The Columbus Blue Jackets’ season has quickly been derailed after a hot start. They are now on a five-game losing streak, and with 50 games left, they are at a crossroads. The Blue Jackets’ offensive output has not been as creative or effective as it was a season ago, and they must start playing as a unit and use their forward lines more efficiently to find their 200-foot game.
There have been positives, but where will the Blue Jackets land, looking ahead to the final 50 games of the season?
Blue Jackets Have Found Their Goalie of the Future
Jet Greaves has been a stud in the crease this season. While his numbers might not jump off the page, his advanced stats reveal how important he’s been to the club.
Top 15 Goaltenders by Goals Saved Above Expected – December 14 pic.twitter.com/wmquEYkdTE
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 14, 2025
Greaves has single-handedly kept his team in many games this season. On the other hand, the Blue Jackets have not helped Greaves, providing little offense in his 19 starts. The team has averaged a lousy 2.31 goals per game when Greaves is between the pipes (44 goals in 19 starts), which explains his 7-8-5 record.
How should this impact the way the team looks at the rest of the season? Well, it answers the early-season question of who should be the Blues’ starter, Greaves or Elvis Merzlikins, which might also allow Columbus to give Merzlikins a fresh start somewhere else, and let Greaves own the net, while also acquiring some assets that might be able to help this season.
Blue Jackets’ Offense Needs a Spark
Time and time again this season, head coach Dean Evason has talked about sticking to the process and how close his club is to finding the answer to their scoring troubles, but at some point, management has to do something about it. The Blue Jackets remain near the top of every offensive metric in terms of chances created, but they also consistently rank in the middle of the pack in their ability to actually put the puck in the net.
5v5 xGoals For per 60 – December 14 pic.twitter.com/YdGTHrjGjb
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 14, 2025
Why does a team that creates so many chances struggle to score? Is it just luck, or is there a reason why the team can’t hit the back of the net, and why is it worse in the third period? These are important questions that have plagued the Blue Jackets all season, causing a lot of doubts in the locker room. The reality is, the team has not played up to expectations, but they have 50 more games to right the ship
The most important next step is to find the right forward line combinations to generate more offense. The answer is already in the room, and if Evason can go back to what worked last season, they will find success faster than expected.
Evason should reunite a banged-up Sean Monahan with Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov, and allow Adam Fantilli to center a line with two super-skilled young forwards, Kent Johnson and Yegor Chinakhov. With those combinations, the offensive output may increase and help the team find some consistency.
There is a lot of hockey left to be played, but the Blue Jackets need to turn the tide now if they want a chance to climb their way out of last place in the Western Conference standings, especially with two games against the Anaheim Ducks this week, and a contest with the Minnesota Wild between the two.
