Columbus Blue Jackets

With nine games remaining and Damon Severson lost for the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets face a grueling final stretch as they fight to hold onto a wild card spot in one of the tightest playoff races in the Eastern Conference. Every remaining game carries playoff-or-bust implications for a team that has staged one of the NHL's most remarkable late-season turnarounds.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have gone 16-2-4 under Rick Bowness, beating the Rangers 6-3 to climb into a playoff spot and prove this rebuild is ahead of schedule.

The Columbus Blue Jackets surged back into the playoff race after replacing Dean Evason with Rick Bowness, going 15-2-4 and sitting just one point out of a playoff spot despite a rocky start. Their season comes down to whether this late push can overcome earlier struggles, including 15 blown 3-1 leads, or fall just short.

Columbus keeps climbing the Metro standings as Fantilli shines and Werenski continues his historic season in a 6-3 win over a fading Rangers squad.

The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired versatile forward Connor Garland from the Vancouver Canucks for two draft picks, adding a high-motor, two-way winger who figures to slot onto the second line. GM Don Waddell has now built a roster with grit on every line, making Columbus more playoff-ready than at any point since the rebuild began.

The Columbus Blue Jackets head into the Olympic break riding a 10-1 surge and sitting fourth in their division, looking every bit like a legitimate playoff contender for the first time in years.

Since Rick Bowness took over behind the bench, the Columbus Blue Jackets have adopted a pressure-first defensive identity that has dramatically reduced their goals-against and revitalized the penalty kill. The striking turnaround raises a compelling question: just how far can this newly energized roster go with Bowness in charge?

Mason Marchment's hat trick fueled an 8-5 Columbus rout that snapped Tampa Bay's 15-game point streak. The Blue Jackets scored 4 goals in the first period.

Jet Greaves stopped all 28 shots for his first shutout of the season as Columbus blanked Dallas 1-0. The Blue Jackets are now 4-1-0 under Rick Bowness.

At 19-19-7 and tied for last in the Eastern Conference, the Columbus Blue Jackets made a bold mid-season move by firing head coach Dean Evason and immediately naming veteran Rick Bowness as his replacement. The organization is betting the coaching change can spark enough momentum to salvage their playoff ambitions.

Denton Mateychuk has taken a massive leap in his second NHL season, earning a promotion to the Columbus Blue Jackets' top defensive pairing alongside Zach Werenski through smart, physical, high-impact play at both ends of the ice. His rapid development is one of the best stories on the Blue Jackets and a testament to their player development pipeline.

Sitting at 15-15-6 and last place in the Metropolitan Division, the Columbus Blue Jackets need a right-shot defenseman, a scoring winger, and better defensive play from their forwards to become a legitimate playoff contender. Brian Wallace breaks down the key areas GM Don Waddell must address to turn the 2025-26 season around.