Blue Jackets Signing Charlie Coyle Signals Aggressive “Win Now” Push in 2026-27 – The Hockey Writers – Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets took care of an important piece of business this week. They were able to re-sign center Charlie Coyle to a six-year deal worth $36 million.

It was a move the Blue Jackets had to make. Coyle was one of their most important players given all the different ways he impacted the game. Not having him in 2026-27 would have been a bitter pill to swallow.

Now that Coyle is back in the fold, the Blue Jackets can now plan the rest of their offseason. While they still have several things to do contract wise, there is one thing we can say for certain about how the team is looking at the 2026-27 NHL season. Signing Coyle made the objective even more abundantly clear.

The Blue Jackets are in “win now” mode. Their offseason should reflect this principle.

Urgency to Make Playoffs

The Blue Jackets fell short the last two seasons despite being in position to qualify for the playoffs. It shows that they were good enough to hover around the race. But they weren’t good enough to finish the deal.

The 2025-26 season marked the first time in Coyle’s career that he missed the playoffs. Choosing to stay with the Blue Jackets means that he believes in where the team is trying to go. At age 34, Coyle wants to win. He could have chosen to explore free agency as he would have had similar offers. He also would have had Stanley Cup contenders lining up for his services.

This point is not being talked about enough. The Blue Jackets have started to do a better job being able to keep their players when their contract is up. While what the city offers is well known, the team hasn’t been able to claim winning as a recent reason for players to sign or extend.

While the Blue Jackets still have to make it happen on the ice, they are able to get players to believe in the plan being presented to them. That’s one thing GM Don Waddell has been able to do now entering his third season with the team. He’s given the team every chance to try and make the playoffs.

But now that the Blue Jackets have fallen short for two years, there is increased urgency to make the playoffs. While that is true every season outside of a rebuild, the clock is ticking to a degree. It’s ticking in the form of the remainder of Zach Werenski’s current contract.

Werenski will enter the 2026-27 season with two seasons left on his deal. He has yet to taste the playoffs in the years under this contract. He’s won everything he could otherwise including a double gold medal for Team U.S.A. this past season.

If the Blue Jackets fail to qualify for the playoffs in a seventh-consecutive season, more serious questions are going to bubble to the surface. The big one will be Werenski and if he’d want to extend. There’s no question he loves Columbus. But he wants to win. If he doesn’t think he could win with the Blue Jackets, he could easily explore his other options knowing a new contract is needed starting in 2028-29.

That’s why Waddell and the Blue Jackets have to be in “win now” mode now. The way the team could look in a couple of seasons will be determined by how this upcoming season and next go. Don’t expect the Blue Jackets to sit back if they can help it.

Areas Blue Jackets Could Address

We know the Blue Jackets want to win now. The question becomes how they plan to accomplish that. Besides depending on their young stars to show a big improvement in 2026-27, there have some options available to them to address a couple of glaring needs.

First, the Blue Jackets need another scoring winger. When things got hard last season, offense dried up. They need another dependable winger who can fill the net. Should the Buffalo Sabres and Alex Tuch not be able to come to an agreement on a new deal, that’s the kind of player the Blue Jackets should look to add in free agency.

Assuming Tuch is re-signed, the Blue Jackets would need to look at potential trade options to fill that gap. After signing Coyle, Waddell said he expects there to be more hockey trades around the league. Teams looking to improve might have to be more open to trades than before given how other options are not as plentiful. Whether that includes the 14th overall pick at the NHL Draft or even a roster player, they must exhaust all their options to find enough improvement to make the playoffs.

But then second, the Blue Jackets still want to address their defense if possible. If they were in on Noah Dobson last offseason, the desire is still there to add if the right player is available. Especially if Erik Gudbranson isn’t back, they’d have a hole on the right side to fill.

In the end, having Coyle back was a big step for the Blue Jackets. It has allowed them to ensure their center depth is in order going into 2026-27. They can now focus on bringing in a couple of players that they hope get them over the top and into the playoffs.

The Blue Jackets have a plan. Coyle saw enough to sign for six years. He believes he and his teammates can win in Columbus.

With Bowness signed on for one season at this point, the message is clear from the Blue Jackets. They are in full “win now” mode and nothing less. Knowing what could be on the horizon soon, they had no other choice.