{"id":556598,"date":"2026-04-20T09:25:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T09:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/556598\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T09:25:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T09:25:45","slug":"blue-jackets-have-a-lot-of-work-to-get-done-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/556598\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jackets Have a Lot of Work to Get Done This Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Columbus<\/a>
The Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> announced on April 16 that head coach Rick Bowness has signed a one-year contract extension, returning for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n

That is a significant item crossed off GM Don Waddell’s list, and it clears the way for him to focus on what is shaping up to be one of the more complicated offseasons in recent franchise history.<\/p>\n

Bowness did not go quietly into the summer. After a season-ending 2-1 loss to Washington that knocked Columbus out of playoff contention for the sixth straight year, the 71-year-old coach unloaded on his players in a postgame press conference that resonated well beyond Ohio.<\/p>\n

An emotional and angry Rick Bowness goes OFF on his #CBJ<\/a> team after their 2-8-1 finish to the season: \u201cThese guys, they don\u2019t care. Losing is not important enough to them \u2026 If I\u2019m back, we\u2019re changing this freaking culture.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/ZjBpaxhmPB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) April 15, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

“These guys, they don’t care. Losing is not important enough to them. It doesn’t bother them,” Bowness said. “How can you go out and play like that? This is why we are where we are. This is why we’re out of the playoffs.”<\/p>\n

He made clear that if he was coming back, things would change.<\/p>\n

“If I’m back, we’re changing this freaking culture,” he said. “I’ve been around long enough to know. I’ll find ways.”<\/p>\n

He is back. Now the work begins.<\/p>\n

A Crowded Free Agency Situation<\/p>\n

Waddell faces a significant group of pending free agents at the NHL level, and re-signing all of them is not realistic.<\/p>\n

Forwards Boone Jenner, Charlie Coyle, and Mason Marchment, along with defenseman Erik Gudbranson, can become unrestricted free agents on July 1.<\/p>\n

Jenner is the most ‘sentimental’ case,\u00a0The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger<\/a>\u00a0writes. He has spent all 13 seasons of his NHL career in Columbus, wears the captain’s letter, and turns 33 this summer. Whether the Blue Jackets bring him back or let him walk into free agency is one of the defining questions of this offseason.<\/p>\n

Blue Jackets arrived at the arena this morning without a path to the playoffs, first time in Charlie Coyle’s career.<\/p>\n

Adam Fantilli said “I hate talking like this, standing here right now saying what I was saying earlier in the season that these points could matter.” @nbc4i<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/P0EzJOZcKP<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Joe Nugent (@joenuge) April 14, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

Coyle and Marchment may be the trickier re-signing situations financially.<\/p>\n

Waddell told reporters that having Bowness already committed saves months of work. Had he needed to hire a new coach, the UFA clock would have started ticking without a clear direction for the roster.<\/p>\n

The RFAs Are the Priority<\/p>\n

On the restricted free agent side, the Blue Jackets have three significant names to deal with in Adam Fantilli, Jet Greaves, and Cole Sillinger.<\/p>\n

Fantilli, the third overall pick in the 2023 draft, is the clear priority. He has developed into the franchise’s top center and will command a significant raise.<\/p>\n

Greaves seized the No. 1 goaltending role this season, with a .908 SV%, two shutouts, and a 26-19-9 record, and figures to be expensive to lock down as well.<\/p>\n

ADAM FANTILLI COMES UP CLUTCH AGAIN \ud83d\udc40 <\/p>\n

This game is tied! pic.twitter.com\/1OeoASAwoH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NHL (@NHL) April 13, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

Waddell has already tasked the team’s salary cap staff with projecting future numbers that account for several large pay bumps happening simultaneously.<\/p>\n

The good news is that the NHL’s salary cap ceiling is expected to jump from $95.5 million to $104 million for 2026-27, giving the Blue Jackets meaningful room to work with.<\/p>\n

The bad news, per Hedger<\/a>, is that the same cap jump will leave nearly every other team in the league flush with space too.<\/p>\n

Finding legit impact talent in this summer’s UFA market could prove very difficult when everyone is a buyer.<\/p>\n

That reality may push Waddell toward the trade market, where he will need to outbid rival teams who have the same financial flexibility he does.<\/p>\n

What Bowness Inherits<\/p>\n

The Blue Jackets spent much of this season generating a lot of excitement in the team. After taking over a last-place team in January, Bowness guided Columbus to an 18-2-4 run and vaulted the team into a playoff position.<\/p>\n

Then came the collapse. Columbus lost 13 of its final 18 games, blew a 3-0 third-period lead against Boston, and tied a franchise record with six consecutive home losses.<\/p>\n

The late-season implosion cost them a playoff spot and clearly infuriated Bowness enough to say publicly what he had been keeping inside for weeks.<\/p>\n

Defenseman Zach Werenski pushed back gently on the “they don’t care” framing, saying he had tremendous respect for Bowness but disagreed with that specific characterization.<\/p>\n

Adam Fantilli was less diplomatic about the final result.<\/p>\n

“We have to learn how to win and get over that hump. That’s what our fans deserve, and we owe it to each other,” Fantilli said. “It’s a tough lesson and will be a long summer thinking about it.”<\/p>\n

It will be a long summer for the front office too.<\/p>\n

Photo Credit:\u00a0Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images<\/p>\n