The Columbus Blue Jackets are 49 days from opening night at Nationwide Arena, and that makes jersey No. 49 the latest stop in the team’s number countdown. It’s a short list, but it does include a player who carved out a solid career in Columbus.
Dan Fritsche wore 49 from 2004 to 2008 after the Ohio-born forward was selected in the second round of the 2003 NHL Draft. He turned pro and became a full-time NHL player in 2005, then logged 206 games for the Blue Jackets across four seasons. In that stretch, he scored 29 goals and finished with 63 points.
His time in Columbus ended in July 2008, when he was traded to the New York Rangers with Nikolai Zherdev in exchange for Fedor Tyutin and Christian Bäckman. Fritsche was later dealt by the Rangers to the Minnesota Wild on January 29, 2009.
He returned to the Blue Jackets organization the next season and played for the Syracuse Crunch before heading to Europe in 2010. He stayed there until retiring in 2016.
TJ Tynan was next to wear the number in 2017, after Columbus took him in the third round of the 2011 NHL Draft. His NHL role with the Blue Jackets was limited to three games, but he spent most of his time in the minors with the Springfield Falcons and Cleveland Monsters. During Cleveland’s Calder Cup-winning 2015-16 season, he played 76 games and produced 46 points.
Tynan’s AHL résumé is the real story here. He has 642 points in 693 career AHL games, including a 98-point season with the Ontario Reign in 2021-22.
He has appeared in 25 NHL games overall and signed with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL for the 25-26 season. He is currently 37th on the all-time AHL list for career points and will play for the Springfield Falcons of the AHL in 26-27.
Ryan MacInnis wore 49 in 2020-21 after Columbus acquired him from the Arizona Coyotes on July 18, 2018, in a deal for Jacob Graves and a conditional pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Drafted by Arizona in the second round of the 2014 NHL Draft, MacInnis carried a famous surname as the son of Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Al MacInnis.
His Blue Jackets stint was brief. He played 26 games and recorded one point, with most of his work coming for the Cleveland Monsters, where he put together two productive seasons. After the 2022 season, he moved to Germany, and in 2025 he signed with Kölner Haie, where he remains today.
Who was your favorite player to wear #49.
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Flames Face A Tough Call As Trade Buzz Starts Building
Zach Werenski has become one of the more interesting names to monitor as the Maple Leafs continue to explore ways to sharpen a roster that still has a few obvious holes. Under new general manager John Chayka, Toronto has already made changes, but the club is still being linked to impact options across the league, and Werenski fits the kind of high-end target that can change the conversation quickly for a contender.
From Columbus side, that kind of attention is part of the backdrop around any big-name player on a team that is still sorting through its direction. Nothing is confirmed and this is still speculation rather than a live deal, but the buzz matters because it shows how wide the market could get if the Blue Jackets ever decide to listen. For now, Werenski remains exactly the sort of player that forces other teams to think big, even if the path from interest to actual trade is anything but clear. [Read more 🡒]