April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\tIt’s been worse than bad, and head coach Rick Bowness knows it.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t“All our issues right now are related to just puck management. It’s terrible,” Bowness said after Saturday’s loss. “We’re making poor percentage plays. We create the second-most chances on the forecheck in the entire league, yet we want to get inside the blue line and make cute little plays against good teams that aren’t working. I have to get after them. They have to change their mindset.”\n<\/p>\n
\n\tDespite their recent struggles, Bowness is betting on his group.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t“I still believe in them, and I still love working with them, “Bowness said. “Do we have some issues we have to straighten out? Yes, and some of that is on me as well. I’m certainly gonna have to look at me and take a look at how we’ve got these lines constructed.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t“We’re gonna start with that, and we’re gonna figure out ways to get more offense. They\u2019ve got to step up and produce.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n\tMonday, Bowness reiterated that lines are going to look different.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201dWe’ve got to create more offense, and we’re not doing enough of it right now. We’re going on the road. I don’t get (the) last change,\u201d Bowness said after practice. \u201cSo the lines that we’ve put together for tomorrow, right now, they’re balanced. We’re going to give it a different look early. We’ll see if it can give us some momentum. If we don’t like what we’re looking at, we’ll flip them back again.”\n<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat might those lines look like? The Blue Jackets were\u00a0off Sunday,\u00a0and Monday\u2019s optional skate was far from a complete\u00a0practice, so it will be another day\u00a0before we see what Bowness has come up with.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tBut here’s a best guess\u00a0at what the lines\u00a0could look like and why they might look that way.\n<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tLW <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tC <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tRW <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t4<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tCole Sillinger<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t19<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tAdam Fantilli<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t83<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tConor Garland<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t17<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tMason Marchment<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t3<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tCharlie Coyle<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t86<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tKirill Marchenko<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t91<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tKent Johnson<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t23<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tSean Monahan<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t65<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tLuca Del Bel Belluz<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t21<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tIsac Lundestr\u00f6m<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t38<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tBoone Jenner<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t43<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tDanton Heinen<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tLD <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tRD <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t8<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tZach Werenski<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t15<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tDante Fabbro<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t9<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tIvan Provorov<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t5<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tDenton Mateychuk<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t2<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tJake Christiansen<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t44<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tErik Gudbranson<\/p>\n
\n\tCole Sillinger hasn’t produced much offense during the team’s\u00a01-6-1 streak\u00a0\u2014 he has just one point in those eight games. But he’s played a physical game (12 hits), has played smart (just one minor penalty), and worked hard on both sides of the puck. Bowness has been vocal about certain guys giving everything they have, while others have done just the opposite. It feels like Sillinger fits in the former category and could be elevated.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tHe steps in for Mason Marchment, who hasn’t done anything ‘wrong’\u00a0per se, but could benefit from playing with a center like Charlie Coyle, and in this scenario, they’re both on the second line with Kirill Marchenko.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n\tBoth Marchenko and Garland have struggled of late, but bumping Marchenko to the second line could take a little pressure off him when it comes to other teams routinely sending their top guys after him.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tIn the bottom six, the Blue Jackets must get Kent Johnson into the lineup and get him contributing.\u00a0There are defensive concerns, but Johnson is one season removed from 24 goals in 68 games and still shows flashes of brilliance with the puck. For a team struggling to score, Johnson should be part of the solution.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n\tCoyle’s elevation means Sean Monahan moves down in the lineup. Putting Monahan\u00a0with youngsters Johnson and Luca Del Bel Belluz gives the Blue Jackets a balanced third line with scoring ability and defensive responsibility\u00a0up the middle.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThat leaves a fourth line of\u00a0Isac Lundestr\u00f6m, Boone Jenner, and Danton Heinen \u2014 one that should probably see under 10 minutes a game down the stretch. The veteran leadership and ability to play a two-way game are good, but should be used sparingly.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tOn the defensive side, the combination of Denton Mateychuk and Ivan Provorov is allowing a team-best 1.76 expected goals per 60. Keep them together.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThat leaves either Dante Fabbro or Erik Gudbranson to pair with Zach Werenski, with the other playing on the third pairing with Jake Christiansen or Egor Zamula. The advanced data suggests Fabbro over Gudbranson, and Christiansen edges out Zamula.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThese likely won’t be the lines moving forward, but no matter what Bowness decides to do, they need to find something that works on Tuesday night in Detroit. The loser of that game\u00a0is likely out of the race, while the winner will have a renewed sense of hope heading into the final week.\n<\/p>\n