The Blue Jackets are 29 days out from opening night at Nationwide Arena, and that makes jersey No. 29 the focus of the day. Columbus has run a long list of players through that number, but a few names stand out more than the rest.
Krzysztof Oliwa was the first to wear it for the CBJ. He appeared in 10 games in 2000-01, piling up 34 PIMs and two points. Over a nine-year career, he collected 1447 penalty minutes and earned a reputation as one of the league’s best tough guys.
At the other end of the timeline, Jack Williams is the most recent player to skate in No. 29.
The undrafted Biddeford, Maine native signed with Columbus as a free agent in 2025, played one game before the season ended, and then was sent to Cleveland before the next season. Last season with the Monsters, he put up 38 points in 72 games, with five points in nine playoff games.
Williams is expected to battle for the team lead in points this coming season.
When it comes to the best player to wear the number in Columbus, Patrik Laine gets the nod. His Blue Jackets stint is often viewed as a disappointment, but the production was there: 64 goals and 138 points in 174 games.
Injuries shortened that run, and later he asked out of Columbus. He was dealt to Montreal and finished out his contract this past April.
Laine is still unsigned, and his next stop remains unclear. It’s a tough ending for a player who scored 44 goals in his second NHL season.
There are plenty of other No. 29s in the mix, too. Alexander Selivanov played 59 games for Columbus in 2000-01 and had 19 points before returning to Europe, where he played until retiring in 2012. He later served as head coach and GM for Admiral Vladivostok in the KHL, and his father and uncle-in-law are Phil and Tony Esposito.
Grant Marshall, a Toronto draft pick in 1992, skated in 147 games for Columbus from 2001 to 2003 and produced 61 points before being traded to the New Jersey Devils. Marc Methot, drafted by Columbus in 2003, played 275 games for the club before being moved to the Ottawa Senators for future Captain Nick Foligno.
Ottawa had tried to trade for Methot multiple times the previous season, too. He retired in March of 2021, and he’s also widely remembered for having his fingertip slashed off by Sidney Crosby, who was not penalized, fined, or suspended for it.
Jason Williams wore the number in 39 games during the 2008-09 season and scored 29 points. After 23 professional seasons in North America and Europe, he retired in 2023 and coached the St.
Thomas Stars of the GOJHL last season. Nick Holden got into seven games with Columbus before later making his mark with the Vegas Golden Knights from 2018 to 2021.
He retired in 2023 and now works as a Development Coach for Vegas.
Andrew Joudrey appeared in one game for the Jackets in 2011-12, then spent the rest of the season in the AHL before heading to Germany in 2014. He later spent seven years as president of the USHL’s Madison Capitols.
Cody Goloubef logged 96 games over more than five years in Columbus and had 18 points, while also spending most of his time in the AHL with the Springfield Falcons and Cleveland Monsters. He totaled 77 points in the Columbus AHL system.
Columbus traded him to Colorado for Ryan Stanton on November 28, 2016, and he later bounced around the NHL before going to Europe in 2022. He signed to play for the Dundas Real McCoys of the Allan Cup Hockey League in 2024-25, but has not played since.
Lauri Korpikoski played nine games for Columbus after arriving from Dallas and finished without a point. He later returned to Europe and wrapped up his career in 2023. For the past few seasons, he has been a European Development Coach for the Montreal Canadiens.
Zac Dalpe, the former Ohio State Buckeye forward, played 25 games for the Jackets and recorded four career points with the club. His real impact came in the AHL, where he played for six different franchises, including five seasons with the Cleveland Monsters.
He appeared in 133 games for Cleveland and posted 100 points. Over his career, Dalpe played 574 games and totaled 393 points.
He retired from hockey on July 7, 2025, and was hired by the Seattle Kraken as a Development Coach. For this upcoming season, he was also named Team Consultant by the Kraken, helping young players with everything from apartments and bills to the day-to-day details of getting started in pro hockey.
Devin Shore rounded out the list with six games and two points for Columbus. He bounced around the league after that and left for Czechia in 2025, where he is still playing in the country’s top league.
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Don Waddell has been clear that Columbus does not plan to trade Marchenko unless the situation changes at the players end, either through a request or a refusal to sign an extension. For now, the expectation is that he stays put and arrives in camp with the rest of the group, but as long as the speculation keeps circling, this remains one of those questions that is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]