The Columbus Blue Jackets are looking to end their five-year playoff drought, as they enter the 2025-26 season.
Columbus just missed out on a postseason spot last year, finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference. The team posted a 40-33-9 record, with 89 points.
While the Blue Jackets weren't overly active this offseason, they did make some smaller moves. Notably, the team added both Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood from the Colorado Avalanche. As a whole though, the team isn't drastically different on paper.
That said, there are still some decisions to make for the season-opening roster as players fight for spots.
Ivan Fedotov doesn't change Blue Jackets' situation in goal
With the departure of Daniil Tarasov this offseason, the Blue Jackets' goaltending tandem is likely set.
Elvis Merzlikins has two years remaining on his contract and will return for his seventh season with Columbus. Merzlikins has seen his play slip over the last few years, but he still appeared in 53 games last season.
Meanwhile, the more interesting option is Jet Greaves. The netminder is just 24 years old and is coming off an excellent 2024-25 season. Greaves posted a .920 save percentage across 40 AHL games with the Cleveland Monsters and an outstanding .938 save percentage over 11 games with the Blue Jackets. He notably managed a .975 save percentage in April, across his final five games of the year. We can expect Merzlikins and Greaves to battle for the starting job.
However, the team did also add Ivan Fedotov in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers. Fedotov is 28 years old and is coming off a season in which he posted an .880 save percentage over 26 games with Philadelphia.
While the Fedotov addition does add some intrigue with the goaltending situation, he's expected to start the season in the AHL. He was placed on waivers and is unlikely to be claimed due to his $3.28M cap hit. As a result, expect Fedotov to head to Cleveland, with Greaves and Merzlikins as the tandem to start the season.
The Blue Jackets' defense group is likely set
In terms of the Blue Jackets' blue line, fans have a pretty clear idea of what it's going to look like. Zach Werenski will once again be counted on in the largest role, while Ivan Provorov signed a seven-year extension this offseason. Meanwhile, Dante Fabbro also signed an extension with Columbus, and Damon Severson remains under contract until 2031.
Denton Mateychuk has also established himself as an impactful NHL defenseman, while Erik Gudbranson and Jake Christiansen round out the group. As a result, the team's seven defensemen are pretty much set.
The only question is whether the Blue Jackets could possibly put eight defensemen on their 23-man roster. The two defenders who would have the best chance of making this happen would be Brendan Smith and Daemon Hunt.
Smith is 36 years old and was brought in on a professional tryout. The defender played just 32 games with the Dallas Stars last season and is looking to earn a contract.
Meanwhile, there's also a question as to what to do with Daemon Hunt. The defenseman is 23 years old and spent last season in the AHL, playing 48 games. However, he also won't be exempt from waivers and could be claimed if he doesn't crack the roster.
As a result, the only battle on the defense group comes down to whether Smith or Hunt can force the team into starting the year with eight defensemen.
The battle for the final forward spots are the most intriguing
The Blue Jackets' most interesting training camp decisions will come within their forward group.
Fans know there are 12 forwards who are locks to make the roster out of camp, unlike Sean Monahan, Dmitri Voronov, Kirill Marchenko, Adam Fantilli, Boone Jenner, Kent Johnson, Yegor Chinakhov, Charlie Coyle, Cole Sillinger, Miles Wood, Mathieu Olivier, and Isac Lundestrom. Meanwhile, Zach Aston-Reese is a safe bet as well, after playing 79 games with Columbus last season.
As a result, there's likely one roster spot available. Mikael Pyyhtia may be the frontrunner after playing 47 games with the Blue Jackets last season. He's 23 years old, but only averaged around 12 minutes per game, managing seven points.
Other options, though, would be Hudson Fasching and Luca Del Bel Belluz. Fasching joined the Blue Jackets this offseason, after playing 43 games with the New York Islanders in 2024-25. The winger is 30 years old and would be a good option as a spare forward who can drop down the lineup when needed.
Del Bel Belluz is the most interesting option. He's just 21 years old and led Cleveland in goals last season, managing 27 goals and 53 points in 61 games. Del Bel Belluz also played in 15 games with the Blue Jackets, where he registered eight points. While Del Bel Belluz has the highest ceiling of the players listed, he's also the only one who's exempt from waivers. As a result, he's a prime candidate to start the year in the AHL.
But assuming the Blue Jackets go with 14 forwards, it will likely be one of Pyyhtia, Fasching, or Del Bel Belluz taking the final spot.
