Thursday, October 1, 2026 – 7:00 PM EDT
Nationwide Arena – Columbus, Ohio
TV: Blue Jackets Hockey Network (available on Spectrum, Prime Video, Fubo, and ???); Radio: 97.1 FM
In last year’s opener preview, I described the offseason as “long and relatively quiet.” Well, that’s your reminder that “may you live in interesting times” is a curse, not a blessing. It was a season of change for the Blue Jackets, including but not limited to:
Coaches – After a viral rant in the final postgame presser of the season, Rick Bowness did, in fact, return as head coach. Will he bring the promised change in culture? We’ll see. Out are Evason holdovers Mike Haviland and Scott Ford, and in are Trent Vogelhuber (Columbus native and recent Cleveland Monsters skipper) and Don Granato (former Buffalo head coach).
Front Office – In the aftermath of public sturm und drang over the merciless cuts of longtime team media figures Bob McElligott and Jeff Svoboda, team president Mike Priest announced his resignation as team president, effective as of yesterday. Was he the problem? Only time will tell! But he was the common thread among the four hockey ops regimes we’ve had in place, and between the ownership of Mr. Mac, John P. McConnell, and now John H. McConnell II, who takes over Priest’s duties for now.
Broadcasts – The dismissal of Bobby Mac came as the team decided to save costs by simulcasting the TV broadcast on radio. The TV team returns, but instead of working for FanDuel Sports Network, they are in-house for a new operation run by the team with the help of the NHL. The Blue Jackets Hockey Network should be accessible on cable and satellite providers in the “home” territory, but to this point only Spectrum has announced which channel it will be on (320/1320). Fans in that territory can also subscribe to an add-on via Prime Video. Concerns about accessibility are understandable, but the production quality should be improved.
Zach Werenski – This is actually notable for what did NOT change. In the aftermath of trade requests from Dylan Larkin and Connor Hellebuyck, and the actual trade of Brady Tkachuk to Florida to play with his brother, rumors began swirling that fellow Team USA gold medalist Werenski would also desire a trade. Or, at least, that he was not interested in committing beyond the two years remaining on his contract. I thought this was media-generated crap, but Don Waddell took it seriously enough to make a blockbuster trade with Dallas. Werenski exercised his no movement clause to nix the deal and subsequently reiterated his commitment to this city and team, but…if this team can’t make a leap forward this season, does he change his mind?
Boone Jenner – Jenner had been captain since the start of the rebuild in 2021, and was the longest-tenured active Jacket, going way back to fall of 2013. He was looking for term this summer, and Washington was willing to go longer than Columbus was. Objectively, I am ok with this. But, damn, Captain Boone Jenner was the ultimate CBJ player right?
Valeri Nichushkin – Lost in the free agency madness, Waddell made a solid deal, trading picks for Valeri Nichushkin, a veteran power forward who was a contributor to the Colorado Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup win. This was a good replacement for Marchment and Jenner, but not the big swing I was hoping for this summer. I wonder if Waddell could have pursued something bigger if he didn’t have to deal with the Werenski situation.
Kirill Marchenko – Shortly after the Werenski matter gained traction, it was revealed that Marchenko also had no intersest in re-signing in Columbus. To add insult to injury, this was revealed to the public (and, apparently, to the team) right before the Jackets’ first round pick, as ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported the leak right before it was announced that the Jackets were picking Oliver Holmberg. The usual excitement over a first round pick was completely overshadowed by this bad news on top of the existing Werenski bad news. How bad was this? So bad that the prospect’s name is actually Oscar Hemming. If you didn’t catch that, you prove my point.
Well, after a summer of speculation and a 2018 Panarin-esque media scrum at the start of camp, Waddell finally dealt with the situation literally seconds before the NHL’s roster deadline on Monday. Marchy gets a new 6x$12M deal in Toronto, and Matthew Knies (and the five years left on his contract) come to Columbus. Waddell did well to also unload problem contracts Elvis Merzlikins and Miles Wood, and collected a second round pick from Seattle (possibly our own from the Mason Marchment contract), Stephen Lorentz (a veteran center who immediately goes to Cleveland), and Emil Andrae (a diminutive but promising defenseman who solves a need for depth in the face of several injuries).
