The Columbus Blue Jackets nearly made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. In fact, they missed out on the postseason by two points. It was a surprising surge for a team many expected to finish near the bottom of the league. They entered NHL Free Agency hoping to mak e a big splash and improve their odds at the postseason in 2026.

However, the Blue Jackets have not made that big splash. Columbus has had its hands in some of the big sweepstakes. They were a finalist for New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson , for example. However, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens at the NHL Draft. Columbus reportedly didn't want to meet their asking price.

Some rumblings suggested they could be a player for free agent Nikolaj Ehlers, as well. This also did not pan out for Columbus. Ehlers

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