The Blue Jackets don’t have a complete roster yet, as they’re still looking to re-sign three key players, but they do have a complete 2026-27 schedule with two extra games to play.
The NHL released the league’s full schedule July 16 with 84 games for each of its 32 teams, and Columbus’ slate drew a quick thumbs-up from Don Waddell, the team’s president of hockey operations/general manager.
His impression after getting a sneak peek of it on June 25?
“The best I’ve seen in the few years I’ve been here,” he said. “With a few tweaks of it, it’ll be really good.”
Whether he got those tweaks or not, the Jackets now have 84 games to play in 192 days, starting Oct. 1 against the Buffalo Sabres. It marks the first time the Jackets have opened at home since 2023-24. There are 13 back-to-back sets, three fewer than last season, and the longest road trips are only four games long.
Here’s a closer look at five things to know about the Blue Jackets’ schedule:
Columbus Blue Jackets open regular season earlier
Bumping the regular season up to 84 games reduced the Jackets’ preseason to just four games and paved the way for a much earlier start to the regular season.
They’ll drop the puck Oct. 1 at Nationwide Arena for the season opener against the Sabres, which is eight days earlier than they opened last season in Nashville.
Holding fewer preseason games subtracts ice time for prospects vying for NHL roster spots, but established players, coaches, GMs, media and fans will likely appreciate seeing less exhibition hockey. There’s also less risk of injury for key players in meaningless games, plus the excitement of watching meaningful games sooner.
Columbus Blue Jackets add Metropolitan Division games
Adding two extra games to the regular season allows for even distribution of opponents, and teams from the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan and Atlantic divisions will play each of their seven divisional rivals four times (twice at home, twice on the road).
The Blue Jackets will now play 28 games against Metropolitan teams, which means they’d better figure out ways to improve their record against divisional foes.
They went 11-11-4 against the Metro last season, better than only the New York Rangers’ performance (10-13-3) and the New Jersey Devils’ (7-17-2) among division teams.
Columbus Blue Jackets staying home for holidays, including New Year’s Eve
The Jackets will be in Dallas for Halloween on Oct. 31, but they’re mostly in Columbus around the major U.S. holidays.
There are home games Nov. 25 against the New Jersey Devils and Nov. 27 against the Detroit Red Wings sandwiched around Thanksgiving (Nov. 26). The Jackets host the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 22 in their final game before the NHL’s pause for Christmas, and they host the Washington Capitals at 2 p.m. on Dec. 31 in a New Year’s Eve matinee.
That’s also former captain Boone Jenner’s first game back at Nationwide Arena after signing with the Capitals on July 1 as a free agent.
More afternoon starts on tap for Columbus Blue Jackets
The Jackets are getting two more afternoon starts than last season, when they played five. Their seven matinees are as follows:
Columbus Blue Jackets have manageable travel schedule
Other than a couple odd trips, the Blue Jackets are getting a road schedule that makes a lot more sense than some they’ve been handed in recent years.
The biggest challenges are related to start times in four sets of back-to-back games, plus a challenging road trip in March. The four back-to-backs all feature the second game starting less than 24 hours after the opening faceoff, with travel between two different locations required.
The most challenging is a 7 p.m. game Dec. 26 in Washington, followed by a 5 p.m. game against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 27 at Nationwide Arena, giving the Blue Jackets just 22 hours of recovery between starts.
The weird zigzag trip is March 18-22 to Detroit, Winnipeg and Pittsburgh. After facing the Red Wings on March 18 in Detroit, the Jackets fly all the way out to Winnipeg for a March 20 game against the Jets before doubling back to Pittsburgh for a game March 22 against the Penguins.
The Jackets also start one of their other Western trips Feb. 13 in Boston before finishing with games Feb. 15 in Colorado, Feb. 17 in Utah and Feb. 18 in Las Vegas. They’ll travel to Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest Jan. 12-18, with stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Seattle, followed by their annual trip to California March 3-7 in San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim.
That final Western trip coincides with the NHL’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline on March 5.
Dispatch Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 5 things to know about Columbus Blue Jackets’ 2026-27 schedule
Reporting by Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
