How Blue Jackets Can Become a Contender, Part 3: The Missing Pieces – The Hockey Writers – Columbus Blue Jackets

We have recapped how the Columbus Blue Jackets got to this point. We talked about the importance of why the team must maximize their current core in order to become a contender.

We now turn our attention to what is truly and realistically missing from the Blue Jackets in order for them to become a contender. Welcome to Part 3 of our 2026 summer series.

Six years missing from the Stanley Cup Playoffs is already bad enough especially in the salary-cap era where parity gives teams a chance in most years. A seventh-straight miss in 2026-27 would not only look bad for the Blue Jackets, it might cause them to make significant changes to their core given what is hovering over them.

In order to become a contender, the Blue Jackets have to find a way to fill in the missing pieces. What must they add around their current group to break through the mushy middle to become a true threat?

No, Connor McDavid or another elite superstar isn’t going to be coming through the entrance of Nationwide Arena anytime soon. But, the Blue Jackets aren’t building from nothing either as we established in Part 2.

We will discuss what is missing from the Blue Jackets from the perspective of a contender’s profile and then discuss possible ways those gaps can be filled. With a smart approach, some patience and if the timing is right, the team can fill some of those gaps sooner rather than later.

Solidify the Top Six

Perhaps one of the biggest storylines of last season for the Blue Jackets was not getting consistent enough production from their second line. It’s fair to wonder how much further the team could have made it if they had nights where that line took control of a game.

That however was far too infrequent. Contenders can play two, sometimes three lines that have the ability to win games on any given night. At a minimum, teams must be able to have two, consistent top-six lines going. While the Blue Jackets’ top line had their good nights and while Charlie Coyle’s line had some good nights, that second line was more absent than present throughout 2025-26.

That cannot continue if the Blue Jackets hope to become a contender. Even with someone like Valeri Nichushkin in, the team is missing a proven, consistent secondary scorer that can elevate play when Adam Fantilli’s line is quiet.

Think back to the end of last season. What was primarily missing from the Blue Jackets in crunch time? Timely scoring. They were never able to consistently score that back-breaking goal that put games out of reach.

While the Blue Jackets hope that Kent Johnson, Conor Garland, Dmitri Voronkov, Sean Monahan and others can all have bounce-back years, the team has pinned their hopes on hope for way too long. Adding another scorer who can drive play would be a desired fit.

While that was part of the motivation in acquiring Nichushkin, he may end up on the Blue Jackets’ top line leaving outstanding questions about who’s going to elevate that second line. This is where a player like a Jake DeBrusk would have made sense if the price was right.

But now this late into the offseason, a trade might not be as easy to pull off. The Blue Jackets still have to re-sign Adam Fantilli which is expected to take most of their available cap space.

While immediately addressing that need for another scorer might be tough right away, the team could look at options once camps open around the league or even closer to the trade deadline. Especially if Kirill Marchenko remains an ongoing storyline, the Blue Jackets must find a way to address scoring. If a trade were to materialize, it would have to be for more than depth. A high-end forward would need to come back in that kind of deal.

Because of the gap in proven scorers, the Blue Jackets are clearly behind the true, elite contenders. Adding one more proven scorer can help narrow that gap not only this season, but in the immediate future as well.

Need For Right-Shot Defenseman

The Blue Jackets enter the 2026-27 season heavy on the left side of defense. Zach Werenski, Ivan Provorov and Denton Mateychuk have that side locked down.

But it’s on the right side where the Blue Jackets could still fill a gap. While Damon Severson is set to play with Werenski again, the team has Erik Gudbranson and Dante Fabbro on the right.

The Blue Jackets could use a minutes-eating, top-four, right-handed defenseman that could take on some tougher competition while balancing out all of the pairs. Think of how Noah Dobson could have fit had the team been able to acquire him in trade last season.

Not only would that have balanced the blue line, they would have been better able to withstand losing a player like Severson to injury. After that injury, the Blue Jackets simply were not the same.

Someone who can play the right and provide 18+ minutes per night would do wonders for this team. That would help reduce some of Werenski’s minutes knowing they have more depth. That would solidify the third pair with some combination of Gudbranson, Fabbro and Jake Christiansen.

But until the Blue Jackets can address that with a trade, they appear set to lean on Mateychuk or Provorov playing on their offside. While that was effective in stretches, it’s not an ideal long-term solution.

A consistent, balanced top-four is something that true contenders can put out at any given time. The Blue Jackets are close but need that one player to put them into that conversation.

Like at forward, a trade now might be hard to find. But the desire to add remains. We’ll see what the landscape looks like come trade deadline and beyond. By then, we will have some more clarity on where things may be heading overall.

Reliable Backup Goaltending

Jet Greaves has taken the reigns as the Blue Jackets’ starting goaltender based on his play. Elvis Merzlikins still believes he can be a number one. It’s overdue for him to show how much he still has to give.

Merzlikins’ four worst seasons in terms of save percentage have all come in the last four seasons. He has gone .876, .897, .892 and .883 last season. His NHL career average is still at .900 despite those numbers.

Merzlikins has a total of 60 wins in the last four seasons including just 14 in 2025-26. The overall performance of the backup goaltender has prevented the Blue Jackets from making the jump to contender status. The contending teams have been able to get good performances in that area where it’s not a major liability.

The Blue Jackets added Pheonix Copley to the mix. No matter who wins out, they must hold the fort down to give their team a chance to win when they start. The hot and cold nature of these performances cannot continue if they want to contend this season and beyond.

Fourth Line/Loss of Lundestrom

The Blue Jackets believe they caught a break on Isac Lundestrom. As we previously reported, he had surgery to repair an Achilles injury. The team believes he can be back in early November. That still leave them a month without an important bottom-six player.

That fourth line cannot be a liability. Adding Ryan Lomberg helps in the speed and every department. The question becomes how will the team address the gap of Lundestrom’s injury given what he can do on faceoffs, on the penalty kill etc.?

We’ll address this a lot more in Part 4 when looking closer at prospects and internal options in the organization, but would someone like Luca Del Bel Belluz or Jack Williams now have a shot to make the roster out of camp? Could they fill in that kind of role while Lundestrom is out?

It goes without saying. A dependable and steady fourth line can take 10+ minutes off the other lines keeping them fresher while keeping their opposition in check. Struggles on that line conversely could let winnable games slip away.

There is opportunity for 1-2 players to make an impression at camp and earn a roster spot. GM Don Waddell has said as much. If no one is able to do that, the team could look to add a cheaper option in the form of a veteran. Regardless of approach, this area cannot be ignored if they want to continue advancing towards contender status.

Final Thoughts

These ideas are not a tear it down approach. The Blue Jackets have a core. While that core needs to be maximized and take the next step, the holes on the team are clearly visible. They also can be filled reasonably with a smart approach.

Adding another scorer, another steady defenseman while making sure the bottom-six and backup goaltending are in order are things that could meaningfully change the outlook of 2026-27 in a positive way. The big question is will the right situations become available for the Blue Jackets to pounce on?

To take the next step in contention, the Blue Jackets must maximize the core. They must fill in these noticeable gaps. If that doesn’t happen, we’ll be right back here in the summer of 2027 asking the exact same questions.

Stay tuned for Part 4 of our summer series as we take a more in-depth look at the state of the prospect pool and other internal candidates that could have an impact on the Blue Jackets down the road.