3 questions facing Columbus Blue Jackets

NHL.com is providing in-depth analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, three important questions facing the Columbus Blue Jackets.

1. Will the momentum carry over?

Columbus was expected to finish well outside of the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season but ended up two points behind the New Jersey Devils for third in the Metropolitan Division and the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference.

This season could determine if that upward trajectory is the new norm. Even last season, full of positives, was mired by inconsistency.

The Blue Jackets won 5-3 against the Detroit Red Wings in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on March 1, capping a four-game winning streak. They were 1-7-1 in the next nine games, denting postseason hopes that six straight wins to finish the season couldn’t rescue.

That experience could be invaluable in taking the next step.

“I always say, March and April, for some reason, they’re harder to win in than October and November,” general manager Don Waddell said. “It doesn’t make any sense, but that’s what we talk about. And we went through a dip in March. To be honest, I was wondering if we were going to get out of it.

“We did. That’s a strong sign of this locker room."

2. Can the defense rise to the occasion?

There was plenty of offense last season. The Blue Jackets averaged 3.26 goals to rank eighth in the NHL and fifth in the Eastern Conference.

The entire lineup seemed to produce. Kirill Marchenko and Adam Fantilli tied for the team lead with 31 goals. Kent Johnson (24), Zach Werenski (23) and Dmitri Voronkov (23) combined for another 70.

But the problem was that output was matched with an average of 3.26 goals against, eighth worst in the League.

The production is fine, but the defense needs to tighten for it to mean much.

“We have to keep the puck out of the net more, right?” coach Dean Evason said. “Like, we’ve talked about our scoring was good this year. We’ve got to keep the puck out of our net. So, our defensive game has to be better.”

3. Can they win on the road?

The Blue Jackets were 26-10-5 at home. They were 14-23-4 on the road.

Evason said he wasn’t sure why there was such a difference, but part of it could have been special teams.

Columbus’ power play (19.5 percent) and penalty kill (77.0 percent) each was 22nd in the NHL. Scoring more and giving up less in those spots is a straightforward solution.

But there’s probably more to it. Evason said his job is to pinpoint an exact reason before being haunted by more of the same.

“Have to get better for us to get more points,” Evason said. “Have we identified exactly what we can do on the road? No. Do we have some thoughts? Yes. ... We will figure it out. We have to figure it out.”