What a difference a month makes. When we looked in on the Metropolitan Division in March, the Columbus Blue Jackets were in second place and were well positioned to make their first playoff appearance since 2020. A 3-9-1 record to close out the season changed that though, as they spiraled out of the postseason picture and left Head Coach Rick Bowness questioning the team’s cultur
While it was a crushing end to the season in Columbus, the long term outlook is still positive for the Blue Jackets. There are hard lessons to be learned for a young group that is trying to find it’s footing as a competitive team. Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov have established themselves as core pieces over the past few seasons and 2023 third overall pick Adam Fantilli looks like he can potentially anchor a contending cohort.
There’s a sizable group exiting their prime years as well and the Blue Jackets grew that group at the deadline in their push for the postseason. They did so without boxing themselves in though, with a number of pending UFAs on the roster including Boone Jenner, Erik Gudbranson, Mason Marchment and Danton Heinen. The Jackets would be wise to trim this cohort over the summer, and prioritize bringing in some young players.
The front office may not be thinking on those lines, though. On Tuesday, the Blue Jackets signed 34 year old Charlie Coyle to a 6 year extension. It will see him stay in Columbus until he’s 40, while the age curve inevitably takes a bite out of his impact.
It would also behoove GM Don Waddell to pump up the Blue Jackets pipeline if possible. Their 2024 draft class rates high here due to the 4th overall pick, however Cayden Lindstrom is looking shaky in that draft slot. From 2025 and beyond, the Blue Jackets pipeline is essentially at baseline. They need to find some running mates for Fantilli to round out a strong incoming cohort.
The future looks like it could be bright in Columbus. There’s work to be done, though, and the Blue Jackets would be wise to prioritize getting younger and building around their young standouts. That may not be the line of thinking in the front office though based on their first notable move of the offseason.
