This season hasn’t fallen apart for the Columbus Blue Jackets — but it’s wobbling.
At 15–15–6 and stuck in the basement of the Metropolitan Division, Columbus isn’t buried yet. The math still works. The calendar still cooperates. But the eye test is screaming something the standings quietly confirm: this roster, as currently constructed, isn’t built to survive night after night in the NHL.
The good news? This isn’t a teardown conversation.
The bad news? Standing still would be malpractice.
If the Blue Jackets want to claw back toward .500 and stay competitive instead of drifting into another lost winter, changes are required — not later, now.
On paper, 15–15–6 doesn’t look disastrous. It looks… middling. And that’s the problem.
Columbus hasn’t been consistently bad — they’ve been consistently overmatched against structured, physical teams. Too many games follow the same script: early push, defensive breakdowns, extended zone time against, and goaltenders left staring down cross-ice passes and second chances.
This isn’t about effort.
It’s about construction.
And it starts on the blue line.
This roster desperately needs a big, physical right-shot defenseman — the kind of player who makes life easier for everyone else.
Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov can log minutes, move pucks, and stabilize play. That part is fine. What they don’t have consistently is a partner who can:
Erik Gudbranson was supposed to help fill that role, but injuries have limited his availability — and his absence has been glaring. Without that physical presence, Columbus’ defensive group skews small, reactive, and vulnerable below the dots.
This isn’t about adding skill.
It’s about adding heaviness.
A legitimate right-shot defenseman who can punish mistakes would immediately reduce defensive-zone chaos and allow Werenski and Provorov to play to their strengths instead of constantly covering fires.
Adam Fantilli is the future. That much is obvious.
What’s less obvious — and more concerning — is how much weight he’s carrying without consistent top-six support. Fantilli has flashed two-way maturity well beyond his age, but hockey isn’t a solo act. He needs a winger who can finish, stretch coverage, and turn good shifts into goals.
Kent Johnson’s struggles haven’t helped. Whether it’s confidence, deployment, or chemistry, the spark hasn’t been there consistently — and that leaves Fantilli trying to create offense in crowded lanes.
Adding a legitimate top-six scoring winger would:
It would also stabilize the fourth line, which is still searching for a reliable center who can be trusted defensively.
Depth matters. But top-end finishing matters more.
This is the quiet killer.
While Fantilli, Charlie Coyle, and a handful of others have shown commitment to two-way play, too many forwards are spectators in the defensive zone. Missed assignments. Fly-bys. Stick-check defense instead of body positioning.
That doesn’t just hurt the defense — it crushes the goalie.
When wingers don’t collapse, don’t seal lanes, and don’t finish checks, defensemen are forced to overextend. That’s how seams open. That’s how goaltenders get exposed.
This doesn’t require trades.
It requires accountability.
Every forward has to defend with purpose — especially against teams that grind below the goal line.
Outside of Werenski and Provorov, consistency has been elusive.
Zone exits aren’t clean. Pressure isn’t sustained. Too many clears die halfway out, leading to immediate re-entries and prolonged defensive shifts. That’s how momentum snowballs.
One bright spot? Denton Matyechuk.
The young defenseman has looked noticeably more physical and assertive in recent games — a promising sign for a blue line that needs exactly that type of evolution. But one player improving doesn’t fix a group issue.
The rest of the defensive corps needs to:
Better structure means less scrambling. Less scrambling means fewer goals against.
Yes, goaltenders need to stop the puck.
But goaltending cannot be fairly evaluated behind broken coverage.
The Blue Jackets’ struggles aren’t primarily about who’s in net — they’re about what’s happening before the puck gets there. Better defense simplifies reads, limits second chances, and gives goalies a fighting chance to settle into games.
Fix the structure first.
Then evaluate the crease honestly.
Columbus has already shown willingness to act, sending draft capital to the Seattle Kraken for forward Mason Marchment. That’s a signal — not a solution.
Marchment helps.
He doesn’t solve everything.
More moves are needed, particularly if the Blue Jackets want to avoid wasting another year of Fantilli’s development arc and Werenski’s prime.
This isn’t about panic-buying. It’s about targeted upgrades.
There is still time — but the margin is thin.
If Columbus tweaks the roster, tightens defensive responsibilities, and adds one or two meaningful pieces, this season can still pivot toward relevance. Not contention — relevance.
If not? The standings will harden, the confidence will erode, and this season becomes another “what if” in a rebuild that’s taken long enough.
The Blue Jackets aren’t hopeless.
They’re unfinished.
The foundation is there: young talent, elite pieces, and a roster that can compete on any given night. But the gaps — size on defense, scoring support, defensive commitment from wingers — are no longer theoretical. They’re visible. They’re repeatable. And they’re costing points.
Fixable problems are the most frustrating ones.
Because if Columbus doesn’t address them now, they won’t be able to say they didn’t see this coming.
A better brand, built by Vaughn & Co. ©