It’s impossible not to mention the tragic passing of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau when discussing the 2024-25 Blue Jackets. On Aug. 29, 2024, Johnny and Matthew were struck by an alleged drunk driver. To this day, it doesn’t feel real; it hasn’t registered.

On the hockey side of things, all 32 teams issued statements and fans from every team came together to mourn the passing of the two brothers. In situations like this, hockey is the last thing on anyone’s mind, but the Blue Jackets had 31 different fan bases cheering for them last season.

Let’s take a look at how the 2024-25 season went, what they’ve done this off-season, and how they look heading into the 2025-26 season.

How the season went

The Blue Jackets’ home opener was emotional, to say the least. After a lengthy celebration of life for the two brothers, the first 13 seconds of the game against the Florida Panthers saw the Blue Jackets vacate the left wing spot in honour of Johnny. Even now, it’s a tough watch.

Sadly, the Jackets lost that game to move to 1-2, a pace that they continued until the new year, when their play began to pick up. By Mar. 7’s trade deadline, the Blue Jackets held on to the first wild card spot.

A six-game losing streak shortly after the deadline put them in a tough spot, but they made up for it with a six-game winning streak to end the season. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as they fell just three points shy of the final wild card spot.

It was a tough end to an awful season.

Drafted players

The Blue Jackets had two first-round picks, the 14th and 20th overall selections. With the 14th overall pick, they selected defenceman Jackson Smith, followed by selecting Russian netminder Pyotr Andreyanov.

In the third round, they drafted Swede Malte Vass, a defenceman. Their first forward selected was centre Owen Griffin from the Oshawa Generals, picked 160th overall. With their sixth-round pick, the Blue Jackets selected another Swedish defenceman, Victor Raftheim-Hedin. With their last pick, the Blue Jackets selected Jeremy Loranger.

Trades

The Blue Jackets made a handful of trades early in the off-season. They sent Cameron Butler to the Minnesota Wild for Brendan Gaunce. At the draft, the Blue Jackets moved up in both the third and seventh rounds.

In June, the Blue Jackets sent goaltender Daniil Tarasov to the Florida Panthers, but acquired another Russian netminder recently. In September, the Blue Jackets sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for Ivan Fedotov.

Their biggest trade of their off-season saw the Blue Jackets acquire Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood from the Columbus Blue Jackets for prospect Gavin Brindley and two picks, including the Blue Jackets’ 2025 third-round pick.

Free agent signings

It was a quiet off-season on the free agency front for the Blue Jackets. The most notable free agent they brought in is Isac Lundeström, who signed a two-year deal worth $1.3 million annually.

Instead, the Blue Jackets focused on re-signing and extending players. Dante Fabbro signed a four-year deal worth $4.125 million, while Ivan Provorov signed a seven-year deal worth $8.5 million annually.

Departures

The Blue Jackets saw a handful of free agents depart. Sean Kuraly and Jordan Harris signed with the Boston Bruins, James van Riemsdyk signed with the Detroit Red Wings, and Justin Danforth signed with the Buffalo Sabres. Moreover, Tarasov was traded to the Panthers.

What the team looks like heading into 2025-26

So, how do the Blue Jackets shape up heading into the 2025-26 season? They have a solid centre core, featuring former Flame Sean Monahan, as well as Adam Fantilli, Coyle, and Lundeström. On the wing, Russians flank Monahan as Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko are expected to be on the first line. Kent Johnson, Boone Jenner, Yegor Chinakhov, Mathieu Olivier, Cole Sillinger, and Miles Wood make up the rest of the wing core.

Despite finishing as the runner-up for the Norris Trophy, Zach Werenski remains one of the most underrated defencemen in the league. He is the headliner on the Blue Jackets’ defence, which also features Fabbro, Daenton Mateychuk, Provorov, Damon Severson, and Erik Gudbranson

Between the pipes, Elvis Merzlikins is their expected starter, with Jet Greaves and Fedotov expected to contend for the backup role.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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