COLUMBUS, OHIO — Columbus Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness questioned his players' commitment to winning after the team's season-ending 2-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. The defeat left Columbus out of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.

"These guys, they don't care. Losing is not important enough to them. It doesn't bother them," Bowness said after the game. "You have to hate losing. I don't care if it's a meaningless game."

The Blue Jackets recorded just three hits and committed 23 giveaways in the loss to Washington. Columbus went 2-8-1 over its final 11 games of the season, and he said the team's performance declined under the pressure of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The club was officially eliminated from postseason contention when the Philadelphia Flyers secured third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Bowness came out of retirement to replace Dean Evason as head coach on January 12 and posted a 10-1-0 record in his first 11 games behind the bench. The Blue Jackets finished the season with a 40-30-12 record and a .561 points percentage but fell short of a playoff berth.

The franchise has not qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2020. Since entering the league in the 2000-01 season, the Blue Jackets have advanced past the first round of the playoffs only once.

He said he would discuss his future as head coach with general manager Don Waddell. "I don't know if I'm back, but if I'm back, I'm changing this culture," he said.