The Blue Jackets have answered the last big roster question for next season, and it keeps a familiar face in place.
At his press conference this afternoon, GM Don Waddell said the team will re-sign defenseman Erik Gudbranson. That decision gives Columbus the same seven defensemen back from last season: Zach Werenski, Damon Severson, Ivan Provorov, Denton Mateychuk, Dante Fabbro, Jake Christiansen and Gudbranson.
If the team also gets its remaining RFAs - Adam Fantilli, Cole Sillinger and Jet Greaves - then the 2026-27 roster is basically set. Columbus already has 11 forwards on NHL-only contracts and one goaltender, Elvis Merzlikins.
Add Gudbranson back in, and the Jackets sit at 22 bodies, again assuming those RFAs return. That would leave one open roster spot for another forward or defenseman, likely someone coming from the Cleveland Monsters.
For Columbus, Gudbranson was the clearest fit to finish the blue line. The club looked into both trade and free-agent options before deciding to bring back the veteran. At 6-foot-5 and 222 pounds, he gives the Jackets size, physicality and penalty-killing ability that no other defenseman on the roster really matches.
Over his four seasons in Columbus, Gudbranson has played 201 games, scored 8 goals, totaled 46 points and piled up 156 penalty minutes. The main concern has been health.
In the last two seasons, he has missed 111 of 164 games. Still, Waddell said Gudbranson has been working out in Columbus this offseason and is in great shape, with expectations that he’ll be ready for next season.
On the ice, Gudbranson is expected to handle the third pairing, probably with one of Dante Fabbro, Denton Mateychuk or Ivan Provorov. That setup will be worth watching because the 5/6 defense spots are both right-shot options. It also raises the possibility that one of them ends up in the press box, depending on how the team views Christiansen or another candidate, like Guillaume Richard.
That competition should be one of the more interesting storylines in training camp and into the early part of the season.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Crease Future Suddenly Includes A Goalie Fans Will Debate
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What Columbus is getting is a 6-foot-2 goalie whose appeal is easy to see on first glance. Snell plays with an aggressive edge, moves well side to side and can make the kind of reflex saves that stick in a scouts memory, but the rough edges are there too, especially in his angles and rebound control. That mix is why hes the kind of pick that invites debate inside a fan base, because the upside is obvious while the timeline for turning promise into certainty remains very much open. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Bring Back A Familiar Forward As Depth Questions Linger
Columbus added a familiar depth piece back into the fold by re-signing Owen Sillinger for the 2026-27 season, keeping a player in the organization who has spent most of the last several years with the Cleveland Monsters. Since joining the Blue Jackets system in 2022, Sillinger has been a steady presence in the AHL, giving the Monsters reliable offense and helping them in playoff runs while waiting for another look at the NHL level.
Sillinger made his NHL debut on Jan. 9, 2025, and it remains his only appearance with Columbus, but the organization clearly still sees value in having him around as insurance in the forward group. He also comes with a little more familiarity than most depth signings, given his ties to the area and the fact that he is the brother of Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger, a detail that only adds to the sense that this is a move rooted in both continuity and practicality. [Read more 🡒]