The Columbus Blue Jackets are not standing pat this summer.
GM Don Waddell has made clear through multiple conversations with media and insiders that the organization's first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft is available if the right deal presents itself.
The Blue Jackets are open to trading their first-round selection, which is projected at No. 14 overall heading into the May 5 lottery.
The willingness to move that pick is not new information exactly, as Waddell told Mark Scheig of The ...
Erik Gudbranson is among the most notable pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) on the Columbus Blue Jackets. If the Blue Jackets end up not re-signing him, he should be a pretty popular target as a free agent on July 1. Due to this, let's look at three teams that could sign Gudbranson this summer if he ends up hitting the market. Florida Panthers Could the Panthers reunite with Gudbranson? When looking at their roster, it is clear that they could use more experienced depth...
Selected 3rd overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Columbus Blue Jackets have found a piece to build their future around in Adam Fantilli . This season, he's played 82 regular-season games for the Blue Jackets, scoring 59 points (24-35) as the team's top-line center. Fantilli's development has ticked upward every year since he arrived in Columbus, proving that the choice of Fantilli was right. During the 2024-25 season, he scored 57 points, and in 2023-24 scored 27 points. ...
The Columbus Blue Jackets have some notable free agents on the docket this offseason, and it sounds like they want to bring most of them back. From captain Boone Jenner to newcomers this season in Charlie Coyle and Mason Marchment, to defenseman Erik Gudbranson, they'll have some decisions to make. But according to insider Elliotte Friedman, speaking on NHL Morning Skate on NHL Network Radio on SiriusXM, he projects the Jackets will likely lose at least one of those UFAs—whether th...
The Columbus Blue Jackets traded forward Egor Chinakhov to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the end of December. The Blue Jackets let Chinakhov languish in the bottom-six, and at times was a healthy scratch. The 21st overall selection in 2020 has skyrocketed in production after being placed under the leadership of head coach Dan Muse. In the last 43 games of his career, he's scored 36 points (18-18), being given the responsibility as a top-nine forward in the Penguins' lineup. A s...
Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness went viral last week for his now-infamous rant in which he tore his team to shreds for their performance down the stretch. But after re-upping for another go-round with the Jackets , he will be back. Bowness appeared on The Fan Hockey Show on Tuesday to discuss not only his return behind the bench in Columbus, but yes, also to reveal what went into his Rant — and to essentially double-down on it. For some players , anyway. There's nothing wro...
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced on April 16 that head coach Rick Bowness has signed a one-year contract extension, returning for the 2026-27 season.
That is a significant item crossed off GM Don Waddell's list, and it clears the way for him to focus on what is shaping up to be one of the more complicated offseasons in recent franchise history.
Bowness did not go quietly into the summer. After a season-ending 2-1 loss to Washington that knocked Columbus out of playoff contention for the...
The Toronto Maple Leafs were looking to make a move but the Columbus Blue Jackets weren't interested. Reports have surfaced stating the Maple Leafs were looking to trade Nick Robertson heading into this season and reached out to the Blue Jackets for Yegor Chinakhov, but Columbus wasn't sold that Robertson was the move. Siegel/Johnston/Mirtle: At one point, the Leafs discussed a Nick Robertson for Egor Chinakhov swap with the Blue Jackets, but their offers fell short - The Athletic (4/15) The B...
Here are your Pens Points for this Friday morning… In an alternate universe, Egor Chinakhov might be wearing blue and white and playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs reportedly tried to trade for Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets, including discussions around a swap involving Nick Robertson. They couldn’t finalize a deal before […]
The NHL released its 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule today with the Edmonton Oilers’ playoff position up in the air ahead of tonight’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks. Teams in the top three seeds of each division have received the start date of their first-round playoff schedule Thursday. However, the Pacific Division still remains almost…
It was one of the all-time epic coaching rants. In an exceptionally emotional postgame news conference after the Columbus Blue Jackets' season finale, Rick Bowness absolutely tore into his players . Now, he will be rewarded for his honesty and emotion, as the Blue Jackets have confirmed that the head coach will be re-signed to a new deal. Rick Bowness and Don Waddell are meeting the media at 2ET Expect am extension announcement for Bowness He will return as head coach of the Blue Jackets...
Everyone in Washington, and around the hockey world, wants to know if Alex Ovechkin played his final NHL game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Capitals' season finale Tuesday night. He was asked the question on Thursday morning. And his answer, while not the exact response we've all been hoping for, certainly dropped a strong hint: “I’m pretty sure it’s not my last game. I hope it’s not my last game, against Columbus.”—Alex Ovechkin in his final media availability of the 2025-26 season...
