signed a one-year contract<\/a> that will carry him through the 2026-27 season. GM Don Waddell said he and Bowness will gather after next season to discuss Bowness returning for the 2027-28 season and perhaps beyond.<\/p>\nIn other words, here comes culture change.<\/p>\n
Blue Jackets players headed into the offseason with clear indications that Bowness isn\u2019t going to be everybody\u2019s favorite uncle when they return for training camp in September. It\u2019s obvious that Bowness wants to disrupt what he sees as a dressing room that\u2019s a little too comfortable.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s only one reason that it\u2019s now fair to wonder how much longer veteran forward Boone Jenner will remain as the Blue Jackets\u2019 captain.<\/p>\n
The first hurdle to clear is that Jenner is an unrestricted free agent as of July 1. He totaled 13-25-38 in 67 games this season, settling into a fourth-line role for most of the time Bowness was coach.<\/p>\n
Jenner, who turns 33 this summer, is the franchise leader in games played (808) and is near the top on several other franchise lists, not to mention the second-longest serving captain (six years) in franchise history. Only Nick Foligno (seven years) has worn the \u201cC\u201d longer.<\/p>\n
But Jenner, still a relentless worker, is not the player he was just a few seasons ago, and the Blue Jackets want to add speed to their lineup this summer.<\/p>\n
In other words, there\u2019s a chance that Jenner could reach free agency and sign with another club, an idea that would have seemed near sacrilege not long ago.<\/p>\n
Jenner is one of several prominent free agents \u2014 forwards Charlie Coyle and Mason Marchment, and defenseman Erik Gudbranson are the others \u2014 and it\u2019s not likely the Blue Jackets will be able to sign them all.<\/p>\n
Even if Jenner does return, however, it\u2019s possible that Bowness could try to foster an atmosphere of change in the dressing room, one that allows the club\u2019s younger players \u2014 most notably forward Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger \u2014 a pathway to grab more responsibility in the room.<\/p>\n
And it wouldn\u2019t have to be messy, either.<\/p>\n
Highly respected NHL veterans have relinquished the captaincy more often than you might realize, including two summers ago in Toronto, when John Tavares passed the torch to Auston Matthews.<\/p>\n
Joe Thornton, Mike Modano, Patrick Marleau, Patrik Elias, Scott Niedermayer, Trevor Linden and Brian Leetch, some of the best NHL players over the last 25 years, have all turned the \u201cC\u201d over to a teammate during their careers.<\/p>\n
In fact, when Bowness arrived as coach of the Winnipeg Jets in 2022, forward Blake Wheeler was compelled to give up the \u201cC\u201d before the 2022-23 season. The Jets played that year without a captain before awarding it to Adam Lowry the following season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a totally different situation than what was going on in Winnipeg when I went there,\u201d Bowness said. \u201cTotally, totally different situation than what we have here.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s happened in Columbus before, too. In 2005-06, the Blue Jackets made a midseason change atop their leadership group, taking the \u201cC\u201d from Luke Richardson in favor of Adam Foote, who had joined the club months earlier as a big free agent addition.<\/p>\n
If Jenner does give up the \u201cC,\u201d one way or another, it\u2019s unclear if Bowness would immediately hand it to another player or let it sit unassigned for a season, as he did in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
The Blue Jackets went three seasons without a captain after Rick Nash was traded to the New York Rangers before the 2012-13 season. Foligno began wearing it in 2015-16, the start of a seven-year run. Jenner took over when Foligno was traded in 2021.<\/p>\n
Zach Werenski has become the franchise\u2019s best player and the spokesman for the club over the past two seasons. Coyle, should he re-sign, would draw consideration, too.<\/p>\n
Item No. 2: Staffing issues<\/p>\n
We know Bowness will coach the Blue Jackets for at least another season, but keep an eye on the rest of the coaching staff \u2014 not just in the next few days, but perhaps later this spring.<\/p>\n
When Bowness was hired on Jan. 12, he assumed all but one of Dean Evason\u2019s assistant coaches. Mike Haviland, Scott Ford and Jared Boll remained on staff, while Steve McCarthy was fired along with Evason.<\/p>\n
Team sources said that all three of the remaining assistant coaches were working under expiring contracts, so it\u2019s possible there could be changes. If so, those will likely be known in the short term after Waddell and Bowness start to look ahead.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s another possibility, too.<\/p>\n
The coaching staff could expand. AHL Cleveland coach Trent Vogelhuber has done nothing but impressed the organization \u2014 both previous GM Jarmo Kekalainen and now Waddell \u2014 with the way he\u2019s operated the Monsters in his four years as head coach.<\/p>\n
If Vogelhuber wants to be a head coach in the NHL, with Columbus or elsewhere, he\u2019d likely need some form of NHL experience before he\u2019s seen as ready to make the leap. The Blue Jackets could add Vogelhuber to the staff, even if all of the remaining assistants are retained.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s an easy-to-see scenario in which Vogelhuber joins the staff, impresses Bowness and becomes seen as Bowness\u2019 successor whenever the 71-year-old is ready to retire for good. That would be another huge step from central Ohio hockey, as Vogelhuber is a native of Dublin, a Columbus suburb.<\/p>\n
