Blue Jackets Prospect Cayden Lindstrom Could Miss 2024-25 Season
The Columbus Blue Jackets have received more bad news on top prospect Cayden Lindstrom‘s recovery from an offseason back injury. Lindstrom underwent surgery in November and has been working his way back to full health ever since. He took a major step forward last week when he returned to the ice in full gear for the first time in over two months. But his return may have come a bit too late, and Lindstrom is still running the risk of missing the entirety of the 2024-25 season per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell told Portzline that Lindstrom is in stage three of a five-stage rehab process, and could move to stage four – no-contact skating – after seeing a doctor next week. But Lindstrom would need at least three weeks of no-contact skates before he’d be cleared for full practices, pushing his potential return to late March or early April, at best. Waddell closed by sharing that Lindstrom will continue skating with Blue Jackets coaches, rather than returning to rehab with his WHL club, the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Lindstrom was a hotly contested draft pick last season. He was one of many in the mix for the top-five picks and ultimately landed at fourth overall, becoming Don Waddell’s first draft pick as Columbus’ GM. It was a closely scrutinized decision, amplified by Lindstrom effectively missing the last four months of the 2023-24 season due to a hand and back injury, though he did return for four games between late March and early April.
Despite spotty starts, Lindstrom was a force in the WHL last season. He finished the year with 27 goals, 19 assists, and 66 penalty minutes in 32 games. Those points largely came from just how well the six-foot-four, 214-pound Lindstrom controlled the high slot – with a knack for quick plays and a hard shot making him a dynamic and physical scoring threat. Lindstrom was on a 14-game point streak – racking up 23 points – when he suffered his first injury of the year in December.
The promise of red-hot scoring will make Lindstrom hard to ignore whenever he does manage to return. His agent, Daren Hermiston, told Portzline that the top prospect has been finding other ways to hone his technical abilities while rehabbing, including looking into virtual-reality training similar to top, young NFL quarterback Jayden Daniels. Portzline also shared that there’s been plenty of collegiate interest in Lindstrom, even despite the missed games, and that the local Ohio State University is one of many schools trying to recruit him. Those rumors will train a warm spotlight onto Lindstrom when he’s back to full health, but his status as a top-five draft pick should be enough to carry him back to high acclaim.
Trade Deadline Primer: Columbus Blue Jackets
With the 4 Nations Face-Off break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets’ performance in 2024-25 has exceeded all expectations. Training camp began weeks after star winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew died after being struck by an accused drunk driver. Captain Boone Jenner has been unavailable for the entire regular season after sustaining a shoulder injury during a preseason practice, and core pieces Yegor Chinakhov, Erik Gudbranson, Kirill Marchenko, and Sean Monahan have all missed significant time. Nonetheless, they enter the 4 Nations break one point back of the Red Wings for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, enough for general manager Don Waddell to anoint himself as a buyer entering the final few weeks before the deadline.
Record
26-22-8, 4th in the Metropolitan Division
Deadline Status
Conservative Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$85,690,994 on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2025: CBJ 1st, MIN 1st*, CBJ 3rd, STL 4th, CBJ 4th, CBJ 6th, VGK 7th
2026: CBJ 1st, COL 3rd, CBJ 3rd, TOR 4th, NYR 4th, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, PIT 6th, CBJ 6th, CBJ 7th
*2025 MIN 1st is top-five protected.
Trade Chips
Early in the season, it seemed like a foregone conclusion the Blue Jackets would at least shop pending UFA defenseman Ivan Provorov around before the deadline. But with the blue-liner interested in an extension and Columbus looking to add, not subtract, to their roster, it will take a gargantuan offer to convince the Jackets to move on at this stage.
While Columbus may have declared itself a buyer, don’t expect them to deal any of its genuinely high-value prospects or young players. Most of them are already in the NHL, and outside of Hart and Norris Trophy candidate Zach Werenski, they’re the ones driving the bus in the absence of names like Gudbranson, Monahan and Jenner.
Even among their young talent still developing in the AHL, they’re unlikely to dip into names like Gavin Brindley and Corson Ceulemans for a rental. Those names will only be in play if the Blue Jackets make a run for a young center with term. They’ve been connected to the Sabres’ Dylan Cozens and the Canucks’ Elias Pettersson to varying degrees, but they haven’t been mentioned as finalists for the former in recent reports, and the latter is almost certainly sticking around in Vancouver after teammate J.T. Miller was traded to the Rangers.
