Projecting the Blue Jackets’ Bottom Six Forwards Stats for 2026-27

The final part of my summer series prediction article lands on the bottom six forward group, also known as the third and fourth lines for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2026-27. This unit got quicker, more tenacious, and looks to have added some finishing ability this season.

They would love to be able to capitalize on what ended up being the teams best line while on the ice last season, their third line, which featured Charlie Coyle, Cole Sillinger, and Mathieu Olivier.

While that line is now locked up for at least the next three years, the Blue Jackets would love to see that group take a step in the right direction and continue to build on what they started last season. They were the line most commonly who could defensively shut down an opponent, and they were also the line who were asked to play the most physical.

With scrappy players like Olivier and Sillinger, and the two-way game of Coyle, they need every bit of the greatness of that third line to return again this season and compete at an even higher level. Hopefully more goals are able to be netted from this line specifically.

Cole Sillinger

While realistically the team looks to be potentially kicking Sillinger to the fourth line center, preferably he sticks as the left wing on the third line. He would keep the great chemistry moving forward between him and his center Coyle and fellow winger Olivier, which would be a big win for the Blue Jackets in terms of offensive production.

He needs to step up offensively as a creator this season on his own, following last seasons let down performance of only eight goals. He was helpful in creating offense for others on his line as he had 25 assists, but he has to be able to create on his own.

If he can take another step in his scoring development that could seriously add another layer to this offensive depth, as his career high in goals in a season is 16 goals, from back in 2021-22, his rookie season with the Blue Jackets.

He had been nearly a goal per game player all throughout his juniors career, but that stopped as soon as he got to the NHL. So, if the team can unlock that part of his offensive repertoire again, that would be a big step. However, more likely than not, he will be more of a forechecking, grinder who scores more greasy goals than highlight plays.

2026-27 Season Projection: 12 goals, 20 assists, 32 points, plus-0 rating, 15:45 average ice time (ATOI)

Charlie Coyle

Coming off the heels of one of the best seasons of his professional career, Coyle will look to replicate his on-ice performance from a year ago. He tied his career high in assists, and came just two points shy of tying his career best season of 60 points.

He was the best two-way player the Blue Jackets had almost every night on the ice, and also was pretty good in the faceoff circle winning over 50% of draws and taking over 1,200. They will have to ask him to be as good as he was a year ago, and they rewarded him with a nice big extension.

Coyle will be asked to be a part of just about every phase of the game as well again this season, including penalty kill and the powerplay as well. He will need to be ready to take on that workload for another 84 games this season, which is asking a lot of a 34-year-old who just signed a six-year extension.

Realistically he will need to be a dark horse Selke Award candidate if the team is going to take that next step, because without him being as good as he was last year it seems unlikely they take the next step in competing.

Last season marked the first time in his career he hadn’t made the playoffs, and he won’t get used to that. They will need to at least get back in the dance this season, otherwise that contract likely won’t last long in Columbus.

2026-27 Season Projection: 22 goals, 35 assists, 57 points, plus-2 rating, 17:45 ATOI

Mathieu Olivier

Finally we get to the most predictable player the Blue Jackets have on their roster. You know exactly what you will get out of Olivier every night he is on the ice. He won’t wow you with speed, he won’t dazzle defenders with a plethora of moves, but he will run you over, and he will give your teammate a knuckle sandwich to set the tone for the night.

He is exactly the type of guy every team loves to have on their team, and hates to play against. Even his new teammate Ryan Lomberg said it speaking on his fight with Olivier back in 2024 when the Calgary Flames and Blue Jackets squared off in Columbus.

Mathieu Olivier DESTROYS Ryan Lomberg in a fight and fires up the crowd 😳🔥 pic.twitter.com/CmEZ8BhrgZ

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) November 29, 2024

If Olivier can continue to be a grit and grind type of player with some offensive upside, it gives the Blue Jackets a complete third line, and gives them a massive physical element right in the heart of their lineup.

The biggest thing with Olivier has been his health, and staying available through the whole season. Due to the nature of his game play being super physical, bumps come and go, and he has struggled to stay in the lineup because of it. He has only played one full season with Columbus, missing parts of the other three seasons he has been with the club.

