Anthony Perkins
With the Blue Jackets opening their 25th Anniversary Season tonight at Bridgestone Arena against the Nashville Predators, here are my 5 bold predictions for the 2025-26 season.
1. They’ll make the playoffs as a wildcard team AND win the first round series.
After missing the playoffs by 2 points last season in a down-to-the-wire finish—complete with a 7-game win streak to end the season—this young team was left hungry and disappointed. After the passing of Johnny Gaudreau, everyone wrote this team off, and if we’re being honest? Fair. It was expected and would have been completely understandable if this team had packed it in and underperformed all season. Could anyone really blame them? I sure wouldn’t have, but they did the opposite. They banded together through the shared trauma and played their asses off. This team has a year more experience, this team knows what playing meaningful games in April is about now, and this team under Dean Evason for the second year is hungry for more. During the “welcome back” interviews at the start of training camp, the consensus was “We are here to win a Stanley Cup, and to do that, we need to make the playoffs.” They will make the playoffs, they’ll get over that hump and sneak into the second wildcard spot. And I’ll go even bolder! They are going to face a Washington team hell-bent on getting Ovi one last cup, and they’re going to make the mistake of underestimating Boone Jenner and his team, and the Jackets will come out on top.
2. Adam Fantilli will have yet another breakout year, finish with 80+pts, AND top 5 in Selke voting.
Year three for Adam Fantilli will feature a complete breakout for a player who could’ve easily gone #1 overall if he wasn’t in the same draft class as generational talent Connor Bedard. The 2023 third overall pick has already shown flashes of brilliance in his first two seasons, and last year he made history by becoming the first player—and only player—from his draft class to hit the 30-goal mark, a milestone that showcased his elite finishing ability and hockey IQ beyond his years.
This season, centering a dynamic line with Kent Johnson and Boone Jenner as it stands right now, Fantilli is poised to take that next giant leap forward. With increased ice time, power play opportunities, and the natural development that comes with experience, Fantilli will break out in a big way and record his first 40-goal, 40-assist season—a true statement campaign that will put the rest of the league on notice. His combination of speed, size, and skill makes him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, and playing alongside Johnson’s creativity and Jenner’s veteran presence will only amplify his effectiveness.
But it’s not just the offensive production that will turn heads. On top of his scoring prowess, Fantilli will solidify his defensive game, becoming more responsible in his own zone, winning crucial faceoffs in key moments, and earning the trust of head coach Dean Evason in all situations. His two-way excellence will be so impressive that he’ll finish in the top 5 for Selke Trophy voting, a remarkable achievement for a player in just his third season. By year’s end, he’ll have firmly established himself among the elite two-way centermen in the league, drawing comparisons to players like Aleksander Barkov and Nico Hischier—players who impact the game at both ends of the ice and carry their teams when it matters most.
3. Their Powerplay will be top-10 in the league after years of mediocrity.
The Blue Jackets’ power play is poised to be an absolute weapon this season, and it starts with two of the most dynamic zone entry specialists in the entire league: Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko. Their abilities to enter the zone with control and creativity are nothing short of elite. Last season, Johnson successfully entered the zone on the power play an astounding 78% of the time—a rate that ranks among the very best in the NHL and speaks to his exceptional vision, patience, and puck-handling skills. Kirill Marchenko wasn’t far behind, posting a 63% success rate on power play zone entries, using his combination of speed, deceptive moves, and quick decision-making to consistently beat forecheckers and establish offensive zone time. So if either of these players has the puck on the power play, you can almost guarantee they’ll be cleanly entering the zone and getting set up, giving Columbus a massive advantage before the penalty kill even gets properly positioned.
Once they’re in the zone, things get even more dangerous. Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman Zach Werenski will continue to “captain” the top power play unit from the point, unleashing his lethal shot and quarterbacking the attack with the poise and composure of one of the league’s premier offensive defensemen. His ability to walk the line, find shooting lanes, and make cross-ice passes makes him the perfect anchor for this unit. Add in Boone Jenner’s almost elite ability to tip pucks in front of the net—he’s one of the best in the business at finding soft spots, screening goalies, and redirecting shots with perfect timing—and you’ve got a recipe for consistent success. With Johnson, Marchenko, and veteran Sean Monahan rounding out the top unit, providing additional shooting threats and playmaking options, this team’s power play isn’t just good—it’s scary good. Opposing penalty kills will have their hands full trying to contain this much skill, IQ, and finishing ability all at once.
