NHL's Top Issues Facing the Columbus Blue Jackets: A Fantilli Breakout, Gaudreau and New Coach

This is the latest edition of THN.com’s continuing series examining the top issues for each NHL team.

Today, we’re focusing on three key issues facing the Columbus Blue Jackets, which have new management, a new coach and just came off trading Patrik Laine earlier in the week.

1. Can sophomore star forward Adam Fantilli have a breakout season?

When the Blue Jackets selected Fantilli third overall in the 2023 NHL draft, expectations of him were sky-high. They still are.

But the 19-year-old did not have an ideal rookie season last year, posting 12 goals and 27 points in 49 games before his season was cut short by injury. 

That said, Fantilli remains an integral part of Columbus’ blueprint for success, and he’ll almost assuredly start the 2024-25 regular season as a top-two center.

The Jackets aren’t exactly teeming with elite talent up front, so Fantilli will have to do much of the heavy lifting if he’s going to improve on his first season. But his offensive instincts – which spurred him to a 30-goal, 65-point season in his sole year at the University of Michigan – should serve him well this coming year. 

Fantilli has plenty of time to ratchet up his game, but if the Blue Jackets are to have even the faintest hope of contending for a playoff berth, they will need Fantilli to elevate his impact. We think he can do so.

2. Is forward Johnny Gaudreau still a star?

When Gaudreau arrived in Columbus in 2022, he was coming off a career-best 40-goal, 115-point season as a member of the Calgary Flames. But for the past two seasons with the Jackets, the 31-year-old’s offensive totals fell to 21 goals and 74 points in 2022-23, then to 12 goals and 60 points in 2023-24. 

For a player with a $9.75-million cap hit for the next five seasons, that’s unacceptable for Gaudreau.

Can he get back to peak form? Well, he’s going to be Columbus’ top-line left winger, and he could play with newly acquired Sean Monahan or perhaps Fantilli. So, on paper, at least, you can’t be faulted for thinking he can improve his individual numbers. 

But now that he’s out of his twenties, Gaudreau should be feeling the pressure brought by Father Time. This Blue Jackets squad will struggle to make the playoffs, and if they fail to make it again, Gaudreau should be asking himself if he wants to stick around for the long run for a potential Cup run down the line or if he wants to join a current Stanley Cup contender. 

In any case, it’s too soon to classify Gaudreau as a washed-up former star, and he seems determined to bring Columbus to success. But the spotlight is squarely on him now, and nothing short of a significant improvement will justify the investment the Jackets have made in him.

3. Will new coach Dean Evason make a difference?

After dismissing bench boss Pascal Vincent after just one season, new Columbus GM Don Waddell replaced him with former Minnesota Wild coach Dean Evason. 

Evason, who turned 60 on Thursday, generated a record of 147-77-27 in parts of five seasons with the Wild. In the end, he was unable to get out of the first round of the playoffs, and Minnesota went in another direction.

All the great coaching in the world isn’t going to turn the Blue Jackets into a Cup contender right away, but if Evason can be a teacher for Columbus’ younger players and push the veterans to their maximum, Waddell will be pleased he hired him. 

From this writer’s perspective, though, it’s looking like another long season in Ohio, and we doubt Evason has enough tricks in his bag to somehow propel his new team into promising territory just yet.

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