COLUMBUS, Ohio — As of earlier this week, the Columbus Blue Jackets and their four pending unrestricted free agents — forwards Charlie Coyle, Boone Jenner and Mason Marchment, and defenseman Erik Gudbranson — had not engaged in serious negotiations regarding contract extensions.

That’s coming, general manager Don Waddell said. But he’s spent the first two weeks of the NHL’s Olympic break talking with the players and their respective agents to see how they feel about extending their stay with the Blue Jackets.

“If guys want to stay here, I’ll find a way to keep them here,” Waddell said. “I’ve said that before, and I have a very good history of that.”

So what has he found?

“Everybody wants to stay here,” Waddell said. “We’ve got something going here.”

That wasn’t so much a question about Jenner or Gudbranson, two stout veterans who have ingrained themselves in both the organization and the community.

But Coyle, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Colorado Avalanche, and Marchment, who joined the Blue Jackets in a mid-December trade with the Seattle Kraken, are just getting familiar with Columbus.

It’s likely, too, that Coyle and Marchment are Waddell’s two biggest priorities, perhaps the two biggest dilemmas — trade them or keep them? — if either should reach the March 6 trade deadline without an extension.

Of course, the Blue Jackets would want them for their playoff push. But the trade market for each player would be enticing enough that Waddell would have to listen, especially if the Jackets stumble out of the break in their five games before the deadline.

For now, the plan is to sign them and keep them, Waddell has said. But there would be no reason to talk term or dollars if Coyle and Marchment didn’t want to stay with the Blue Jackets and in Columbus.

“You want to go where your family is comfortable and you can win, where you like the group,” Coyle told The Athletic this month. “This fits all of that, especially the way we’ve been playing (leading up to the Olympic break).

“There are not many negatives to playing here. It’s hard to think of one, actually. We’ve really enjoyed our time here.”

For Coyle, the family fit is crucial, and that’s been a smashing success, he said. But he’s also smart enough to know that the clock is ticking on his career.

Coyle turns 34 on March 2, and while he’s never missed the playoffs — his string of 13 straight seasons in the postseason is the longest active streak in the NHL — he’s never won the Stanley Cup.

In 2019, while playing for his hometown Boston Bruins, he came one game away, losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the St. Louis Blues.

“I want to win,” Coyle said. “That’s the main thing. You never know how much time you’ve got left in this league. You want to make sure you do what you can and put yourself in a good situation.”

The Blue Jackets’ history, of course, is not the best argument here. Coyle has played 126 playoff games in his career. The Blue Jackets franchise has played in 41 playoff games in its first 24 seasons, only once making it past the first round.

But the here and now has been promising.

The Blue Jackets went on an 11-1-0 run, including seven straight regulation wins, before the Olympic break, pulling them to within four points of both the second wild-card spot (currently held by Boston) and third place (currently the New York Islanders) in the Metropolitan Division.

A big part of that surge has been the arrival of coach Rick Bowness, who has the Blue Jackets more dialed-in defensively, more aggressive all over the ice and, suddenly, playing with a ton of confidence.

But the midseason acquisition of Marchment has been huge, too.

He’s played on the Blue Jackets’ top line with center Adam Fantilli and right winger Kirill Marchenko, and since his acquisition, only Coyle (10) and Marchenko (nine) have more goals than Marchment (eight).

Marchment was traded from Dallas to Seattle last June. He won’t say much publicly, but it’s clear his time with the Kraken didn’t go well. He was traded to Columbus on Dec. 20, his third move — with his wife and now 5-month-old son — in seven months.

“It’s fun when you’re playing team hockey and everyone is buying in,” Marchment said. “I feel like we’ve got that here.

“It’s been a long year for me and my family, moving around, a lot of obstacles. But when I came here it was an easy fit. I’m having fun, enjoying myself and finding the love of the game, just working hard. That’s what it’s all about.”

Waddell wanted Marchment for his energetic, agitating style of play. The Blue Jackets were guilty early in the season of wading into games and letting other clubs dictate the pace of play, but that’s been less of an issue since Marchment’s arrival.

He’s one of the players Waddell has cited when voicing his belief that the Blue Jackets, with their size and depth, could be a challenging opponent in a seven-game series.

But that’s too far in the future for now. The Blue Jackets have five games to play between now and the trade deadline, beginning with a Feb. 26 matchup in Boston.

They also have some contracts to negotiate. It should be an interesting few weeks in Columbus.