4. Jet Greaves will be the solid starter by Christmas, will post a .920 SV% and will be in Vezina conversation
Now that Jet Greaves has firmly established himself as an NHL-caliber goaltender, he will finally get the consistent playing time and opportunity needed to showcase the elite potential that the organization has believed in for years. After bouncing between the AHL and NHL and waiting patiently for his chance, Greaves is ready to seize this moment and prove he belongs among the league’s starting netminders. He showed genuine flashes of that high-end ability during the thrilling 7-game win streak that closed out the 2024-2025 season, making clutch saves in high-pressure situations, displaying excellent positioning and rebound control, and giving his team the confidence that they could win every night with him between the pipes. Those performances weren’t flukes—they were a preview of what’s to come.
This season, behind an improved defensive structure under Dean Evason’s system and a team that truly believes in both their goaltender and their collective mission, Greaves will blossom into a legitimate starting-caliber netminder. The Blue Jackets’ defensive zone coverage has tightened up considerably, limiting high-danger chances and providing better support in front of the net, which will allow Greaves to play with more confidence and rhythm. When a goalie knows his teammates have his back and the system is designed to protect him, it’s amazing how quickly the save percentage climbs and the wins start piling up.
By season’s end, Greaves will emerge as one of the league’s biggest surprise goaltending stories—the kind of feel-good narrative that hockey fans love, where a patient, hardworking goalie finally gets his shot and runs with it. Come April, he’ll be firmly in the conversation for the Vezina Trophy, with his name mentioned alongside the league’s elite netminders as voters debate who had the best season between the pipes. His combination of athleticism, technical soundness, and mental toughness will have scouts and analysts wondering how he went undrafted, and Columbus fans will have found their goalie of the future, a cornerstone piece they can build around for years to come.
5. Don Waddell will make a blockbuster trade deadline addition that signals they’re ahead of schedule.
Sensing real playoff potential and wanting to capitalize on the team-friendly contracts while they still have them, Don Waddell and the Columbus front office will make a bold, franchise-altering statement at the trade deadline by going all-in on a significant addition. This isn’t a team content with just sneaking into the playoffs anymore—this is a team ready to make noise once they get there. With core pieces like Fantilli, Johnson, Werenski, and Marchenko all on affordable deals for at least another year or two, the window to be aggressive is now, before those contracts expire and the salary cap landscape becomes more complicated.
The Blue Jackets will shock the league by acquiring either a top-four defenseman to pair alongside Werenski and fortify their blue line for a deep playoff run, or a proven scoring winger who can provide secondary offense and playoff experience when games tighten up in the postseason. Whether it’s a veteran defenseman who brings size, mobility, championship pedigree, and the ability to eat minutes in all situations, or an experienced winger who knows how to score in high-leverage moments and can slot seamlessly into the top six without disrupting chemistry, the addition will be significant and impactful.
When the trade is announced, it will send shockwaves through the hockey world. The Blue Jackets, long viewed as a team in the middle of a patient rebuild, will be making an unmistakable declaration: we’re not rebuilding anymore. This is a win-now move, a signal to the locker room, the fanbase, and the rest of the league that Columbus believes this group is ready to compete for real. It’s the kind of aggressive, calculated gamble that defines successful franchises—strike while the iron is hot, maximize your window, and trust that your young core is ready to deliver when it matters most.
Bonus Prediction: Zach Werenski wins the Norris Trophy.
After an absolutely spectacular 2024-2025 campaign that saw him finish third in Norris Trophy voting—a remarkable achievement that firmly established him among the league’s elite defensemen—Zach Werenski has shown no signs of slowing down. His dominance extended beyond the NHL season, as he led the Four Nations Tournament in points with his exceptional offensive instincts and two-way play, and then capped off an incredible year by helping Team USA capture gold at the World Championships. His performances on the international stage only reinforced what Blue Jackets fans already knew: Werenski is a game-changing talent, capable of controlling play at both ends of the ice and elevating his game when the stakes are highest.
This season, riding that momentum and confidence, Werenski stays red-hot from opening night through the spring. His shot remains one of the most lethal weapons from the blue line in the entire league, his gap control and defensive positioning continue to improve, and his ability to log heavy minutes in all situations makes him indispensable to Columbus’s success. But the spotlight will shine even brighter in February, when he’ll represent Team USA at the Olympics and help his country medal on hockey’s biggest international stage. Playing alongside the world’s best and showcasing his talents in front of a global audience will only add to his already impressive résumé.
When he returns from the Olympics, Werenski will seamlessly pick up where he left off, leading the Blue Jackets’ playoff push down the stretch with crucial goals, shutdown defensive performances, and the kind of leadership that defines franchise cornerstones. His contributions will be instrumental in helping the Jackets secure a playoff berth, ending their postseason drought and giving Columbus fans something to celebrate. By season’s end, Werenski will have built an ironclad case for the Norris Trophy, with his combination of offensive production, defensive excellence, international success, and team impact making him impossible to ignore in the voting. This will be the year he finally takes home the hardware he’s been knocking on the door for.
Keegan Brekt
