The Columbus Blue Jackets spent most of the 2026 offseason in the middle of the noise, and not the good kind. Names were flying around, contracts dragged on, and for a while it looked like nearly every major storyline in Columbus came with a headache attached.
Zach Werenski’s situation was one of the biggest. His name was in trade talk before he ultimately vetoed a deal to the Dallas Stars.
Adam Fantilli’s contract lingered for far too long. Elvis Merzlikins had offseason shoulder surgery, which only raised more questions about his future and the crease behind him.
Cole Sillinger and Jet Greaves also needed new deals. Even Kirill Marchenko’s situation became part of the chaos, and it overshadowed Oscar Hemming’s moment at the NHL Draft.
GM Don Waddell kept saying the right things to the media as all of that unfolded, but the real work often didn’t get done until the final minute. From the outside, it was messy. From the inside, it was probably even messier.
And yet, here the Blue Jackets are on opening day of the 2026-27 season with something they haven’t always had: a young core that’s actually locked in.
That’s the biggest takeaway from the whole ordeal. Not the rumors.
Not the delays. Not the drama.
The end result.
Adam Fantilli is now signed for six years, including two of his UFA years, and he’s still only 11 days away from turning 22 as of this writing. Charlie Coyle also committed for six years after liking the direction the team was heading. Matthew Knies came back the other way after Waddell turned Marchenko into another foundational piece, and Knies is in at five years with a $7.75 million AAV per season.
Sillinger and Greaves each landed three-year deals at what the source describes as fair numbers. Both still have something to prove, and both still carry the sense that there’s more in the tank. Valeri Nichushkin was also brought in during the offseason and has four years left.
There’s more security beyond that, too. Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson are locked up long-term.
Mathieu Olivier is signed for the long haul. Denton Mateychuk is viewed as a major part of the future, and there have already been some early talks about a long-term extension.
Werenski remains the biggest name still hanging in the balance, even if the situation is better than it once looked. He’s under contract for two more seasons, and he can’t sign an extension until July 1, 2027.
He’s said he wants to win in Columbus, and if he believes that can happen, the source suggests he’ll re-sign. His decision to turn down Dallas says plenty on its own.
Kent Johnson is another player who could change the look of this group. Last season was interrupted by a lingering lower-body injury that kept him from training fully and clearly affected his play.
He says he’s 100% heading into this season and has put the weight back on that he lost. He looked fast and skilled in camp, and a line with Fantilli and Knies could give him a real chance to bounce back.
But for all the progress in the front office and contract department, the Blue Jackets still have work to do on the ice. They are not being handed contender status just because the offseason ended better than it began.
They also won’t be at full strength to start. Severson won’t play in the opener.
Provorov is dealing with an injury after blocking a shot in the last preseason game in Detroit. Fabbro has a broken bone in his hand and will miss a few weeks or more.
Rick Bowness is only beginning the part of the job he came in promising to do: change the culture. One early sign was his choice not to name a captain this season and instead rotate the alternate captain letters among several players.
So Thursday night isn’t really about whether the Blue Jackets are already there. The season will answer that soon enough. It’s about whether this is finally the roster they can build around without having to keep ripping it apart.
That’s a major shift for a team that has spent too much of the recent past selling potential only to watch that potential eventually want out. This time, the Blue Jackets moved Marchenko while he still had time left on his deal and was willing to play it out. They handed the keys to the younger players who are supposed to be here when the games matter most.
The offseason began with chaos. The season begins with a more stable core, one that looks like it’s staying together for years. Now the task is simple enough to say and hard enough to do: start winning.
If they get off to a strong start in October, everything else can follow. And with this team, one thing is already certain - it won’t be boring.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Nearly Missed A Trade That Could Change Everything
The Blue Jackets were working right up against the clock before the 2026-27 regular season, and the trade deadline day finish reflected just how close the situation came to slipping away. Columbus sent Kirill Marchenko and Elvis Merzlikins to Toronto for Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz and a 2027 draft pick, with the deal finally getting wrapped up late and the roster moves completed within seconds.
General manager Don Waddell said the discussions had been building for weeks before the sides reached the point where a move had to be made. For Columbus, the appeal went beyond the names changing hands, because a deal involving two established players and a future pick can reshape both the present roster and the long-term plan. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Open The Season With A Defensive Problem They Didn't Need
The Blue Jackets are heading into the season opener already short on the blue line, with Damon Severson and Dante Fabbro also dealing with injuries. It has left Columbus scrambling to piece together a defensive group for the matchup with the Buffalo Sabres, a less-than-ideal start for a team trying to set a tone early.
Ivan Provorovs absence is the biggest concern, since the veteran defenseman is out week-to-week after a lower-body injury in the final preseason game. For Columbus, the timing stings even more because it strips away one of its most reliable defense options before the first puck drop, adding another layer of uncertainty to a lineup that suddenly looks thinner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Lose A Crucial Constant At The Worst Time
The Blue Jackets are already navigating a thin blue line, and the timing got worse when Ivan Provorov was placed on injured reserve after an ankle injury suffered in the final preseason game. It is the first time in his 10-year NHL career that Provorov will miss a game because of injury, a notable setback for a player who has been one of the steadier constants on Columbus defense.
Columbus now has to keep reshuffling without one of its most dependable pieces, with three top-6 defensemen on injured reserve and the lineup being adjusted on the fly. The immediate concern is depth, but the larger issue is how long the Jackets can keep patching things together before the strain shows up in games that already matter. [Read more 🡒]