Columbus

The Weekly Dis

The Crew will soon replace Jacen Russell-Rowe with an incoming transfer

Michael Arace

31 Jan 2026 — 7 min read

It has been so cold that Mrs. Arace stopped going outside to fill the bird feeders — instead, she just opens windows and flings the seeds into the snow. This way, both our avian friends and our power company can be happy. Meanwhile, the Crew returned to the dome that covers Historic Crew Stadium in the wintertime. Considering it was 12 degrees outside when this photo was taken, it was actually quite comfortable inside the inflatable. The lads head back to Florida Sunday, when they'll fly to Palm Beach for 10 days of training and scrimmages.

The first Disrespected live event will be on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, because what the world needs now is love, Dis love. It'll be at RBar in the Arena District beginning at 2 p.m., ahead of a Team USA Olympic hockey game. I'll be buying a few beers, but not too many. There will be a raffle, some branded merch for sale, and a podcast going on. Come say hello to me and gather with kindred spirits. I'm driving toward a landmark subscriber number, and I need your help.

Gamalamadingdong

The Crew are closing in on a deal for a forward to replace Jacen Russell-Rowe on the roster. Look for an official announcement on an incoming transfer early in the week.

The Crew are holding more than $6 million in General Allocation Money (GAM, aka "Garber Bucks"). If you understand exactly how GAM works, you should be working for the IMF.

Anyway, per a source, the Crew are trading GAM for a forward.

I threw some lines out, but I could not determine from whence the forward will income. I just know the deal is not with the LA Galaxy (who have a glut of forwards).

Two other teams with more than five center-forwards on their rosters: the Philadelphia Union and the Cincinnati FCs.

Russell-Rowe is in the process of being transferred to Toulouse of France's Ligue 1, as the Athletic's Tom Bogert reported Thursday afternoon. Bogert's numbers (see below) are spot-on. As of Friday afternoon, it was only a matter of getting the paperwork done.

🇨🇦 BREAKING: Toulouse FC is finalizing a deal to sign Canada int’l forward Jacen Russell-Rowe from the Columbus Crew, per sources. Fee around $2.5m + add ons + sell-on clause. JRR was out of contract at end of year. He wanted move to Europe and is getting it. www.nytimes.com/athletic/700...
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-01-29T21:23:06.706Z

Sweatah weathah

Blue Jackets center Charlie Coyle had the kind of weeklong stretch that any athlete – pee-wee, Little Leaguer, high schooler, beer leaguer, professional, esports, whatever – can only dream of. All that was missing was a championship, which is a thing around here.

On Thursday the 22nd, Coyle skated in his 1,000th career game. The Jackets beat Dallas 1-0 at Nationwide Arena.

Two days later, Coyle scored his 200th career goal and added two assists in an 8-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nationwide Arena.

Monday, the Jackets scheduled the requisite pre-game ceremony to celebrate Coyle's 1,000th. It's an NHL rite. But their game against LA Kings was postponed due to a snow emergency – which was just fine with Coyle because he got to spend a long weekend with his extended family in town.

Wednesday, the Jackets staged the ceremony for Coyle's 1,000th. Coyle got the traditional silver stick and other gifts, including the obligatory Rolex from his teammates. (See Jumbotron photo gallery below.) Coyle was mic'd up for TNT's national telecast. He scored 38 seconds into the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers. He added an assist in what became a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

In the post-game, Coyle said he was glad it was all over. He was looking forward to a return to some kind of normalcy. Then, he was asked: When will he think about that ceremony and replay it in his mind? Or on his phone?

"I'll probably replay some stuff tonight," Coyle said. "Over time, looking back over your career, maybe (watch it). Showing our kids when they get older – I think that will be special. Getting to hold my daughter during it. When she gets older, she gets to see that. Then, my other daughter, who's in my wife's stomach – she'll be popping out soon – and when she's older, she can see where she was during that. Just little things. That'll be cool to show the kids."

Saturday night, Coyle potted a hat trick as the Jackets beat the Blackhawks 4-2 in Chicago.

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy or a classier pro. Pretty freaking good player, too.

Wednesday night, the CBJ had a pre-game ceremony to celebrate Charlie Coyle's 1000th NHL game. Jumbotron coverage: Silver stick, chrystal thingy, painting, Rolex, goal.

Posts

Monday:

Rick Bowness replaced Dean Evason as Jackets coach on Jan. 12. And they started winning.

What the Jackets are doing is fun again. They can feel it. They've played well, by and large, for about a month – they're 10-5-1 since Dec. 20. They're some pelts on the wall. For good or ill, it doesn't look like they're going to quit.

We also take a trip down memory lane with Derek Dorsett and three other Jackets alumni in another edition of the 25th anniversary diaries.

Dorsett is priceless.

Wednesday:

Here, a profile of Crew striker Wessam Abou Ali, whose 2025 season was cut short by a fractured ankle.

There is great depth to Wessam Abou Ali. A lot is going on in that fertile brain. Yet his professional focus is sharp: He admires Crew GM Issa Tall, is excited to play for Rydström, and is ready to go trophy-hunting with his Crew teammates. To that end, a golden boot might help considerably.

Wessam Abou Ali knows exactly who he is and what he wants to do.

He has survived a heart attack, which clarifies things.

This dude has gravitas.

In the lede to the Abou Ali piece, I teased a video of a one-on-one I did with him in Florida while the Crew were in Florida earlier this month. To some degree, I bollixed the interview by getting wrong some critical facts wrong. While Abou Ali was gracious in his gentle corrections, he was happy to be free of this conversation. "My God," he said as he rose to leave.

Here's the video:

My podcasts, "The Crewcible" and "Cannon Balls," can be found at Spotify and Apple Podcasts, among other platforms. Like, subscribe, share, review, etc. It helps support local, independent media.

Friday:

Evason got fired in part because his team was a third-period meltdown machine. Enter Bowness, who has cleared the Jackets' esophageal airway.

Here's Coyle:

"Bones is talking a lot. He's saying, 'Hey, we've still got a great game here, and it can be our game. Let's go out and do it the right way.'

"And we do. We make a great play. And we finish it off, hold the fort down. But it's great for the confidence in the way we play. What we do when we get scored on – bad turnover or whatever it is – how do we come back the next shift? Play the game the right way to swing momentum. And we've been doing that a lot lately."

The Jackets raised their record to 7-1 under Bowness after Coyle's hat trick in Chicago Saturday night. Prior to the game, my old Fodder partner Aaron Portzline from The Athletic sat down to talk about a host of subjects – the Bowness Bump, GM Don Waddell's trade deadline conundrum, the Jackets' playoff chances, the greatness of Zach Werenski and much, much more. Check it out. Good radio (and questionable video) here.

I say again: My podcasts, "The Crewcible" and "Cannon Balls," are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, among other platforms. Like, subscribe, share, review, etc. It helps support local, independent media.

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