The Columbus Blue Jackets nearly made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. In fact, they missed out on the postseason by two points. It was a surprising surge for a team many expected to finish near the bottom of the league. They entered NHL Free Agency hoping to make a big splash and improve their odds at the postseason in 2026.
However, the Blue Jackets have not made that big splash. Columbus has had its hands in some of the big sweepstakes. They were a finalist for New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson, for example. However, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens at the NHL Draft. Columbus reportedly didn't want to meet their asking price.
Some rumblings suggested they could be a player for free agent Nikolaj Ehlers, as well. This also did not pan out for Columbus. Ehlers signed a six-year contract with their division rival Carolina Hurricanes in NHL Free Agency.
The Blue Jackets are likely to go through the summer with no major move. As a result, all we can do is sit back and ask, what if? What moves should they have made? There is one intriguing move, in particular, that stands out.
JJ Peterka would have been a fantastic addition for Blue Jackets
The Buffalo Sabres wanted to shake up their roster a bit this summer. And restricted free agent winger JJ Peterka reportedly wanted out of Buffalo. As a result, the young winger was made available on the trade market. Right before the NHL Draft, the Sabres traded Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan.
It's certainly a tall task for the Blue Jackets to match this price. These are two young, NHL-caliber players with some very intriguing upside. However, Peterka certainly would have been worth it. At 23 years old, he more than fits the team's current trajectory.
A forward was on the shopping list for general manager Don Waddell, as well. He mentioned following the NHL Draft that he wanted to add a top-six forward to the roster this summer.
“I’d like to add somebody who can play in our top six, somebody who can score,” Waddell said, via The Athletic. “We were getting through it without (Monahan) for a while, but then (Marchenko) happens … you can’t expect to keep scoring goals when you take those guys out of your lineup.”
For the most part, Columbus has a very promising top-six look. Adam Fantilli and Sean Monahan are very good top-six centers. On the wing, Kirill Marchenko, Dmitri Voronkov, and Kent Johnson are all ready to take another step in their game.
In saying this, there is room for a bit of depth here. Boone Jenner could thrive in a third-line role at this point in his career. The Blue Jackets did add three forwards — Charlie Coyle, Isac Lundestrom, and Miles Wood — but these are depth players for Columbus. They don't have anyone who can play higher in the lineup.
Jenner can certainly work as a top-six forward. Replacing him isn't a major need. However, putting Peterka on a line with Fantilli and Johnson would've given the Blue Jackets one of the best young line combinations in the game. This definitely increases their playoff chances not only for 2026, but for future seasons, as well.
Peterka is now a member of the Mammoth, though. And Columbus likely heads into the 2025-26 campaign with the roster as currently constructed. It's a good group, but it could've been better had they found a way to swing a trade for Peterka around the 2025 NHL Draft.