Bowness literally had a coach-in-waiting scenario at work in Winnipeg, when former Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel took over in 2024-25 when Bowness stepped down because of health issues.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Bowness spoke highly of Ford, Haviland and Boll.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive those guys a ton of credit,\u201d Bowness said. \u201cThey all did a great job (handling the transition from Evason to a new boss). I\u2019ve been there. That\u2019s tough. Your friend got fired. He loses his job and everybody feels like you\u2019re part of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me to come in \u2026 I don\u2019t know any of them. For them to work as hard as they did and jump right in, that\u2019s a tribute to them. They were a huge help to me in understanding what\u2019s gone on here in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bowness said the coaching responsibilities could shuffle before next season, but that will all be determined when the staff is settled. Also, he\u2019s now more familiar with his players, such that he won\u2019t lean on his assistant for certain things.<\/p>\n
\u201c(When I got here) I didn\u2019t know what\u2019s gone on here, I didn\u2019t know the players,\u201d Bowness said. \u201cIt was, \u2018tell me where they fit.\u2019 I relied on them immensely, but now I know the players, so it\u2019ll be more me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey may say something and now I can say, \u2018I disagree with that.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Item No. 3: Lightweight<\/p>\n
Of all the players who backpedaled for the Blue Jackets this season, none was more concerning than winger Kent Johnson, who saw a dramatic drop in his production \u2014 from 24-33-57 in 2024-25 to 7-15-22 this season.<\/p>\n
It may all stem from a dramatic drop elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Bowness, almost unprompted, revealed on Thursday that Johnson played up to 12 pounds lighter this season than he had during his breakout season, a staggering loss of strength and muscle for a player who barely reaches 6-feet, 180 pounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a great talk with him,\u201d Bowness said. \u201cHe knows it was a very disappointing season. He was almost in tears, he feels so bad that he let people down.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what I\u2019ve been told, there\u2019s a 12-pound difference between this year and last year. When you\u2019re Kent\u2019s size, that\u2019s very significant.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the type of career plateauing that calls into question the effectiveness of the Blue Jackets\u2019 rebuild beginning in 2021. Johnson, after all, was the No. 5 pick in the 2021 draft. But his early career is in a nasty sequence.<\/p>\n
Johnson, 22, was impressive as a rookie (16-24-40) in 2022-23, then stumbled (6-10-16) in an injury-plagued sophomore season. Then the up-and-down of the last two seasons.<\/p>\n
He played nearly four minutes fewer per game this season (13:14) because it was such a challenge to find situations in the game where Johnson and his line could play without getting manhandled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he puts that 10-12 pounds back on, we\u2019re really going to find out what we have,\u201d Bowness said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re that size and you\u2019re 10 pounds lighter, you get pushed out of the fight too much, and he knows it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy (exit) discussion with him was, \u2018I want to see you (next fall) with those 10-12 pounds on, because that will make a big difference in how he plays \u2026 especially in March and April when it gets ugly out there and you have to respond.\u201d<\/p>\n
Item No. 4: Snacks<\/p>\n
\u2022 Charlie Coyle missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in his 14-year career, snapping the longest streak among active players. \u201cIt sucks because we missed a chance to play for the Stanley Cup, and that\u2019s what you set out to do every year,\u201d Coyle said. \u201cThat hurts. It hurts for everyone, not just me. I\u2019m hearing (from guys) \u2018I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m so sorry,\u2019 well, it\u2019s not about it. I appreciate it, but it\u2019s not about me, it\u2019s about us. We all missed the chance. There\u2019s a lot we have to look at to see where we can grow and get better, so we don\u2019t have these feelings again. But it sucks for everyone,\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 The longest active streak for making the postseason now belongs to Edmonton\u2019s Mattias Ekholm, who has played in 12 straight playoffs with Nashville and now the Oilers.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The NHL\u2019s draft lottery will be held on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets finished 18th in the NHL overall standings, meaning they start Tuesday\u2019s process in the No. 14 spot, with only a 1.5 percent chance of \u201cwinning.\u201d That\u2019s \u201cwinning\u201d because the rule states that a club can move up only 10 spots in the order. The best the Blue Jackets could do, in the rare event their number is drawn, is jump to No. 4. The worst they can do is No. 15 overall. The draft is set for June 26-27, decentralized but hosted by Buffalo.