(deep exhale)
A big concern I had coming into the summer was that the Jackets would just try to run things back with the crew they had, despite that group collapsing down the stretch in the spring. Even after Adam Fantilli finally signed his new contract, I was less excited for the season than I was relieved. The Marchenko trade has me excited, finally. For one, it gets rid of the cloud of uncertainty that could hang over the locker room, like in 2019. But moreso, the roster feels enough different that this team could get back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 bubble.
Jackets Notes
Injuries! At The Blue Line. Damon Severson is recovering from his late season shoulder injury (which was an underrated part of the collapse, perhaps?) and while he no longer wears the no-contact jersey in practice, Bowness says that he will not play until next Friday, at the earliest. Dante Fabbro and Ivan Provorov suffered injuries in preseason games. Fabbro is defnitely out, while Provorov is likely a gametime decision and has not practiced the last two days. New acquisition Andrae should play, as will Carson Soucy, who was in camp on a professional tryout (PTO), played well, and earned a one year deal on Tuesday … On Wednesday, Bowness confirmed that the Jackets will not have a captain this season. Werenski will be the only permanent A, while Charlie Coyle and Mathieu Olivier wear that letter at home, with Sean Monahan and Cole Sillinger wearing it on the road. For October, that is. A new set of players, including Adam Fantilli, will wear As in November. Some fans are upset, but I will point out that this actually worked quite well in the post-Nash era, before Nick Foligno emerged as the obvious choice for captain.
The Other Bench
Young defenseman Owen Zellweger will not be able to play tonight, but veteran Mattias Samuelsson may be able to play in his place … In July, John Davidson joined the Sabres as a “senior advisor,” which is the same role he held in Columbus after Don Waddell was hired to replace him as both president of hockey operations and general manager.
2025-26 Season Stats
| Buffalo | Columbus | |
| 3.45 (5) | GPG | 3.00 (18) |
| 2.93 (10) | GAPG | 3.06 (17) |
| 19.5 (19) | PP% | 18.9 (22) |
| 81.9 (4) | PK% | 76.0 (28) |
| 49.6 (14) | 5v5 Shot Attempt % | 51.1 (11) |
| 49.8 (15) | 5v5 Unblocked Shot Attempt % | 50.5 (12) |
| 10.6 (5) | 5v5 Shooting % | 9.1 (22) |
| 91.4 (8) | 5v5 Save % | 91.1 (10) |
| Tage Thompson (40) | G Leader | Adam Fantilli* (24) |
| Rasmus Dahlin (55) | A Leader | Zach Werenski (59) |
| Tage Thompson (81) | P Leader | Zach Werenski (81) |
| Peyton Krebs (78) | PIM Leader | Mathieu Olivier (101) |
| 24-13-4 | Home/Road | 20-13-8 |
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
| Matthew Knies | Adam Fantilli | Kent Johnson |
| Valeri Nichushkin | Sean Monahan | Conor Garland |
| Cole Sillinger | Charlie Coyle | Mathieu Olivier |
| Ryan Lomberg | Luca Del Bel Belluz | Dmitri Voronkov |
| Zach Werenski | Denton Mateychuk |
| Ivan Provorov | Erik Gudbranson |
| Carson Soucy | Emil Andrae |
| Jet Greaves |
| Cam Talbot |
Buffalo Sabres
| Josh Norris | Tage Thompson | Josh Doan |
| Zach Benson | Noah Ostlund | Jack Quinn |
| Peyton Krebs | Sam Carrick | Konsta Helenius |
| Jiri Kulich | Ryan McLeod | Beck Malenstyn |
| Rasmus Dahlin | Louis Crevier |
| Owen Power | Zach Metsa |
| Mattias Samuelsson | Matt Grzelcyk |
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen |
| Alex Lyon |