With the regular season now upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective. Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled. Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team accomplished over the offseason. Next up is a look at the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets were a heartwarming story last year after being underestimated, as they made a playoff push before narrowly missing out. The team improved by 23 points from the previous year, and while they likely won’t see that same jump again, only a slight improvement is needed to make the playoffs. Such progress boosts internal confidence, but it also raises expectations for the group, which could add pressure for the young players to handle.
Draft
1-14 – D Jackson Smith, Tri-City (WHL)
1-20 – G Pyotr Andreyanov, Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (MHL)
3-76 – D Malte Vass, Färjestad BK J20 (J20 Nationell)
5-160 – F Owen Griffin, Oshawa (OHL)
6-173 – D Victor Hedin Raftheim, Brynas (SHL)
7-198 – F Jeremy Loranger, Sherwood Park (BCHL)
The Blue Jackets drafted Smith with the 14th overall pick and are hoping that he fills out and can continue to develop on the defensive side of his game to become a top-four defenseman. Smith is a natural athlete and a very talented skater who could become a two-way defender at the NHL level. He has good patience with the puck and shows a lot of good instincts on the offensive side of the game. Defensively, his gap control and defensive instincts need some work, but if the Blue Jackets are patient in his development, he should be an NHL defenseman.
With their second first-round pick, the Blue Jackets drafted a goaltender. There’s a lot to like about Andreyanov, who has been dominant in the MHL thanks to his athleticism and tracking skills. Andreyanov is aggressive in the crease but stays calm under pressure, making tough saves look easy. He’s not very tall at 6’1″, which could limit his potential, but it’s not completely disqualifying. Goaltenders are hard to predict, which makes taking one in the first round a gamble, but for a team that has struggled to develop goalies, it’s a worthwhile risk for Columbus.
The Blue Jackets selected another defenceman in the third round, choosing Vass from Sweden. The stay-at-home defender isn’t flashy, but he plays with high energy, can hit, block shots, and kill penalties. He has solid instincts in the defensive zone and effectively defends in front of the net, which should make him a favorite among his goales. His skating might be an issue in the NHL, but if he can improve there, he could become an NHL regular.
Trade Acquisitions
F Charlie Coyle (from Colorado)
G Ivan Fedotov (from Philadelphia)
F Brendan Gaunce (from Minnesota)
F Miles Wood (from Colorado)
The Blue Jackets acquired both Coyle and Wood from the Colorado Avalanche in what was essentially a cap dump. Columbus was more than happy to add the two veterans to their roster and can now slot them in alongside their young up-and-comers. Coyle is a solid middle-six forward who isn’t afraid to go to the net or get physical. While his defensive impact isn’t significant, he possesses good offensive instincts and some skill to back it up. He is in the final year of a six-year contract and is counting $5.25MM against the salary cap. Based on his level of play, Coyle is expected to get a slight raise in free agency next summer, with AFP Analytics projecting him to earn a three-year deal worth $5.28MM.
Wood was a more long-term acquisition since he still has three years remaining on his contract after this season at $2.5MM annually. Wood is a bottom-six player and won’t score many goals; he’s also not exactly an analytics darling, but he has endured pretty tough deployments for much of his career. On the positive side, the 30-year-old skates with a lot of pace and is a strong forechecker. The length of his original contract (six years) that he signed with Colorado was a bit of a head-scratcher, and it was no surprise to see the Avalanche cut ties this summer.
Columbus acquired Fedotov to serve as backup for Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins. The Blue Jackets clearly had worries about their goaltending entering this season, and although Fedotov has some flaws, he provides Columbus with a third option.
UFA Signings
F Hudson Fasching (one year, $775K)*
D Dysin Mayo (one year, $775K)*
D Christian Jaros (one year, $775K)*
F Isac Lundestrom (two years, $2.6MM)
F Owen Sillinger (one year, $775K)*
*-denotes two-way contract
The Blue Jackets didn’t make much noise in free agency, opting to sign depth players and make trades for players like Coyle and Wood. Fasching faced a lot of bad luck last year and is a reasonable gamble on a two-way contract. He probably won’t score much and may not see much NHL ice time, but since the risk with his contract is minimal, Columbus thought it was worth taking a chance. He’s 30 years old, so at this point in his career, he’s unlikely to surprise anyone, but he makes a decent, versatile option in Columbus and will likely be used as such.
Lundestrom is another worthwhile gamble given the low cost to acquire. He isn’t likely to make a significant impact offensively, which is a generous way to describe his scoring contributions. He has one season with 16 goals, but it’s unfair to expect him to post more than 20 points a season. He plays with a lot of pace and can play center, but his faceoff skills aren’t great, and his underlying numbers are an eyesore. Columbus hopes that a change of scenery can help the 25-year-old unlock more in his game, but it seems like wishful thinking at this point. Again, the cost is low, and having speedsters in the bottom six never hurts, so we’ll see if this works out for the Blue Jackets.
