000 Anton Stralman New York Rangers 1 year, $900,000

Claimed via waivers Player Former team Date claimed off waivers Colton Gillies Minnesota Wild January 14, 2012 Darryl Boyce Toronto Maple Leafs February 25, 2012

Lost via waivers Player New team Date claimed off waivers Grant Clitsome Winnipeg Jets February 27, 2012

Lost via retirement Player Player signings Player Date Contract terms Grant Clitsome June 10, 2011 2 years, $2.5 million Nick Holden June 20, 2011 1 year, $675,000 Mike Blunden June 29, 2011 1 year, $615,000 Dalton Prout July 1, 2011 3 years, $1.995 million entry-level contract James Wisniewski July 1, 2011 6 years, $33 million Marc Methot July 5, 2011 4 years, $12 million Dalton Smith August 8, 2011 3 years, $2.3775 million entry-level contract Ryan Russell August 8, 2011 1 year, $525,000 Fedor Tyutin August 31, 2011 6 years, $27 million contract extension R.J. Umberger September 21, 2011 5 years, $23 million contract extension Vaclav Prospal February 8, 2012 1 year, $2.5 million contract extension Boone Jenner March 28, 2012 3 years, $2.4275 million entry-level contract Sean Collins March 28, 2012 2 years, $1.25 million entry-level contract Will Weber April 6, 2012 2 years, $1.325 million entry-level contract Cody Bass April 9, 2012 1 year, $700,000 contract extension Jake Hansen April 12, 2012 2 years, $1.27 million entry-level contract Nick Drazenovic April 26, 2012 1 year, $600,000 contract extension Michael Chaput April 28, 2012 3 years, $2.12 million entry-level contract Austin Madaisky May 19, 2012 3 years, $1.865 million entry-level contract Derek Dorsett May 23, 2012 3 years, $4.9 million contract extension Ryan Russell May 24, 2012 1 year, $700,000 contract extension Derek MacKenzie May 31, 2012 2 years, contract extension

2011 Draft picks

Columbus' picks at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
2	37	Boone Jenner	C	Canada	Oshawa Generals (OHL)
3	66 (from Ottawa)	Thomas Tynan	C	United States	Notre Dame Fighting Irish (CCHA)
4	98	Mike Reilly	D	United States	Shattuck-Saint Mary's (Midget Major AAA)
5	128	Seth Ambroz	RW	United States	Omaha Lancers (USHL)
6	158	Lukas Sedlak	C	Czech Republic	C.Budejovice Jr. (CZREP-JR.)
7	188	Anton Forsberg	G	Sweden	Modo Jr. (Swe-Jr.)

See also

• 2011–12 NHL season