That leaves their arsenal of draft picks, particularly in the deeper 2026 class, as their primary fodder for acquiring lower-cost rental pickups to boost the team heading into the stretch run. They’re without any second-rounders in the next two years – 2025’s was traded to acquire Provorov, and 2026’s was given to the Canadiens to offload Patrik Laine. But plenty of mid-round picks remain available, and their currently well-stocked prospect pool, plus clear emergence from their rebuild, could entice them to leverage one of the two first-rounders they currently own for June’s draft.
The Blue Jackets have already shown an unwillingness to part ways with any of their lower-level pending UFAs. With essentially unlimited cap space, there won’t be a need to leverage any of them for financial flexibility, either.
Team Needs
1) Top-Nine Forward: Columbus’ biggest addition will be Jenner, who’s been skating for weeks and is expected to make his season debut sometime before the deadline. That, plus Monahan’s eventual return, doesn’t make a center a pressing need if they also continue to run Adam Fantilli and Sean Kuraly down the middle. One of those four could easily shift to wing like Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger already have, but either way, they need another option to avoid overtaxing call-ups like Luca Del Bel Belluz and short-term veteran pickups like James van Riemsdyk as they enter every-point-matters territory. Center or wing may not matter to them much longer, but they’ll still be in the mix for names like Brock Nelson and Brandon Tanev and could even make a run for higher-impact names with a bit of term left like Rickard Rakell if the price is right.
2) Goaltending Depth: The Jackets’ possession numbers have faltered amid a four-game losing streak, but that’s to be expected with injuries piling up. Otherwise, Columbus’ skater core has played extremely solid two-way hockey this season. The limiting factor on their record has been goaltending. While Elvis Merzļikins has at least rebounded to a respectable .895 SV% and 2.99 GAA on the season, backup Daniil Tarasov‘s play remains a concern. The 25-year-old Russian has been wildly inconsistent in limited action this season, conceding six goals above expected (MoneyPuck) in just 14 appearances while posting a .876 SV% and 3.69 GAA. Picking up a name that could challenge Merzļikins for the starting role may be too optimistic, given the lack of names on the goalie market, but there should be at least a marginal upgrade over Tarasov out there that’s worth pursuing. Among veteran pending UFAs, James Reimer and Vítek Vaněček could be available as limited upside but low-risk pickups.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Blue Jackets Hoping To Extend Fabbro
- The Blue Jackets will look into signing defenseman Dante Fabbro to a contract extension, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 32 Thoughts column. The 26-year-old has fit in quite nicely since being claimed off waivers in November, putting up 13 points in 37 games with Columbus while logging over 21 minutes a night. Fabbro will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and with how well he has played with the Blue Jackets, he could be in line for a small raise on his current $2.5MM price tag.
Blue Jackets Reassign Dylan Gambrell
Feb. 5: Gambrell is back with Cleveland today, per a team announcement. He didn’t play in last night’s loss to the Sabres.
Feb. 3: The Columbus Blue Jackets have utilized an emergency recall on forward Dylan Gambrell following news that star forward Kirill Marchenko suffered a broken jaw. Gambrell hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2022-23 season, when he recorded 10 points, 35 penalty minutes, and a minus-four in 60 games with the Ottawa Senators.
Gambrell was a routine NHL fixture from 2019 to 2023. Through two seasons with the San Jose Sharks and one additional year in Ottawa, he totaled 30 points in 162 games. He signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Marlies last season, and his 36 points in 66 AHL games were stout enough to convince the Blue Jackets to sign him to a two-way deal this summer. That’s proven to be a sound bet, with Gambrell now ranked seventh on the Cleveland Monsters in scoring with 20 points in 31 games. Two of the six players above him are already on the Blue Jackets roster – Denton Mateychuk and Luca Del Bel Belluz.
Gambrell likely won’t join his peers in the Blue Jackets lineup right away, instead set to serve as the team’s extra forward in their three remaining games before the upcoming 4-Nations break. If he does get into the lineup, it will be over one of Mikael Pyyhtia, Kevin Labanc, or Zach Aston-Reese – who have each posted no scoring in their last 10 games.
Gambrell will be eligible to stay with the Blue Jackets roster for 10 games or 30 days under the conditions of his emergency recall. After that, the team will have to use a formal recall to keep him on the lineup. Columbus could also opt to recall one of Trey Fix-Wolansky, Rocco Grimaldi, or Owen Sillinger. All three have outscored Gambrell in their minor league appearances.
Blue Jackets’ Kirill Marchenko Out Indefinitely With Broken Jaw
12:34 p.m.: Marchenko underwent successful surgery to repair the break, per a team announcement. He’s been placed on injured reserve and is out indefinitely.
