The Blue Jackets have 17 days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena, and jersey No. 17 has had quite a run in Columbus.
It’s been worn by a mix of grinders, role players, a few short-term stopgaps, and a handful of guys who left a real imprint on the franchise. Some stayed for a blink. Others stuck around long enough to become part of the fabric.
The early years of the organization brought Sergei Kallio and Paul Manning into the fold. Kallio appeared in 12 games during the 2002-03 season, a year he split between Atlanta, Columbus, and Philadelphia.
He headed to Europe in 2003 and played in Sweden and Finland until retiring in 2018. These days, he serves as the Director of European Scouting for TPS of LIIGA and has also worked for the San Jose Sharks as a European scout for several years.
Manning arrived in 2003 after being drafted by Calgary in 1998. He skated in eight games for Columbus and didn’t record a point. By the end of that same year, he was in Germany, where he played until retiring in 2012.
David Ling took No. 17 in 2004 and gave the Jackets something different. He played 90 games for Columbus and put up eight points, but the bigger story was the edge he brought.
At 5-foot-10 and 204 pounds, Ling was a bulldog-style player who racked up seasons with 10 and 12 fights. He dropped the gloves with names like Jarkko Ruutu, Jeremy Stevenson, and Jordin Tootoo, and he shared the ice with Jody Shelley during two of his more physical seasons.
That was a tough combination for anybody lining up against Columbus.
Gilbert Brulé wore 17 from 2006 through 2008 after Columbus drafted him in 2005. Former GM Doug MacLean once viewed him as his Wayne Gretzky, though the numbers never came close to that level.
Brulé played 146 games for the Blue Jackets and finished with 32 points. After his NHL run, he continued his career in Europe before retiring in 2021.
Andrew Murray brought a different kind of value to the number from 2009 through 2011. After four years at Bemidji State University, he turned pro, spent two seasons with the Syracuse Crunch, and then made his NHL debut in 2007-08.
In his rookie season, he played 39 games and posted 10 points. He added three more seasons in Columbus, appearing in 181 games and scoring 23 goals for 36 points overall.
Murray left in free agency in 2011, spent time with the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues, then headed overseas in 2013.
He played two seasons in the KHL for a team in Croatia before stepping away from pro hockey.
Mark Letestu wore No. 17 in 2012 after Columbus acquired him from Pittsburgh on November 8, 2011, in exchange for Columbus’s fourth-round pick. Letestu split two stints with the Blue Jackets and played 255 games, scoring 44 goals and collecting 102 points.
He later appeared in 64 games for the Cleveland Monsters in 2018-19 and scored 50 points. His last NHL game came on October 13th, 2019, with the Winnipeg Jets.
After that, he moved behind the bench, joining the Monsters as an assistant coach in 2021 and staying through 2025. In the summer of 2025, he became head coach of the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, and after one season, he joined his friend and former teammate Ryan Craig in Vegas as an assistant coach.
Brandon Dubinsky wore the number from 2013 to 2019 after arriving in the Rick Nash trade in the summer of 2012. Columbus also received Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon, and a draft pick that eventually became Kerby Rychel.
Dubinsky played 420 games for the Blue Jackets and totaled 225 points. His career ended after the 2018-19 season because of what was described as a “chronic condition” in his wrist.
Even now, he still shows up around CBJ games in the crowd. He’s also a partner with JBM Development, a construction company focused on multi-family housing in Columbus, and owns a limousine service.
Justin Danforth carried No. 17 from 2022 through 2025. Signed on May 3, 2021, the undrafted Oshawa, Ontario, forward took an unconventional road to the NHL, spending four years in the NCAA, the AHL, and the ECHL before heading to Europe in 2018.
After two seasons in LIIGA and another in the KHL, he returned to North America and eventually landed with Columbus. Danforth played 183 games for the Jackets over four seasons and finished with 64 points.
Injuries - including concussions and shoulder surgery - limited him, and after suffering a broken kneecap while blocking a shot, he underwent two procedures to repair it. He played only four games last season, but he is expected to be ready for camp in a few days.
He signed a two-year, $3.6 million deal with the Buffalo Sabres this past offseason.
The latest No. 17 was Mason Marchment, listed for 2025-26. The undrafted Uxbridge, Ontario, forward was traded to Columbus in December of last season and produced 32 points in 39 games, including 15 goals. He left in free agency and signed with San Jose, where his father had spent several years and was loved.
So with opening night at NWA closing in fast, the question is simple: who’s your favorite No. 17?
In Other News...
Jeff Rimer's Return Gives Blue Jackets Fans A Reason To Feel Again
Jeff Rimer has stayed close to the Blue Jackets even after stepping away from the booth, and now he is giving Columbus fans another way to reconnect with one of the most familiar voices in franchise history. The longtime broadcaster has released a memoir, It Doesnt Get Any Better Than This, that looks back on a career spent calling games across multiple sports while also tracing the personal experiences that shaped it. He is planning public book signings in Columbus, along with a private launch event at Nationwide Arena, a fitting setting for someone who helped narrate so many nights there.
For Blue Jackets supporters, the appeal goes beyond nostalgia. Rimer still follows the team and remains invested in what comes next, especially after years in which the franchise has been searching for steadier success. His book adds another layer to that connection, offering a chance to revisit a voice fans associate with some of the most memorable moments in team history while wondering whether the future might finally bring the kind of postseason run he has long hoped to see. [Read more 🡒]
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Kirill Marchenko Drama Is Raising An Awkward Blue Jackets Question
Kirill Marchenkos contract situation has become one of the quieter but more uncomfortable storylines hanging over the Blue Jackets this summer. What surprised Columbus general manager Don Waddell was not just that Marchenko still has not extended, but that the conversation has drifted far enough to force the team to think about leverage, timing and what comes next for a key young player who remains central to the rosters future.
Waddell has made it clear Columbus is not interested in moving Marchenko just to make a deal, which is part of why this feels so delicate. For now, the expectation is still that he will be in camp, but the silence around the situation has kept trade speculation alive even without any official sign that a move is close. [Read more 🡒]