Written by Ryan McAvoy
On April 14, 2026, Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness made a scathing declaration to reporters during a post-game interview.
“I don’t know if I’m back, but if I’m back I’m changing this culture. These guys, they don’t care. Losing is not important enough to them,” Bowness said in an interview after the Blue Jackets’ season-ending loss to the Washington Capitals.
Bowness did backtrack on his phrasing in a subsequent interview, citing his passion and love of the game. However, Bowness’ anger with Columbus is justified. After almost two years of retirement, he returned in January 2026 to coach the Columbus Blue Jackets. His record after taking over was an impressive 21-11-5, but it was still not enough to push the Blue Jackets into the playoffs.
“I wouldn't come back if I didn’t think we could make the playoffs,” said Bowness in an interview during an April 16 press conference about his return as head coach.
Flash forward to the 2026-27 season, and it appears the culture has yet to see a drastic change, if any. The Blue Jackets are eight games into the season, sitting eighth in the Metropolitan Division, and are still, statistically, losers. In fact, their record is worse now than it was nine games into the 2025-26 NHL season. Of their five losses so far, three have been by three or more goals.
Even though it is still relatively early in the season, there is a noticeable gap between the expectations set by Bowness and the level of play Columbus has shown thus far. When the Blue Jackets lose, it is often by a large margin. However, their wins have been much closer, with three of their four victories going into overtime. It is difficult to maintain a winning streak when there is little room for error.
Their future has been further complicated by the departure of right winger Kirill Marchenko in late September. He was the Blue Jackets’ leading goal scorer during the 2025-26 season. After his agent said Marchenko did not intend to re-sign with Columbus for the 2026-27 season, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In his first return to Columbus, he scored Toronto's first goal, and the Leafs went on to dominate the Blue Jackets in a 6-2 win.
Despite Marchenko’s desire to part ways with Columbus, it appears that Bowness and his team are on the same page, even if their play isn’t.
“He’s the best coach I’ve ever had,” said defenseman Damon Severson last April in an interview with NHL.com. “We're all big fans of Bones. We let the team down, the organization and the fans down by not being in the playoffs, but Rick Bowness is not the issue at all. He's going to be part of the solution here.”
Whether or not Columbus can solve its issues going forward remains to be seen. The Blue Jackets earned a big overtime win against the Vegas Golden Knights, winning 2-1. They were able to pull off the victory despite having fewer shots on goal and more giveaways.
For Bowness, the challenge now is turning his message into results on the ice. While Columbus has shown it can compete in close games, its inconsistency and heavy losses remain concerns. If the Blue Jackets want to become a playoff contender, they need to find a way to sustain their effort beyond individual wins. Bowness made it clear that losing could no longer be acceptable, and the team’s response over the coming weeks will show whether his message is beginning to take hold.
