It’s time for another post in the “Funny how quickly things change in (insert time period here)” category.

For the Columbus Blue Jackets, the 2024-25 season was largely about just getting through the season. The cautious optimism around new coach Dean Evason was overshadowed on the eve of the campaign by the tragic deaths of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew. Despite the terrible circumstances, the Blue Jackets came together that year and remained in playoff contention until the very last week.

With the good momentum built out of overcoming those obstacles, one would imagine the Jackets would be in a perfect position to contend for the postseason in 2026. And for the most part they have contended, until late March.

After a shaky start to 2025-26, the club parted ways with Evason, naming Rick Bowness as the new man in charge, and talk about an immediate impact. Of the 11 games played between the manager switch and the Olympic break, Columbus won 10 of them, including seven in a row, most of them by multiple goals. If any NHL team had a legitimate gripe about pausing this season for the Milano Cortina games, it would be the Jackets. Upon return, they rebounded to have three-game and four-game streaks, putting themselves in a great spot for a first playoff berth since 2020.

And then came the last few weeks.

Starting with March 26 at Montreal, Columbus has lost seven of its last eight games to fall on the wrong side of the playoff bubble. Perhaps no game sums up that stretch best than a March 29 home game with the Bruins, where CBJ raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, only for Boston to claw back in the third and ultimately win in a shootout.

As of this post, their most recent game was on the road at a Buffalo team that already secured its playoff spot. After keeping the deficit to 1-0 going to the third period, the Jackets then melted down over the final 20 minutes, losing 5-0.

Now comes the final three games of 2026, another trip to Montreal followed by home contests with Boston and Washington. Of those three, only the Canadiens already have their playoff fate decided, so if there was any possibility of the Blue Jackets facing a squad that’s in resting mode, that won’t be the case against the Bruins or the Capitals.

If Columbus can make up ground and reach the playoffs, that will be a huge boost that they can continue building toward their long-term goals. If not, it will be another example of falling short, leaving fans wondering when, if ever, they can make a serious push for the Stanley Cup.