One of former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen's best trades came quietly on June 30, 2022, when he traded a 4th round pick to the Nashville Predators for a forward with just 48 games of NHL experience and seven career points. The Columbus Blue Jackets [http://thn.com/columbus] traded for Mathieu Olivier, a 230lb brute out of Biloxi, Mississippi, by way of Levis, Quebec. His first two seasons were ho-hum, as he could only total 27 career points and 151 penalty minutes. But something changed during the 2024-25 season, as Olivier would become not only the best fighter in the league, but also someone who could score goals and help his team in a variety of ways other than just fighting. In the 24-25 season, he played all 82 games and set career highs in goals, assists, points, PIMs, TOI, GWG, Shots, and hits. He also got into 12 fights that season. Olivier was rewarded with a 6-year, $18,000,000 contract in March of 2025 by GM Don Waddell, essentially locking him up through his prime years, and to help protect the young players the CBJ have coming up. He's earned every penny. So how did he do this past season? Let's take a look at the stats. Contract Status - Going into year two of a 6-year contract signed in 2025. Games Played - 61- Down from 82 the previous season. He had two stretches where he was injured, including the final eight games after breaking his hand in a fight. Goals - 15 - Was on a 20 goal pace, but due to missed games, he finished three shy of his career high. Assists - 11 - Would've set a career high with 15 assists if not for the missed games. Points - 26 - Olivier was on pace to hit 35 points. Fights - He finished the season with 9 fights, down from 12 the previous season. Penalty Minutes - 101 - Down from 139 the year before. Shots - 93 - Down from 111 the previous year but was on pace for 125 this past season. Shooting % - 16.1% - Had the same shooting % as the 24-25 season. Time On Ice - 14:14 - Down 14 seconds from the previous year. Game Winning Goals - 3 - He had 5 in 24-25. Plus/Minus - Plus-13 - His career best by +12. Hits - 209 - Down from 306 the year before, but had a 280-hit pace. Giveaways - 23 - Down from 49 the year prior. Looking at his Corsi and Fenwick %, he had a career best 47.3% this year, and a 49.2% Fenwick, which was his third best. Many fans expected Mathieu Olivier to take a major step backwards in 2025-26, but he did anything but that. Playing with Charlie Coyle and Cole Sillinger, their line was the most consistent and lethal line the CBJ had. When those three players were on their game, they all would either score, assist, or set the tone for the next line to come on and do the same. Mathieu Olivier will play for Team USA at the 2026 IIHF World Championships in Switzerland next month, and I couldn't be more interested in watching him play. The world championships aren't like playing NHL games. They're usually less physical and flashier, so it'll be interesting to see how he does. Olivier will be back and fully healthy next season. Can he repeat what he's done the last two seasons? He definitely can. Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft Lottery on May 5, 2025, where the CBJ will most likely pick 14 or 15. 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 [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwm-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] 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 [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
