Sunday Overreactions: Are Blue Jackets legit Cup contenders?

There are new coach bumps — and then there’s what the Columbus Blue Jackets got when they hired Rick Bowness.

Bowness has transformed the perception of the entire Blue Jackets organization in a matter of months. Once viewed as plucky underdogs with a hard-working mentality, Columbus is now a team feared by others when it shows up on the schedule.

It appeared the Blue Jackets were destined for a sixth straight spring out of the playoffs before Bowness took over. Columbus was tied for dead last in the East on Jan. 12 with a minus-18 goal differential, good enough for second worst in the conference.

Now? The Blue Jackets have climbed all the way back into a playoff position at third in the Metro and their goal differential has skyrocketed to plus-14.

There’s growing belief in Columbus and around the league that the Blue Jackets don’t just have a chance to get back into the post-season, but that they could be championship contenders in a wide-open Eastern Conference as well.

Blue Jackets are in the Cup conversation

It truly is astounding how different this team looks under Bowness. Since he took over, the Blue Jackets have only lost twice in regulation, going 18-2-4. Columbus also sits near the top of the league in a number of categories.

In 24 games with Bowness behind the bench, the Blue Jackets rank second in the NHL in points, first in points percentage, second in regulation wins, third in goals, third in goals-against and tied for first in shutouts.

Granted, it’s a small sample size, but it’s coming at the perfect time, and the Blue Jackets could ride this momentum right through the spring if they get into the post-season.

They have a balanced lineup and if they continue to get good goaltending, the sky’s the limit for Columbus in the playoffs without the juggernaut Florida Panthers and with a not-so-daunting path through the Metro division.

Overreaction? No

A team going on this type of torrid run isn’t unprecedented. It wasn’t that long ago in 2019 when the St. Louis Blues sat last in the NHL as the calendar turned to January before going on an improbable Stanley cup run. Much like the Blue Jackets, the Blues also took advantage of a new coach bump when they hired Craig Berube in the middle of that season.

That St. Louis team was transformed by the emergence of Jordan Binnington, who was nearly unbeatable between the pipes down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Columbus has its own under-the-radar goaltender this season with Jet Greaves making a name for himself in his first full NHL campaign. The undrafted Greaves has won nine of his past 11 starts, owns a .909 save percentage and his 15.2 goals saved above expected is good enough for eighth best in the NHL.

There’s still a long way to go but the Blue Jackets have a lot of the necessary ingredients to go on a long playoff run. Good goaltending and a team that’s gelling at the right time has long made up a recipe for success in the post-season.

The Blue Jackets should be asking themselves, “Why not us?”

Oilers in danger of missing the playoffs without Leon Draisaitl

After making back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals very little has gone right for the Edmonton Oilers this season.

The Tristan Jarry trade has been borderline disastrous, Edmonton hasn’t been able to firmly lock down a playoff spot and now Leon Draisaitl is likely out for the rest of the regular season with an injury.

Draisaitl is a hugely important player to the Oilers, as their top-heavy forward group relies on him and Connor McDavid to carry the load. With the Pacific Division being so tight and Edmonton struggling with consistency issues, are the Oilers now in danger of missing the playoffs?

Overreaction? Yes

Edmonton picked up a massive win over the San Jose Sharks this week, creating a seven-point margin between the two teams when it could’ve been down to three. The Oilers are also still up six points on the Seattle Kraken and five ahead of the Kings, so they do have some room for error.

Plus, the Oilers appear to finally be finding at least some stability between the pipes. After relegating Jarry to backup duties, Connor Ingram has won five of his eight appearances since his promotion. The 28-year-old doesn’t have to be elite every night — he just can’t sink the Oilers by giving up bad goals.

Edmonton also has a few very friendly games on the schedule the rest of the way like matchups with Chicago and Vancouver. As long as it can win those and play around .500 hockey in the other matchups, it should have enough cushion to get over the finish line.

Maple Leafs should contemplate a Matthew Knies trade

The rumblings that the Toronto Maple Leafs were listening on Matthew Knies around the trade deadline sent shockwaves through the fanbase, and you can understand why.

