How Blue Jackets Can Become a Contender, Part 5: Making the Moves – The Hockey Writers – Columbus Blue Jackets

You know how the Columbus Blue Jackets got to this point. You know what they have to do with their group and what their limitations are. You know what they’re missing.

Now it’s time for all the all-important question. How can the Blue Jackets actually make the moves necessary to become a contender once and for all?

Welcome to the last part of our 2026 summer Blue Jackets’ series on how they can become a contender. The team showed that they’re on the doorstep of the playoffs the last two seasons. They now need to find their way over the hump.

As we’ve stated in previous parts, there is a path to contention soon. But it’s going to take a lot of things going right in order to do so. That starts at the top with management making hard decisions in several key areas.

Offseason Recap

GM Don Waddell used this offseason to make a couple of moves to help his roster. One was the trade for Valeri Nichushkin. Another was the signing of Ryan Lomberg.

The first thing to note is recognizing the current state of both the trade market and free agency. The Blue Jackets clearly needed help after the losses of Boone Jenner and Mason Marchment.

Waddell was able to utilize both a trade and free agency to address needs. In doing so, he brought in players that will make his team faster. He also completed business without giving up a significant asset. Nichushkin was acquired for three draft picks including a second and a third. Lomberg was signed as a free agent.

Not having to give up a member of the core or a first-round pick for a top-six player is a good piece of business. The Blue Jackets aren’t to the point that they can just part with core pieces or first rounders just because they have to make a deal. The deal has to make sense and must bring back someone significant if they’re going to pay a higher price.

Part of becoming a contender from the manager’s perspective is recognizing where their team is in the process. Waddell believes in his core which is why they are still together at this point. A move hasn’t materialized in which it made sense to part with a core player.

Many were expecting more moves to come. They still might over time. But for now, until Adam Fantilli is signed, the Blue Jackets have to ensure they have enough cap space to sign him. Then once that’s settled, they can try to turn their attention to other possible moves.

Those moves won’t be for the most elite talent. Teams aren’t going to part with those kind of players. What will move the needle here is targeting the right kind of player to advance in contention status. Those kind of players are available in both trades and free agency. Let’s explain.

Targeting Players That Fit

Think of the Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes. The moves they make all have one thing in common. They target players that fit their unique style. They play a specific role. They play their role so well that it makes their team better and harder to play against.

The Blue Jackets need to do the same thing in order to fill in their missing pieces. Waddell tried doing that this offseason. Nichushkin’s speed and finishing ability is something the team hopes elevates their top-six. Lomberg’s speed and tenacity is something the team hopes makes their bottom-six a pain to play against.

The reality though is that the Blue Jackets still have holes to fill. Ideally, they would like to add another center, another scorer and then a dependable top-four defenseman who can eat minutes on the right side. But it can’t be just any player. They have to be able to fit the way head coach Rick Bowness wants to play.

That center should be able to win key faceoffs while contributing at both ends of the ice. A healthy Sean Monahan would help a lot. But if he’s not back to his 2024-25 form, questions will remain on who fills that role.

That scorer should be able to add 15-20 goals while playing in multiple roles based on need. Considering 211 players reached 15 goals, being able to find one that fits the Blue Jackets’ system is doable.

That defenseman needs to be a steadying presence who can shutdown the opposition while chipping in some offense. Erik Gudbranson can play the shutdown role. Dante Fabbro has shown in the past some flashes. But can the Blue Jackets get enough cumulatively from that position?

The point in all this is that there are paths the Blue Jackets have to address their needs that don’t involve giving up their most valuable assets. If they can identify situations around the league, potential free agents, players that need a change of scenery, teams that need to shed salary, they can improve enough to get over the hump.

What Not To Do

While there is an urgency to make the playoffs in 2026-27, the Blue Jackets still cannot make unforced errors. There is a specific list of things they should not do while trying to become a contender.

First, and we alluded to this above, is they don’t need to trade key core pieces or first-round picks just because. There was a lot of talk about the 14th pick being available. Waddell would have moved the pick in the right situation. What he wasn’t going to do was trade it just to make a move. The Blue Jackets can’t mortgage the future right now.

Second, they can’t lock themselves into long and expensive contracts that especially block their next wave from being given a chance. Some look at Charlie Coyle signing for six years as an example of that as the contract would take him until he is 40. This was a case of the team needing the player and making him their priority. He is a key part to where the Blue Jackets are trying to go. Had the team signed Jenner and Marchment to what they got in free agency, that would have limited their options moving forward.

Third and probably most importantly, the Blue Jackets have to resist the urge to force contention early. They’re right there. Making a wrong move now in the hopes of getting over the hump would be very costly. Waddell has demonstrated a level of patience with this group in the face of a lot of adversity. Knowing when to strike separates contenders from pretenders.

What Realistic Path Looks Like

Understanding that some stories could play out over time, Kirill Marchenko for example, the Blue Jackets have to be prepared for all situations. The timeline could be altered based on what happens but what they must accomplish remains the same no matter what happens.

The Blue Jackets must start getting the most out of their core. Contention doesn’t happen without noticeable progress from the collective group.

The Blue Jackets need to have both their internal development and external adds working together. They must get the pipeline to a point where the next wave is ready to come in and make a contribution. They must also ensure that their new players come right in and make a difference.

The team also must work around the clock to find talent and strike when the chance is there. An unexpected waiver add? A player whose role is reduced but could help the Blue Jackets?

What’s important to distinguish in this conversation is that there is a difference between making the playoffs for one season and being a contender. The Blue Jackets have to take steps in which they accomplish both things and not just making the playoffs in 2026-27 then falling back down.

With the right approach and good decision making, the Blue Jackets can make this happen. But they have to be very careful with the way they go about this. If not, we’ll begin with Part 1 of this series again next season.

The Blue Jackets have been in this cycle for years in which they’ve dealt with the same problems. What’s left now for them to find out is if they will finally make the right moves to solve those problems or will they settle for activity that makes it look like progress but instead closes their window?

Becoming a contender was never accidently going to happen. It only comes when the team looks at their situation and faces it head on rather than punting their hard decisions years down the road. Only then will real results come.

The puck now rests on the Blue Jackets’ stick. What they decide to do with it will determine if this is the start of real contention or just another chapter in their long book of broken promises.