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Blue Jackets’ Sean Monahan And Erik Gudbranson Return

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After activating both center Sean Monahan and defender Erik Gudbranson from injured reserve earlier today, both players are in fact the lineup tonight against the Islanders, per a team release.

Both veterans return after lengthy absences. Gudbranson has missed the last 66 games with a shoulder injury that required surgery, while Monahan (upper body) returns following 28 games out of the lineup. The return of both should support Columbus’ attempt to secure a playoff spot, and their returns are particularly timely given the team’s recent six-game winless streak. The Blue Jackets currently find themselves four points out of the final wild card spot in the east.

Gudbranson has suited up in just three games on the season, his third in Columbus. A veteran of 792 games, Gudbranson has registered 133 points during his 13-year career, but his true calling card is in the defensive zone where he has carved out a solid career by utilizing his 6’5, 222-pound frame to play a physical and defensively responsible style. Gudbranson is paired with Denton Mateychuk on the team’s third defensive pairing tonight. The veteran also adds 31 games of playoff experience to his resume.

Meanwhile, Monahan is slotted back on the team’s first line between wingers Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko in his first game action since Jan. 7. In 41 games on the season, Monahan has posted 14 goals, 41 points, and a plus-17 rating. Monahan was a key part of Columbus’ early-season success, and his return should help the team’s offense as they make a run at the playoffs. Monahan has registered eight seasons with at least 20 goals during his 12-year career and was well on his way to hitting that mark again this season before his injury. In 805 career games, the 30-year-old has registered 258 goals and 579 points. He has added 22 points in 35 career playoff games.

Blue Jackets Activate Erik Gudbranson, Sean Monahan

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March 24: Gudbranson and Monahan will be coming off injured reserve and making their returns tonight, head coach Dean Evason confirmed. The team later announced they’ve both been activated.

March 23: Columbus Blue Jackets reporter Jeff Svoboda tweeted that center Sean Monahan and defenseman Erik Gudbranson may return to the lineup tomorrow night when the Blue Jackets take on the New York Islanders.

Monahan hasn’t played since January 7th, when he suffered a wrist injury in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 30-year-old was in the midst of a career year, having tallied 14 goals and 27 assists in 41 games. The Brampton, Ontario native signed with Columbus as a free agent last summer on July 1st, inking a contract that was largely panned by critics. However, Monahan has played well above expectations for the Blue Jackets and helped lead them into the playoff picture in a year where they weren’t expected to contend for the postseason. His return should give Columbus a boost as they try to snap a six-game losing streak.

Gudbranson hasn’t played since mid-October after he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery. The 33-year-old has played just three times during the 2024-25 season, last suiting up on October 15th. The Ottawa, Ontario native had a career year last season, tallying six goals and 20 assists in 78 games while continuing to provide his usual physical presence.

The Blue Jackets sit four points back of Montreal for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and will certainly welcome the return of two veterans who should help them in their push for the postseason.

Greaves Sent Back To Cleveland

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  • After being recalled yesterday to serve as the backup goalie in Daniil Tarasov’s absence, the Blue Jackets announced that goaltender Jet Greaves has been returned to AHL Cleveland. The 23-year-old has been up and down several times this season and has gotten into six games with Columbus where he has a 2.83 GAA with a .905 SV%.  Greaves has spent most of the year with the Monsters, putting up a 2.84 GAA and a .915 SV% in 34 appearances and will go from one team in a push for a Wild Card spot to another in the battle for the final spots in the AHL’s North Division playoffs.

Daniil Tarasov Out Sick, Jet Greaves Backing Up

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The Ottawa Senators are making strides toward building a new arena, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. As Garrioch explains, Cyril Leeder, the National Hockey League club’s chief operating officer and president, told Senator season-ticket holders during a virtual chat that talks with the National Capital Commission were progressing.

The new proposed arena will be constructed in the LeBreton Flats section of Ottawa. Leeder noted many key steps remain, including the completion of the purchase, zoning and approvals, design of the building, financing, construction and, finally, the opening. While Leeder appeared optimistic about the project, he also didn’t want to commit to a completion date.

The Sens have played at the Canadian Tire Centre since 1996.

