Where are the Columbus Blue Jackets heading?
The answer is murky.
Since 2000, the franchise has compiled nine winning seasons, six playoff appearances, one second-round appearance, and endured plenty of heartbreak.
Their 847 regular-season wins rank 29th in the NHL, ahead of only recent expansion and relocated franchises.
The Blue Jackets’ most consistent identity came under John Tortorella. Those teams were built to be hard to play against, routinely fighting into wild-card positioning as a No. 7 or 8 seed. They also reached a franchise-high No. 3 seed in 2016-17.
Since beginning their rebuild in 2021, the Blue Jackets have made strides, climbing from 59 points in 2022-23 to 92 points in 2025-26, with each year in between showing incremental improvement.
President and general manager Don Waddell continues to fine-tune his roster in hopes of ending the franchise's playoff drought for the first time since 2019-20.
Working around the edges, Waddell brought in Ryan Lomberg, a fourth-line forward and 2023-24 Stanley Cup champion, and goaltender Phoenix Copley. Other additions included re-signing Owen Sillinger and Riley Bezeau.
The departures were more significant. Boone Jenner's 13-year tenure came to an end when the longtime captain signed with division-rival Washington. Zach Aston-Reese joined Philadelphia. Mason Marchment landed a five-year deal in San Jose.
No conversations yet on who the next captain will be, per Waddell. They’ll discuss as the summer goes on and make a decision in camp. #CBJ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) July 2, 2026
Then there was the other big story over the last few days and weeks. Zach Werenski, with two years left on his contract, was about to be a Dallas Star.
Until he exercised the no-movement clause in his contract to veto a trade, reaffirming his stance that he wants to remain in Columbus and see things through with the only franchise he's ever known.
For now.
Eligible to sign a long-term extension next summer, Werenski's future will remain a lingering storyline.
Werenski was once viewed as a potential next captain after Jenner, but with long-term uncertainty, that seems unlikely. Unless the team decided not to have a designated captain for at least a year.
The best-case scenario for Columbus is simple: prove this roster is genuinely capable of making the playoffs and competing beyond them. The group that breaks camp in October can't fade down the stretch as it has in the past two seasons, and Werenski — coming off a Norris Trophy season — will need to be at his best when the games matter most in March and April.
When Werenski's close friend, Dylan Larkin, who has five years left on his deal, asked for a trade from the Red Wings in June, that seemed to drive speculation about Werenski's situation.
Even without requesting a trade, Werenski still became the center of speculation, which quickly escalated into reports that he was a no-movement clause away from going to Dallas.
The Blue Jackets' situation suddenly felt like having to rebuild the rebuild.
Fair or not, Columbus continues to battle skepticism from around the league. Much of it has been earned. But the fact that Werenski's future immediately became a league-wide talking point illustrates where the Blue Jackets still sit in the NHL hierarchy.
Waddell understandably has to explore every option if a player of Werenski's caliber appears uncertain about his future. If Werenski remains non-committal about an extension next summer, this conversation will likely begin again.
However, Werenski's initial refusal to go to Dallas rubbed fans the wrong way when they thought he wanted out and was essentially sabotaging the potential trade return for Columbus by only considering teams — rumored to be Tampa Bay or Toronto — whose returns wouldn't match what Dallas could offer. Until he and Waddell set the message straight and put to bed weeks of speculation.
The core issue for Columbus remains credibility in a league of established contenders. Look at the recent Stanley Cup champions, who were not always considered destination markets.
Florida has become a destination with three Stanley Cup Final trips and two championships. The beach and no tax benefits were always there.
Carolina might not have been a destination for stars like Mikko Rantanen, but they proved they know how to win, building legitimacy through consistency, reaching the playoffs eight straight seasons before finally breaking through for a championship in June.
Vegas, meanwhile, has been a contender almost immediately. In nine seasons, the Golden Knights have reached three Stanley Cup Finals under four different coaches and missed the playoffs only once. From the start, they have operated with a win-now expectation that never fades.
Columbus has become a team that can always be reasoned into contention, but rarely forced into it.
Until that changes, the Blue Jackets will remain what they have long been in the NHL hierarchy: a team evaluated on potential rather than feared for results.
If the Blue Jackets don’t get off to a strong start, the questions around Werenski’s long-term future will inevitably return.
