The Columbus Blue Jackets seemingly came out of nowhere and were on the verge of tying one of the league's more impressive records -- most consecutive wins in a season. But with their loss Thursday to the Washington Capitals, the Blue Jackets fell one game short of winning 17 in a row, which would have equaled the mark set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins. Still, 16 straight is nothing to sneeze at.
So, just who are these guys and where did they come from? We've got the scoop. Listed with each player is his number, age, height, weight, shot, nationality, role and how he was obtained.
Forwards
No. 20 Brandon Saad 24 years old, 6-feet-1, 202 pounds, left-handed, American
Role: Goal scorer, first-line winger
Acquired with Alex Broadhurst and Michael Paliotta from Chicago Blackhawks for Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano, Jeremy Morin, Corey Tropp and a fourth-round pick in 2016 draft on June 30, 2015
No. 10 Alexander Wennberg, 22, 6-2, 196, L, Swedish
Role: First-line center, plays the point on first-unit power play
First-round pick, 14th overall, in 2013 draft
No. 71 Nick Foligno, 29, 6-0, 210, L, American
Role: Captain, first-line winger, first-unit power-play winger
Rights acquired from Ottawa Senators in exchange for Marc Methot on July 1, 2012
No. 38 Boone Jenner, 23, 6-2, 202, L, Canadian
Role: Power forward, second-line winger
Second-round pick, 37th overall, in 2011 draft
No. 17 Brandon Dubinsky, 30, 6-1, 210, L, American
Role: Primary faceoff center
Acquired with Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a first-round pick in the 2013 draft from New York Rangers for Rick Nash, Steven Delisle and a conditional third-round pick in 2013 draft on July 23, 2012
No. 13 Cam Atkinson, 27, 5-7, 173, R, American
Role: Goal scorer; first-unit power-play winger
Sixth-round pick, 157th overall, in 2008 draft
No. 11 Matt Calvert, 27, 5-10, 192, L, Canadian
Role: Gritty third-line winger
Fifth-round pick, 127th overall, in 2008 draft
No. 25 William Karlsson, 23, 6-0, 185, L, Swedish
Role: Secondary faceoff center
Acquired with Rene Bourque and a 2015 second-round pick from Anaheim Ducks for James Wisniewski and a 2015 third-round pick (Detroit's) on March 2, 2015
No. 34 Josh Anderson, 22, 6-3, 212, R, Canadian
Role: Third-line winger
Fourth-round pick, 95th overall, in 2012 draft
No. 43 Scott Hartnell, 34, 6-2, 210, L, Canadian
Role: Fourth-line scorer
Acquired in exchange for R.J. Umberger and a fourth-round pick in 2015 draft on June 23, 2014
No. 45 Lukas Sedlak, 23, 6-0, 207, L, Czech
Role: Fourth-line center
Sixth-round pick, 158th overall, at 2011 draft
No. 89 Sam Gagner, 27, 5-11, 202, R, Canadian
Role: Fourth-line scorer, first-unit power-play center
Signed as a free agent on Aug. 1
No. 33 Markus Hannikainen, 23, 6-2, 189, L, Finnish
Role: Fourth-line winger
Signed to a two-year entry-level contract on April 20, 2015
Defensemen
No. 8 Zach Werenski, 19, 6-2, 209, L, American
Role: Offensive defenseman, first-unit power-play quarterback
First-round pick, eighth overall, in 2015 draft
No. 3 Seth Jones, 22, 6-5, 210, R, American
Role: No. 1 defenseman
Acquired from Nashville Predators in exchange for Ryan Johansen on Jan. 6, 2016
No. 7 Jack Johnson, 29, 6-1, 231, L, American
Role: Defensive defenseman
Acquired with a first-round pick in the 2013 draft from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Jeff Carter on Feb. 23, 2012
No. 58 David Savard, 26, 6-2, 219, R, Canadian
Role: No. 1 shutdown defenseman
Fourth-round pick, 94th overall, in 2009 draft
No. 27 Ryan Murray, 23, 6-1, 201, L, Canadian
Role: Third-pairing defenseman
First-round pick, second overall, in 2012 draft
No. 65 Markus Nutivaara, 22, 6-0, 185, L, Finnish
Role: Third-pairing defenseman
Seventh-round pick, 189th overall, in 2015 draft
No. 54 Scott Harrington, 23, 6-2, 205, L, Canadian
Role: Third-pairing defenseman
Acquired from Toronto Maple Leafs with a conditional draft pick in exchange for Kerby Rychel on June 25, 2016
Goalies
No. 72 Sergei Bobrovsky, 28, 6-2, 190, L, Russian
Role: No. 1 goalie
Acquired from Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for second- and fourth-round picks in the 2012 draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2013 draft on June 22, 2012
No. 30 Curtis McElhinney, 33, 6-2, 207, L, Canadian
Role: Backup goalie
Acquired with a second-round pick (later traded to Philadelphia) in the 2012 draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2013 draft from Phoenix in exchange for Antoine Vermette on Feb. 22, 2012
Averages:
Weight: 206.6 pounds, Height: 6-feet-1.3, Age: 26.3