off-season, star forward Pierre-Luc Dubois signed a two-year extension with the Blue Jackets but would later request a trade from the team. The shortened 2020–21 season saw the Blue Jackets placed in the Central Division, under the NHL's realigned divisions as part of its COVID-19 policies. After being benched for the second and third periods in what would end up being his last game with the team on January 21, 2021, Dubois and a 2022 third-round pick were traded to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for left winger Patrik Laine and Columbus native Jack Roslovic on January 23. Veteran players David Savard and captain Nick Foligno would also be traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively. The team continued to struggle and finished last in their division, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Subsequently, it was announced that Tortorella and the Blue Jackets were mutually parting ways after six seasons. Rebuilding (2021–present) Following the departures of Tortorella and of key players in the past few seasons, the Blue Jackets seemed headed into another "rebuild," starting with the promotion of assistant coach Brad Larsen to head coach on June 10, 2021. Seth Jones would then be traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenceman Adam Boqvist and a 2021 first-round pick (Cole Sillinger), and Cam Atkinson to the Philadelphia Flyers for former first-round pick Jakub Voracek. Other notable off-season signings were 2020 first-round pick Yegor Chinakhov, forward Sean Kuraly from the Boston Bruins, and defenceman Jake Bean from the Carolina Hurricanes. The 2021–22 season saw the Blue Jackets return to the Metropolitan Division as the NHL reverted to its 82-game regular season. In their season-opening game against the Arizona Coyotes, the team honored backup goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks, who had tragically died in a fireworks accident during the off-season, on July 4, 2021. They raised his number to hang inside Nationwide Arena for the duration of the season. His family also performed a ceremonial puck drop and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins was allowed to wear #80 during said game. They had also established the Matiss Kivlenieks Memorial Fund in his memory in order to promote the growth of hockey in Columbus and his homeland of Latvia. On October 12, 2021, Boone Jenner was named the seventh captain in franchise history. Under his captaincy, the Blue Jackets started their season with a strong