Ryan Lomberg doesn’t need much time to make his presence known, and that’s exactly why the Blue Jackets brought him in.
The veteran winger signed a two-year, $2.6 million deal with Columbus on July 1, and the fit is obvious: energy, edge and a nonstop motor for a fourth line that coach Rick Bowness wants to run fast and hard. Lomberg has built his game around that kind of chaos, doing it over parts of four seasons in Calgary, four more with the Florida Panthers and on the 2024 Stanley Cup team in Florida.
“It seems like Columbus is ready to take the next step, and I want to be a part of that,” Lomberg said. “I couldn’t be more excited to join this group. Great coaching staff, great players … and I’ve always loved the city when I’ve spent time there on the road.
“I’m definitely going to bring that energy and that relentlessness. That’s my game, and that’s why I think I’m such a great fit. Just me being myself, I can help out in that area.
“I already talked with Bones about that. I’m looking forward to firing up the jets and flying around out there.”
That message is music to a Blue Jackets team that Bowness wants louder, livelier and more forceful. He has noticed, as have the last two or three Columbus coaches, that the room can be quieter than most NHL dressing rooms. Boone Jenner, who signed with the Washington Capitals, was more of a lead-by-example captain than a vocal one, and Lomberg sounds ready to add some volume.
“People usually tell me I’m fairly loud and this and that,” Lomberg said.
The Blue Jackets seem perfectly happy to hear it.
“Oh, it’ll be brought, whether they want it or not,” he said. “It just kinda comes with the territory.”
There’s also a built-in connection already in place. One of the first Blue Jackets to reach out after the signing was Mathieu Olivier, who wanted to “welcome him to Columbus and see if his family needed anything or had any questions.”
That might sound strange considering the history between the two, but hockey has a way of turning enemies into teammates fast. Lomberg is the Calgary forward who fought Olivier early in the 2024-25 season, a battle Columbus fans won’t forget anytime soon. Now they’re on the same side, and Olivier is clearly thrilled about it.
Lomberg said he’s eager to help Olivier any way he can and to be “another dog over there.” He also noted that when the Blue Jackets told Olivier they were going after him, Olivier told him he was “super excited.”
That matters for a Columbus group that has needed more toughness. Erik Gudbranson has brought plenty of edge when healthy, but injuries have limited him. With Olivier, Gudbranson, Lomberg and Dmitri Voronkov, the Jackets suddenly have a lot more muscle in the lineup.
No one is mistaking Lomberg for a heavyweight in the old-school sense, but he’s not shy about mixing it up. He’s 5-foot-9 and 184 pounds, and he earned respect by stepping into one of the NHL’s roughest fights against Olivier on Nov. 29, 2024, in Nationwide Arena.
That night, Columbus jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Calgary. Things got heated in the second period after Jake Christiansen delivered a clean but hard hit on Andrei Kuzmenko. Later, Olivier boarded Joel Hanley and then fought Martin Pospisil, who had already confronted and fought Christiansen.
Lomberg remembers watching it all unfold from the bench.
“I remember sitting on the bench as (NHL officials) were reviewing Olivier’s hit, and I was hoping they’d kick him out of the game,” Lomberg said, laughing. “After that hit by Olivier, the time had come where you gotta answer the bell for the boys, no matter how hard it is or how bad you might get beat up.
“I felt like it was my place to show the boys that I’m for real and it doesn’t matter what it takes, I’m willing to do whatever to help this team win. I wish it wasn’t somebody as tough as him.
I remember thinking, ‘Kick this guy out, please.’ They didn’t.”
Olivier got seven minutes in the box - five for fighting, two for boarding - but he stayed in the game. Lomberg said Calgary coach Ryan Huska tried to send him out for a shift before the fight, but he waited until he was fully gassed and then went after it.
“It didn’t go well for Lomberg. But, at 5-foot-9, 184 pounds, he gets full marks for stepping in against Olivier, who is widely considered the toughest fighter in today’s NHL.”
Lomberg also remembered MacKenzie Weegar chirping before the puck dropped and said he had to quiet him down.
“We come out for the faceoff, and it’s about to go down, and Weegsy (Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar) is chirping Olivier before the puck drops,” Lomberg said. “I had to tell Weegsy to shut up. I don’t need this guy any more mad than he already is.”
The result was predictable enough: Olivier got a grip on Lomberg’s sweater, kept his right hand free and landed a barrage that sent Lomberg’s helmet flying. Lomberg’s hair came out with it, and the fight turned into one of those ugly, memorable NHL scraps. Still, both players skated off to bench taps.
“I’m glad I made it out alive,” Lomberg said.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s nice to have a true heavyweight on my side. It’s been a while. I’ve had a handful of tough teammates, for sure, but he definitely takes the cake.”
For Lomberg, the move also brings him back to Ohio. He played the 2014-15 season with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL and had committed to Miami for the following fall before signing a minor-league contract with Calgary instead.
Now he’s back for another shot in the state, and he sounds ready to dive in.
“As the days roll on here, we’re just getting more and more excited about getting to Columbus and being a part of it.”
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Face Franchise Defining Adam Fantilli Decision
The Flyers recent offer sheet for Leo Carlsson has only sharpened the conversation around what comes next for Adam Fantilli, and for the Blue Jackets, it is the kind of question that can define a franchises direction for years. Columbus is already living in a league where offer sheets are no longer just theoretical, and the speculation around Fantilli has pushed fans and media to think hard about how far the team should go to keep a young center it views as central to its future.
What makes the debate so uncomfortable is the collision between rising NHL salaries and the reality of roster building in a smaller market. If the cap keeps climbing, Columbus will eventually have to navigate a contract tier it has not had to confront often, whether that ends up involving Fantilli or another core piece such as Zach Werenski. For now, there is no transaction to report, only a decision tree that gets more complicated every time another stars price tag moves upward. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Face A Summer Contract Standoff They Cannot Mishandle
The Blue Jackets still have a few key summer items hanging in the balance, and the biggest ones involve three restricted free agents who matter to the clubs long-term core. Adam Fantilli remains in talks, while Cole Sillinger and Jet Greaves are also without new deals as Columbus works through a tricky stretch of contract business that could shape the roster well beyond this season.
For the front office, the challenge is finding the right balance between keeping flexibility and locking in players before the market gets more complicated. Bridge-style contracts are being weighed for Sillinger and Greaves, but those talks now sit against a tighter timeline and the possibility of a decision being made outside the teams control, which is exactly the kind of summer standoff Columbus can ill afford to botch. [Read more 🡒]