Columbus Blue Jackets Shake Up NHL with Latest Moves

Blue Jackets Optimistic Despite Season-Opening Loss to Predators

New Faces, Same Struggles in Nashville

The Columbus Blue Jackets kicked off their 25th anniversary season on a sour note, falling 2-1 to the Nashville Predators in their opener on Thursday night. Despite outshooting the Predators 38-31, the Blue Jackets were unable to overcome a strong performance from Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros.

The game marked the Blue Jackets' fourth consecutive season-opening loss, continuing their struggles at Bridgestone Arena where they now hold a dismal 9-37-1-7 all-time record.

"It's a tough building for us, no doubt about it," said Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov, who scored the team's lone goal in the loss. "We had our chances, but Saros was just a wall back there."

Greaves Gets the Nod in Net

The bigger story, however, was the Blue Jackets' surprising decision to start 24-year-old goaltender Jet Greaves over incumbent starter Elvis Merzlikins. Greaves, who has bounced between the NHL and AHL the past three seasons, turned aside 29 of 31 shots in an impressive NHL debut.

"I was comfortable out there and excited for the opportunity," Greaves said. "There are definitely some things I can clean up, but overall I thought it was a good first step."

The move to Greaves caught many off guard, as Merzlikins has been the Blue Jackets' clear-cut starter the past four seasons. However, head coach Dean Evason indicated the decision was made to give the young netminder a chance to prove himself.

"Jet has been knocking on the door for a while now," Evason said. "We felt this was the right time to see what he can do at the NHL level. Elvis is still our guy, but we want to see what the future might hold with Jet."

Bright Spots Amid the Defeat

While the final result was disappointing, the Blue Jackets showed flashes of promise that have the team optimistic about the season ahead. Newcomers Mathieu Olivier and Yegor Chinakhov both made strong impressions, combining for 7 shots on goal.

Additionally, the team's young core of Boone Jenner, Cole Sillinger, Kent Johnson, and Denton Mateychuk all played key roles, indicating the Blue Jackets' rebuild may be starting to take shape.

"There were a lot of positives to take away, even in a loss," said veteran defenseman Zach Werenski. "We outplayed them for large stretches and showed we can compete with anyone. If we keep building on this, I like where we're headed."

TL;DR

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets dropped their season opener 2-1 to the Nashville Predators, their fourth straight loss in a home opener.
  • 24-year-old goaltender Jet Greaves made a surprise start over incumbent Elvis Merzlikins, turning in a solid NHL debut with 29 saves.
  • Despite the loss, the Blue Jackets saw promising performances from newcomers and young core players, giving the team optimism for the season ahead.