The Blue Jackets have picked up depth forward Zach Aston-Reese off waivers from the Golden Knights, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Aston-Reese, 30, had signed a one-year, two-way pact ($775K/$475K) to join Vegas in July. After failing to carve out a roster spot in Vegas, losing it chiefly to PTO signee Tanner Pearson, he’ll now play out that deal in the Blue Jackets organization.
It’s not surprising to see Aston-Reese land somewhere else, especially with a Columbus club in need of forward depth. During his five seasons as a full-time NHLer from 2018 to 2023 with the Penguins, Ducks, and Maple Leafs, he was a regular in a fourth-line role and had some of the best even-strength defensive impacts in the league, even earning Selke votes in 2020. But he had to settle for a two-way deal with the Red Wings last year and barely played in the NHL, clearing waivers and spending most of the season with AHL Grand Rapids. He logged just three appearances with Detroit and averaged just 5:09 per game, going without a point.
Aston-Reese’s point production in Grand Rapids was what you’d expect for a defensive forward with NHL upside, totaling 30 points in 61 games. With his career 52.2 xGF% in heavy defensive zone usage, he’ll provide value to Columbus’ bottom six early on even if he’s not finding the back of the net with any frequency.
He could potentially shift to left wing for the Jackets and comprise a fourth line with Sean Kuraly and Mathieu Olivier. Columbus still needs to send one forward to AHL Cleveland in the next couple of hours, either James Malatesta or Mikael Pyyhtia, to get their active roster down to 23 players.