COLUMBUS — The Columbus Blue Jackets are moving on. Two days after trading star winger Kirill Marchenko to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team says it is ready to start the season with a clean slate and a full roster pulling in the same direction. Marchenko was dealt to Toronto on Sept. 28 along with injured goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and forward Miles Wood, ending weeks of speculation about his future. Hours after what turned out to be his final practice in Columbus, Marchenko boarded a private jet with his agent and left town. Defenseman Zach Werenski did not sugarcoat the situation. “You could tell that Marchy didn’t want to be here,” Werenski said. “We just don’t need that hanging over us to start the year off, so I think it’s good.”
The Blue Jackets also settled their leadership question. Head coach Rick Bowness announced the team’s captaincy plan for the 2026-27 season: players will rotate the alternate captain’s “A” — except for Werenski, who will wear it every game. Bowness said he wants every voice in the room to matter, including the younger players. Werenski, who vetoed a trade to Dallas on July 1 and addressed his own future at an Aug. 13 press conference, left the door open to re-signing with Columbus when he becomes eligible next year. Much will depend on how this season unfolds. The Jackets open the season Oct. 1 against the Buffalo Sabres at 7 p.m., and for the first time in weeks, the only question in the room is about hockey.
Fans will get their first look at the retooled roster Thursday night. After a turbulent camp, Columbus is betting that addition by subtraction was exactly what this team needed.