On February 12, 2013, the Blue Jackets fired general manager Scott Howson after years of disappointing hockey in Columbus.[3] On February 13, Jarmo Kekalainen was hired as his replacement.[4] With his hiring, Kekalainen became the first European GM in NHL history.[5] The team picked up steam after the change at general manager, going 20–10–5 to end the season just narrowly missing out on a playoff spot.
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Blue Jackets. Stats reflect time with the Blue Jackets only.
‡Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record
Pick 30 – Los Angeles will send its first-round pick in the 2012 or 2013 NHL Draft to Columbus, at Columbus' option.
The Blue Jackets' fourth-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as the result of a November 8, 2011, trade that sent Mark Letestu to the Blue Jackets in exchange for this pick.
b The Vancouver Canucks fourth-round pick went to the Columbus Blue Jackets as a result of a February 27, 2012, trade that sent Samuel Pahlsson to the Canucks in exchange for this pick.
The Blue Jackets' fifth-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a June 29, 2011, trade that sent James Wisniewski to the Blue Jackets in exchange for this conditional pick (fifth round if Blue Jackets re-sign Wisniewski, else seventh round).