by Published by Sofia Dlugo
The Columbus Blue Jackets official season kicks off Thursday, October 9, against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Tomorrow night’s game begins at 8 p.m. ET and is available to watch on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio and the FanDuel Sports Network app. The game is also available to listen to on the Blue Jackets Radio Network, including 97.1 The Fan and online at BlueJackets.com. This season will mark the team’s 25th anniversary season in the NHL, and they believe they can secure a playoff spot by the end of it.
The Blue Jackets made significant headway in the standings by the end of last season, jumping 23 points and four places in the Metropolitan Division, missing a playoff spot by only two points. All of this helped provide the team with the fire they needed to improve over the summer to prepare for the 2025/26 season. The team believes that they are prepared for what is to come and will break a five-year playoff drought in the process.
This is the first year the Blue Jackets have brought back most of their roster from the previous season. Those 19 players who will be returning from last season helped to supply 84 percent of the team’s points as well as 78 percent of the team’s goaltending minutes. Only three of the men on the season-opening roster did not play for the Jackets in the previous season, and all three play up front. The team brought in Charlie Coyle and Miles Woods from the Colorado Avalanche and Isac Lundestrom from the Anaheim Ducks.
The Jackets ended their preseason with only two wins out of seven games played. They defeated the St. Louis Blues in their first preseason game as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins in their fourth preseason game; both scores were four to one. The Columbus Blue Jackets are the underdog in their season-opener against the Predators at +105 odds.
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced their 22-man roster for Thursday night on Monday, October 6, before the 5 p.m. deadline.
The Columbus Blue Jackets’ 22-man season-opener roster includes:
Forwards (13) – Charlie Coyle (3), Cole Sillinger (4), Dmitri Voronkov (10), Miles Wood (11), Adam Fantilli (19), Isac Lundestrom (21), Sean Monahan (23), Mathieu Olivier (21), Zach Aston-Reese (27), Boone Jenner (38), Yegor Chinakhov (59), Kirill Marchenko (86), and Kent Johnson (91).
Defense (7) – Jake Christiansen (2), Denton Mateychuk (5), Zach Werenski (8), Ivan Provorov (9), Dante Fabbro (15), Erik Gudbranson (44), and Damon Severson (78).
Goaltenders (2) – Jet Greaves (73) and Elvis Marzlikins (90).