The NHL regular season wrapped on Wednesday night. Unfortunately for hockey fans around central Ohio, the Columbus Blue Jackets fell just short of making the postseason for the first time since the 2019-20 season where the playoffs were held in the bubble. This marks the second straight season where the Blue Jackets were officially eliminated […]
The Athletic had a tremendous piece about the dreadful season that Toronto endured off the ice this year and the organizational problems from top to bottom that have turned the top team that Kyle Dubas built into one of chaos and dysfunction. The whole thing is wildly entertaining as an outside observers to watch the […]
It was just a few weeks ago that there were talks about Rick Bowness potentially being a coach of the year candidate for the job he did in taking over the Columbus Blue Jackets mid-season and pulling them up from the bottom of the standings into second place in the Metropolitan Division at one point last month. But needless to say, things have imploded. A 2-7-1 late-season collapse, including six straight losses on home ice, left them well back of a Wild Card spot and has, to put it ligh...
After a big collapse during the final stretch of the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have officially missed the playoffs for the sixth year in a row. This is certainly tough news for Columbus, and they now have several questions heading into the summer. Mason Marchment is one of their top pending UFAs. Given how well he fit in following being acquired by the Blue Jackets, it would make sense if they tried to extend him. However, if he ends up hitting the free-agent market, look for these thr...
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed former University of Denver defenseman Boston Buckberger to a two-year entry-level contract beginning with the 2026-27 season, GM Don Waddell announced. Buckberger isn't a name that ever dominated draft boards (he went undrafted), but he spent three seasons quietly building a case that someone was going to sign him, and Columbus had been watching closely. He attended the Blue Jackets' development camp in July 2025, was re-invited to training camp that fall...
The Columbus Blue Jackets' push for a playoff spot is officially over, as they have officially been eliminated from contention. Now, they are facing a big offseason and have multiple pending UFAs. One of them is Charlie Coyle, who has 20 goals and 58 points in 81 games this season. If Coyle ends up not re-signing with the Blue Jackets and tests the market after his strong campaign, he will generate plenty of interest. Due to this, let's look at three teams that could target Coyle if he b...
Another Michigan Wolverines senior has found himself an NHL deal, as 24-year-old Minnesota native Josh Eernisse has signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets for next season. #CBJ NEWS (in-game edition): The Blue Jackets have signed former @umichhockey forward Josh Eernisse to a one-year, entry level contract for the 2026-27 season. The 6-3 forward previously signed a PTO earlier today for this season with @monstershockey https://t.co/efIlhK9jz6 — Jeff Svoboda (@Ja...
A few days ago, we had Saturday circled as the ‘make or break’ day as far as finding out who the Penguins would likely be playing in the first round of the playoffs. Philadelphia was one point up on the NY Islanders and Saturday would see the Flyers play the Winnipeg Jets and NYI take […]
As most of you know, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend Winter Warmup as a reporter. Last year, I used that experience to write several season previews. Due to the late start of the top 20 prospect series (caused by waiting for Brendan Donovan to be traded), my Winter Warmup stories have […]
Boone Jenner is one of the Columbus Blue Jackets' top pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) heading into the summer. It would be understandable if they looked to keep him around, as he is their captain and a key part of their group. However, if he ends up hitting the market this summer, several teams should look to sign him. Because of this, let's look at three teams that could look to sign Jenner this summer if he does not sign an extension with Columbus. Edmonton Oilers The Oilers ne...
Welcome to the last road game of the regular season, folks! The B’s are back in Columbus for the second time in two Sundays, the last of which was a wild comeback win in favor of the visitors. Since then, things haven’t gone terribly well for the B’s, but…hey, they’re in the playoffs! That’s what […]
After a very disappointing effort last night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, it turned out to be worse than just a loss for the Montreal Canadiens. This morning, they’ve announced that Noah Dobson will be out for at least two weeks with an upper-body injury.
Le défenseur Noah Dobson a subi une blessure au haut du corps et sera réévalué dans deux semaines. Defenseman Noah Dobson sustained an upper-body injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. pic.twitter.com/KjjNY6hcXJ — x – ...
The Montreal Canadiens are heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs without one of their best defenceman. During the Canadiens matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday night, Dobson didn't come out for the third period, and the alarm bells came on across the organization. Dobson took a shot off his hand during the second period against the Blue Jackets and is reportedly going to miss a couple of weeks, which means he won't be available for the first half of the first round of the playof...