Blue Jackets Open 2026-27 Season With a Locked Up Core After a Chaotic Offseason

The Columbus Blue Jackets made themselves a permanent residence in the rumor mill during the 2026 offseason. Just about every other headline involved them and not for the right reasons.

Zach Werenski’s name was out there before he ultimately vetoed a trade to the Dallas Stars. The Kirill Marchenko saga overshadowed Oscar Hemming’s moment at the NHL Draft.

If that wasn’t enough, Adam Fantilli’s situation hung over the Blue Jackets like a dark cloud the longer he went unsigned. Then Elvis Merzlikins had offseason shoulder surgery opening up new questions not only about his future, but what would the crease look like with him out. Cole Sillinger and Jet Greaves also needed new contracts to boot.

GM Don Waddell kept saying the right things to the media about these situations as they happened. But more often than not, things weren’t resolved until the very last minute.

This offseason for the Blue Jackets would make for a fascinating novel someday of what it was really like behind the scenes. But on this opening day of the 2026-27 season for the team, not only were they able to make it through numerous, crazy situations, they came out of it with something far more valuable.

These Blue Jackets have the makings of an established core. Imagine thinking that at the NHL Draft when all the rumors were circulating. While it’s fair to question a lot of things about this team, one must give credit where it is due when warranted.

The 2026-27 Blue Jackets have a young, locked-up core. The importance of this cannot be understated.

Once the Smoke Cleared

All the rumors that circulated was what everyone heard and saw. Waddell even went as far as saying the media was to blame for a lot of it.

The only thing that matters now is the end result after the smoke clears. What the Blue Jackets have now is a level of stability that has eluded them for years.

The Blue Jackets have their franchise center Adam Fantilli locked up for six years which included two of his UFA years. At no point in their history has the team has this caliber of player down the middle. He doesn’t turn 22 for 11 days as of this writing.

Waddell successfully turned Marchenko, a player who clearly had no desire to be in Columbus long-term, into Matthew Knies, another part of this new core. He has five years at a very friendly $7.75 million AAV per season.

Charlie Coyle liked the direction the Blue Jackets were heading in and signed on the dotted line for six years. We dare you to find another time in team history that center ice was as good as it is now.

Speaking of Greaves and Sillinger, each got new three-year deals at a fair number. Each know they have something to prove given the untapped potential each still possess.

While Werenski is still a bit of a question mark until he can sign a new contract, he’s on the books for two more seasons. He vetoed a trade to the Stars, a team many consider a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Ponder that for a minute. The Stars, located in a no-tax state, who have clear aspirations of winning this season, Werenski said no to.

Werenski isn’t eligible to sign an extension until July 1, 2027. He’s expressed his desire to win with the Blue Jackets. If he feels he can do that, his words indicate he’ll re-sign. That would solidify what the team has built even more than it already has.

We haven’t even gotten to Kent Johnson, who spent most of last season dealing with a lingering lower-body injury that affected his performance. He couldn’t even train fully because of the injury. He deemed himself 100% coming into this season while adding back the weight he lost. He was seen flying and displaying skill during camp. Playing on a line with Fantilli and Knies could give him an opportunity for a huge bounce back.

We also haven’t gotten to Denton Mateychuk, who is a massive part of the Blue Jackets’ future. Some initial discussions have taken place on a long-term extension.

Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson are secured long-term and will provide the veteran presence required. Mathieu Olivier is signed for the long haul. Valeri Nichushkin, who was acquired during the offseason, has four years left.

Do you see the picture yet? What started out as an ominous offseason full of questions surrounding the direction of the team has turned into an easily identifiable core that isn’t ready to walk out the door.

The Blue Jackets took steps to move players who weren’t going to be part of the future or didn’t want to be part of the future. Credit where it is due.

Now imagine the alternative. Coyle could have tested the market. Greaves could have went through the arbitration meeting. Fantilli could still be unsigned. The Blue Jackets ultimately paid up when needed even if the outside view looked ugly at times. And there’s no question it was ugly for long stretches.

The lesson here is that what ultimately matters is the end result rather than the ups and down of the process.

Work Is Only Beginning

As much credit as the Blue Jackets deserve for surviving the offseason and having a core to work with, the reality of the situation remains. It doesn’t automatically make them a true contender yet.

Severson won’t play in the opener. Provorov is banged up from that shot block during the last preseason game in Detroit. Fabbro has a broken bone in his hand that will take a few weeks or more to heal.

Coach Rick Bowness is only beginning his work on the one thing he promised to do. That’s to change the Blue Jackets’ culture. He already made a statement by not naming a captain for this season instead opting to rotate through several players wearing the ‘A’.

Thursday’s opening night isn’t about if they’re a contender right now. The season will figure that out for us. No, Thursday is about the roster the Blue Jackets have in front of them and if it’s finally the one they intend to live with over the next few seasons.

The Blue Jackets’ message of the recent past has always sold potential. That potential would eventually ask out.

This week, the Blue Jackets sold Marchenko even with time left on his contract in which he was willing to play out. The keys were handed to the kids who are the ones that will be here when things start to get serious. The team chose to extinguish a fire with that situation before it became an out of control mess.

The offseason started with chaos. The regular season will start with a more established core who is set to be in Columbus for years to come. Now it’s their job to make sure they start the season the right way.

What is the right way? It’s winning. If they can start October strong, the rest can then work itself out.

Enjoy everything that is about to unfold. No matter what happens, it surely will not be boring. It never is with the Blue Jackets.