Blue Jackets’ 2026-27 Award Candidates

Following last season, it will be hard to win back-to-back Norris Trophies, but it has been done 20 times before in NHL history where a defenseman has won back-to-back, capped by the legend Bobby Orr winning eight consecutive from 1968-1975, and two different runs of three straight by Nicklas Lidstrom winning from 2001-2003 and 2006-2008.

Werenski would join an elite group, not just winning multiple Norris Trophies but winning back-to-back. If the Blue Jackets want any chance of making this season any different than the result of the previous six, missing the playoffs, they will need to have the best version of Werenski we have ever seen.

Bowness Captures His First Jack Adams

Following the immediate turnaround from his takeover as the bench boss last season, Rick Bowness will need to again lead this team to success, and more than they have seen in recent campaigns. When he initially took over for the Blue Jackets, they raced out to a 19-3-4 record in their first 26 games with him coaching.

They ultimately burned out down the stretch, finishing the season 21-11-5 under Bowness over his 37 games in control. However, the initial surge saw the team at their peak, sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division and primed for a playoff spot that they ultimately surrendered due to a late-season collapse.

While the Blue Jackets have gotten a little better this season, the rest of the Metropolitan Division also got better this offseason. So, it is going to come down to development and coaching to elevate this team to where they want to be, and ultimately that falls back on the head man, Bowness.

Bowness has to do his part, not only to have guys in the right spots and playing in situations that benefit them the most, but also to maximize what he has on the roster. The two-way game he preaches should confidently improve this season, but does the impact offensively take a step forward like he will need them to as well?

That is the question the Blue Jackets will be pegged with answering early in the season. He is entering as one of the biggest potential difference makers. He has his fingerprints all over this team now, with a full offseason, but how much of a step must they take for Bowness to get this level of respect?

While Bowness has never won a Jack Adams Award as the league’s top coach, he has been a finalist in the past, finishing third behind eventual winner Rick Tocchet in 2023-24. He will certainly need to guide his team to the playoffs at the very least, but likely competing for a Metropolitan Division crown as well to get the proper recognition, which is a tall order to say the least.

Greaves Dominates to Win the Vezina Trophy

If the Blue Jackets are to make the initial push towards becoming a perennial contender, one of the first big pieces to topple will be goaltending. Jet Greaves will have to take yet another step in his development in his second full season with the NHL club.

Greaves bounced around the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) before sticking with the Cleveland Monsters, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate club of the Blue Jackets, and finally got a real chance to stick with the NHL roster last season. He made his impact felt by quickly becoming the number one goalie and making an impact around the league as well, even playing for Team Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Zurich, Switzerland.

Greaves was the number one goalie for Team Canada at the event, competing to a record of 6-2, 1.88 goals-against average, and a .920 save percentage. He was dominant, and the Blue Jackets need that same version of him this season.

Statistically, Greaves has been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL in his 76 career games, but he needs the team to help back him up. If he is able to get more goal support, his numbers would drastically improve and would lead him right into Vezina Trophy conversations.

Realistically, this is the furthest-fetched of the awards predictions, but with how dominant he can be in net and truly take over games, he could make all the difference for a team like Columbus, who needs to have a lockdown netminder.

Greaves has even been pegged as the potential “next great Canadian hope in net” by Jeff Marek, on an August 6 episode from his show The Sheet on Daily Faceoff, “Jet Greaves on Avoiding Arbitration, Team Canada & Columbus’ Future ft. Spencer Hyman“, amongst other broadcasters. They recognize his talent; that’s why he will be a Blue Jacket for at least the next three years, but they need him to capitalize on his talent right now.

If the Blue Jackets want to make the playoffs and have a deep run, these three will have to be deep in the conversations for these awards, and they will walk away at the end of the season with a little extra hardware.