RFA Re-Signings
D Daemon Hunt (one year, $775K)*
D Mikael Pyyhtia (one year, $775K)*
F Dmitri Voronkov (two years, $8.35MM)
F Hunter McKown (one year, $800K)*
*-denotes two-way contract
The Blue Jackets only signed one notable RFA in Voronkov, who is still developing towards his NHL potential after a solid season last year that saw him score 23 goals and 24 assists in 73 NHL games. The 25-year-old is under contract for two more years, and if he continues to improve, he might cash in during the summer of 2027. Voronkov is big and skilled, with pretty good hands for a player who can play a remarkably rugged style. He certainly looks the part of a top-six forward, and if he can work a bit on his mobility and consistency, he could become a regular 60-point player.
It seems Voronkov will see plenty of first-line minutes this season, including significant time on the top-unit power play, which should help him continue to build his value in the first year of his new contract. If all goes well this year, Voronkov could very likely sign a big multi-year deal next summer.
Departures
F Justin Danforth (signed with Buffalo, two years $1.8MM)
F Christian Fischer (retired)
D Jordan Harris (signed with Boston, one year $825)
D Jack Johnson (unsigned free agent)
F Luke Kunin (signed with Florida, one year $775K)
D Sean Kuraly (signed with Boston, two years $3.7MM)
F Kevin Labanc (signed in KHL)
F James van Riemsdyk (signed with Detroit, one year $1MM)
G Daniil Tarasov (traded to Florida)
F Trey Fix-Wolansky (signed with New York Rangers, one year $775)*
*-denotes two-way contract
The Blue Jackets didn’t experience any significant losses this past summer, mostly losing depth players through free agency. One of the more effective players Columbus lost was van Riemsdyk. His exit was a bit surprising since he was a good fit and was very valuable in limited minutes last season, recording 16 goals and 20 assists in 71 games. While no one will mistake JVR for a speedy skater, he remains an effective net-front presence and is expected to score around 0.5 points per game while playing about 12 minutes each night.
Kuraly was another more well known player who left Columbus. The 32-year-old won’t put up many points, with just six goals and 11 assists in 82 games last season, but he will make an impact and often faces tough zone starts. Kuraly has only surpassed 30 points once in his career, but in Boston, he will probably play fourth-line minutes most of the season unless the team suffers major injuries. He isn’t a significant loss for the Blue Jackets and was one of several low-scoring forwards Columbus let go this offseason.
Speaking of low-scoring forwards, Kunin left the Blue Jackets this summer and found that the demand for his services as a free agent was tepid at best. The Blue Jackets acquired the 27-year-old at the NHL Trade Deadline, sending a fourth-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in the deal, which, in hindsight, was an overpay. Kunin’s contributions were relatively limited in 12 games with the Blue Jackets; he registered no points and was a -4. He did throw 24 hits during that time, but didn’t leave enough of an impression to warrant a longer look. With Florida, Kunin won’t be asked to do too much and should settle into a fourth-line role where he can play to his strengths.
Goaltender Tarasov will join Kunin in Florida after being traded to the Panthers for a fifth-round pick. The Blue Jackets did well to get anything for the goalie, as they were likely to non-tender the 26-year-old. Tarasov has been below league average during his brief NHL career, but has shown signs of being a dependable backup, which is what the Panthers are counting on. He will back up Sergei Bobrovsky, whom he idolized growing up, creating an interesting dynamic this season and offering Tarasov some comfort and motivation. He has good size and mechanics, and now he has a chance to put everything together behind a much stronger team.
Salary Cap Outlook
The Blue Jackets enter the season with just under $15MM in available cap space, which roughly amounts to $65MM at the NHL Trade Deadline. While it’s unlikely they’ll use all of that, they will certainly retain flexibility whether they’re in contention or not. Columbus is positioned well for the long term, as it’ll have plenty of room to re-sign Cole Sillinger next summer.
Key Questions
How will the goaltending perform?
Jet Greaves seems to be on the verge of becoming a solid NHL starter, and the Blue Jackets need that. Columbus hasn’t had reliable goaltending since 2021-22, and although Greaves has shown above-average performance in the last three seasons, his sample size is small. Heading into this season, Greaves has appeared in 21 NHL games, with a .924 SV% and a 2.62 GAA, along with a 10-9-2 record. The limited sample size makes it hard to judge, but it will be interesting to see how he performs over a full NHL season. If he can keep up these numbers in 40-50 games, the Jackets could stay in the playoff hunt for much of the year.
Will the young core step up?
Columbus has a group of talented young players on the verge of NHL stardom. Kirill Marchenko, a sizable forward, has consistently improved over his three NHL seasons and nearly reached a point-per-game pace last year with 74 points in 79 games. If he continues to develop this season, he could become an 80–90-point scorer.
Besides Marchenko, the Jackets have Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli, and Voronkov, who all scored around or over 50 points last season. If each of those players takes another step, the Blue Jackets could improve on their seventh-ranked offense from last season.
Is the defense good enough?
The Blue Jackets know what they have in Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov, but beyond that, they face many questions. Damon Severson has been a disappointment since signing a big deal in the summer of 2023, Jake Christiansen and Denton Mateychuk are still figuring out how to be regular NHL players, and Dante Fabbro was a waiver wire pickup less than a year ago. It’s a strange mix, and one that could leave many questions that will be answered over the next six months.
Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports