James Malatesta’s stock has taken a hit, but the Blue Jackets still haven’t closed the book on him.
The winger lands at No. 19 on Union & Blue’s summer 2026 top prospects list after what the site calls a lost season, one that pushed him down six spots from No. 13 a year ago. The ranking was built from votes by Matthew Duffey, Mike Stump, Weston Motz, Struan McNevan, and Curtis Deem, with the list limited to players 24 and under who have fewer than 25 NHL games.
Malatesta’s slide comes after a year in which his development stalled. He followed up 20 goals and 36 points over his first 97 AHL games with a much quieter campaign for the Cleveland Monsters, finishing with 10 goals and 18 points in 57 games. Health played a part in the dip, and the result was a season that didn’t do much to strengthen his case for a bigger role.
That said, the outlook isn’t bleak. The Blue Jackets re-signed him for another year, and there’s still belief that he can carve out a place in the organization.
The appeal is pretty straightforward: he’s not being projected as a top-six NHL scorer, so the lack of offense isn’t fatal. His path looks more like a bottom-six job, where energy, physicality, and a little edge can make him useful.
He’s already shown he can bring that kind of bite for Cleveland, even when the points aren’t there.
The next step is the one that matters. Malatesta needs more offense if he’s going to become an everyday NHL player, and this season feels like a real turning point for him and the Jackets. If he can get back to the form that produced 14 goals in 18 QMJHL playoff games in his final junior season, his name will climb right back up the organizational ladder.
There’s still a path to the NHL, possibly even as soon as next season. But for that to happen, Malatesta has to get healthy, get rolling, and make a bigger impact. If he does, he could eventually fill the kind of role the team just signed Ryan Lomberg to handle.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Fans Wont Love Why Werenski Is Back In Trade Talk
Matthew Knies has been the subject of plenty of league chatter after Toronto reportedly listened on him and at least gauged what the market might look like. The Maple Leafs have not moved him, and the interest around the young forward has been tied to the kind of value he brings: size, skill, and a contract situation that makes him easy to imagine in a bigger deal if the right team ever decides to push hard enough.
For Columbus fans, the part that lands hardest is seeing Zach Werenskis name pulled into those same trade hypotheticals. Nothing is close, and none of the scenarios around Knies are imminent, but once a player like Werenski enters that kind of conversation, it is a reminder of how quickly a star defenseman can become part of a broader roster debate, even when the Jackets would much rather keep the focus on building around him than wondering who else might call. [Read more 🡒]
Former Blue Jackets Prospect Finds A New Chance Overseas
Tyler Angles next stop takes him overseas, where the former Blue Jackets draft pick has signed with Leksands IF in Swedens HockeyAllsvenskan. The move gives the center a new runway after his time in the Columbus organization, which included stretches with the Cleveland Monsters and a handful of games with the Blue Jackets before his career path branched elsewhere.
For Columbus, it is another reminder of how quickly a prospects route can change once he leaves the system. Angles deal runs through the 2027 season, and both he and Leksands framed it as a chance for him to settle into a defined role in a new league while the club adds a player it believes can help in the middle of the ice. [Read more 🡒]