Blue Jackets News & Rumors: Jenner, Johnson, Merzlikins & More

The offseason might be over a month old, but it continues to be a busy one for the Columbus Blue Jackets. With it being Memorial Day weekend in the United States, it marks an important time on the hockey calendar.

The NHL is down to its Final Four. The Memorial Cup is underway in Kelowna. The Calder Cup Playoffs in the AHL is about to get down to its Final Four. The NHL Combine gets underway in less than 10 days in Buffalo where all teams will be together for a few days interviewing the next round of draft prospects.

Things are starting to pick up around the league. The Blue Jackets are in the midst of planning for the NHL Draft next month while working their way through several important decisions they need to make as a franchise.

We begin today’s News & Rumors with the future of their captain.

Jenner’s Future

Have we seen the last of Boone Jenner with the Blue Jackets? That possibility cannot be ruled out.

According to Aaron Portzline of the Athletic, Jenner fired his long-time agent Joe Resnick and hired Pat Morris. (From: Don’t be surprised if Boone Jenner isn’t back with Blue Jackets next season, Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 5/19/2026.)

Elliotte Friedman also weighed in on the Jenner situation during a recent episode of 32 Thoughts the Podcast. Here is in part what the insider had to say:

“You don’t hire Pat Morris when you’re looking for a discount.” Friedman went on to say that Jenner reportedly feels that whatever the team is offering is not something he’s willing to accept.

Add in the comments from head coach Rick Bowness about a culture change needed in Columbus and you could see a scenario where the longest-tenured Blue Jacket will be on a new team in 2026-27.

It is worth noting that during exit interviews, GM Don Waddell didn’t exactly say Jenner would absolutely be back. Here is what was said when asked about how leadership handled things especially down the stretch of last season.

“I think things will progress in the summertime and see which players we re-sign and bring back. In time, everything will get figured out.”

Now this doesn’t mean Jenner won’t be back. But the chances of him not returning are much higher now than before. A closer look at the situation reveals why there would be a difference of opinion on a potential contract.

Under Rick Bowness, Jenner’s role was as a fourth-line center. At times when there were injuries, the captain would play higher in the lineup.

If this is how the Blue Jackets view Jenner’s role moving forward, their offer is going to represent that. It also wouldn’t be surprising to anyone if injury concern was part of this discussion.

In the last five full seasons, Jenner has played in 59, 68, 58, 26, and 67 games. That’s 278 out of a possible 410 games. While the captain has worked his way back from different situations, his availability in 67.8% of the games will get management’s attention.

On the other side, Jenner has three 20-goal seasons in his last five despite the missed games. He also had a career-high in assists in 2025-26 with 25. He can play in any situation and is still a good faceoff option. He will feel he has plenty to give.

No one will question the way Jenner plays the game. They also won’t question the kind of leader he is. He’s the kind of player that brings his teammates into the fight when on the ice.

The other question that must be considered is if the Blue Jackets are contemplating leadership changes. While Bowness insisted that it’s not just about who wears a letter, it’s still an important conversation.

If Jenner does return, will he keep the ‘C’? Would he be willing to relinquish it if asked?

My analysis: The feeling I get is while the door isn’t closed on a Jenner return, all signs point to him hitting market on July 1. While there is no question both sides have expressed a desire in wanting to sign an extension at different points, their perceived difference of opinion now is something that cannot be ignored.

This will potentially be Jenner’s last chance to sign a bigger NHL deal. From his perspective, if the market will present bigger and better deals than what the Blue Jackets are willing to offer, they will explore those options. An agent change speaks volumes about where things could be headed.

The Blue Jackets aren’t going to invest a significant portion of the cap to who they perceive to be a bottom-six option. Unless one of the sides dramatically changes their tune in the weeks to come, we could be looking at the end of the line for the longest-tenured Blue Jacket in franchise history.

If that does come to pass, it’ll speak volumes about the kind of change the Blue Jackets would be going through. Notice how quickly the Charlie Coyle extension came together.

If nothing else, the rest of the offseason will show what the Blue Jackets are prioritizing. The fact that their captain is still without a new contract shows that loyalty isn’t the only factor in play when making important decisions.

