The Columbus Blue Jackets are staring at a problem that goes well beyond one draft weekend. Reports have already put Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski in the middle of the conversation, with both players likely not planning to re-sign when their contracts run out. For a franchise that has spent 25 years trying to build something lasting, that kind of news cuts straight to the core.
Werenski, fresh off his first Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman, is the best player the Blue Jackets have ever had. Marchenko just finished a 27-goal, 67-point season and looks like he’s only beginning to scratch the surface of what he can become. If Columbus loses both, the damage would be severe.
This is where the bigger issue comes into focus: winning. Teams that start stacking success change how players view them, and the Buffalo Sabres were held up as proof of that.
After 14 straight missed playoffs, they still saw stars ask out. Then this past season changed the conversation a bit.
Buffalo won the Atlantic Division and picked up its first playoff series win in nearly two decades, enough to get removed from some players’ no-trade lists.
Columbus has never reached that point. The Blue Jackets have never won their division, never finished second in the Metro, and have made the playoffs only six times in 25 seasons. Their most recent postseason appearance came in 2019-20, and their only playoff round victory remains the shocking upset of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019.
That lack of sustained success has consequences. The Sabres have one of the sport’s most respected fan bases, but even that didn’t stop players from wanting out before wins started to change the picture. Columbus has to reach that same turning point if it wants to keep its best talent from drifting away.
The draft has to be part of the answer, too, and not just in the obvious way. The Blue Jackets need to do a better job finding and developing high-end players.
They haven’t hit on enough of them to build a real contender. One possible path would be getting a huge return for Werenski.
Columbus should be able to land pieces that help the franchise over the long haul, even if losing the reigning Norris Trophy winner still stings.
Development matters just as much. Adam Fantilli needs to become a true superstar.
Kent Johnson has to take another step. Cayden Lindstrom, taken No. 4 overall in 2024, has not had promising early returns.
Jackson Smith and Oscar Hemming also need to make an impact in the near future.
That is the hard truth for Columbus: there isn’t a shortcut. The Blue Jackets have had trouble keeping stars, and they have not produced enough of their own.
Johnny Gaudreau might have filled that role, but tragedy took that chance away. He was also an exception, because elite players usually are not choosing Columbus on their own.
So the path forward stays the same, even if it is slow and unforgiving. The future is uncertain, the past has made the challenge clear, and winning remains the only thing that can change the culture.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Keep Jack Williams In The Mix For Crucial Center Depth
The Blue Jackets kept Jack Williams in the organizations plans by re-signing the restricted free agent center to a two-year, two-way contract extension at the start of summer development camp. Williams arrived in Columbus after his NCAA career at Northeastern, then spent last season with the Cleveland Monsters after getting into one NHL game the year before.
It is another sign the club still values his potential as center depth, especially with a player who has been developing inside the system and getting reps in the minors. Williams path back to Columbus is still a work in progress, but the new deal keeps him in the mix and gives the Blue Jackets another experienced option to monitor as camp and roster decisions continue. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Fans May Need To Brace For Boone Jenners Next Step
With July 1 getting closer, Boone Jenner still does not have a new contract in place, and that has become one of the more important questions hanging over the Blue Jackets offseason. Columbus has long leaned on its captain as a dependable center and a steadying presence, but the closer free agency gets, the more likely it is that Jenner tests the open market.
If he gets there, there should be no shortage of interest. Jenner would be one of the more appealing centers available, and league projections have already started to connect him with teams looking for help down the middle as they reshape their rosters. For the Blue Jackets, the uncertainty is less about whether Jenner will draw attention and more about how far the process may go before Columbus can figure out whether its captain is still part of the plan. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Suddenly Linked To A Franchise Shifting Werenski Pursuit
Zach Werenski has been attached to plenty of speculative trade chatter over the years, but the latest wave feels a little different because Dallas is now part of the conversation. The Stars are being linked not just to the Blue Jackets defenseman, but also to Dylan Larkin in Detroit, a pairing that immediately underscores how ambitious any such pursuit would be and how quickly it would ripple through the rest of the league.
For Columbus, the intrigue is less about the noise than the reality underneath it: Werenski is not an easy player to pry loose, and he still has years left on his extension. Any team serious about even exploring that kind of move would have to be willing to pay a steep price and navigate the kind of trade structure that usually lives more in theory than in practice, which is why this storyline is worth watching even before anything concrete emerges. [Read more 🡒]