#CBJ20 Year in Review: 2015-16

As part of the team's 20th anniversary celebration, BlueJackets.com is publishing recaps of each of the team's previous 19 seasons, presented by Nationwide and OhioHealth. Today, the series continues with a look at the 2015-16 campaign, the franchise's 15th season in Columbus.
The 2015-16 campaign for the Blue Jackets opened with optimism.
It was just a little ahead of its time.

There's no arguing the season ended up being a disappointment when it came to wins and losses, as Columbus -- bolstered by an offseason trade for emerging talent and Stanley Cup winner Brandon Saad -- instead finished 34-40-8 to take last place in the Metropolitan Division.
And it probably wasn't the most fun season to be a part of as it happened, starting with an eight-game winless streak and the firing of head coach Todd Richards. But what could have been a lost season instead was a chance for the team to reset itself and create a path to future success, something that started with the hiring of new coach John Tortorella.
The winningest American head coach in NHL history certainly brought a new perspective to the team's locker room, but it's also fair to say it was a change for the better given the success that would come. It wasn't always immediate -- Tortorella finished with a 34-33-8 record that first season after the squad's 0-7-0 start under Richards -- but four straight playoff appearances would soon follow.
Columbus missed the postseason in
an injury-plagued 2014-15 season
, prompting general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to make a big offseason move. That was the acquisition of Saad, who was coming off a 23-goal, 52-point season with Chicago and was viewed as one of the top young players in the game at age 22. He was acquired along with forward Alex Broadhurst and defenseman Michael Paliotta for Artemi Anisimov, Marko Dano, Corey Tropp and Jeremy Morin to add top-line scoring punch.
Unfortunately for Columbus, the defense turned out to be the bigger issue, as the team finished 29th in the league in goals against. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was limited to just 37 games because of injury, while the need for top-end defensive talent became clear as the Blue Jackets allowed 3.8 goals per game in October while going just 2-10-0 to start things off.
The team had targeted the blue line in the summer's draft, adding Zach Werenski, Gabriel Carlsson, Vladislav Gavrikov and Markus Nutivaara, but Kekalainen made one more big move to address the back end midway through the 2015-16 campaign. On Jan. 6, the general manager sent high-scoring center Ryan Johansen to Nashville for Seth Jones in a one-for-one trade that made huge waves across the hockey world.
There were positive signs at times throughout the season -- Columbus tied franchise records for wins in both November (eight) and February (seven) -- plus a number of young players stepped up as the year went on. Cam Atkinson set another career high with 27 goals among his 53 points, while Alexander Wennberg notched 40 points at age 21 and 21-year-old rookie netminder Joonas Korpisalo went 16-11-4 in 31 games while posting a 2.60 GAA and .920 save percentage.
Saad ended up tying Atkinson for the team lead in points with 53 while notching a team- and career-high 31 goals during an All-Star campaign, while Boone Jenner also set a career best with 30 tallies among his 49 points. The seemingly ageless Scott Hartnell chipped in a 23-26-49 line, while Brandon Dubinsky had 17 goals and 48 points.
While it wasn't enough to get the Blue Jackets into the playoffs, the story was different down in Cleveland. Many of the team's top prospects finished the season with the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL and then went on a ride to remember, ripping their way through the playoffs with just two losses in four rounds to capture the Calder Cup as league champions. Such players as Korpisalo, Zach Werenski, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Josh Anderson were key members of that Monsters squad, giving Columbus excitement in its pool of young prospects going forward.