July 1: Columbus has confirmed Provorov’s extension.
June 30: The Blue Jackets are keeping defenseman Ivan Provorov away from unrestricted free agency, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. It’s a seven-year deal worth $8.5MM per season for a total value of $59.5MM, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic.
In what has immediately set the market for other top-four defenseman in this free agency period, the Blue Jackets have given their minute-eating Russian defenseman a $1.75MM raise. Without knowing the full scope of the trade protection, if there is any, Provorov immediately becomes the team’s second-highest-paid defenseman, and will become an unrestricted free agent for his age-36 season after the 2031-32 campaign.
There are good reasons to believe that this contract will prove beneficial for both the player and the team over time. Although he’s in no danger of receiving a majority of the Norris Trophy votes, Provorov has been a remarkably consistent defenseman upon entering the league, dating back to his time with the Philadelphia Flyers. 
Since his debut in the 2016-17 season, Provorov has scored 77 goals and 282 points in 696 career games with a -28 rating while averaging 23:46 of ice time per night. His career output averages out to 9 goals and 33 points with a -3 rating over 82 games. This past season with the Blue Jackets, Provorov scored seven goals and accumulated 33 points, matching his career averages.
He has consistently maintained a similar level in his advanced metrics as well. Throughout his nine-year career, Provorov has managed a 48.7% CorsiFor% at even strength and a 90.2% on-ice save percentage at even strength.
Unfortunately, this contract is bound to have ramifications in one of two ways. If the Blue Jackets are content with having Zach Werenski and Provorov as their top-two options on the left side of their blue line, that will push youngster Denton Mateychuk to a bottom-pairing role. Given his performances from this past season, Mateychuk has already earned an opportunity in Columbus’ top-four.
If they’d like to keep the combination of Werenski and freshly signed Dante Fabbro, while creating a second-pairing of Mateychuk and Provorov, the Blue Jackets will inevitably have to put Damon Severson and Erik Gudbranson, making one of the most expensive third-pairings in the league. Still, there’s time for Columbus to move one or both pricey blueliners. At any rate, by retaining Provorov and Fabbro on multi-year deals, the Blue Jackets have put themselves in a position to thin out their defensive core.
Photo courtesy of Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images.
The amount of overpayments keeps adding up
honestly many have been under payments so far until this one
Ummm Hage, Bahl, Marner, Bouchard all over payments
How do you determine if a contract is an overpayment? Is it based on mathematical data or is it simply your opinion?
Proof this guy doesn’t care about winning.
This isn’t an overpay. The cap has been flat for years. In that time the pay for the very top guys went up while those in the middle got the squeeze as a consequence. The money guys who are 2nd line forwards or 2-4th defensemen is going to go up. This is what guys like Provorov will make.
Ouch 8.5 million per for 33pts & a plus 11. I guess the new salary cap era started earlier with what Nashville gave Hague this morning.
This is a good day for Drake the Pupstar.
Good for Ivan.
Ooo that’s a chunk of change for a second pairing blue liner
$8.5 M for Provorov vs. $8.7 M for Sidney Crosby.
Love Sid’s OCD.
It seems like an overpay, but to have stability on the blue line with Werenski, Fabbro, Severson and Provorov all locked in… I dunno, I want to hate it, but it’s gonna look better the more increases the salary cap sees.
That’s two really solid D pairs. If Columbus can get stability in net and make some upgrades to the middle six, this is a scary team.
The Jackets franchise has been around since 2000 and I have not done enough homework to completely support this premise, but I believe that you are the first to ever call them a scary team. There was a Rick Nash moment in one period 2008ish that may prove me wrong but that is still pending.
Way to deliberately skip over the “if”.
Id imagine they’ll be the ones to pay ellers.
lol, lmao even
hopefully everyone realizes there more to being a good player then just scoring .. provy is second in total ice time per .. first in total PK minutes per .. also sees 1:01min per on the PP .. and third on the team in blocked shots