More in the Eastern Conference:

  • While goalie Elvis Merzlikins received the start tonight in Pittsburgh, the backup needed a change. With Daniil Tarasov out sick, Jet Greaves is backing up Merzlikins, per team reporter Jeff Svoboda. The lefty-catching Tarasov has struggled on the season, posting a .882 save percentage to go along with his 7-8-2 record. Through parts of four seasons in Columbus, the team’s third round selection in the 2017 draft has a .899 career save percentage. In limited action this season at the NHL-level, Greaves has fared better than Tarasov, posting a .905 save percentage and 2.83 GAA. He has added a .915 save percentage in 34 games in the AHL. With Tarasov set for restricted free agency this summer, it will be interesting to see what Columbus decides to do with their backup position moving forward.
  • Last night, the Washington Capitals became the first NHL team to officially qualified for the playoffs. What’s more, they became the first club to since 1979-80 to be the first to clinch after being the last to get in the previous season, per AP’s Stephen Whyno. Their turnaround this season has been aided by usual suspects like Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and John Carlson, but have also been sparked by career-years from players like Dylan Strome, Aliaksei Protas, and Connor McMichael. As Ovechkin nears the all-time goal mark, he’ll also set his sights on making a run at his second Stanley Cup.

Blue Jackets Sign Evan Gardner To Entry-Level Deal

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Goaltender prospect Evan Gardner has signed his entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets, per a team release. It’s a three-year deal that begins next season.

The 19-year-old netminder has spent this season with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, from where he was drafted in the second round by Columbus last year. The 6’1″, 176-lb goalie has a 2.83 GAA, .911 SV%, three shutouts, and a 22-12-4 record in 41 games for the Blades.

It’s a step down from what Gardner flashed in 2023-24 when he led the WHL in GAA (1.91) and SV% (.927) in 30 appearances. He still checked in at No. 8 in the Blue Jackets’ system and first among goalies in The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s 2025 prospect pool rankings, ahead of current Columbus third-stringer Jet Greaves.

Since Gardner doesn’t turn 20 until January 2026, he’s ineligible for a full-time AHL assignment next season. He must be on the NHL roster or returned to the Blades – the latter standing as the far more likely scenario. If that’s the case and he plays fewer than 10 NHL games, his deal will slide to the 2026-27 campaign and instead expire in the 2029 offseason. Any signing bonuses owed to him for 2025-26 will still be paid out.

He officially joins a Blue Jackets organization that has its future solidified at nearly every position aside from the net. With current backup Daniil Tarasov underwhelming and set to be a restricted free agent this summer, there’s an opportunity for the aforementioned Greaves to graduate from a fringe roster role to a full-time backup job next season. Elvis Merzļikins, who’s largely struggled since his current extension with a $5.4MM cap hit came into effect in 2022-23, is having a rebound campaign with a 3.04 GAA and a 22-18-4 record in 44 starts and now seems likely to at least finish out his deal in Columbus, which runs through 2026-27.

Blue Jackets Loan Jet Greaves To The AHL

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have loaned goaltender Jet Greaves to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. The Cambridge, Ontario native has made appearances in six NHL games this season for Columbus, posting a 2-2-2 record with a 2.83 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. Greaves has seen limited NHL action this season but is the only Blue Jackets goaltender to post a goals saved above expected in the positive at +0.9 (as per Money Puck). The 23-year-old played last night against New Jersey and made 18 saves in a 2-1 loss.

Greaves made his NHL debut back in April 2023 and in his brief NHL career, he has dressed in 16 career games and owns a 5-9-2 record with a .910 save percentage and a 3.21 goals-against average. His AHL career is a much larger sample size as he has appeared in 152 career games and has a 77-50-17 record with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .907 career save percentage.

This season in the AHL, Greaves ranks sixth in the league in save percentage at .915 and is 12th in wins, sporting a 16-10-6 record in 34 games. He was named the AHL player of the week in the first week of the year and was solid in his only NHL appearance in January making 31 saves in a win over St. Louis. However, he followed that up with a bit of a mini-slump from mid to late January before settling back in around the middle of February. Since then, Greaves has allowed just 11 goals in his last six AHL games.

Blue Jackets Notes: Greaves, Merzļikins, Christiansen, Gudbranson

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The Blue Jackets will start recently recalled netminder Jet Greaves in tonight’s key home game against the Devils, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports. Starter Elvis Merzļikins remains away from the team on personal leave as his wife is expecting a child, the team’s Jeff Svoboda confirmed over the weekend.

