The Columbus Blue Jackets find themselves in a dire situation, dropping 12 of their last 13 games with no apparent signs of a turnaround in sight.

The struggling team languishes at the bottom of the NHL's Metropolitan Division, managing only four wins in the initial 19 games of the 2023-24 season. Despite a preseason filled with optimism following the appointment of veteran head coach Mike Babcock, the Blue Jackets faced an unexpected coaching upheaval before Babcock even led a single game. The team never seemed to gain the traction they had hoped for, forced to hit the reset button just days before the season kicked off due to revelations that Babcock had inappropriately solicited private photos from his players.

In a statement released in September, Babcock acknowledged the distraction he posed, stating,

Assistant coach Pascal Vincent assumed the head coaching role, and it's evident that he is not yet prepared for the challenges of the job, especially in handling prominent personalities and high-profile players like Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine.

Last week, both Gaudreau and Laine found themselves benched during the latter part of the third period in a match against the Arizona Coyotes.

And over the past weekend, Laine, following some lackluster performances, was scratched from the lineup, prompting him to address the media today. Laine described the situation as

expressing his dissatisfaction and signaling a rocky period for the beleaguered Blue Jackets.