2012–13 Columbus Blue Jackets season
The 2012–13 Columbus Blue Jackets season was the 13th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 25, 1997. The regular season was reduced from its usual 82 games to 48 due to a lockout.
Despite a big improvement, the Blue Jackets failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Off-season
Regular season
On February 12, 2013, the Blue Jackets fired general manager Scott Howson after years of disappointing hockey in Columbus. On February 13, Jarmo Kekalainen was hired as his replacement. With his hiring, Kekalainen became the first European GM in NHL history. 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.Standings
Schedule and results
Player statistics
Final stats;Skaters
;Goaltenders
†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
Awards and records
Awards
Transactions
The Blue Jackets have been involved in the following transactions during the 2012–13 season.Trades
| June 22, 2012 | To Philadelphia Flyers 2nd-round pick in 2012 4th-round pick in 2012 4th-round pick in 2013 | To Columbus Blue Jackets Sergei Bobrovsky |
| July 1, 2012 | To Ottawa Senators Marc Methot | To Columbus Blue Jackets Nick Foligno |
| July 23, 2012 | To New York Rangers Rick Nash Steven Delisle Conditional 3rd-round pick in 2013 | To Columbus Blue Jackets Artem Anisimov Brandon Dubinsky Tim Erixon 1st-round pick in 2013 |
| March 10, 2013 | To Winnipeg Jets Tomas Kubalik | To Columbus Blue Jackets Spencer Machacek |
| March 12, 2013 | To Philadelphia Flyers Future considerations | To Columbus Blue Jackets Matthew Ford |
| April 3, 2013 | To New York Rangers Derick Brassard Derek Dorsett John Moore 6th-round pick in 2014 | To Columbus Blue Jackets Marian Gaborik Steven Delisle Blake Parlett |
| April 3, 2013 | To Philadelphia Flyers Steve Mason | To Columbus Blue Jackets Michael Leighton 3rd-round pick in 2015 |
| April 3, 2013 | To Calgary Flames 5th-round pick in 2013 | To Columbus Blue Jackets Blake Comeau |
| April 3, 2013 | To Pittsburgh Penguins Future considerations | To Columbus Blue Jackets Patrick Killeen |
Free agents signed
Free agents lost
Claimed via waivers
Lost via waivers
Lost via retirement
Player signings
2012 Draft picks
Columbus' picks at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
| 1 | 2 | Ryan Murray | D | Canada | Everett Silvertips |
| 2 | 31 | Oscar Dansk | G | Sweden | Brynas IF |
| 3 | 62 | Joonas Korpisalo | G | Finland | Jokerit U20 |
| 4 | 95 | Josh Anderson | RW | Canada | London Knights |
| 6 | 152 | Daniel Zaar | RW | Sweden | Rogle BK Jr. |
| 7 | 182 | Gianluca Curcuruto | D | Canada | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds |
;Draft notes
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.
- 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.