The Blue Jackets finally open their season tonight against the Buffalo Sabres, but the first night comes with an immediate challenge: they are missing three of their top five defensemen.
Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson and Dante Fabbro are all on the IR list and are out week-to-week, which leaves Columbus with a thin blue line right from the jump. Rick Bowness said, “Provorov is heartbroken he can’t play tonight.”
He is week-to-week. #CBJ
- Mark Scheig (@mark_scheig) October 1, 2026
That shortage puts even more pressure on the defensemen who are available. Zach Werenski, Denton Mateychuk and Erik Gudbranson are the three holdovers from last season who played here full-time, and Bowness will need heavy minutes from that group.
The newcomers - Emil Andrae and Carson Soucy - plus returning 7th man Jake Christiansen will also have to settle in quickly. The usage puzzle is going to matter immediately, because Columbus cannot afford another sluggish start.
The bigger theme here is simple: this has to be a team effort. With the back end stripped down, the Blue Jackets need their forwards to help shoulder the load, especially when it comes to defensive work.
That’s where the center depth stands out. Sean Monahan and Charlie Coyle give Columbus real strength down the middle, and both should help the team get out of its own end.
The formula, at least on paper, is straightforward. Play smart.
Stay inside the system. Work as one unit.
That message has been central to Bowness since he arrived, and it matters even more now with the lineup stretched thin.
If the puck management slips and the structure breaks down, the burden on Jet Greaves only grows. He enters the year as the team’s starting goalie, a role he earned after last season, and Columbus will need him to deliver big stops tonight and in the weeks ahead.
Here’s the projected lineup for the opener:
Knies-Fantilli-Johnson
Nichushkin-Monahan-Garland
Sillinger-Coyle-Olivier
Lomberg-Voronkov-Heinen
Werenski-Mateychuk
Soucy-Andrae
Christiansen-Gudbranson
Greaves
Talbot
The lineup also gives fans a first look at several new names. Matthew Knies, Valeri Nichushkin and Ryan Lomberg are all set to make their Blue Jackets debuts up front, while the defense features multiple fresh faces as well.
Adam Fantilli is another player worth watching closely. He missed the entire preseason while his agent and the team worked out his franchise record-setting contract, and the Blue Jackets will want him off to a strong start after that delay.
As for how to watch, Columbus games are now airing through the Blue Jackets Hockey Network. In-market viewers can find the games through many local providers or Amazon Prime, while out-of-market fans can still watch on ESPN+.
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 Finally Have The Core Stability Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Blue Jackets spent much of the 2026 offseason sorting through the kind of uncertainty that can hang over a young roster, with contract talk and trade speculation touching several familiar names. For a team trying to move from promising to dependable, the process was messy but necessary, and it left Columbus with a clearer picture of what the next phase can look like.
Adam Fantilli, Matthew Knies and Charlie Coyle are among the pieces now locked in for the long term, while Cole Sillinger and Jet Greaves also help give the club more continuity heading into 2026-27. Even so, not everything is settled yet, with Zach Werenski still part of the conversation and other negotiations continuing to shape how stable this core really is. [Read more 🡒]