The 23-year-old Graves sat on the bench for Saturday’s shutout loss to the Rangers while watching Daniil Tarasov surrender three goals on 20 shots. The youngster temporarily supplanted Tarasov as Columbus’ No. 2 option behind Merzļikins earlier this year, earning a performance-based recall while the struggling Tarasov was sent to AHL Cleveland for conditioning.

Things have gone much better for Tarasov since the reset, although he still hasn’t gotten much playing time behind Merzļikins as the Jackets aim to grab a wild-card spot. His .850 SV% against the Blueshirts was his worst in his seven appearances since returning to the NHL squad. Greaves, who actually leads Columbus netminders with a .906 SV% and 2.98 GAA in five starts, will get the call instead as the Jackets look to end a three-game skid. A win against New Jersey puts them back into playoff position, knocking the Rangers down to ninth place in the East.

Here’s more on the Jackets:

  • As Svoboda relays from head coach Dean Evason, defenseman Jake Christiansen has been ruled out of tonight’s game and will miss his second straight contest with an upper-body injury. He remains day-to-day but practiced this morning, so he should be considered questionable to return Thursday against Florida. The 25-year-old has seen his minutes slashed recently, skating under 10 minutes on three occasions in nine games since the 4 Nations break. In his first season as an NHL full-timer, the 6’0″ lefty has 1-7–8 and a plus-eight rating in 65 games with underwhelming possession numbers and minimal special teams deployment.
  • Fellow rearguard Erik Gudbranson remains close to a return from shoulder surgery but also remains sidelined tonight, Svoboda said. Evason said last week the 33-year-old is on the verge of playing for the first time since October. His and Christiansen’s looming returns should help shore up a Columbus defense that’s allowing 33.6 shots per game since March 1, the worst in the NHL.

Blue Jackets’ Erik Gudbranson Expected To Return Soon

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Veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson has been out of the Columbus Blue Jackets lineup since their third game of the season. He sustained a shoulder injury on a collision with teammate Sean Monahan on October 15th, and required shoulder surgery one week later. But after nearly five months out of the lineup, Gudbranson could return as soon as early next week, head coach Dean Evason shared with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

This is fantastic news for the oft-injured Gudbranson. His career has been marred by routine long-term absences, dating back to his second year in the NHL in 2012-13 – when he was held to just 34 games between the NHL and AHL due to injury. Gudbranson has seemed to suffer a setback in nearly every season since then, including going through a stretch of playing just 254 games across four seasons between 2017 and 2021.

Gudbranson spurred his bad luck when he returned for the 2021-22 season. At the age of 30, he appeared in a career-high 78 games in a one-off season with the Calgary Flames. He joined the Blue Jackets on a four-year, $16MM contract in the following summer and carried his good health through a move to Ohio. Gudbranson appeared in 70 games of the 2022-23 season, then matched his career-high 78 appearances last year. Through the three seasons, he totaled 56 points in 226 total games – while missing just 20 games in total.

It was a promising stretch that helped Gudbranson plant his feet as one of Columbus’ most-utilized defensemen. He averaged 21:18 and 19:40 over his last two respective seasons with the Blue Jackets and appeared to be headed for another top-end role this year. But his lucky streak snapped this year. Columbus has just 17 games remaining in their season – and it will likely take Gudbranson at least a couple more to work his way back into the lineup. That will leave him pushing to appear in even 20 games this season, which would mark the fewest games he’s played in a single season in his 14-year NHL career.

But despite the bad news, Gudbranson still stands as a popular name on the Columbus blue-line. He’s recorded 39 points, 133 penalty minutes, and a minus-38 in 151 career games with the Blue Jackets, while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time. Much of that playing time was split between menial roles next to depth defenders – like Jake Bean and Tim Berni – and top-end roles next to Blue Jackets superstar Zach Werenski.

