The Hockey News Sunday Recap: Columbus Blue Jackets

News & Notes

Mathieu Olivier will score 25 goals and total 45 points in 2026-27!

He had a great year last year, even though he missed 21 games. He was on pace for 20 goals, which would have surpassed his 18 from the year before.

He was also on pace for 35 points, which would've been better than the 32 from the previous season. Playing with Charlie Coyle and Cole Sillinger last year seemed to have made all three better. 

Bowness told the media after practice today that defenseman Damon Severson won't be available for the season opener Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. 

He went on to say that they are aiming for game three, which isn't until October 9th against Pittsburgh, to be his comeback date. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets have traded seemingly disgruntled forward Kirill Marchenko to the Toronto Maple Leafs, ending months of speculation. The deal also involves Elvis Merzlikins and Miles Wood heading to Toronto.   

Forward Luca Del Bel Belluz made the team out of camp, while newcomer Emil Andrae is listed on the defense. 

The team has also put defensemen Dante Fabbro and Damon Severson on IR to start the season. Fabbro has a broken hand, and Severson had shoulder surgery.

Matthew Knies is the centerpiece — and a legitimate one.

Knies is only 23, coming off a 23-goal, 66-point season, and is already signed for six years at a $7.75 million AAV. He's a big, physical winger who can play in a top-six role and gives Columbus a different type of offensive weapon.

"I've had talks with his representation; we spoke about it last week. We're going to spend some time on it here in the coming weeks. Denton's a guy that loves it here; I know, as a person and as a player, we love him here. So, when you have common ground like that, I'm pretty confident we'll be able to find a resolution to getting him signed long-term."

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed veteran defenseman Carson Soucy to a one-year contract today that will run through the 26-27 season. 

The deal is worth $1.15 million. 

Final Record - 108-111-38 - 2nd All-Time in CBJ history

Time on Ice - 15300:28 - 274 Games - 2nd All-Time in CBJ history

Save % - .900 - 6th All-Time in CBJ history

GAA - 3.22 - 7th - All-Time in CBJ history

Shutouts - 12 - 3rd All-Time in CBJ history

Shootout Record - 16-9 - 2nd All-Time in CBJ history

The Columbus Blue Jackets have decided to run without a captain for the 2026-27 season. 

The choice comes as many fans assumed it would be one of Zach Werenski, Charlie Coyle, or Mathieu Olivier. 

At just 23 years old, Knies has already shown that he is a true top-six winger in the NHL. In 79 games last season with the Maple Leafs, he posted 23 goals and 66 points. This was after he had 29 goals and 58 points in 78 games for Toronto in 2024-25. 

If Andrae can hit a new level this season, it would be very good news for the Blue Jackets. When noting that he is only 24 years old and just 107 games into his NHL career, he certainly has the potential to break out. It will be intriguing to see if he can do just that for Columbus this season from here

During the first period of the Sharks' matchup against the Panthers, Marchment scored his first goal with the Pacific Division club. It was a nice one, too, as he beat Panthers goalie Akira Schmid with a long-distance snapshot. 

They combined for 2 goals, 3 assists, a plus-6 rating, 6 shots, 6 hits, and 11 PIMs, which included an Olivier fight. Many people believe that Olivier putting that dead puck in the net was an attempt to get the Sabres worked up, which worked.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reported that former Columbus Blue Jackets captain Lyle Odelein has passed away at the age of 58. 

It's reported that he died of a heart attack on Friday night

Game Recaps

Cole Sillinger(1), Matthew Knies(1-PPG,2), Adam Fantilli(1), Sean Monahan(1-PPG), and Mathieu Olivier(1-ENG) powered the Blue Jackets offense to a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. Jet Greaves made 23 saves on 26 Sabres shots to secure his first win of the season.   

Kent Johnson(1) scored the only goal for Columbus in a 4-1 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night. The goal was assisted by Matthew Knies, who made a beautiful pass off the boards to a streaking Kent Johnson, who then beat Mammoth goalie Sebastian Cossa on the breakaway.   

Game Previews