Among the pending unrestricted free agents the Columbus Blue Jackets have on their roster, few are more experienced than veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson. Earlier this month, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reported that the Blue Jackets will part ways with Gudbranson, but today The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported that such a decision is premature. Both Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell and Gudbranson’s agent Pat Morris of Newport Sports Management told Portzline that “no such conversation has taken place.” Furthermore, Portzline wrote that “The Blue Jackets are hoping to sign Gudbranson” though actual negotiations on a deal have not yet begun.
Gudbranson, 34, has been with the Blue Jackets for the last four seasons, playing out a four-year, $4MM AAV free agent contract he signed with the club in the summer of 2022. A veteran of over 800 NHL games, Gudbranson has struggled to stay healthy in each of the last two campaigns. Shoulder surgery limited him to just 16 games played in 2024-25, while hip and upper-body injuries kept him to just 37 games this past year. It’s likely that if Gudbranson does re-sign in Columbus, it’ll be on a contract with a pay cut from the $4MM AAV he earned on his last deal.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Buffalo Sabres forward Beck Malenstyn was fined $3,515.63, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement, for goalie interference against Montreal Canadiens netminder Jakub Dobes. The play in question happened midway through the second period of last night’s game three. Malenstyn crashed the net hard and barrelled into Dobes, making seemingly little effort to avoid significant contact with the goalie. He was assessed a minor penalty on the play and Montreal scored on the ensuing power play to make it a 4-1 contest. Malenstyn, a physical fourth-line forward, scored 14 points in the regular season and led all Sabres players with 282 hits.
- Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj was fined $3,385.42, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for roughing Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Carrick. The play in question came at the end of the game, during a scrum. While the players were tussling, Xhekaj delivered a punch straight to Carrick’s head, dropping the veteran forward to the ice. The game was Carrick’s first in the lineup since March 31, as he was sidelined with an arm injury. Like Malenstyn, Xhekaj is one of his team’s most physical players, leading the Canadiens in hits this season with 178 in 65 games.
Should have Suspended Wifi for a game.