Werenski is in the midst of a career year and stands as a favorite for the Norris Trophy and found a strong partner in mid-season acquisition Dante Fabbro. Columbus also has plenty of strength down their lineup, with hard-hitting veteran right-shot defender Ivan Provorov supporting rookie Denton Mateychuk on the second pair and veterans Jack Johnson and Damon Severson making up the third pair. That right-side depth could make it hard for Gudbranson to sneak back into the Blue Jackets lineup, even with the precedent of playing top minutes with the club. It won’t be low scoring that earns Gudbranson a hardy shot, with Provorov and Werenski recording 17 and 11 blocked shots over their last 10 games respectively.

How the Blue Jackets opt to return Gudbranson to the lineup could be telling as they attempt to hold onto their control of an Eastern Conference playoff spot. Veteran depth behind the lineup is a coveted asset for many playoff-bound teams, and the Blue Jackets could opt to lean into that by shelving the former third-overall draft pick Gudbranson until his services are called upon. Should they want to push him back into a spot, it will likely be Johnson taking a step back – leaving Evason with the challenge of juggling four right-shot defensemen.

Snapshots: Peterka, Kulich, Hintz, Werenski

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The Buffalo Sabres will exchange young forwards in Wednesday night’s lineup. Centerman Jiri Kulich is expected to return to the ice after missing Buffalo’s last game with an illness, while top-line winger JJ Peterka is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.

Adding Kulich back to the fold is a positive step for the Sabres. The 20-year-old centerman has recorded two points and eight shots on net in his last four games, bringing his year-long totals up to 12 goals and 19 points in 48 games. Kulich has taken on more-and-more role in the second half of the season, and appeared in a season-high 19 minutes of ice time in his most recent appearance. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff made no indication of what line Kulich would play on in his return, but he could be set to head back to the top-six with Buffalo down one of their top players.

To that end, losing Peterka for even a short time is a hard blow for the Sabres. He’s confidently led the team over their latest stretch, with 10 points in nine games since returning from the 4-Nations Face-Off break. Peterka is quickly evolving into a star – with 19 goals and 51 points in 61 games this season putting him on a year-long pace of 26 goals and 69 points in 82 games. He’s already lapped his career-high of 50 points scored last season, with no signs of slowing down. Peterka’s absence should lead to increased minutes for wingers like Jason Zucker and Zach Benson – though Buffalo could also opt to move Ryan McLeod or Peyton Krebs to the wing with Kulich back in the fold.

Other quick notes from around the league:

  • Top Dallas Stars centerman Roope Hintz is progressing well after taking an Adam Henrique shot to the face on Saturday. Hintz sat out of Dallas’ Sunday win over the Vancouver Canucks and is set to miss Friday’s game against Winnipeg – but head coach Pete DeBoer shared that Hintz could return as soon as Sunday, per NHL.com’s Mike Heika. Hintz has been red-hot since the end of the 4-Nations break, with 16 points in his last eight games. That includes back-to-back four-point games on February 28th and March 2nd. Dallas managed a confident win over Vancouver in his absence, but will undoubtedly be eager to bring their second-line centerman back before his scoring touch cools off. With Hintz out, Dallas has awarded more minutes to Jamie Benn, Wyatt Johnston, and Matt Duchene.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski has become the Norris Trophy favorite in NHL.com’s recent poll of their staff writers. Werenski has been lights out this season after being held to just 83 games combined over the last two years. Now back to full health, he has a team-leading 69 points in 63 games on the year. That includes 20 goals, making Werenski the first 20-goal-scoring defenseman in Blue Jackets history. His 2024-25 campaign marked the most goals from a Blue Jackets defenseman in February, when he passed Seth Jones’ previous record of 16 goals set int he 2017-18 season. Werenski’s 69 points are also a club record. He has shown everything Columbus could ask for and then some. His performances are a key reason why Columbus is one of five teams in the race for the Eastern Conference Wild Cards, and could soon earn Werenski the first Norris Trophy of his nine-year NHL career. He previously received Norris votes in 2019-20 (eighth-place finish) and in his rookie season of 2016-17 (18th-place finish).

Waddell: Three Attempts To Be Third-Party Retainer Fell Through

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  • Going back to the start of training camp, Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell had talked openly about being willing to take on a contract or even act as a third-party retainer to add some assets. Neither of those wound up happening.  He told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that they had a pair of trades lined up on Thursday that would have seen them be a third-party retainer fall through plus another on Friday so it wasn’t for a lack of effort that they weren’t able to utilize any of those retention slots.

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