Columbus Blue Jackets: where things stand

The Columbus Blue Jackets have opened the 2026–27 NHL season with an emphatic 6–3 home victory over the Buffalo Sabres, giving the franchise its first season-opening win in five years. After Buffalo struck first, Columbus seized control with three goals in a 5:53 span late in the opening period and maintained its advantage the rest of the way. The Blue Jackets also converted twice on three power-play opportunities while limiting the Sabres to no goals on five chances, an encouraging special-teams performance in the first game of the campaign.

Matthew Knies made an immediate impact in his Columbus debut, scoring twice and adding an assist. His three-point performance made him the first Blue Jacket to score twice in his debut, instantly adding energy to a team seeking greater consistency and offensive depth. Sean Monahan and Adam Fantilli also scored, while Mathieu Olivier contributed a goal, underscoring a balanced attack rather than reliance on one line. Columbus held advantages in faceoffs and blocked shots, suggesting a committed, structured effort under coach Rick Bowness.

The victory provides an ideal start at Nationwide Arena, but it represents only one game. The Blue Jackets’ next test comes at home Saturday, October 3, against the Utah Mammoth. That matchup will offer an early measure of whether the opening-night pace, special-teams execution, and collective defensive effort can carry into the second game of the regular season.

The Columbus Blue Jackets begin the 2026–27 NHL regular season at home against the Buffalo Sabres on October 1, entering a new leadership era without a captain. Coach Rick Bowness has chosen a rotating group of alternate captains, with Zach Werenski, Mathieu Olivier, and Charlie Coyle carrying the designation for October home games. The arrangement reflects both organizational transition and uncertainty surrounding Werenski’s longer-term future, while giving the room several voices rather than concentrating authority in one player.

On the ice, Columbus has a blend of emerging talent, veteran experience, and competition for roles throughout the lineup. Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson represent important pieces of the club’s offensive future, while Sean Monahan, Charlie Coyle, Conor Garland, and Valeri Nichushkin add experience and physical maturity. Werenski remains the defining figure on defense, supported by Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson, Carson Soucy, and a deeper group that includes Denton Mateychuk and Emil Andrae. In goal, Cam Talbot and Elvis Merzlikins headline the available options.

The opener offers an immediate test against Buffalo, which expects Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to start despite a preseason lower-body issue. Columbus will seek a confident start under Bowness, sharper execution from its younger players, and evidence that its varied leadership structure can stabilize a team still defining its identity. At 0–0–0, the Blue Jackets have no standings burden yet—only the opportunity to establish momentum in front of their home crowd.

The Blue Jackets enter the season with genuine optimism but also immediate uncertainty, because their opening-day roster has already been reshuffled by injuries and a major late trade. Carson Soucy has quickly become part of the picture after joining on a tryout and earning a one-year contract, while Damon Severson and Dante Fabbro are both unavailable to start the year, and Isac Lundestrom has landed on long-term injured reserve. The biggest jolt came when Columbus moved Kirill Marchenko and Elvis Merzlikins in a blockbuster with Toronto, a deal that brought back Matthew Knies and Emil Andrae, but also underscored how volatile the roster remains on the eve of the opener.

Even with the chaos, the club still has a young core and enough skill to project as a dangerous wild-card contender. Adam Fantilli is expected to keep taking another step, Zach Werenski remains the anchor on defense, and the forward group still has scoring depth around Sean Monahan, Kent Johnson, Cole Sillinger, Dmitri Voronkov, Mathieu Olivier, and Valeri Nichushkin. Cam Talbot and Jet Greaves give the team some stability in goal after the Merzlikins move, but the Blue Jackets’ early-season identity will likely hinge on whether the reshaped lineup can stay healthy, defend consistently, and quickly build chemistry before the October 1 home game against Buffalo.

The Blue Jackets enter their final preseason tune-up with a camp still taking shape, and the biggest storyline remains how quickly the roster settles after a flurry of recent cuts and injury designations. Columbus trimmed its camp group by sending Nolan Lalonde, Oiva Keskinen, Luke Tuch, Charlie Elick, and Guillaume Richard to Cleveland, while Isac Lundestrom and Elvis Merzlikins were designated injured non-roster; the club also moved Corson Ceulemans and Colton White toward assignment, placed Dante Fabbro on injured reserve, and added Mikael Pyyhtiä to the injured non-roster list.

That leaves the camp conversation centered on healthy veterans, a few younger forwards still trying to push their way into consideration, and the early chemistry the staff has been testing. Adam Fantilli’s new long-term deal gave the group a lift after he missed the opening portion of camp, and recent reporting suggests he could still get into the final preseason game in Detroit. The line combinations have also been worth watching, including a look at Sean Monahan between Valeri Nichushkin and Dmitri Voronkov, while Cam Talbot has looked steady in goal and appears set for a heavy role while Merzlikins recovers. With the final exhibition on the road against Detroit, the focus is on evaluation, health, and which players can finish camp strongest before opening night.

The Columbus Blue Jackets enter this preseason with one of the NHL’s more intriguing camp stories: Adam Fantilli has finally signed his six-year extension and is trying to cram a missed week of camp into a few days before Saturday’s finale at Detroit. His late arrival is the biggest development, because it immediately affects line lookups, chemistry work, and how quickly the Jackets can settle their top centers and power-play looks.

There is also a clear sense of competition throughout the roster. Training camp has been about sorting through depth spots, evaluating younger skaters, and deciding which fringe players can push for jobs while exhibition games are still being used to test combinations. The club has already used preseason games to get a look at different forward groupings and defensive pairings, while the staff balances established names with prospects trying to force their way into the conversation.