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Right beside Johnson for \u201cmost disappointing season\u201d has to be veteran center Sean Monahan, although it was clear from early on in the season that he was battling wrist and knee injuries. Monahan dipped from 19-38-57 and a plus-19 rating in only 54 games last season \u2014 the second point-per-game season of his career \u2014 to 13-23-36 and a minus-1 rating in 78 games. \u201cI grinned through a few things, yeah,\u201d Monahan said. \u201cBut at the end of the day, there are no excuses. You get dressed, and you\u2019re out there playing, you have to do your job, Looking at my season, I\u2019m obviously not happy with it. It\u2019s time to go back to work and get to where I want to be, the player I want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 When the going got rough, many of the Blue Jackets\u2019 top offensive talents went missing. Right winger Kirill Marchenko, the Jackets\u2019 leading scorer for three seasons running, had only two goals in the final 16 games of the season, and he looked completely out of sorts for several of those games. \u201cLosses give you more experience, more information about yourself and your team than when you win,\u201d Marchenko said. \u201cWhen you win, you feel fine every time. When you lose, you try to find something new and you try to grow up. (This playoff chase) was a new step for us as a team, for me as a player. I will grow up and learn from these moments in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Marchenko was clearly targeted physically by opponents, who stepped out of position to finish checks against him and hounded him when he had the puck. His open ice disappeared down the stretch, and he finished 27 goals, short of last season\u2019s career-high 31. \u201cI promised I will figure it out and I will be better,\u201d Marchenko said. \u201cI am an overall good player. I played well, but it\u2019s not my potential. I can play way better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins lost his starter\u2019s job twice this season, once under coach Dean Evason and again a few weeks after Bowness was hired. Jet Greaves earned 53 starts, compared to 29 by Merzlikins, and that included five straight and 13 of 17 to end the season. Here\u2019s Bowness on his exit interview with Merzlikins: \u201cIt went very well. I found out he\u2019s a talker; he can go. But he told me he thinks he\u2019s a No. 1 (goaltender). I said, \u2018Good, come to camp, be in great shape and prove it.\u2019 I\u2019ll give him every opportunity. If he wants to fight for that No. 1, fight for it. You think you\u2019re a No. 1 goalie, prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Not to change anybody\u2019s feelings about this season\u2026 The players and coaches themselves said it would be a failure if the Blue Jackets didn\u2019t make the postseason, and that\u2019s exactly how it feels to most. But here\u2019s something: the Jackets\u2019 92 points tied for the fifth-best season in franchise history.<\/p>\n
\u2022 AHL Cleveland scored three third-period goals on Sunday to win its regular-season finale 6-4 over Grand Rapids and secure third-place in the AHL\u2019s North Division. That sets up a best-of-five playoff series against Syracuse, with games 1 and 2 set for Friday and Saturday, respectively in Cleveland\u2019s Rocket Arena.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Monsters got two goals from Mikael Pyyhti\u00e4, and one each from Luca Pinelli, Justin Pearson, Zach Aston-Reese and Brendan Gaunce, and came back twice in the game. They trailed 3-1 and 4-3 before beat Grand Rapids, which finished with the second-best record in the AHL. Vogelhuber pulled starting goaltender Zach Sawchenko after he allowed a third goal (on only six shots) at 4:45 into the second period. Ivan Fedotov finished by stopping 11 of 12 shots.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Be on the watch this week or next for announcements regarding Blue Jackets players who will represent their countries in the IIHF World Championships next month in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Blue Jackets assigned goaltender Evan Gardner to AHL Cleveland after his season with the WHL\u2019s Saskatoon Blades ended in the second round of the playoffs. Gardner was 25-16-6 with a .902 save percentage for the Blades this season. It makes the second season in a row he\u2019s joined the Monsters.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Big news for the Ohio State men\u2019s hockey program. The Buckeyes received a commitment this week from defenseman Sascha Boumedienne, who spent his first two seasons at Boston University and played a huge role in Sweden winning the IIHF World Junior Championship this past winter. Boumedienne, the son of former Blue Jackets\u2019 scout and assistant coach Josef Bouemedienne and a first-round draft pick (No. 28) by Winnipeg in 2025, spent two seasons in the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets program and attended Olentangy Liberty High School just north of Columbus, before joining USHL Youngstown for a development season before college. He\u2019s played 75 games with Boston the last two seasons, totaling 5-18-23 with 57 penalty minutes and an even rating. He\u2019ll likely take on a bigger role with the Buckeyes than he\u2019s had at Boston.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"COLUMBUS, Ohio \u2014 A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":557123,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5108],"tags":[3644,5180,897,230,5179,5,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-557122","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-columbus-blue-jackets","8":"tag-blue-jackets","9":"tag-bluejackets","10":"tag-columbus","11":"tag-columbus-blue-jackets","12":"tag-columbusbluejackets","13":"tag-hockey","14":"tag-nhl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116441493683778914","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/557122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=557122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/557122\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/557123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=557122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=557122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=557122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}