The Columbus Blue Jackets were the hottest team in the NHL when the season reached the Olympic break. They’re on an 11-1-0 run including 10-1 under new head coach Rick Bowness.
Yet, the Blue Jackets are the first team out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. While they have games in hand, they trail both third in the Metro and the second wildcard by four points.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The Blue Jackets ended last season on a heater that saw them finish as the first team out in the East. Going 11-1-0 to be in this position illustrates just how much the team underperformed earlier in the season. It also illustrates just how many teams have played well ahead of them.
How many people honestly saw the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders holding down the second and third spots in the Metro at the Olympic break? Come on, now.
How many people honestly saw the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins holding down the two wildcard spots at the Olympic break? Again, come on, now. Five teams, the Panthers, Capitals, Senators, Maple Leafs and Devils would all be outside the playoff picture if they started today.
The Blue Jackets will have 26 games to make their final case to see if they can qualify for the playoffs. They are essentially a coin flip to make it in after being in last place in the conference earlier in the season.
With the Olympic break in full swing, we will spend today looking back at three key lessons we learned about the Blue Jackets so far in 2025-26. The first lesson is the primary catalyst behind this 11-1-0 run the team is currently on.
Blue Jackets Are At Their Best When…
Former head coach Dean Evason did some good things in his time with the Blue Jackets. The one thing he was never able to figure out was their team defense and goaltending.
At the time Evason was fired, the Blue Jackets were among the worst teams in the NHL in goals against and shots against. GM Don Waddell told the Hockey Writers at midseason that the team had to depend on outscoring their opponents.
In 2025-26, goal scoring dipped compared to last season. That was a recipe for disaster. The Blue Jackets’ average goal scoring dropped a half goal per game while their defense got slightly worse. Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins could only do so much. For part of the season, the team had no confidence in playing Merzlikins.
Enter Rick Bowness. We’ve talked at length about his impact and how it’s more than just a coaching bump. But in a small sample size of 11 games, you cannot ignore just how much better defensively the Blue Jackets are.
The Blue Jackets have allowed 24 goals in their 11 games under Bowness. That’s 2.18 goals against per game. To give you an idea of how good this is, the Colorado Avalanche are the top defensive team in the NHL this season allowing 2.42 goals per game. It’s been impressive to watch.
Both goaltenders are benefiting from the extra emphasis by the team to limit high-danger chances while being much more aggressive in challenging plays. The Blue Jackets are still in the midst of fully learning Bowness’ structure. While a duplicate 11-1-0 run isn’t reasonable to expect, better defensive numbers and a good record are reasonable to expect.
The Blue Jackets are showing they are at their best when they focus on defense and goaltending first. Merzlikins and Greaves each recorded a shutout before the Olympic break. That was just the second time in franchise history the team recorded shutouts on consecutive days with different goalies.
The offense has been there of late too averaging just under four goals per game since Bowness took over. The lesson we’ve learned is that if the Blue Jackets make defense their focus instead of their goal scoring, they’re better positioned for success.
Bowness said it when he was introduced as head coach. Teams don’t score their way into the playoffs. They defend their way into the playoffs. In the early going, the Blue Jackets have defended much better and have the results to back that up.
Zach Werenski & the Norris Trophy
One of the big questions coming into the 2025-26 season was could Zach Werenski duplicate his Norris-finalist season? Not only is he doing that, he’s making a compelling case to be the front runner.
Most voters will still have Cale Makar first on their ballots given his impact on the Avalanche. But Werenski is making a charge thanks to his impact all over the ice.
Werenski has more 5-on-5 goals (16) and 5-on-5 points (36) than anyone in the NHL. He’s one of two players with 20 goals as a defenseman. He’s second to Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard in points 63-62. Werenski has played in six less games than Bouchard.
Werenski should be in every Norris discussion. But he should also see some action for the Hart Trophy especially if the Blue Jackets make the playoffs.
Defensemen usually don’t lead their teams in scoring. Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in goals, assists and points. The next closest player is Kirill Marchenko, who is 16 points behind Werenski. The player in third place, Charlie Coyle, trails by 20 points.
If Werenski can get to 30 goals and 90 points, there will be a fascinating debate about his Norris candidacy given how highly Makar is thought of.
The lesson learned is that to some, Werenski continues to somehow be undervalued in the league. Maybe it’s the smaller market of Columbus. But the players who play against him and the coaches who coach against him all know. He’s one of the best players in the world at his position.
Werenski has a real shot at the Norris this season even if his Blue Jackets’ fall short of the playoffs. He’s been that impressive.
Blue Jackets’ Goal This Season Was Always Playoffs
There has been some question as to how the Blue Jackets might handle the upcoming trade deadline. There is no debate especially in light of their 11-1 run.
This season has always been about making the playoffs for the Blue Jackets. Their moves prove that.
The Blue Jackets all said they thought they were good enough to be a playoff team in 2025-26. Management echoed that same feeling. Falling just short last season gave them hope they could get over the hump this season.
Waddell’s moves have all signaled that there hasn’t been any question about their stance. It hasn’t changed.
The Blue Jackets acquired Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken. That happened when the team was much further down the standings.
The Blue Jackets were the first team to make a coaching change. The move happened when the team still had enough time to make a comeback in the standings.
Now only four points out of the playoffs, it would be wild to think the Blue Jackets would change course and sell now. While they have a bevy of pending unrestricted free agents to make decisions on including Coyle, Marchment, Boone Jenner and Erik Gudbranson, Waddell said he was going to use the Olympic break to see where these situations stood.
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The Blue Jackets would have to be completely blown away by an offer to part with any of these players now. Given how close they are in the playoff race with games in hand, expect them to buy if and when the right opportunity comes up.
The Blue Jackets haven’t tasted the playoffs since the Toronto bubble. There is a desire to break that trend. Selling now after their earlier moves simply doesn’t make sense unless someone vastly overpays.
The lesson here is that we should expect the Blue Jackets to give it their best shot to qualify for the playoffs. By their own words, missing them would be a failure by everyone involved.
