SAN JOSE, Calif. — With 33 games left in the season and a nine-point gap between the 30th-place Blue Jackets and the rest of the NHL, the remainder of the season would appear to hold little on-ice intrigue.

Off the ice, it’s a different story.

The Blue Jackets are one club that bears watching over the next four weeks, leading up to the NHL’s trade deadline on Feb. 27, when a flurry of trades could dramatically change the roster. Even after the deadline, the Blue Jackets are a compelling bunch, if only to see how they plan to move forward.

Here are five storylines to follow between now and the season finale on April 7.

  Nuclear option

Owner John P. McConnell last week didn’t sound entirely against the idea of gutting the roster and embarking on a rebuilding plan that could take two, three or four years.

“I cringe less now than I did two months ago,” he said. Asked if that direction would need to be committed to before Feb. 27, McConnell said, “Probably, yes.”

It still seems unlikely such a drastic option will be the Jackets’ course. Team president Mike Priest and general manager Scott Howson appear to favor a much less aggressive tack, opting to make two or three significant moves rather than a clean sweep.

The safe bet is that four to six players, including the Blue Jackets’ unrestricted free agents, are sent packing via trades. In this group are forwards Vinny Prospal, Sammy Pahlsson, Derek MacKenzie and Kristian Huselius (injured), defenseman Brett Lebda and goaltender Curtis Sanford.

  Priest and Howson

Priest and Howson are in their fifth seasons atop management, and the two have delivered only one playoff appearance (a first-round series sweep in 2009) despite soaring payroll. Senior adviser Craig Patrick looms over the proceedings, giving the Blue Jackets a qualified in-house candidate to ascend to either job.

McConnell has said that Priest should bear no responsibility for the Blue Jackets’ state and that he sees Howson as the general manager heading into next season. He also made it clear that Patrick was hired to bring much-needed experience to the front office, not to be groomed as somebody’s replacement.

If Priest and Howson remain in place through Feb. 27, it would seem to increase the likelihood that they will stay at least another season.

  Where goes Carter?

Barely six months ago, the arrival of Jeff Carter was deemed a historic day — the long-needed running mate for captain Rick Nash, the end of the franchise’s chasm at center and a 40-goal jolt to an anemic offense.

It is hard to fathom that the club would already seek to trade him, but multiple NHL sources say that is the reality.

Carter’s contract won’t be easy to trade, more for the term (10 more seasons) than the salary-cap hit ($5.27 million). He currently is recovering from a shoulder injury. But even when healthy, he and Nash never clicked or enhanced each other’s play. Also, there seems to be no passion or sense of urgency to Carter’s play.

The Blue Jackets traded winger Jake Voracek and the No. 8 overall pick in last summer’s draft to get Carter from Philadelphia. They had better be resigned to getting less than that in return.

  What about Mason?

It has been more than 2½ seasons since Steve Mason played like a franchise goaltender and carried the Blue Jackets to the Stanley Cup playoffs. He has been one of the NHL’s worst goaltenders statistically since.

Is it Mason’s fault entirely? Is it the Blue Jackets’ fault for not developing him properly? Is it the loose, unpredictable play in front of Mason? The answer is probably a measure of all three. But the burning question with Mason is whether his career can be salvaged or if he is a one-hit wonder.

Either way, his time in Columbus, even with a year left on his contract, probably is finished.

The Blue Jackets will do everything they can, sources say, to give both them and Mason a fresh start. It could come before the trade deadline if they find a taker, or it could happen in the offseason.

  Youth movement

The Blue Jackets have carried two rookies with them for most of the season, forward Ryan Johansen and defenseman John Moore.

Down the stretch, with no playoffs to pursue, look for Johansen to shift to his natural position, center. Moore, who quietly has had a good debut season, could see more minutes. Another rookie, left winger Ryan Russell, has impressed management and could stick in a third-line role.

But what about the rest of the prospects, such as right winger Cam Atkinson, whose 23 goals for Springfield are tied for the most in the American Hockey League? He played in the AHL All-Star Game last night in Atlantic City, N.J.

Others who could see a prolonged look are forwards Tomas Kubalik, Dane Byers, Maksim Mayorov and Andrew Joudrey, and defensemen David Savard and Nick Holden.

Also, prospect center Boone Jenner could see time in Columbus late in the season if his junior club, Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League, doesn’t qualify for the playoffs.

aportzline@dispatch.com