After trading away one minor league contract earlier today, the Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired another. The team has acquired goaltender Jeff Zatkoff from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for future considerations.
With Jack Campbell and Cal Petersen splitting the net for the Ontario Reign of the AHL, Zatkoff hasn’t actually played in a single game this season. It’s not entirely clear where he’ll fit into the AHL picture for Columbus either, though they’ve experienced struggles from all of their goaltenders this season for the Cleveland Monsters.
Zatkoff of course brings with him plenty of experience, as the 30-year old has 48 games under his belt in the NHL including 13 last season with the Kings. A third-round pick in 2006, he has repeatedly put up healthy save percentages in the minor leagues and could provide some stability in Cleveland.
The goaltender pushes Columbus back up to 46/50 contract slots filled, and actually will cost them a relatively large amount of money to play in the minor leagues this season. Zatkoff is in the second year of a two-year, one-way contract that earns him $900K regardless of whether he’s in the NHL or minor leagues.
Kings had absolutely no place for him. Easy send off