12 Days Until Hockey: 12 Things Blue Jackets Fans Should Look Forward to in 2026–27

The countdown is officially on.

When Thursday, September 17 arrives, only 12 days will remain until the 2026–27 NHL regular season begins on September 29. Columbus Blue Jackets fans will have to wait two additional days, as the Jackets open their season Thursday, October 1 against the Buffalo Sabres at Nationwide Arena.

This isn’t just another season in Columbus.

The Blue Jackets finished 40-30-12 last year, but a difficult finish left them outside the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. Columbus lost nine of its final 11 games and watched a promising season end without postseason hockey.

There are legitimate questions entering 2026–27. There are also plenty of reasons for excitement.

Columbus has the reigning Norris Trophy winner, an emerging No. 1 goaltender, a talented group of young forwards, an intriguing offseason addition and a veteran coach determined to change the team’s culture.

So, with 12 days remaining until the NHL season begins, here are 12 things Blue Jackets fans should be looking forward to in 2026–27.

12. The Beginning of an 84-Game NHL Season

This season will be different before the puck is even dropped.

The NHL is returning to an 84-game regular-season schedule, with each team playing two more games than under the previous 82-game format. It will be the first 84-game NHL season since 1993–94.

Columbus will play 42 games at Nationwide Arena, and the early schedule gives the Jackets a chance to establish themselves quickly.

The Blue Jackets open October 1 against Buffalo before hosting the Utah Mammoth on October 3 and Pittsburgh Penguins on October 9. Florida, the New York Rangers and Toronto are also among the early visitors to Nationwide Arena.

After waiting all summer for hockey, fans won’t have to wait long to see plenty of it in Columbus.

11. A New Leadership Era

For the first time in years, the Columbus locker room will look different at the top.

Boone Jenner, the Blue Jackets’ captain for the previous five seasons and the franchise’s all-time leader with 808 games played, signed a four-year contract with the Washington Capitals during free agency.

Jenner’s departure leaves a significant leadership void.

It also creates an opportunity.

Zach Werenski has become the face of the franchise. Veterans such as Sean Monahan, Erik Gudbranson and others can help establish the standards in the room, while Columbus’ younger players have reached the point where they can begin taking ownership of the team.

Who wears the “C” next will be worth watching, but the bigger question is what identity this group develops.

The Blue Jackets are entering a new chapter.

10. Luca Del Bel Belluz and the Next Wave

One of the most encouraging things about the Blue Jackets is that the organization’s younger talent hasn’t stopped arriving.

Forward Luca Del Bel Belluz is among the players pushing for a larger NHL opportunity after producing 58 points in 55 games for Cleveland in the American Hockey League last season. NHL.com’s offseason roster analysis identified him as a player who could earn a spot with Columbus.

That’s important.

Good NHL organizations aren’t built only around their established stars. They need young players constantly pushing veterans for jobs.

Columbus has spent years accumulating young talent. Now the organization is reaching the stage where prospects need to become productive NHL players.

Del Bel Belluz could be one of the next.

9. Bounce-Back Opportunities for Kent Johnson and Dmitri Voronkov

Columbus doesn’t necessarily need to make another blockbuster trade to improve.

Some of the biggest potential improvements can come from players already in the organization.

Kent Johnson and Dmitri Voronkov have both shown what they can be offensively. Johnson scored 24 goals in 2024–25, while Voronkov scored 23 that season. Last year was more uneven, and both experienced moments when their consistency was questioned.

That makes this season especially interesting.

Johnson has high-end creativity and puck skills. Voronkov brings size, strength and the ability to make life miserable around the net.

If both players take another step, the Jackets suddenly become deeper and much more difficult to defend.

8. Cole Sillinger Still Has Another Level

It’s easy to forget how young Cole Sillinger still is.

Sillinger enters the season at just 23 years old, yet he’s already accumulated significant NHL experience. He finished last season with 33 points in 81 games, and Columbus committed to him again this summer with a three-year contract.

Now comes the next challenge.

Can he turn flashes of production into consistent offensive impact?

Sillinger doesn’t have to become the team’s biggest star. But if he can provide reliable two-way hockey while increasing his scoring, the Blue Jackets become deeper down the middle and harder to match up against.

There is still room for his game to grow.

7. The Chance to Finally Fix the Special Teams

There is no way around this one.

The Blue Jackets’ special teams weren’t good enough last season.

Columbus finished 22nd on the power play at 18.9 percent and 28th on the penalty kill at 76.0 percent. Even more concerning, both units have ranked 20th or worse every season since 2020–21.

But that creates one of the team’s greatest opportunities for improvement.

Columbus scored 174 goals at five-on-five last season, tied for 11th in the NHL. The Jackets weren’t incapable of producing offense. The inability to consistently capitalize on power plays made the overall attack less effective than it could have been.

Even moving the special teams from the bottom third of the league toward the middle could translate into additional wins.

In a Metropolitan Division where a handful of points could determine who makes the playoffs, that matters.

6. A Full Season of Rick Bowness

Rick Bowness didn’t arrive in Columbus quietly.

He replaced Dean Evason in January and immediately challenged the organization to change its mentality.

The Blue Jackets responded by going 19-4-4 through Bowness’ first 27 games, before things unraveled late in the year. After the season, Bowness made it clear that changing the team’s culture would be one of his priorities.