7:52 a.m.: During an ill-fated moment in last night’s loss to the Dallas Stars, the Columbus Blue Jackets also lost arguably their top forward. In an article from Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, he shared that a team source confirmed that forward Kirill Marchenko suffered a broken jaw.
Portzline adds that an errant puck hit Marchenko in the jaw during the second period of yesterday’s game, and he quickly went to a hospital near the American Airlines Center. The Blue Jackets haven’t disclosed a timeline for Marchenko’s recovery, but a broken jaw typically keeps a player out between six and eight weeks.
The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Columbus. Factoring in center Sean Monahan‘s long-term wrist injury, the Blue Jackets have lost two of their top forwards and most of their top line as they jockey for playoff positioning in the competitive Eastern Conference.
Not only has Marchenko been a bright spot for Columbus this year but he’s been a bright spot for the entire National Hockey League. He’s blown past his previous career-high of 42 points in 78 games with a 21-goal, 55-point performance through his first 53 contests this season.
His production has accelerated on the defensive side of the puck, too. Before the injury, Marchenko averaged a career-high CorsiFor% of 52.6% and a career-high on-ice save percentage of 92.1%. He was also leading the entire league with a +31 rating.
With captain Boone Jenner expected to return relatively soon, his presence should help mitigate the loss of Marchenko on the right side, though fully replacing him internally will still be a challenge. Fortunately for Columbus, neither Marchenko’s nor Monahan’s injuries are expected to linger for the remainder of the regular season. The Blue Jackets can, theoretically, strive for a strong finish despite having a depleted forward group.
Still, with more cap space than many of their contending peers, Columbus could look to add a small offensive piece before the trade deadline. The Blue Jackets weren’t previously expected to be an active deadline team but the injury to Marchenko could ultimately force their hand.
Blue Jackets’ Sean Monahan Expected Out Six To Eight More Weeks
The Columbus Blue Jackets will remain thin down the middle for the foreseeable future. Columbus announced that center Sean Monahan is expected to miss an additional six to eight weeks due to the wrist injury he suffered on January 7th.
The injury update will likely change the Blue Jackets’ plans for the trade deadline. They had been looking forward to captain Boone Jenner‘s return, which would have significantly boosted the team. However, now they will be without a top-six center until mid-March.
Despite missing the last three weeks, Monahan is still the third-highest-scoring player on the team. He’s tallied 14 goals and 41 points in 41 games for Columbus since signing a five-year, $27.5MM contract as an unrestricted free agent last summer.
Given the organization’s renewed playoff aspirations, the Blue Jackets should enter the market for a rental center in the next few weeks. Adam Fantilli has filled the void nicely, scoring five goals and nine points in eight games since Monahan’s injury, but they could use another center regardless. Furthermore, it would be a nice reward for a team that has shattered all preseason expectations.
Thankfully for Columbus, there should be plenty of talent available. In no particular order, Trent Frederic, Ryan Donato, Jake Evans, Yanni Gourde, and Alexander Kerfoot all come to mind as potential options. The Blue Jackets have both an abundance of draft picks and cap space which conceivably puts them in the market for any available player if they’re willing to meet the price.
Blue Jackets Notes: Jenner, Mateychuk, Sillinger, Monahan
Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner took to the ice today as he continues to work his way back from a shoulder injury sustained back in training camp, relays Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers (Twitter link). It’s the first time the captain has skated with the team since suffering the injury. Jenner has been a key middleman for Columbus for more than a decade when healthy although he has missed time with injuries for five straight years now. Considering he’s just starting to skate with the team now, it’s fair to suggest Jenner is still several weeks away from returning but with the Blue Jackets hanging around the playoff battle in the East, it’s possible that their big trade deadline addition to boost their roster could simply be getting him back in their lineup.
More from Columbus:
- The Blue Jackets will welcome defenseman Denton Mateychuk back to the lineup tonight against Los Angeles, notes Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 20-year-old had missed three straight games due to illness. Mateychuk has played in 12 games since being recalled late last month and has held his own in his first taste of NHL action with three points along with 21 blocked shots while averaging a little over 18 minutes a night of playing time. Mateychuk had gotten off to quite a strong start before that in the minors, collecting 25 points in 27 contests with Cleveland before being brought up.
- While they’re getting Mateychuk back, the same can’t be said for center Cole Sillinger. Team reporter Jeff Svoboda mentions (Twitter link) that the 21-year-old didn’t take the morning skate and thus is expected to miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury. Sillinger had a solid first half with 23 points in 45 games while seeing his playing time jump up to 17:40 per night.
