The Columbus Blue Jackets are 41 days from opening night at Nationwide Arena, and jersey No. 41 has a pretty long paper trail in franchise history.
A handful of players have worn it in Columbus, and the list stretches from early expansion-era depth pieces to a recent name who left the organization this summer. Some barely got a look in the NHL. Others carved out bigger roles elsewhere after their time with the Jackets.
Matt Davidson was first on the list from 2000-03. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the fourth round of the 1995 NHL Draft, the native of Flin Flon, Manitoba - the same town as CBJ bench boss Dean Evason - came to Columbus in an expansion draft deal in 2000.
He appeared in parts of three seasons, playing 56 games and producing 12 points, while spending most of that stretch with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. Davidson left North America in 2004 and went on to play in Germany, Finland, Denmark and Sweden before retiring in 2011.
Brad Moran wore No. 41 from 2001-04 after the Jackets signed him as a free agent in 2000. A seventh-round pick of the Sabres in the 1998 NHL Draft, Moran saw limited NHL action with Columbus, getting into five games and collecting two points.
He spent most of his time with Syracuse, where his final season in 2004-05 was a productive one: 80 games and 72 points. Moran later returned to Europe in 2011, spent the final six years of his playing career there and retired after two seasons in the EIHL in 2017.
He then moved behind the bench and into management, serving as GM and HC of the Calgary Canucks from 2018 to 2025 before becoming an assistant coach with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen for the 25-26 season.
Another No. 41, Simon, was a native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, and played 13 games for Columbus in the 2005-06 season without recording a point.
He headed to Europe after that, spent one season in England’s EIHL and retired in 2011. Coaching followed quickly.
Simon’s first head coaching job came with the Cincinnati Cyclones in 2013-14, and he later spent five seasons as head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins. He has been an assistant with the Iowa Wild for the last three seasons.
Adam Pineault wore the number in 2007-08 after Columbus drafted him in the second round of the 2004 NHL Draft. He played only three games for the Blue Jackets and didn’t register a point, spending most of his time with Syracuse.
On January 10, 2009, Columbus traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks for Michael Blunden. Pineault later played two years in Europe, came back to North America for three more seasons and retired in 2014 after a jaw injury ended his career.
After hockey, he went into pharmaceutical sales following his wife’s leukemia diagnosis.
Allen York took over No. 41 in 2011-12 after being drafted by Columbus in the sixth round of the 2007 NHL Draft. He played 11 games for the Blue Jackets, starting five, and finished 3-2 with a .920 SV%.
He later signed a PTO with the Nashville Predators but never landed a contract, and he never played another NHL game after his Columbus stint. York bounced around the AHL, ECHL and other lower leagues in North America and also spent five years as a goaltending coach before retiring on March 4, 2016.
Alexander Wennberg had the longest run in the sweater, wearing it from 2014-20 after Columbus took him 14th overall in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2014 and put together three solid seasons, highlighted by a 59-point campaign in 2016-17.
The Blue Jackets signed him to a six-year deal on September 1, 2017, but Tom Wilson’s devastating check on him in the 2018 playoffs seemed to change the trajectory of his time in Columbus. Over the next two seasons, Wennberg totaled just 47 points, and in October 2020 the Blue Jackets bought him out, setting up the final buyout payment that the team is finally about to make this year.
Since leaving Columbus, he has played for the Florida Panthers, Seattle Kraken, New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks. Last season, after that 59-point breakout remained his best year for a while, he finally topped 38 points again, scoring 18 goals and finishing with 55 points while playing with Macklin Celebrini.
The most recent No. 41 was Hunter McKown, who wore it in 2022-23 after signing as an undrafted free agent out of San Jose, California. He played 12 NHL games for Columbus, all in that season, and has spent most of his time with the Monsters.
Over the last three seasons, McKown has played 184 games and scored 81 points. This summer, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for forward Luke Tuch.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Outlook Just Got Tougher Than Columbus Fans Expected
The Blue Jackets have already had a busy offseason, with both roster and franchise changes reshaping the conversation around what comes next in Columbus. Even before the puck drops on the 2026-27 season, the early outlook from around the league has started to paint a harder road than many fans probably expected, especially for a team still trying to build steadier footing in a brutal division.
There is also a real question in goal, where Elvis Merzlikins is expected to miss time after shoulder surgery. That leaves Jet Greaves as the likely starter for now, adding another layer of uncertainty to a season preview that already feels heavy on doubt and light on easy answers. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Suddenly Have A Goalie Question Heading Into Camp
Columbus is heading toward camp with an unexpected layer of uncertainty in goal after Elvis Merzlikins had shoulder surgery this summer. The veteran has been a major part of the Blue Jackets' crease plans, but his recovery timeline is unclear, leaving the club to sort through a situation that was supposed to be settled long before the season ramps up.
Pheonix Copley is the name now expected to slot in behind the starter while Merzlikins works his way back, which gives the Blue Jackets a very different feel entering camp than they had a few weeks ago. For a team trying to build some stability, the backup role suddenly matters a lot more, and how Columbus handles that depth chart could shape the early weeks of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Suddenly Have A Playoff Case Fans Can Argue About
After a run of recent NHL seasons in which fresh faces kept sliding into the playoff field, Columbus is again part of the conversation as one of the teams expected to be in the mix next spring. The Blue Jackets have spent the offseason trying to turn promise into a more reliable 82-game profile, with roster changes and player development giving them a better argument than they had a year ago.
Adam Fantilli remains part of the larger optimism around the club, even as his contract situation lingers in the background, and the Blue Jackets still have some defensive questions to answer before anyone can pencil them in with confidence. Still, the path is clear enough to make them interesting: if the young core takes the next step and the group around it holds together, Columbus can make a real case for itself in a race that figures to stay crowded. [Read more 🡒]