Since president and general manager Don Waddell was hired May 28, the Columbus Blue Jackets organization has undergone the much-needed makeover that was desperately desired.
Over the summer, Waddell brought in a new head coach in Dean Evason, agreed to new contracts with core members of the club, including Yegor Chinakhov, Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, and Cole Sillinger, appeased Patrik Laine's desire to be traded, and let go of several other players who had been hoping to catch on with the Blue Jackets.
More on that last part.
Waddell has trimmed the fat on the roster, cutting out the AHL/NHL tweeners and bringing in solidified veterans like Jack Johnson on the blue line, and Sean Monahan who will team up with close friend Johnny Gaudreau on the first line.
For years, it felt like the Blue Jackets had many players who we heard a lot about that were trying to prove themselves to the team and carve out larger roles. Guys like Adam Boqvist, who is still just 24 years old and has played 209 NHL games in parts of five seasons. Boqvist has dealt with a rash of injuries throughout his career, playing 133 of a possible 246 games in Columbus between 2021-24.
Boqvist's departure allows for the emergence of the evolving Blue Jackets defense as David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk are close to entering the full-time picture, and Johnson is back in the fold on a one-year deal.
The Blue Jackets will see Boqvist early as he signed with the Florida Panthers this offseason. Columbus will face the defending Stanley Cup champions in the home opener on Oct. 15.
The trade that sent Laine and a 2026 second-round draft pick to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Jordan Harris gives the Blue Jackets a left-handed shot in Harris and over $15 million in cap space per PuckPedia following Sillinger's contract extension.
Waddell didn't tender qualifying offers to Jake Bean or Alex Nylander as Bean is with the Calgary Flames now and Nylander joined brother William within the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
Alexandre Texier, who set high water marks in 2023-24 with 30 points, 12 goals, and 18 assists in 78 games, was traded at the draft in June to the St. Louis Blues for a 2025 fourth-round pick. He spent the 2022-23 season overseas on loan to the ZSC Lions of the National League.
Nick Blankenburg is off to the Nashville Predators, Carson Meyer is with the Anaheim Ducks, Billy Sweezey is with the Boston Bruins, and Tyler Angle signed with Dusseldorfer EG of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
These were some of the names we've heard about, bouncing between Cleveland and Columbus, but were too inconsistent or failed to stick as long-term organizational pieces. And names like Bean who never fulfilled the potential that was sought when he, like Boqvist, was acquired by Columbus in the summer of 2021.
This doesn't mean these players can't have good or even great NHL careers but how did these players help the Blue Jackets now or tomorrow?
Having too many of the same players can be a detriment to a team but each player could thrive in the right situation.
A primary question mark that remains on the roster is Elvis Merzlikins as the team looks to fix his game, even if that's necessitated more by his bloated contract making it difficult to move him.
As the season draws closer, time will soon tell what the group on the ice looks like under Evason and his staff including two new assistants joining the bench, but for the first time in quite a while, it feels like the Blue Jackets have a plan thanks to Waddell.
