Luca Del Bel Belluz will draw back into the Blue Jackets' lineup on Thursday, resulting in Aston-Reese being a healthy scratch. The 31-year-old Aston-Reese has three assists and 41 hits in 17 games this season.
Zach Aston-Reese will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Del Bel Belluz to re-enter the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings. The 22-year-old forward averaged 9:35 time-on-ice and scored one assist in seven games with Columbus last month.
Jenner has not played since November 11th, but has practiced the past few days, and could return to the lineup as soon as this weekend. The 32-year-old Jenner has 30 hits and 10 points (3G / 7A) in 16 games this season. Jenner, usually an effective contributor when healthy, has battled injuries in recent years, playing fewer than 60 games in all but one of his last five seasons.
Marchenko has not played in the last several games and has been sidelined since November 22nd due to a upper-body injury, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 25-year-old Marchenko looks to add to his 22 points (8G / 14A) through 22 games, a career-best pace, when he returns to a familiar place on the Blue Jackets' top-six and top powerplay unit.
The Blue Jackets have leaned heavily on Jet Greaves in recent weeks, but will turn to Merzlikins on Thursday in a rare consecutive start for the Latvian goalie after a solid 30-save performance (.909 SV%) in Monday's 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has a subpar 3.50 GAA and .895 SV% in 10 games (5-5-0) this season. He has not had a sub-3.00 GAA since the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as -114 home favorites against a Detroit Red Wings team coming off a 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins.
Pinelli has seen reasonable deployment since making his NHL debut last week, averaging 13:46 time-on-ice in three games. That said, he is returning to the Cleveland Monsters (AHL), indicating that Kirill Marchenko (lower body) may be ready to return to the Blue Jackets' lineup.
Olivier only played six shifts in last Monday's 5-1 loss to the Washington Capitals, exiting the game with an upper-body injury, and has been sidelined since. The 28-year-old Olivier had 71 hits, 44 penalty minutes, and nine points (3G / 6A) in 23 games this season.
Del Bel Belluz was a lineup-regular for the Blue Jackets in early November before his return to the AHL. The 22-year-old forward averaged 9:35 time-on-ice and scored one assist in seven games with Columbus.
Merzlikins has taken a backseat to Jet Greaves in recent weeks, but the Latvian netminder will return to the crease on Monday against the New Jersey Devils. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has lost four straight contests (0-4-0), allowing three or more goals in each. The Blue Jackets rank mid-pack in the league defensively (3.28 GA/GP), but have struggled with Merzlikins, who has an ugly 3.55 GAA and .894 SV% in nine games this season (4-5-0). The Blue Jackets enter Monday's contest as +124 road underdogs against a Devils team that defeated them 3-2 earlier this season.
The Blue Jackets have hovered around .500 all season, yet to assert dominance, but have managed to stay in games despite losing six of their last 10 (4-2-4). Greaves played well for the Blue Jackets on Wednesday, saving 22 of 24 shots (.917 SV%) in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and has become the go-to-guy between the pipes for the team. The 24-year-old goalie has a 2.74 GAA and .905 SV% in 15 games this season (7-4-4). The Blue Jackets enter Friday's contest as -132 home favorites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team that has lost seven of their last 10 (3-4-3).
Marchenko did not play on Monday and will miss a second straight game, day-to-day with a upper-body injury. The 25-year-old Marchenko has been terrific this season and his offense will be sorely missed. He has 22 points (8G / 14A) and 65 shots in 22 games this season.
Olivier only played six shifts in Monday's 5-1 loss to the Washington Capitals, exiting the game with an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old Olivier had 71 hits, 44 penalty minutes, and nine points (3G / 6A) in 23 games this season. He will not play on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Luca Pinelli will make his NHL debut on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, sending Christiansen to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old Christiansen is averaging 10:31 time-on-ice and has one assist in 19 games this season.
Pinelli was a fourth-round pick, 114th overall, by the Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old forward has yet to play an NHL game and has 10 points (5G / 5A) in 13 games with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) this season. Jake Christiansen will exit the lineup to accommodate Pinelli's debut.
Greaves has become the more-relied-upon option between the pipes for the Blue Jackets this season, and he will return to the crease on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 24-year-old goalie was excellent against the Maple Leafs in a 3-2 overtime win last week, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%). He has a 2.80 GAA and .904 SV% in 14 games this season (7-4-3). The Blue Jackets enter Wednesday's contest as -120 home favorites against a struggling Maple Leafs team that has lost seven of its last eight games (1-4-3).
Werenski did not play in the third period of Monday's 5-1 loss to the Washington Capitals, exiting the game after 17:36 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old Werenski played in all but one game last season, but has battled injury concerns in recent years. That said, the team seems to have avoided a serious injury and are in the clear with their star blueliner, who has 21 points (7G / 14A) in 23 games this season.
Pinelli was a fourth-round pick, 114th overall, by the Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old forward has yet to play an NHL game and has 10 points (5G / 5A) in 13 games with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) this season.
Smith has been playing with the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL this season and signed a two-way contract with the Blue Jackets earlier this week, adding some depth to their blueline. The 36-year-old defenseman spent the 2024-25 season as the seventh defenseman for the Dallas Stars, scoring six points (1G / 5A) in 32 games.
Mayo played one game for the Blue Jackets earlier this month, but he will return to a familiar place in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL). The 29-year-old Mayo has four points (0G / 4A) in five games with Cleveland this season.
