Mathieu Olivier has been a fan favorite player since is arrival. His toughness is evident, and he always brings a lot of energy with is play. In his first two seasons with Columbus, he scored 5 goals per season and 12-15 points in each season. Those are decent numbers for an enforcer. However, in 2024-25, Mathieu Olivier elevated his game to new heights.
Olivier was much more of a contributor offensively this past season. He scored 18 goals, more than tripling is prior career high for a single season. He also scored 32 points, which was more than double his prior career high. Olivier’s game transformed from an enforcer to a power forward.
While he still brought a lot of energy with big hits and fights, his skill took more precedent. A lot of his success was found around the goal, as he had a knack for driving to the goal. He was successful at getting those “dirty” goals, but also had the skill to score some highlight reel goals. His shot is also very good.
Olivier was a mainstay on the third line for the club. He often was lined up with Sean Kuraly, Zach Aston-Reese, Cole Sillinger, Justin Danforth, and/or Luke Kunin. He found good chemistry with nearly everyone he played with and was a flexible player to move throughout the lineup if needed. This just increases his value to the team.
While this season was a career year for Olivier, I believe that he can be even better going forward. First, he needs to be consistent and show that this season was not a fluke. That is priority number one.
Second, I think he can hit that 20 goal plateau and contribute 20 goals (or more) every season. Having a 20+ goal scorer in your bottom 6 would be a major boost to the CBJ offense. Thirdly, Olivier does need to be better in defensive situations. I wouldn’t say that he was bad. He was even used on the penalty kill. But, he was still a -4 in the plus/minus category, which is a statistic that I think he can easily improve upon.
Olivier was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. But on March 5th, 2025, Olivier inked a 6-year deal worth $3.0 million per season to stay in Columbus. His love of the organization and city is evident. He was quoted as saying that this organization is on the verge of something special. He clearly wants to see this team thrive and win. Expect him to be a mainstay in the lineup for years to come.
Final season stats: 82 games played, 18 goals, 14 assists, 32 points, 139 PIM, -4, 111 shots on goal, Overall grade: A
Mathieu Olivier had a career season this year and he played in all 82 games. He was a key contributor for the Blue Jackets and was a main driver for much of the success this past season. He earned his A and then some. Overall, a fantastic season from Olivier.