Blue Jackets GM Believes Team Can Take Next Step

The Columbus Blue Jackets were on the brink of a playoff berth last season. Despite the year beginning with the most unimaginable tragedy, the organization rallied around the tragic passing of forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew and their grieving family. They were just a few points shy of making the postseason in 2024-2025, and the aim is to make good on that run in the upcoming campaign.

In an effort to achieve that goal, the Blue Jackets were active to begin the offseason. They acquired multiple forwards to bolster their offensive depth and managed to retain two of their top-four defenders who could have tested the open market in free agency, signing both Dante Fabbro and Ivan Provorov to multi-year extensions.

Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell believes last year was a turning point for the franchise, and he’s continued in that direction this summer. Speaking to James Murphy in an interview with RG, Waddell discussed how the outlook in Columbus is changing and trending upward. One particular reason is the rising NHL salary cap, which has helped this organization be more aggressive toward retaining their key players.

“The off-season, I think, changed this year,” he said. “And I think it's going to change going forward just because with the cap rising and teams making a big effort to keep their own players, as we did.”

It’s not just about keeping their important players, however, and Waddell knows this. To take the next step, he is trying to build not only the most talented team, but the right combination of talent that can take that step together. Part of that plan was acquiring veteran center Charlie Coyle and winger Miles Wood. The two experienced forwards will be critical to making the second and third lines function, and take some of the pressure off their younger players. They are both viewed as excellent locker room additions as well, being well liked at each stop of their respective NHL careers.

”The homework on him (Coyle) that we did and my staff did told us he is an outstanding person, an outstanding teammate, a great leader,” he said. “We got so many good young players and so many good veterans right now to add another veteran, this kind of piece to our team, we thought was important to us. So I always say you need good players, but you need good people, and when you have good people, you have a better chance of having success together as a team.”

Waddell hopes it all comes together according to plan in 2025-2026. With a revamped lineup entering the year, they are on the precipice of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.