Three Reasons Blue Jackets Will Make Postseason This Season

While these are all moves the Columbus Blue Jackets hope contribute to a playoff run, there are three distinct reasons the franchise is destined to return to the postseason next spring.

Oct 4, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals in the third period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Columbus Blue Jackets barely missed the postseason last season. They made a tremendous push in the second half of the year, but finished just two points shy of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Heading into the 2025-2026 season, the Blue Jackets made some carefully selected upgrades to the roster. They brought in veteran center Charlie Coyle and winger Miles Wood to add more consistency to their bottom-six forward group and worked out new contracts for prized defenders Dante Fabbro and Ivan Provorov. While these are all moves the Blue Jackets hope contribute to a playoff run, there are three distinct reasons the franchise is destined to return to the postseason next spring.

1. Norris Candidate

Defenseman Zach Werenski was simply sensational last season. He showed that he is among the very best and elite defenders in the NHL, scoring 82 points in 81 games and averaging over 26 minutes of ice time per game. His play was easily the biggest factor dragging the Blue Jackets to the playoff race in 2024-2025.

Coming into this year, he’s eager to prove it was no fluke. The 28-year-old puck mover has 574 NHL games played with the organization, tallying 384 total points over those contests, exceeding 40 points six out of nine NHL seasons.

And the reliance the Blue Jackets have on Werenski will continue. He’s their undisputed number one defender and the first player over the boards in any situation. With Werenski leading the blue line, Columbus has a strong chance to succeed.

2. Adam Fantilli

Why is nobody talking about how huge of a leap Fantilli took in year two last season? The 20-year-old went from slightly overwhelmed rookie to 30-goal scorer in a single summer. In 82 games last season, he recorded 31 goals and added 23 assists for 54 points while averaging 17:29 minutes of ice time.

His ascension has steadied the top-six forward group in Columbus, and he’s set to take another step forward offensively in 2025-2026. If that happens, the Jackets could have multiple 30-goal scorers in the lineup this season.

Apr 12, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (19) carries the puck against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images / Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images

3. Healthy Goalie Battle

Elvis Merzlikins is the number one netminder in Columbus, but there is an exciting goalie battle already in place. Jet Greaves, the 24-year-old puck-stopper has a career 2.64 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 24 career NHL starts. They also added journeyman backup Ivan Fedotov to the rotation.

The competition may push Merzlikins to be even better, which would give the Blue Jackets the number one they need to reach the postseason. If he struggles, however, then Greaves is eager to take over and prove he can be a full-time goalie in the NHL.

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