BOOM and Gloom

I listen to several Blue Jackets podcasts.  On one I really enjoy (Cannon Balls with Michael Arace), his crew gave the Blue Jackets grades based on their 2025-26 season performance.  As a teacher, I was very intrigued and thought that I should take a stab at grading the Jackets myself.  So here you go, my player grades for the 2025-26 season...as well as some other tidbit of CBJ news!

Want to hear a guy rant about the Blue Jackets' disappointing season for an hour?  Well you are in the right place.  The 2025-26 season is in the books and ended with, you guessed it, the Jackets missing out on the playoffs yet again.  In this episode I'll talk about what happened (this time) and what needs to be done going forward to maybe, somehow, finally become a playoff team again.  

Misery loves company.  That is the purpose of this episode.  If you are a frustrated Blue Jackets fan like me right now, join me and lets commiserate together.  I don't have any profound insights or perspective today.  You won't come away with any new Blue Jackets knowledge.  Everything I have to say, you probably already know.  You'll just know that you aren't the only one feeling the frustration yet again with this team.  

I admit it freely.  I was wrong about a lot this season.  The Jackets are currently fighting for a playoff spot and making me eat crow...and I am absolutely ok with that!  In this episode I will talk about players I misjudged and where the Jackets currently stand with only a few weeks to go in the season.  

The 2026 trade deadline has passed.  The Blue Jackets find themselves fighting for a playoff spot.  In this episode I'll talk about their trade deadline acquisition of Conor Garland and what it means for the lineup moving forward.  I'll also discuss what I think about the Jackets' chances for making the playoffs (spoiler alert: their not good).  And I'll tell you my thoughts on Dimitri Voronkov's recent healthy scratch and what that means moving forward.  

The Blue Jackets enter the Olympic break on a hot streak winning 11 of their last 12 games.  I'll talk about what this means for their playoff chances and:

1. Zach Norris as a Norris Trophy Candidate

2. What Don Waddell should do at the trade deadline.  

3. The possibility of a Blue Jackets re-brand

In this episode of Boom and Gloom, I will discuss:

1. More on the Dean Evason Firing and Rick Bowness hiring

2. The state of the Jackets playoff hopes

3. What should be done at the trade deadline

4. Mason Marchment's impact

5. Greg Murray's departure and a change I'd like to see (regarding an in-game announcement)

6. The impact of the Jackets' rescheduled game against the Los Angeles Kings

In a move that shocked the hockey world, the Blue Jackets fired head coach Dean Evason and replaced him with Rick Bowness. In this episode I'll discuss why I am torn about the move.  I'll talk about why I'm both happy and disappointed and also why the Jackets decided to make this big change at this juncture.  

In this episode I discuss:

1. The Mason Marchment trade

2. The Yegor Chinakhov trade

3. The injuries plaguing the Blue Jackets right now

4. A reality check on the season.  Where this team is headed and how we as fans should feel about it.

There hasn't been much of anything positive to talk about lately when it comes to the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Just absolute gloom.  At publication time, the Jackets once again find themselves in dead last in the Eastern Conference.  In this episode I'll discuss my ideas for what could and should be done moving forward and how the Jackets have fallen to this point.  I'll take a deep dive into the last 10 years of poor drafting and asset management as well.  Misery loves company, so come join me!