The Blue Jackets announced Friday they’ve re-signed pending RFA center Hunter McKown to a two-way deal for 2025-26. His contract carries a $775K cap hit and NHL salary and a $90K minors salary with a $100K guarantee, PuckPedia reports.
McKown, 23 in August, returns to the Columbus organization for his third full professional season. The 6’1″ pivot was an undrafted free agent signing out of Colorado College late in the 2022-23 season on the heels of a standout junior campaign in which he scored 21 goals and 28 points in 38 games. With that entry-level deal now expiring, he was up for a new contract.
The San Jose, California native reported to the Blue Jackets’ roster immediately after signing. He got serious NHL reps down the stretch, scoring two assists with a minus-four rating in 12 appearances while logging 12:14 per game. There were things to like about the two-way center’s game: he won 55.2% of his draws out of the gate, quite impressive for a rookie, and had reasonably solid relative possession impacts despite not playing much of a physical game (five blocks, 12 hits).
McKown hasn’t seen NHL ice since then, though. He’s spent the entirety of the last two campaigns on assignment to AHL Cleveland, where he’s put together a 22-33–55 scoring line in 121 games. That includes 13 goals and 31 points with a minus-eight rating in 68 games this season.
He’s a good skater and has made some strides in his offensive development in Cleveland, signaling he may still have a future as a bottom-six piece in the NHL if he continues on this trajectory. As such, the Blue Jackets will get him signed now to avoid a bout with restricted free agency and a potential arbitration filing if he didn’t accept his qualifying offer. He’ll be an arb-eligible RFA again next summer as he’ll still be too young to qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency.