Offseason Checklist: Columbus Blue Jackets

The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs.  It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Columbus.

Last season, the Blue Jackets were more competitive than a lot of people expected and GM Jarmo Kekalainen responded by making a big splash on the free agent market, inking Johnny Gaudreau to a seven-year deal.  In doing so, expectations shifted.  However, things certainly didn’t go according to plan as they finished last in the Eastern Conference so changes are on the horizon for them in the coming months.

Find A New Coach

Not surprisingly, after the summer they had and how things went this season, Brad Larsen’s tenure as head coach came to an end as he was let go after two years as the bench boss.  The team posted a 62-86-16 record with him at the helm.  At the time he was promoted after serving as an assistant to John Tortorella, Larsen felt like a logical choice in the sense that the team was beginning a rebuild.  Are they going to take a step back again now?

That’s a question that Kekalainen is going to have to ponder.  This team has ample cap space (nearly $20MM per CapFriendly) this summer which could give them some key additions to try to win now.  If that’s the direction they’re going to go, then a veteran bench boss with a track record of short-term success is likely what they’re going to want to look for.  After all, adding Gaudreau on the richest free agent deal in franchise history only to turn around and rebuild again a year later would be a bit of a surprising turnaround.

On the other hand, with how they struggled this season, it would be surprising to see Columbus push for playoff contention in 2023-24.  Accordingly, another first-time coach with an eye on prospect development might be the better way to go.  While this number is certainly exacerbated by injuries and late-season recalls, Columbus used 30 players that are 25 or younger this season.  Most of them will still be in the organization next year and with a lot of future core pieces in the group, a longer-term build might be the better long-term play.  Who they hire as their next head coach might signal which way they’re leaning on the roster front.  Whichever way they go, it’s likely they won’t make a move right away as they’ll likely want to speak to some assistants that are on teams still in the playoffs.

Bring In New Goalie Coach

Generally, a team needing a goalie coach wouldn’t typically get much more than a passing mention here.  However, with how poorly Elvis Merzlikins played this season, finding the right hire to replace Manny Legace is going to be quite critical.

To put into context how much Merzlikins struggled, there were 62 goalies that played 20 games or more in 2022-23.  He was 62nd in GAA (4.23) and 61st in SV% (.876).  The good news is that he can really go up from there but he has a long way to go to even get back to being league average.

The 29-year-old has four years left on his contract which carries a $5.4MM AAV.  Right now, that deal would be difficult to trade with how he performed this season and Daniil Tarasov isn’t ready to take over as the full-fledged starter just yet; he has just 21 career NHL appearances under his belt.  Accordingly, the new goalie coach will be a key addition as if he can help Merzlikins turn things around, it would go a long way toward helping them get back in the playoff picture sooner than later.

Add Center Help

Locking down a true top center has been a challenge for Columbus in recent years with their best candidate, Pierre-Luc Dubois, eventually being traded to Winnipeg for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic.  The end result is that Columbus was using Boone Jenner as their top middleman this season.  Jenner is a quality player, no doubt, but he is not a true top-liner.  Roslovic, meanwhile, was inconsistent throughout the season and he is likely to be in trade speculation this summer.

The good news for the Blue Jackets is that they have young centers in the system in Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson.  They’re certainly hoping that one of them will be able to emerge as a top-liner down the road.  And, who knows, they could land one in the draft as they’re able to hold down a top-three spot.  But any of those players are still likely a couple of years away from really emerging as reliable top-six options.  If they intend to try to get back into the playoff picture before then, they’re going to have to add a center or two.

It will be interesting to see if the Blue Jackets decide to continue their late-season experiment with playing Laine down the middle next year.  If he can hold his own in that role, that would take some pressure off Jenner and at least get them a short-term stopgap.  They’re also likely to add Dmitry Voronkov for next season although he won’t be ready to play in the top six right away either.  But even with those, more help is needed, especially if Laine isn’t able to play there full-time.

Landing a true number one pivot will be difficult for Columbus this summer as frankly, there aren’t likely to be any available.  Instead, Kekalainen will have to settle for adding a second-line option.  They’ve been speculatively linked to Philadelphia’s Kevin Hayes and perhaps that’s the type of move they should be targeting, adding a player that can help but whose cap hit is high enough that the other team can’t command a significant return.  Depending on the player, Columbus could be compensated for taking on the deal.  If they want to use their cap space this summer, that’s one creative way to try to fill a need without losing much of consequence.

Creative Spending

Speaking of that cap space, the Blue Jackets will be one of only a handful of teams with significant room under the cap this summer.  They currently project to have around $18MM per CapFriendly with only a handful of roster spots to fill.  Notably, there aren’t any free agents of note to deal with either that will cut into that amount by a significant amount.

Granted, Columbus is typically a budget team, not a cap team so it remains to be seen how much of that roughly $18MM will actually be at their disposal.  But at a minimum, a good chunk of it should be spendable for Kekalainen.

If they want to try to make another splash in free agency, the money should be there.  But that might not be the best move for them, especially with the market not being as strong as last year and the center options not exactly being top-notch.  Instead, if they can pick up an unwanted short-term contract or two and pick up draft picks or prospects for doing so, that’s a scenario that would be the best of both worlds, helping them build for the future while helping them now as well.  Cap space is an asset that few teams will have so it’s important that the Blue Jackets use it wisely and get creative if they need to.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.