Blue Jackets' Biggest Regret - The Kopitar That Got Away

The Columbus Blue Jackets have made plenty of questionable decisions over their franchise history, but passing on Anze Kopitar in the draft stands out as a historically catastrophic miss that still stings decades later. Kopitar went on to become a generational talent and franchise cornerstone elsewhere, while the Blue Jackets' pick that year faded into obscurity. This is the kind of draft miss that defines a franchise's trajectory and serves as a cautionary tale about scouting and evaluation.