Health and readiness matter too, especially with players returning to practice and others trying to get up to speed after missing time. The Blue Jackets are treating every remaining skate and exhibition shift as part of a wider evaluation, not as a standings chase. Against Detroit on Sept. 26, the focus will be on how quickly Fantilli fits back in and which players make the strongest final impression before the roster gets trimmed.

The Blue Jackets are in the thick of preseason sorting, with Tuesday’s roster moves trimming camp to 34 players and sending several young forwards and defensemen to Cleveland while Pheonix Copley was placed on waivers for assignment. The biggest immediate concern is on the blue line: Dante Fabbro is expected to miss time after an upper-body injury, and Damon Severson is still working back under a no-contact designation, leaving Columbus to test combinations around Zach Werenski and see who can steady the third pair.

That uncertainty has opened doors for depth defenders and a few prospects still in camp, while the forward group is also being shaped by injuries and demotions. Mikael Pyyhtia’s lower-body injury removed another depth option, and the club’s recent cuts suggest the coaching staff is narrowing decisions quickly with the season opener approaching. Cam Talbot and Elvis Merzlikins remain central figures in the goaltending picture, but the spotlight now is on who can seize the last few roster spots and who can survive the final rounds of camp.

Columbus hosts Pittsburgh in tonight’s preseason game, and the exhibition is another chance for the staff to evaluate line chemistry, penalty-kill work and whether healthy veterans are ready to ramp up toward opening night.

The Blue Jackets enter this preseason with a camp defined by evaluation rather than certainty, and the next test is a home exhibition against the Pittsburgh Penguins on September 24. Columbus has already trimmed its roster, sending several younger players out while leaving a crowded group in place for more auditions, and that has kept the spotlight on battles for depth roles, special-teams minutes, and final lineup spots.

Training camp has also been shaped by health and availability. Dante Fabbro missed practice after leaving the club’s preseason game against Detroit with an upper-body injury, while a center was seen skating in a yellow jersey as the team manages a short list of bumps and bruises. At the same time, the organization has continued to look at its promising young players and recent arrivals, with the camp structure forcing coaches to sort through combinations quickly and make hard decisions before the exhibition schedule ends.

The most intriguing storyline remains up front, where Adam Fantilli’s absence early in camp has affected how the forward group is being arranged, even as the team keeps experimenting with different looks. In goal, Jet Greaves has drawn attention for a calm, sharp start, and the overall tone around the club is one of competition, patience, and adjustment as Columbus tries to emerge from camp with clarity before the games begin to count.

The Columbus Blue Jackets enter their Sept. 22 preseason game in Buffalo with a camp that already feels more consequential than a typical exhibition slate. Their opener produced a 1-0 shootout win over Detroit, but the bigger story was roster evaluation: Jet Greaves handled the start cleanly, Pheonix Copley was sharp in the shootout, and Conor Garland supplied the only goal that counted in the result, while the club used the night to sort through veterans, younger depth pieces, and the first real looks at line combinations.

The most immediate concern is Dante Fabbro, who left the opener with an upper-body injury, tightening the spotlight on the blue line and on players trying to seize depth minutes. Training camp has also put added emphasis on competition in goal and on defense, with Cam Talbot, Elvis Merzlikins, and Greaves part of a crowded netminding picture and a mix of established defenders and younger call-ups trying to earn trust. Up front, the Jackets are blending core pieces such as Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan, and Charlie Coyle with energy and depth options, looking for chemistry rather than results.

Against Buffalo, the focus stays on evaluation, not standings, as Columbus continues to trim, test, and adjust before the games begin to count.

The Columbus Blue Jackets enter preseason with training camp focused on sorting out a crowded roster and establishing roles after a turbulent offseason. Recent reporting says the team has opened camp with competition everywhere: veterans are trying to secure jobs, younger players are getting extended looks, and the coaching staff is using exhibition practices to test line combinations and defensive pairings before Monday’s preseason opener against the Detroit Red Wings.

The most interesting camp themes are in the middle of the lineup and on the blue line, where several players are battling for ice time and specialists are trying to convince the staff they belong on the opening roster. There is also attention on players returning from injury and on how quickly the group can settle into a structure that looks more stable than it did a year ago. Kirill Marchenko remains a major focal point because of the ongoing uncertainty around his future, while Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, and Cole Sillinger are among the key pieces expected to help define the club’s identity if the camp battles break their way. On defense, Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov anchor the conversation, with younger and depth defenders pushing to stay in the mix. The broader sense is of a team trying to turn camp into clarity, with Sunday’s final prep leading into a useful first look at a roster still being shaped.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are in the middle of a compact preseason camp that feels more like a race to evaluation than a grind to opening night. With training camp shortened across the NHL, the staff is using every rep to sort out roster battles, test combinations, and get a clearer read on who can handle bigger roles when the games start to count. Adam Fantilli has been a major early storyline after missing multiple camp days while waiting on a contract resolution, which has briefly slowed his on-ice ramp-up, but the bigger camp theme is opportunity for younger and bubble players to seize ice time.

There is also real intrigue around Kirill Marchenko, whose future has been a talking point after a hesitant first media availability, even though he is still in camp and focused on hockey. On the blue line, Denton Mateychuk is drawing attention as a player expected to shoulder a more prominent role, while the coaching staff continues sorting out usage and special-teams looks under the current camp structure. The Blue Jackets are also carrying a wide mix of veterans, prospects, and depth candidates in net and up front, which gives the staff flexibility but makes every practice and scrimmage matter.

With a preseason home game against the Detroit Red Wings on September 21, the next step is another audition opportunity, not a standings test, as Columbus keeps trimming and refining the group.