- Compounding Jenner’s absence is that Sean Monahan (wrist) has also been out of the lineup for the past three weeks, weakening their already relatively thin center depth. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch mentions that while Jenner is hoping to be back after the 4 Nations Face-Off, Monahan is expected to be back before him so Columbus may not have to deal with being down their top two centers for too much longer.
Blue Jackets Unlikely To Trade Pending Free Agents At Deadline
The Blue Jackets have “little interest” in selling off their pending unrestricted free agents for mid-round picks at the trade deadline, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes Thursday. A big splash from the surging but still rebuilding club is unlikely, but Columbus won’t be in selling mode amid a tight Eastern Conference wild-card race.
Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell has recently completed work to retain UFA-to-be Zach Aston-Reese and potential RFA Jake Christiansen on low-cost extensions. Other names, like Justin Danforth, Sean Kuraly, Mathieu Olivier up front, and Dante Fabbro and Jack Johnson on the back end, seem likely to stay in Columbus for the rest of the season regardless of how productive extension talks are.
Of course, the Jackets’ highest-value pending UFA is defenseman Ivan Provorov. The 28-year-old lefty has 20 points through 48 games this season while logging over 23 minutes per night but is believed to be interested in signing an extension to keep him off the open market, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic said last month.
Nonetheless, Provorov ranked third on The Athletic’s latest trade board and 21st on TSN’s. His trade candidacy is likely exempt from Friedman’s report as he’d cost quite a bit more than a mid-round pick to acquire, even as a rental option.
After the Blue Jackets defeated the Maple Leafs 5-1 on Wednesday, they moved into what’s effectively a three-way tie based on points percentage for the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots with the Senators and Canadiens. Columbus has 53 points through 48 games for a .552 points percentage, while the Sens and Habs have 52 points through 47 games for a .553 mark.
As Friedman points out, the Jackets will be buyers in effect with the expected addition of captain Boone Jenner to the active roster in the coming weeks. He’s yet to play in the regular season after sustaining a shoulder injury during training camp that required surgery, but has resumed skating and is looking at a potential return in February/
Jenner, 31, would likely rank among the top 10 targets available at this year’s deadline in terms of roster impact. He’s coming off a 22-goal, 35-point campaign in 58 appearances last season
Sillinger Scratched With Upper-Body Injury
- The Blue Jackets were without center Cole Sillinger for their game in Toronto. The team announced (Twitter link) that the 21-year-old is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. After putting 32 points in 77 games in 2023-24, Sillinger is on pace to eclipse that output relatively soon as he already has seven goals and 16 assists through his first 45 outings this season.
Blue Jackets Activate Justin Danforth From Injured Reserve
The Blue Jackets activated forward Justin Danforth off injured reserve Monday, general manager Don Waddell announced. He’ll play for the first time in 18 games when Columbus takes on the Islanders tonight.
Danforth, 31, sustained a lower-body injury at some point during a 5-3 loss to the Flyers on Dec. 10. He also missed the first three games of the campaign while recovering from offseason wrist surgery, limiting him to 25 of Columbus’ 46 games this season.
Now firmly established as a regular in the Blue Jackets lineup when healthy, the diminutive Danforth has three goals and five assists for eight points with a minus-seven rating. The natural winger has frequently factored in down the middle for Columbus this season, winning 48.2% of his 280 faceoffs, and sees the most average time on ice per game while shorthanded of any Jackets forward.
A late bloomer, Danforth didn’t make his NHL debut with Columbus until 2021-22, his age-28 campaign. In 147 career appearances with the Jackets, he has 25 goals and 26 assists for 51 points. He’s slated for unrestricted free agency this summer after completing a one-year, $1.1MM extension he signed in October 2023.
Danforth has overcome his small frame by playing an aggressive, high-speed game. His 63 speed bursts over 20 mph rank in the 70th percentile among skaters this season, according to NHL EDGE, and he finished fifth on the Jackets in hits last season with 109.
While not a significant impact piece at even strength, his return nonetheless aids a Columbus offense that’s still dealing with injuries to top-six forwards Yegor Chinakhov and Sean Monahan, as well as captain Boone Jenner. The club has still managed a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games and sits in the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference based on both standings points (51) and points percentage (.554).
The Blue Jackets opened up a roster spot last week when they demoted goaltender Jet Greaves, so no corresponding transaction for Danforth’s activation is necessary. PuckPedia projects that he’ll likely re-enter the lineup in a fourth-line role alongside Sean Kuraly and Mikael Pyyhtia while Kevin Labanc heads to the press box.