If defenseman Michael Del Zotto wants to play in the NHL this coming season, he’ll have to earn a contract via the tryout route to do it. The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that they’ve inked the veteran to a PTO agreement with an invitation to training camp.
The 30-year-old spent last season with Anaheim, his second stint with the team after they moved him to St. Louis before the 2019 trade deadline. Del Zotto was originally expected to be in a reserve role but he still managed to play in 49 games with the Ducks last season and held his own, putting up 15 points (2-13-15) while logging 18:43 per night. Early in his career, he was more of an offensive-minded blueliner but has only surpassed the 20-point mark twice over the past seven seasons.
Columbus has seen a bit of turnover on their back end this offseason with Ryan Murray being traded to New Jersey and Markus Nutivaara getting dealt to Florida with no one being brought in to replace either of them. However, their top six appears to be set which means Del Zotto will likely be contending with the likes of Gabriel Carlsson, Gavin Bayreuther, and Adam Clendening for the seventh spot on the depth chart.
Del Zotto may benefit from the recent creation of taxi squads for the upcoming season. Even if he isn’t able to crack their opening roster, he’s someone that could still skate with the team and be used in a pinch whenever injuries strike. With training camps on the horizon, he certainly won’t be the only experienced veteran that is forced to turn to this option in the coming days.
His free agent day on tsn plea must have tugged on the jackets heart strings