The Blue Jackets now know when they’ll welcome fans back to Nationwide for the first time in 2026-27, and the date comes quickly. Columbus is set to host the Buffalo Sabres in its home opener just two days after the NHL opens the regular season on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
The league announced the home opener dates for all 32 teams on July 15, 2026, along with the news that the 2026-27 regular season will expand to 84 games. That added workload comes with two more divisional matchups per team, and it also pushes the start of the season into September for the first time in this setup.
For the Blue Jackets, that means a quicker turnaround than last year. They opened the 2025-26 season in Nashville on October 9, which was eight days later than their projected start this time around.
The full schedule is set to be released tomorrow, so there’s still a small question here: does the Buffalo game serve only as the home opener, or is it also the season opener? At first glance, it looks like it could be both, unless the league decides to stack back-to-back starts to open the year.
The new 84-game format changes the rhythm across the league. Each team will play four games against divisional opponents, three against the rest of its conference, and two against every team from the other conference. To make room for those extra games, the preseason has been trimmed to four contests per club.
That shorter exhibition slate should be a welcome change for season-ticket holders, who are required to include those games in their package.
As for the opponent, Buffalo looks like a sturdy early test. The Sabres finished last season with 50 wins and 109 points, good for fourth in the NHL. They then won the Atlantic Division, beat the Boston Bruins 4 games to 2 in the first round, and eventually fell in a hard-fought second-round series against the Montreal Canadiens, ending with a game 7 overtime winner from Alex Newhook.
It’s the kind of jump the Blue Jackets would love to make themselves. If they’re going to take a step in that direction, starting the year by knocking off a team like Buffalo would be a strong first marker.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets 2026-27 Schedule Is Out And Fans Will Notice One Thing
The NHL has finally put the 2026-27 slate on the board, and for Columbus it comes with the sort of shape fans usually scan for first: a balanced 84-game schedule, a home opener against Buffalo on Oct. 1, 2026, and an early run that should keep the Blue Jackets around Nationwide Arena often enough to settle in quickly. The leagues calendar also folds in the usual showcase dates and international stops, but for Columbus the more practical takeaway is a season built with a steady mix of divisional, conference and inter-conference games.
There are still plenty of details that will matter once the roster is set, because the schedule is not exactly forgiving in spots. Columbus drew 13 back-to-backs, a season-high five-game homestand in February and March, and a handful of other quirks that will test depth over the long haul, all while Don Waddell still has work to do on the roster and the farm system before opening night arrives. For a team trying to take the next step, the calendar is out now, but the real questions are still waiting to be answered. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Face One Huge Question About Whether This Core Is Enough
The late-season collapse that sent Columbus home early has left a familiar question hanging over the Blue Jackets: is this core actually ready to take the next step, or was the improvement under Rick Bowness just a promising stretch that still needs more proof? There were real signs of progress after the coaching change, with the team playing better and getting more from its lineup depth, while Jet Greaves emerged in goal and gave the club a different kind of stability.
Even so, the uncertainty around key pieces only sharpens the pressure on what comes next. With offensive support from players like Adam Fantilli and other young contributors, the Jackets have enough reason to believe they can push back into the playoff mix, but belief only goes so far if the roster cannot hold together and the confidence that carried them late in the year starts to fade. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Prospect Jordan Dumais Is Suddenly At A Dangerous Crossroads
Jordan Dumais arrived in the Blue Jackets system with plenty of intrigue after Columbus took him in the 2022 draft, and for a while his offensive touch looked like it would translate quickly. He was a high-end CHL scorer, the kind of prospect who could force his way onto the radar with skill and pace, but the move to the AHL has been far less smooth as injuries and other issues have chipped away at his momentum.
The concern now is less about what Dumais once was and more about how much runway he has left to reestablish himself. His production has been limited at the pro level, and he was out of the lineup at the end of the AHL season and again during the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs, a reminder that his path has become far more complicated than anyone expected when he was drafted. [Read more 🡒]