Twenty games in, the Blue Jackets remain one of the NHL’s most unpredictable teams, showing flashes of great potential while continuing to repeat habits that have cost them winnable games
Although it feels like opening day was just a few days ago, the Blue Jackets have made it through their first 20 games of the 2025-26 season, and there's a lot to unpack about the ups and the downs so far.
The goalie tandem has cooled down
Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins carried the Jackets through the first ten games this year, posting stats that slotted both of them in the top 10 netminders to start the season.
However, the struggling defense has gotten to them as we pass game #20, with both goalies seeing more pucks in the back of the net.
Jet is still pretty solid and is seventh in the league for goals saved above expected per game among starting goalies, but a .904 save percentage and 2.83 goals against average don't stand out.
Elvis has struggled more in the month of November and has fallen into more of a backup role, although it's still not clear whether that was due to illness, performance, or other factors.
Regardless, a .889 save percentage and 3.58 goals against average in the three games this month has seemed more like Elvis' performance last year, which certainly isn't a compliment.
It's hard to blame the goalies with the Columbus defense still allowing way too many shots (second to worst in the league), but a promising start to the season which had the tandem as one of the best in the league has quietly fizzled out and left fans looking for more.
A new first line has been formed
Of all of the lines that the Blue Jackets have had to make changes to, I don't think many were expecting the first line to be one of them.
However, Dean Evason decided to shake things up once more by slotting Adam Fantilli in the 1C spot instead of Sean Monahan.
Sean Monahan has been one of the Jackets' most reliable players since they signed him in 2024. His performance so far this year hasn't been as terrific, as he has only two goals and nine points so far.
Although Fantilli is still only 21 and doesn't have nearly as much experience as Monahan does, he has fit right in alongside Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko on the first line so far this year.
Since playing on the first line, starting on November 8, Fantilli has four goals and seven points in just seven games, all while averaging close to 20 minutes of ice time per game.
He has provided a great spark to the first line, and his creativity and quick play style fit very well with the shooting skill of Marchenko and the size, strength, and battle of Voronkov.
With Dean Evason, you never know when the lineup can completely change, but it would be hard to imagine that he would risk disturbing the chemistry that this new line has the rest of the way this season.
On the next slide, we look at the main area where the team has struggled.