Just a few short months ago, nobody would’ve believed the Columbus Blue Jackets would be fighting for a playoff spot at the halfway point of the season. As we approach the New Year though, it’s an unexpected reality.
As things currently stand, despite sitting sixth in the Metropolitan Division, the Blue Jackets are two points out of the second wild-card spot. As our Mark Scheig discussed earlier this week, they’ve done a great job of winning on home ice but they’ve struggled on the road. Overall, though, they’ve exceeded expectations, as many expected them to be near the bottom of the league’s standings.
There are certainly some areas that need improvement, but that’s normal for a young team. Let’s take a look at what’s gotten them to this point, and what they need to do to get to the postseason.
Experienced Coaching Making a Difference
With Don Waddell taking over the team’s management, his first coaching hire went a different route than what Jarmo Kekalainen had been doing. Rather than promoting a rookie head coach from within, Waddell went out and found an experienced coach who could immediately make a difference.
Watching the Blue Jackets with Dean Evason behind the bench has been a night-and-day difference compared to last season. They seem confident, more focused, and driven. Under Brad Larsen and Pascal Vincent, players often seemed lost, unmotivated, and uninspired. Evason has changed the entire mindset of the team, and it’s unsurprisingly led to success.
A Skilled First Line Providing Offense
The combination of Sean Monahan, Dmitri Voronkov, and Kirill Marchenko has been unreal for the Blue Jackets this season. Marchenko and Voronkov are having the best season of their young careers, while Monahan seems like he hopped in a time machine back to the 2018-19 season. While the three have played well regardless of who they’ve been with, they’ve seemed unstoppable when put together. The three forwards have scored just under 33% of the Blue Jackets’ goals this season.
Over the years, it’s been rare for the Blue Jackets to have a line combination that sticks together for a long period of time. Former head coach John Tortorella was known for his “line blender”. Following Tortorella’s departure, both Larsen and Vincent followed in his footsteps in that regard. In Evason’s first season behind the bench, it seems he quickly found a combination that has the potential to be together for the foreseeable future and even beyond this season.
Goaltending Woes Holding Columbus Back
The Blue Jackets have severely lacked reliable goaltending this season. Last week, I went into detail on Daniil Tarasov and his recent downfall but it hasn’t been just him.
Goaltending overall has been the Blue Jackets’ biggest weakness. All three goaltenders are under a .900 save percentage and despite a few bright spots like Elvis Merzlikins’ performance against the New Jersey Devils earlier this month, there haven’t been many signs that it’ll improve consistently. Adding a goaltender at the trade deadline is potentially an option, but there aren’t many great options available and teams expected to go deep in the playoffs may attempt to bolster that position as well.
There isn’t a clear path to resolving this issue and even during the summer, there aren’t many solid options that will make it to free agency. However, if Waddell was able to solidify the goaltending mid-season, it would do wonders for the Blue Jackets’ playoff chances.
Take Advantage of Others’ Misery
The top three teams in the Metropolitan Division aren’t likely to change, even if the order does at some point. With that being said, the wild card is the way to go for the Blue Jackets. Their main competition for the final spot will be the Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers are struggling mightily, but with the talent on their roster, they will likely turn things around eventually.
The Flyers and Penguins are in a very similar situation to the Blue Jackets, they’re equal on points, and both score a respectable number of goals but struggle to keep the puck out of their own net. Being able to clean up the defensive side of the game as soon as possible would give Columbus a massive advantage in that regard. If either of the Pennsylvania teams can resolve it first, it’ll make things much more difficult for the Blue Jackets.
Related: 24 Observations of the 2024-25 Blue Jackets’ Season So Far
Just like the Blue Jackets, the teams they’re fighting for a wild card spot have glaring weaknesses. Ultimately, it’ll come down to whoever gets things turned around first. As a result, it’ll be important for them to build as much of a gap as possible by winning games now to give some leeway late in the season once their opposition starts surging.