We could be seeing a changing of the guard unfolding before our eyes in Columbus.

Johnson & Merzlikins Rumors

Both Kent Johnson and Elvis Merzlikins have been rumored at different points to be available for trade. Those rumors spiked when both players appeared on the same trade board this week.

As of this writing, there is nothing to indicate that a trade is imminent on either player. With that said, the chances of either playing being dealt is also not 0% either.

Johnson did not have a good season in 2025-26. Many on the outside will look at him as a potential candidate for a change of scenery.

The Blue Jackets still value Johnson and believe his best is yet to come. Bowness said he’d like to see the winger with some weight added on.

At his best, Johnson is a playmaker who has the ability to get the puck to his teammates for dangerous chances. One of the issues was that he couldn’t find a consistent place in the Blue Jackets’ lineup. This led to him being scratched on multiple occasions.

It was those scratches that prompted rumors of a trade. It didn’t happen then. And unless the Blue Jackets are involved in a larger trade in the offseason to acquire a bigger name, it appears likely Johnson will remain a Blue Jacket going into 2026-27.

No player is truly untouchable. But given what has been said by management about Johnson and his potential, the chances of trade are low. But it can’t be ruled out either.

My analysis: Short of a big name coming to the Blue Jackets, expect Johnson to be back in 2026-27.

As for Merzlikins, he’s an annual discussion point when it comes to rumors. He’s got one year left on his contract at an AAV of $5.4 million.

While that appears to be a tough contract to trade, it’s also not impossible either. The cap has gone up. There could be situations out there where a team could look at him for one season. Teams that want futures as part of the deal could see about attaching a draft pick for incentive purposes.

Bowness at exits made it sound like he thinks Merzlikins will be back. The head coach said that Merzlikins expressed his desire to be a number-one goalie. In response, Bowness said come to camp ready and prove it.

Where this becomes interesting is if Sergei Ivanov signs with the Blue Jackets when his contract expires on May 31. Is there a path to an NHL job right away? While it would seem most likely Ivanov starts in the AHL, his numbers in the KHL have popped. Regardless of timing whether it be in 2026-27 or 2027-28, Ivanov is primed to come over and make his case to play in Columbus.

The other question to consider is do the Blue Jackets need the cap space immediately given all the business they hope to handle? While they have plenty of space even after signing Coyle, they have several big contracts to finish not to mention if they acquire any bigger names.

My analysis: As of this writing, I am under the impression Merzlikins is back. It’s hard to gauge which teams would be interested in making a trade now with just one more season left on his deal.

Jet Greaves is the perceived number-one going into 2026-27. Remember too that Bowness had nothing but good things to say about Merzlikins at different points during the 2025-26 season. So unless the exact, right opportunity comes up, signs point to Merzlikins coming back.

Side Dishes

• Portzline also reported this week that goaltender Ivan Fedotov returned to Russia to deal with an injury. He appeared in one playoff game for the Monsters before being pulled. Evan Gardner has been the backup to Zach Sawchenko in the AHL playoffs.

Told goaltender Ivan Fedotov has left AHL Cleveland and returned to Russia with an undisclosed injury.

He had moments with @monstershockey this season, but lost his way and lost the job to Zach Sawchenko.

Fedotov, 29, was 23-16-6 with an .887 save %. He’s UFA on July 1.#CBJ

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) May 21, 2026

• The Monsters lost Game 4 to the Toronto Marlies 5-2 on Friday night setting up a winner-take-all Game 5 Sunday afternoon in Cleveland. The winner advances to the Eastern Conference Final. Special teams doomed the Monsters Friday night going just 1 for 6 on their power play and allowing two power-play goals against.
• As for the Blue Jackets at the World Championships, Denton Mateychuk and Mathieu Olivier each have two goals. Jet Greaves is 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.
• The NHL Combine gets underway starting Sunday, May 31 and running through Saturday, June 6. The top-91 prospects are expected to attend subject to change. The Blue Jackets will have a contingent there interviewing potential prospects they’d look to draft. The Hockey Writers will be there on June 5-6 talking to the prospects after their fitness testing. This is usually when we start to get a better idea of how things could play out at the NHL Draft. The Blue Jackets hold the 14th overall pick.