Knies is a 23-year-old unicorn that has a unique blend of size, skill and physicality that’s rare around the league. So, why would the Leafs want to trade him? Well, Toronto has several needs to fill and moving Knies could be a way to solve more than one of them if it can get a decent haul in return.

It will be a critical off-season for the Leafs if they’re hoping to turn things around quickly in order to convince franchise star Auston Matthews to sign a long-term extension in 2027. That could mean making a bold move like trading Knies.

Overreaction? No

Let’s start by saying this: the Maple Leafs absolutely don’t have to trade Knies.

He’s a talented player that’s still young enough to be an important piece of a rebuild if the Leafs eventually go that route. This isn’t a Scott Laughton or Bobby McMann situation where Brad Treliving has to offload them and is searching for the best return minutes before the deadline. You’d be very happy to start the 2026-27 season with Knies, who is signed long-term at a team-friendly number.

With that said, Knies is one of the few players the Leafs could move that would bring back multiple pieces, and if Toronto wants to re-tool on the fly quickly, the only way to really do that is with a seismic trade.

They need a top-pairing defenceman, a second-line centre, more draft capital and prospects, among other things. There’s really no path for the Leafs to get any of those pieces this summer if they just nibble around the edges.

Toronto could move one of its goalies, but the return there doesn’t figure to be a needle mover.

It could set the price high for Knies with a return of a top-pair blue-liner and a young centre, and stick to it. If someone bites, great; if not, you can simply keep a player around you’re very happy with and that should be part of the solution.

Bobby McMann has been the most impactful deadline acquisition

Bobby McMann’s debut for the Seattle Kraken was delayed due to visa issues, but it was worth the wait.

In his first five games with the Kraken, McMann’s tallied four goals and six points while playing significant minutes on Seattle’s top line.

McMann had developed into a streaky scorer with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he’s injected new life into this Kraken team and appears to have instantly made them more dynamic. His speed brings a new element to Seattle, which is currently in a battle for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

If McMann can help them get there, the second- and fourth-round picks the Kraken gave up are going to look like nothing in return. There’s an argument to be made that McMann is the most impactful deadline acquisition we’ve seen thus far.

Overreaction? No

There were definitely bigger names than McMann that moved around the deadline, but most went to teams already in a great position in the standings.

Players like Nazem Kadri, MacKenzie Weegar and Brayden Schenn figure to be key additions to their respective squads but they were supposed to be cherries on top of strong teams. McMann, on the other hand, could end up being the difference between making the playoffs or not for the Kraken if he continues to play this way.

Seattle doesn’t have a singular elite talent and must score by committee, particularly because it doesn't even have a single 50-point player on its roster. McMann’s 23 goals now leads the team, and on a squad starved for offence, he might be the talent that pushes it over the top and into its second-ever post-season berth.

Ducks should trade Mason McTavish this summer

The 2025-26 season hasn’t been kind to Mason McTavish.

Things started off slow when McTavish didn’t put pen to paper on a contract extension until late September, delaying his start to training camp and putting him a step behind to start the campaign.

It really feels like McTavish has been trying to catch up ever since as he’s only scored 13 times and is on pace for a career worst in points.

Things then hit rock bottom recently when Anaheim Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville made him a healthy scratch for two straight games.

There will no doubt be teams calling the Ducks this summer to see if the former third-overall pick is available.

Overreaction? Yes

You simply don’t trade a 23-year-old centre with as much promise as McTavish unless you absolutely have to.

Unlike Toronto’s situation, the Ducks are a team on the rise and shouldn’t feel any pressure to shake up the roster with a major trade.

McTavish flashed last season with 22 goals and more than 50 points, so the talent is clearly there and he’s still only scratching the surface of what he’s capable of. Not to mention, he’s signed at only $7 million per season until 2031 in a rising cap world.

Even as a second-line centre that deal is going to look incredible given with how high the cap is going to jump. It would be unwise of the Ducks to make a hasty decision this summer and, instead, bring McTavish back with a full training camp to try and get him back on track.