Columbus Blue Jackets 2025-26 NHL Betting Lines
In 2024-25, the Columbus Blue Jackets missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. But the Blue Jackets showed remarkable improvement under first-year head coach Dean Evason, sparking hope for the season ahead. Columbus remains a franchise that rarely enjoys success. Columbus began operations as an expansion team in 2000 and has made the playoffs only six times. One point of contention and concern is the offseason, which was far from inspiring. Thus, gamblers sense that the 2025-26 season will be more of the same for the most anonymous franchise in the NHL, if not all of pro sports.
NHL Betting Lines
Team Overview
To conclude the regular season, the Columbus Blue Jackets were 40-33-9 straight up and 46-34 over/under the total. Also, Columbus was 9th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Columbus was 22 points behind the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Columbus had NHL rankings of 9th for goals scored and 22nd for power play efficiency. In comparison, on defense, the Blue Jackets had NHL rankings of 26th for goals against and 23rd for penalty killing.
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Off-Season Moves for 2025-26
In: Charlie Coyle, Miles Wood, Isac Lundestrom
Out: James van Riemsdyk, Sean Kuraly, Justin Danforth, Jordan Harris, Daniil Tarasov
The Blue Jackets shuffled a few things around, mostly to end up in the same place. Miles Wood and Isac Lundestrom are the primary culprits for that, though Wood adds some jam that could be helpful for a young team.
At the very least, Charlie Coyle is a stabilizing piece down the middle for the team’s top nine. He offers some positional flexibility as a utility player and was a decent get — even if the cost to acquire him felt high.
Columbus had a decent list of players for free agency. However, the Blue Jackets didn't actually make a multitude of moves.
Instead of finding a winger to improve their top six or a right-side defenseman to bolster their top-four group, GM Don Waddell decided to massively overpay Columbus' own pending free agent defender Ivan Provorov with a seven-year, $59.5 million contract. That was not ideal.
The skaters Waddell did add from the outside -- namely Coyle and Wood -- will replace the bottom-six players who left Columbus in free agency, including Danforth and Kuraly. So that's not improving the Blue Jackets' prospects, either.
Key Players
Zach Werenski led Columbus with 23 goals, 59 assists, 82 points, and a +12. Werenski has played for the CBJ since 2016 and is a 2-time All-Star.
RW Kirill Marchenko had a team-best 31 goals, 43 assists, 74 points, and a +29. He has been with Columbus since 2022-23.
C Sean Monahan had 19 goals, 38 assists, 57 points, and a +19. He arrived at the CBJ this season from the Winnipeg Jets but is best known for his days with the Calgary Flames.
Goaltenders
Number one goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, age 30, has been with Columbus since 2019. In 2023-24, his save percentage was .897, with a 3.45 goals-against average. Last season, Merzlikins had a 3.18 goals against average and a .892 save percentage. His record was 26-21-5 with one shutout.
Head Coach
Don Waddell, the new general manager of the Blue Jackets, gives the franchise credibility. He arrived from the Carolina Hurricanes, where he played a key role in the franchise's transformation. Waddell gives the franchise and fans hope for a competent run in the years ahead. His first task was closing on a head coach.
Waddell wisely chose Dean Evason to lead the Blue Jackets. Evason was a successful head coach with the Minnesota Wild from 2019-20 through 2023-24. His career record at Minnesota was 147-77-27.
Season-by-Season Record (Last 7)
| SEASON |
GAMES |
WINS |
LOSSES |
FINISH |
PLAYOFFS |
| 2024–25 |
82 |
40 |
33 |
4th, Metropolitan |
Did not qualify |
| 2023–24 |
82 |
27 |
43 |
8th, Metropolitan |
Did not qualify |
| 2022–23 |
82 |
25 |
48 |
8th, Metropolitan |
Did not qualify |
| 2021–22 |
82 |
37 |
38 |
6th, Metropolitan |
Did not qualify |
| 2020–21 |
56 |
18 |
26 |
8th, Central |
Did not qualify |
| 2019–20 |
70 |
33 |
22 |
6th, Metropolitan |
Lost in First Round, 1–4 (Lightning) |
| 2018–19 |
82 |
47 |
31 |
5th, Metropolitan |
Lost in Second Round, 2–4 (Bruins) |
Columbus Blue Jackets History
Founded as an expansion franchise in 2000, the Blue Jackets have struggled to gain an identity. Columbus has usually been a hard team to watch. Typically, the Blue Jackets have had to emphasize defense. Their best run was when they made the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Former head coach John Tortorella led the Blue Jackets to their most successful era. From 2017 through 2020, Torts led the Blue Jackets to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for four consecutive seasons. However, the team was proven inadequate to make a serious run and only got to the second round once.
Columbus has always been seen as a franchise and town that nobody wanted to play for. In the past, a host of quality players left the Blue Jackets the first chance they got.
But with the arrival of Johnny Hockey Gaudreau, the Columbus franchise was thought to have a new lease on life. Suddenly, the good things about the city of Columbus were being highlighted. Gaudreau stunned the NHL world by choosing to play in C-Bus instead of other supposedly attractive towns. Gaudreau said he chose Columbus for its outstanding quality of life, great fans, and reasonable taxes and cost of living. Sadly, he was killed in a biking accident in the summer of 2024 and never got to fulfill his ultimate potential.
Still, the Columbus Blue Jackets are on the cusp of a new and exciting era of opportunity. Finally, CBJ has an identity and momentum as a franchise, and Don Waddell and Dean Evason have given the franchise a sense of direction.
NHL Teams
Eastern Conference - Atlantic
Eastern Conference - Metropolitan
Western Conference - Central
Western Conference - Pacific
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