All hail the Columbus Blue Jackets — the best team in the National Hockey League.

Swirl that around in your mouth for a time. Savour the bouquet of a vintage that has never before been uncorked.

Because as futile as that franchise has been since they and the Minnesota Wild began their duelling journeys of irrelevance back in 2000, that’s how good the Jackets are through the one-third mark of the 2016-17 season.

“Positive energy is spreading around the room. It spreads just like negative energy does,” discovered Blue Jackets defenceman Jack Johnson, in an interview with the Columbus Dispatch.

“We go into the third period feeling confident right now,” echoed centre Brandon Dubinsky. “Right now, it feels like we know we’re going to win the hockey game. Guys are composed. We keep our structure.”

Let’s face it: Through 15 seasons this franchise has made the playoffs twice — the appearances came five years apart — posting a playoff log of 10 games, two wins, and eight losses. But laugh no longer at this group, one that beat the Montreal Canadiens 10-0, a whipping so sound that Newsy Lalonde was issued a minus on the night.

Sure, the Jackets don’t have the most points in the NHL today. They are, in fact, sixth with 38 points — but they have played the least number of games in the league (26). So we go to the stats:

• The Jackets are the only team with a points percentage over .700 both at home (.750) and on the road (.708).

• Their points earned per game is tied with Montreal atop the NHL at 1.46, and Columbus is the only team that ranks in the top three in both goals for (3.31) and goals against (2.12) per game, ranking third in each category.

• Their power play (24.6%) was tops in the NHL heading into play Monday. They’re second to the Rangers in goal differential at plus-31.

And isn’t it fitting that their poster boy for revitalization is 27-year-old Sam Gagner, one of the earliest victims of the Edmonton Oilers‘ “blindfold rebuilds” who now leads the Jackets with 11 goals.

“Adversity is a good thing, if you can frame it the right way,” said Gagner, speaking for himself when he could really be speaking on behalf of a Blue Jackets franchise that sits 68 games below .500 through it’s decade and a half of existence.

“My work ethic really never wavered,” he said over the phone from Columbus, about to board the team charter for a three-game swing through Alberta and B.C. “The adversity over the last number of years has really helped.

“At the same time I’m on a good team, and it’s just about of finding a role on that team, and giving it some purpose.”

Gagner was named the NHL’s third star of the week on Monday after registering three goals and six points in the Jackets’ perfect 3-0 week. Columbus has won six straight and has gone 7-0-1 in its past eight games to improve to 17-5-4 on the season.

“I went through it in Edmonton. Even last year for Columbus was a tough year,” Gagner said of the constant losing that has pained this franchise. “You gain some confidence — we’ve got really good goaltending — and when we lose we put it behind us and move on.

“Torts has done a really good job of giving us time away from the rink and giving us rest, and when we come to the rink we’re ready to work.”

Of course, “Torts” is head coach John Tortorella who hopped right from the tire fire that was Team USA at the World Cup of Hockey into a Columbus team that has overachieved to the same degree. No one in hockey — least of all Columbus — saw this coming.

Credit goes to rookie defenceman Zach Werenski, this year’s Shayne Gostisbehere who has taken the NHL by storm with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) and a stunning 21:48 of ice time per game, third among rookies.

Add in pint-sized emerging right-winger Cam Atkinson (10-17-27) and 22 points each from Brandon Saad, Nick Foligno and Alexander Wennberg, and the Jackets are coming at you from all flanks.

“You play this game to win, and you go through those years where you’re out of the playoffs early. Yeah, it’s been real fun here,” Gagner said. “The thing with Torts is, you always know where you stand. There is never any guesswork. When you come back to the bench you know whether you had a good shift or a bad one.

“He’s really prepared. When you come to the rink you know exactly what the expectations are of you. If you work hard and do all the little things well, Torts rewards you.”

Thus far, his players have rewarded Tortorella in return.

All is quiet on the Blue Jackets’ front, for now. With Tortorella in command, however, that tends to change.