Even after his excellent play at the World Championships for Team USA, where he posted two goals, and three assists in eight games, as well as eight penalty minutes, he still has to be Mr. Consistent for the Blue Jackets. If he can play a full 84 game season this year for them, he can likely throw up some good numbers and be a difference maker.

2026-27 Season Projection: 18 goals, 10 assists, 28 points, plus-8 rating, 14:45 ATOI

Ryan Lomberg

Speaking of Olivier’s aforementioned dance partner Lomberg, he will be a new addition to a new look fourth line for the Blue Jackets. He will bring an element of speed and punch that the fourth line has struggled to consistently have in Columbus.

He also brings a pedigree of a winning culture which they absolutely need an infusion of. Lomberg isn’t the biggest guy in the room, he checks in somewhere around 5’9″ and 183lbs, yet he has a presence about him that makes him feel like one of the biggest guys on the ice when he is motoring around looking for someone to lay a hit on.

Lomberg ideally could also bring some assistance in the forechecking game and flipping the ice and pressuring in the offensive zone. He is the type of player we could expect to excel in a big way in a system like that of head coach Rick Bowness, who asks his forwards to be responsible defensively.

While Lomberg is more of a spark plug offensively, he can score some goals, offense is not his main attribute. His ability to gain control of the tempo and wear out the opposition is what he is being paid to do.

2026-27 Season Projection: 3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points, minus-3 rating, 9:45 ATOI

Luca Del Bel Belluz

One guy who has waited quite some time to try and make his impact at the NHL level, and may finally get it this season because of injury, is Luca Del Bel Belluz. A guy who has always been a scorer, and now needs to take that next step up with the NHL club to make his impact and stay up for good.

He is getting a chance because of an injury to the presumed fourth line center Isac Lundestrom. He will now have a chance to earn his keep as a NHL center with the first few months of play until Lundestrom is ready to return.

In order for it to make sense to keep Del Bel Belluz up on the roster, he has to be producing offensively. He can pair well with Lomberg because of Lomberg’s quickness up ice, and Del Bel Belluz’s innate ability to slow down the offense and get the best possible look.

He has to take a massive shift up in production however, because if not, he will struggle to not get sent back down to AHL Cleveland where he has been an absolute beast. For the sake of the exercise, let’s assume he does well enough offensively early and sticks around for a majority of the season.

2026-27 Season Projection: 10 goals, 15 assists, 25 points, minus-4 rating, 10:45 ATOI

Conor Garland

Finally, one guy who will likely see a big drop off in playing time just because of a jam-packed lineup will be Conor Garland. The 30-year-old starts year one of a big six year, $6 million per year extension this season, and how the Blue Jackets decide to use him will be increasingly interesting.

He was a great fit following his trade from the Vancouver Canucks on the second line, but after awhile he began to fizzle out and wasn’t producing at the same rate.

With the recent belief that GM Don Waddell has increasingly pushed into Dmitri Voronkov and Kent Johnson, it leads you to believe those two will likely be top six forwards as well. Which unfortunately leaves one man out, and in this case that is Garland. However, not all hope is lost.

He and Del Bel Belluz would form a fourth line offensive combo that gives the team a different look than any other line would pose out there on the ice for Columbus. High energy, high skill, and good shots on both players to go with the crazy roughhousing play of Lomberg.

GM Don Waddell on Garland: "Conor is a versatile player who brings great energy to the lineup every night and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome he and his family to Columbus. He has tremendous character, plays a reliable two-way game and will be an important part of our club…

— Mark Scheig (@mark_scheig) March 6, 2026

He will need to be a difference maker offensively, because he unfortunately was not much of a difference defensively for Columbus. If he can become more reliable in his two-way game, and add another scoring element to his game, he could find himself back in the top six mix.

However, for now, he will likely start in the bottom six and need to work his way into more minutes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him be one of the first to get bumped into a top six role. He will have to earn it, because Waddell really wants to see Johnson and Voronkov stick there.

Assuming he sticks in the bottom six for now, we can see a goals number similar to last year, and assists around the same as well. Someone will have the step up and make the difference, and hopefully the fourth line can do it this season.

2026-27 Season Projection: 16 goals, 15 assists, 31 points, minus-8 rating, 10:05 ATOI