Blue Jackets Playoff Hopes Ended

The Columbus Blue Jackets hung around the Wild Card race in the Eastern Conference until the very end of the season. With the Montreal Canadiens defeating the Carolina Hurricanes, their playoff pursuits ended, and they have been mathematically eliminated from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Blue Jackets have been one of the most pleasant surprises this season. Despite their season beginning in shocking tragedy with the unexpected passing of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, the team rallied around their fallen teammate to exceed every expectation laid out for them.

Despite missing the postseason, this should be considered a successful year for the Blue Jackets. Top defender Zach Werenski is having the best season of his NHL career and building an impressive case for the Norris Trophy. Through 80 games, he’s the second-leading scorer among defensemen with 80 points. His previous career best was 54 points last season, but he’s managed to ratchet his game up to a whole new level this season.

This season was also a notable step forward for three of their young forwards. Winger Kirill Marchenko scored 30 goals for the first time in his career. Kent Johnson hit the 50-point plateau for the first time in his third NHL season, and second-year center Adam Fantilli hitting the 25-goal mark for the first time in his career.

Ultimately, a losing streak at the worst possible time cost Columbus their shot at the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They started the month of March with a 2-7-1 record, allowing the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens to leapfrog them in the standings. Recovering from that has proved to be too much to overcome, and the Blue Jackets will begin their offseason earlier than hoped.

The Blue Jackets enter the offseason with one big question, and that is the contract status of defenseman Ivan Provorov. He’s the team’s biggest pending free agent, and both sides have given the impression that they want to work out an extension. Thankfully, the Blue Jackets should have ample salary cap space to finalize a new deal and still address some of the roster issues through free agency or trades.