2024-25 Columbus Blue Jackets Season Preview

It is a fresh start for the entire Columbus Blue Jackets organization. General Manager Don Waddell and Head Coach Dean Evason are both new to the team. Evason informed the holdover coaches from Pascal Vincent’s staff that he did not want to know anything about the players heading into training camp, as he wanted everyone to have a clean slate. With a young roster hungry to make an impact, what are realistic expectations for this season's Blue Jackets?

The team is still reeling from the sudden, tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau, a loss that makes it difficult to focus on hockey—but we must. Gaudreau’s goals and points will be hard for Columbus to replace. That said, Adam Fantilli is a player to watch. He was having a solid rookie season before suffering an injury. Kent Johnson has added weight and had an excellent training camp, showing significant improvement on and off the puck. He could be primed for a breakout season.

Other forwards who will need to step up include Yegor Chinakhov, who had a strong season last year, as well as Kirill Marchenko and Cole Sillinger, the latter of whom is progressing into a solid two-way center.

Defensively, the Blue Jackets have finished near or at the bottom of the league for three consecutive years. To address this, Evason has brought in defensive-minded coaches. The team also brought back veteran Jack Johnson to provide stability on the blue line. Erik Gudbranson and Zach Werenski both had solid seasons last year, but the rest of the defensive unit needs improvement.

In goal, the tandem of Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov is ranked near the bottom of the league. The Blue Jackets are hoping that an improved defense will lead to better goaltending.

For this to be a successful season, the young players need to carry the team. They have the talent to do it, but now comes the hard part: going out and executing. It’s difficult to envision Columbus climbing out of the Metro basement given the strength of the competition. However, if the Blue Jackets can reach around 70 points and start trending in the right direction, that would be a significant step forward.