Did you miss anything from the past week at The Hockey News - Columbus Blue Jackets? If you did, we have you covered with the Sunday Recap. Click on each card below to read the stories from the past week.
NEWS & NOTES
The Columbus Blue Jackets only have four games scheduled for the month of February.
- February 3rd - Away against New Jersey
- February 4th - Home against Chicago
- February 26th - Away against Boston
- February 28th - Home against the New York Islanders
The Jackets also have two players representing their countries in Milan, Italy, for this year's Olympic Games. Zach Werenski will help power the United States, and Elvis Merzļikins will wear the maroon and white for Latvia.
This has been the plan for a while. Back in November, Fourth Period reported that Columbus was tabling contract talks with Jenner and Adam Fantilli.
Even with some chatter about him possibly being moved before the deadline, it looks like the Blue Jackets are going to do their best to re-sign him. Trading their captain would be a big shock.
There’s no word yet on what he’s asking for exactly, but it’s going to be higher than his current $3.75 million cap hit. My guess is somewhere around $5 million per year, maybe four years for $20 million.
That would carry him through 36, give him one last shot at testing the market, and one last chance at a Stanley Cup if he and the Blue Jackets can’t get it done before then.
“Chris Clark and Rick Nash have each done an exceptional job as members of our hockey operations leadership group and are very deserving of these promotions,” said Waddell. “They are former Blue Jackets players who care very deeply about this organization. They are intelligent, extremely hard-working and committed to our succeeding at the highest level and I am excited that they will continue to play important roles here as we move forward.”
Gardner went 6-2-0-0 with a 2.04 GAA, .937 save percentage, and had one shutout.
Per a WHL press release, Gardner ranks among the WHL leaders in shutouts (three; T-1st), minutes played (2,014; second), save percentage (.911; fifth), saves (919; sixth), and wins (19; T-6th).
Gardner signed his ELC in March of 2025 and played one game for the AHL Cleveland Monsters last season.
Zach Werenski is having a tremendous season for the Columbus Blue Jackets. One might say he's not only the Norris favorite but also should get a lot of votes for the Hart Trophy as well. There isn't a single player in the NHL more important to his team this year than Zach Werenski, and I don't think it can be argued at this point.
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski had to hurry out of the arena on Wednesday night after the game. Why? Because his flight was leaving first thing on Thursday morning, so that he could get to Italy to take in the Opening Ceremonies for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
"The John & Matthew Gaudreau Minor Hockey Award was created to honor and celebrate the lives of John and Matthew Gaudreau, not only as exceptional hockey players, but as tremendous human beings whose impact was felt both on the ice and within the communities they played in and called home," according to the podcast.
Zach Werenski was the Norris runner-up last season and a likely, if not certain, top-five finisher this campaign. Jaccob Slavin has been top 10 in Norris voting three times in his career, receiving votes in all but his rookie campaign. And Sanderson and Noah Hanifin are tremendous distributors with attacking prowess.
GAME RECAPS & PREVIEWS
Series History vs. The Devils
- Columbus is 30-23-1-3 all-time, and 13-10-1-3 on the road in New Jersey.
- The Blue Jackets are 3-9-1 in the last 13 games vs. the Devils.
- The Jackets are 1-2-0 against New Jersey this season.
- The road team has won the first three meetings of the 2025-26 series and has earned points in eight of last 10 matchups (7-2-1).
Dante Fabbro(4) and Mathieu Olivier(7,8-AWD-ENG) scored the goals for Columbus, while Elvis Merzļikins completely shut down the New Jersey Devils, making 24 saves to pick up his 11th win of the season and first shutout.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are officially a hot team. The boys from Irish Broadway have now won 6 straight games, 9 of 10 under new Head Coach Rick Bowness, and 10 of 11 overall.
Series History vs. The Blackhawks
- Columbus is 43-46-2-13 all-time, and 22-21-1-8 at home vs. Chicago.
- The Blue Jackets are 7-0-1 in the last 8 games of the series and have won 6-straight overall.
- The winning team has scored four or more goals in 11-straight meetings and 13 of the last 15 in the series overall since Feb. 11, 2021.
- The CBJ beat the Blackhawks 4-2 on January 30th
Zach Werenski(20-GWG), Ivan Provorov(6), Danton Heinen(3), and Sean Monahan(10-ENG) powered the Blue Jacket offense, and Jet Greaves made 21 saves, which included 8 on special teams, to shut out the Chicago Blackhawks for his 18th win and second shutout of the season.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are scorching hot. Columbus has now won 7 straight games and 11 of 12. Where would they be had they not blown all those third period leads?
Zach Werenski:
- Werenski expressed that he is currently playing with a lot of "confidence" and feels like he is in a "good spot" heading into the Olympic break.
- He noted that his game has reached a "new level" since Rick Bowness took over as head coach on January 12th.
- Regarding his 20th goal of the season, which made him the first defenseman to reach that mark before an Olympic break, he focused more on the team's momentum than the individual milestone.
- He credited the team's seven-game winning streak to everyone "buying in" and playing with more consistency under the new coaching staff.
- Looking ahead to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, he mentioned being "excited to go over there and see what I can do" while representing Team USA.
- He emphasized that the Blue Jackets have been on an "absolute heater" lately and are determined to carry that energy through the break and into the final stretch of the season.
- Werenski also highlighted the importance of Jet Greaves’ performance, noting that having reliable goaltending makes it easier for the defense to play aggressively.
Up Next: Zach Werenski and Elvis Merzlikins start their respective tournaments next week in Milan.
Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!
Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.
Let us know what you think below.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.