Now he gets something he didn’t have last season:

A full training camp.

A full schedule.

And an entire year to establish how he wants the Blue Jackets to play.

Bowness is not walking into a rebuilding situation where expectations are years away. He has a roster with established veterans and young talent that has already experienced meaningful late-season hockey.

The next step is learning how to finish.

5. Valeri Nichushkin Adds Size, Experience and Scoring

One of Columbus’ biggest offseason additions came when the Blue Jackets acquired Valeri Nichushkin from the Colorado Avalanche.

Nichushkin recorded 49 points — 17 goals and 32 assists — in 72 regular-season games last season. He is also a three-time 20-goal scorer and was part of Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup championship team.

At 6-foot-4, Nichushkin brings an element that should fit nicely with Columbus’ skilled forwards.

He can get to the front of the net, provide size along the boards and contribute on special teams.

A potential combination involving Nichushkin, Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko would give Columbus size, speed and finishing ability on the same line.

That’s an intriguing possibility.

4. Jet Greaves Has Earned the Crease

One of the biggest developments from last season was the emergence of Jet Greaves.

Greaves finished 26-19-9 with a 2.60 goals-against average and .908 save percentage, establishing himself as the Blue Jackets’ No. 1 goaltender. Columbus rewarded him with a three-year, $15 million contract this summer.

The advanced numbers provide even more reason for optimism.

Greaves ranked among the league leaders in several NHL EDGE goaltending categories and finished fifth in quality starts last season.

Columbus also added veteran Cam Talbot on September 15 with Elvis Merzlikins sidelined following shoulder surgery. Talbot has played 567 NHL regular-season games and gives the Jackets an experienced option behind Greaves.

For the first time in a while, Columbus can enter a season feeling like its young No. 1 goalie has legitimately earned the job.

3. Kirill Marchenko Could Be Ready for Another Big Year

If you’re looking for a player capable of putting the puck in the net, keep watching Kirill Marchenko.

Marchenko scored 27 goals last season after setting a career high with 31 in 2024–25. He has now started his NHL career with four consecutive seasons of at least 20 goals.

His underlying numbers are just as interesting.

NHL EDGE ranked Marchenko among the league’s top players in several shooting and skating categories. He tied for fourth in the NHL with 18 midrange goals and ranked 10th in 20-plus-mph speed bursts.

Marchenko isn’t simply standing around waiting for scoring chances.

He can skate.

He can shoot.

And he is entering the years when NHL forwards often produce some of their best hockey.

A return to the 30-goal level — or potentially beyond it — would give Columbus the type of scoring threat every playoff contender needs.

2. Adam Fantilli’s Next Step

This storyline comes with an important disclaimer.

As of September 16, Adam Fantilli remains an unsigned restricted free agent and will not participate when Columbus opens on-ice training camp on September 17. General manager Don Waddell has said he remains confident the sides will reach an agreement.

Whenever the contract situation is resolved, Fantilli’s development becomes one of the most important stories of the season.

The former No. 3 overall pick produced 59 points with 24 goals and 35 assists in 82 games last season and is expected to occupy a major role down the middle.

Fantilli already possesses the speed and physical ability to create problems for opposing defenses. NHL EDGE data also placed him among the league’s stronger young forwards in several skating and shooting categories.

The Blue Jackets need Fantilli.

And once the business side is settled, the exciting question becomes how high his ceiling can go.

1. Watching Zach Werenski Follow a Norris Trophy Season

There could only be one choice at No. 1.

Zach Werenski is coming off the greatest individual season by a defenseman in Columbus Blue Jackets history.

Werenski finished with 81 points on 22 goals and 59 assists in 75 games and became the first player in franchise history to win the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman.

His offseason also included questions about his long-term future, but Werenski publicly reaffirmed his commitment to Columbus entering the season.

Now comes the encore.

Can he do it again?

Can he remain among the NHL’s elite defensemen?

And most importantly, can his brilliance help push the Blue Jackets back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

Werenski has become more than Columbus’ best defenseman. He has become the player around whom this era of Blue Jackets hockey is being built.

The Biggest Thing to Look Forward To: Meaningful Hockey in the Spring

Every one of these storylines eventually leads back to the same destination.

The playoffs.

Columbus has now gone six consecutive seasons without qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last year’s 40-30-12 record showed the Jackets can compete, but their late collapse also demonstrated how narrow the margin is between playing meaningful hockey in April and watching the postseason from home.

This isn’t a team that should be satisfied simply because the future looks promising anymore.

Werenski is the reigning Norris Trophy winner.

Greaves has emerged in goal.

Fantilli, Marchenko, Johnson, Voronkov and Sillinger are no longer brand-new prospects.

Nichushkin brings another proven NHL weapon.

Bowness has a full season to implement his system.

And Nationwide Arena gets an early opportunity to become a major advantage.

There are questions. There should be. Columbus hasn’t accomplished anything yet.

But that’s exactly what makes the 2026–27 season so fascinating.

The Blue Jackets have spent years talking about potential.

This season is about turning that potential into results.

Twelve days until the NHL season begins. Fourteen days until the puck drops in Columbus.

And for the Blue Jackets, the wait is almost over.