Aaron Portzline
The Athletic HQ
Granville, OH, United States
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Past articles by Aaron:
Blue Jackets to sign top free agent Johnny Gaudreau
The 28-year-old ranked as The Athletic’s No. 1 free agent this offseason after posting a career year with the Flames. → Read More
Blue Jackets: Goaltender depth chart has new look
When Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo signed a two-year NHL contract in early June, it not only solidified his roster spot in Columbus as Sergei → Read More
Blue Jackets | Forwards are focus for potentials deals
The Blue Jackets are pursuing all avenues toward increasing their firepower at forward, which means big trades and noteworthy free agent signings over the → Read More
NHL | Blue Jackets buy out Hartnell's contract
The Blue Jackets have bought out the final two years of forward Scott Hartnell’s contract, ending the veteran wingers’ three-year run in Columbus. The move will create an additional $3.25 million in salary cap space, giving the Blue Jackets up to $13 million to spend on free agents or trade acquisitions this summer. Hartnell will be an unrestricted free agent on Saturday. “(Hartnell’s) been a… → Read More
Blue Jackets | Tyler Motte eager to get a chance after trade from Blackhawks
The trade made on Friday between the Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks likely will be remembered for the principal players involved. Chicago sent Artemi → Read More
NHL | Blue Jackets trade Saad, Forsberg to Blackhawks
CHICAGO – So much for a quiet draft weekend for the Blue Jackets. The Jackets on Friday traded left wing Brandon Saad, goaltender Anton Forsberg and a fifth-round pick in 2018 to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for left wing Artemi Panarin, minor-league forward Tyler Motte and a sixth-round pick this weekend. More to follow. → Read More
Blue Jackets: Tortorella, Bobrovsky take home NHL awards
LAS VEGAS — What happened in Vegas is not staying in Vegas for the Blue Jackets. After a three-day getaway, they’ll return to Columbus with some major hardware. On Wednesday night, coach John Tortorella won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach, and Sergei Bobrovsky won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender, the second time each player has won the award. Bobrovsky also landed a… → Read More
Blue Jackets | NHL honors Nick Foligno for humanitarian work
Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the Mark Messier Leadership Award on Tuesday in Las Vegas, making a clean sweep → Read More
Blue Jackets | No surprises on exempt list for expansion draft
The Blue Jackets have already settled on a trade with the NHL’s expansion franchise in Las Vegas, so Sunday’s revelation of the Jackets’ protected players — and unprotected players — for the expansion draft held little drama. Forwards Cam Atkinson, Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno, Scott Hartnell, Boone Jenner, Brandon Saad and Alexander Wennberg are officially off-limits to the Vegas Golden… → Read More
Blue Jackets' Dubinsky has wrist surgery, should be ready for training camp
Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky had wrist surgery on Monday in Vancouver, British Columbia, hoping to take care of an injury that nagged him much of → Read More
Hockey | Blue Jackets sign Kivlenieks to three-year contract
The Blue Jackets have signed Latvian goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks to a three-year, entry-level contract after his banner year in the United States Hockey → Read More
NHL | Blue Jackets management says end-of-season review reveals team with hunger to climb higher
One by one over the past two days at Nationwide Arena, Blue Jackets players had exit interviews with general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, president of hockey operations John Davidson, assistant general manager Bill Zito and director of player personnel Basil McRae. These are verbal grade cards, yes, but there is room for back-and-forth, too. It was in that back-and-forth that Davidson said he found… → Read More
Blue Jackets: Six takeaways from Game 4 breakthrough win
The Blue Jackets lived to fight another day with Tuesday’s 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, sending the best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series back to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh for Game 5 Thursday. Here are five takeaways from a wild night in Nationwide Arena:1. Less hitting, more hockeyThe Blue Jackets came into this series with big plans to thump the Penguins into submission, but… → Read More
Blue Jackets notebook | Matt Calvert regrets suspension
Blue Jackets left wing Matt Calvert wishes he’d kept a lid on his emotions.In the waning seconds of Game 2 in Pittsburgh on Friday, Calvert lost his cool just as the Penguins' Tom Kuhnhackl crossed his path.First, Calvert blatantly cross-checked Kuhnhackl’s right arm, breaking his stick. Then Calvert curled around a head-down Kuhnhackl and dropped a shoulder into him, knocking him to the ice.… → Read More
Blue Jackets | NHL suspends Matt Calvert one game
Blue Jackets forward Matt Calvert was handed a one-game suspension for his late-game cross-check and hit on Pittsburgh’s Tom Kuhnhackl in Friday’s Game 2.He will miss Game 3 Sunday night at Nationwide Arena.With 40 seconds remaining and the Penguins salting away a 4-1 victory at PPG Paints Arena, Calvert skated into Kuhnhackl’s path at center ice and cross-checked him, breaking his stick across… → Read More
Blue Jackets | Six takeaways from the Game 1 loss
The Blue Jackets sputtered offensively Wednesday in a 3-1 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins, falling behind 1-0 in their best-of-seven playoff series. Here → Read More
Blue Jackets expect Zach Werenski back for playoffs
The Blue Jackets expect rookie defenseman Zach Werenski to be back in their lineup when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin next week in Pittsburgh. Asked his → Read More
NHL | Blue Jackets 4, Devils 1 as Columbus secures playoff berth
NEWARK, N.J. – The Blue Jackets hit the century mark in the standings and secured the franchise’s third playoff berth in 16 seasons on → Read More
Blue Jackets close to signing Clarkson University player
The Blue Jackets are finalizing a two-year entry-level contract with unrestricted free agent center Sam Vigneault, according to a report by Canadian TV → Read More
Teen Blue Jackets fan funnels dog-business success into charity, season tickets
Three years ago, when Whitaker Noble started begging for Blue Jackets’ season tickets, his parents relied on a time-tested way of saying no to a 12- → Read More