The CBJ Writer

I had a feeling about today, mainly because the trade deadline ahead of the 2026-27 NHL Season was at 5:00 p.m., but also because I worked today. Let me tell you, our Columbus Blue Jackets love to make moves when I'm not home, and boy, oh boy, was this a move! I wish Kirill Marchenko, Miles Wood, and Elvis Merzlikins the best of luck in Toronto as they join the Maple Leafs. I also welcome Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, and Emil Andrae to Columbus as they join our Blue Jackets! (It's also worth noting that, in this deal, we pay 18% of Elvis Merzlikins' remaining one-year contract.) We could also get the Maple Leafs' 2nd-round draft pick in 2027, but it's conditional.) That said, let's talk about our new Blue Jackets! Matthew Kies is a 23-year-old Left Wing. This will be his fifth season in the NHL. Last season, in 79 games, he had 23 goals and 43 assists for 66 points. The season prior, he appeared in 76 games and had 29 goals and 29 assists for 58 points. He...

After an exciting 4-0 shutout of the Pittsburgh Penguins in preseason game 3, our Columbus Blue Jackets would look to keep that momentum in the final game of the preseason tonight, against the Detroit Red Wings. At 14:20, our Blue Jackets would get a power play after the Red Wings' Justin Faulk went to the box for a 'delay of game' call. Zach Werenski, Kirill Marchenko, and Charlie Coyle would play tic-tac-toe and give the visiting team a 1-0 lead at 14:40! Charlie Coyle would ship the goal home, giving himself his first of the preseason, while Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski would each get their first assists of the preseason on this goal. Seconds later, at 14:54, Sean Monahan would find his way into the box for slashing Red Wings' Moritz Seider. The Blue Jackets would kill this Red Wings power play. At 18:44, Valeri Nichushkin would double the Blue Jackets' lead, and his goals in the preseason would reach two! The only assist on Valeri Nichushkin's goal wou...

After today's news that Adam Fantilli and the Columbus Blue Jackets reached a deal, paying him $ 13.75 million a season for the next 6 years, the only thing that could make today any better would be a Blue Jackets win. Guess what? It wasn't just a win tonight in Nationwide Arena, but a shutout! Now, is it still preseason? Yes, but when you shut out your rival, it's a win, period.  Zach Werenski would score the first goal of the night, and his preseason,11:48 into period 1! Charlie Elick would add his first preseason assist on the primary, while the secondary would become Dimitri Voronkov's second of the preseason. The period would close with this being the only goal of the game, giving our Blue Jackets a1-0 lead. Shots on goal would be low, with the Blue Jackets leading 5-2.  Newcomer Valeri Nichushkin would add the second goal of the game, with his first goal of the preseason, at 14:47. Dimitri Voronkov would add his second assist of the night, third of the preseason, ...

This game didn't end as the Columbus Blue Jackets wanted. They fell in this game 5-1. That said, the Buffalo Sabers did put many of their stars on the ice tonight, whereas the Columbus Blue Jackets continued with more of a split squad. The opening period was by far the best for the Blue Jackets. Cam Talbot got his first start in net since joining the Blue Jackets last week, and he put on a show. The Sabers had 11 shots on goal, and he denied every single one. Another highlight this period for our Columbus team was that they gave the Sabers three chances on the power play, but denied them scoring each time. This period would end with a 0-0 tie, but that quickly changed over the span of just over two minutes in period 2.  The Blue Jackets would get caught in their end too long, and at 10:12, Josh Norris would cash in with the first goal of his preseason. Owen Power and Konsta Helenius would each add their first assists of the season on the goal. A little over a minute later, at 11:54...

Welcome back, 5th Line! It's finally hockey season again!  The Columbus Blue Jackets had three alternate captains on the ice tonight. A permanent captain has not been announced after Boone Jenner signed with the Washington Capitals this offseason. Tonight, the A's were worn by Dante Fabbro, Mathieu Oliver, and Ivan Proverov. A good mix of veterans led the team tonight, and this will certainly add to the speculation about who might wear the 'C' this season, or if the team may choose to have all 'A's. Time will tell, but the clock is ticking for a final decision to be made! It's important to note that Adam Fantilli hasn't taken part in practice and will not appear in a preseason game until he signs a new contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He is a restricted free agent, so we don't have to worry about losing him. What does concern me is the time he's missing on the ice and in the locker room with the team ahead of the regular season. I feel hi...

Yesterday we got an injury update and signing that altered how we thought the Columbus Blue Jackets would look when they took the ice to start the 20226-27 NHL Season. First, we knew that goaltender Elvis Merzlikins had successful shoulder surgery a few weeks ago, but no further details were given. Shortly after failing his physical yesterday, Don Waddell was quoted as saying we wouldn't be seeing our #90 ''in the near future," by Aaron Portszline of the Atlantic. (This was in a post on X 11 hours ago as I type this, on his personal page via @Aportzline.) Shortly after this, the Blue Jackets announced on social media that they had signed 39-year-old goaltender Cam Talbot, which reinforces our GM's comments regarding Elvis Merzlikins injury timeline, or lack thereof. Cam Talbot, in my opinion, was the best option regarding goaltenders looking for a team at the current time. He has immense experience in the league; this will be his fourteenth season. His former teams...