A healthy Blue Jackets roster looks pretty good.
Waddell has spent a lot of time targeting players who are more durable than the guys who were in Columbus during the rebuild. We started to see that pay off last season, as the team stayed remarkably healthy throughout most of the year.
Per NHL Injury Viz, the Jackets lost just 218 man games to injury in 2025-26, which was in the bottom half of the league. A hefty portion of those games lost were by players who are no longer with the organization.
Gone are Brendan Smith (44 games missed), Boone Jenner (15), and Mason Marchment (9). However, the player who missed the most games (45) will be returning. That's Erik Gudbranson, and it's worth mentioning that the third defense pairing has been one of our biggest concerns. That injury history is part of the reason.
Aside from those names, this is a team that has shown some durability. When all 23 bodies are healthy, I expect Bowness and his staff to have to make some tough lineup decisions. There is a lot of depth here.
But even if they do run into injury troubles, there should be no excuses. Unless they're missing their entire top line, or their Norris Trophy winning defenseman; there is plenty of talent here to win games.
Part of the issue belongs in the hands of their opponents, also. Many teams in the Eastern Conference have gotten better again this summer. For the second straight year, the team that finished just ahead of the Jackets in the standings (Washington) has loaded up. So, it's vital for this team to have a mostly healthy roster, with players who know how important every game is.
That's a good lead up to our next key to success, which we'll make on the next slide.
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