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Snapshots: Burns, Gaudreau, Lemieux, PHF, Struble

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As the San Jose Sharks look to turn a corner with the franchise, not necessarily declaring a rebuild, rumors surrounding superstar defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson have turned up in recent months, with some speculating the Sharks could try to deal one of them. That speculation didn’t seem too off-base, but with the Sharks without a GM for the first time in nearly 20 years and still searching, it was unclear if the team would want to make that sort of franchise-altering trade before making the hire, and if the new hire would want to do such a thing as well.

Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News had a chance to speak to the new man in charge in that of Sharks GM Mike Grier, who touched on Burns’ future in San Jose. Grier said that he would speak with Burns soon and let him lead the way on whether or not he wanted to be dealt, understanding if the former Norris winner wanted to win now, but adding that he had been a “great Shark.” Burns, who has a modified no-trade clause, does in effect lead the way already in this situation, but Grier’s comments show that San Jose is ready to proceed in either direction with the 37-year-old, depending on how their conversation turns out. The defenseman has three more years at $8MM per season left on his contract.

  • If and when superstar free agent Johnny Gaudreau hits the free agent market on Wednesday, he will be one of the most sought-after players to ever go to free agency, with no shortage of suitors. One of those suitors, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports, will be the New York Islanders, who he believes will “competitively” pursue the winger. It’s no secret that the Islanders have been looking for offense and a dynamic winger to play with Mathew Barzal, especially after missing the playoffs following back-to-back trips to the Conference Finals. Bringing in a player like Gaudreau would solve many of those problems of course, but having just under $11.2MM in salary cap space while needing to sign RFA defensemen Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov, a Gaudreau signing would necessitate another move to shed salary on the Island.
  • Although he was non-tendered by the Los Angeles Kings, forward Brendan Lemieux may still re-sign with the team after all is said and done, reports TSN’s Chris Johnston, with contract talks still ongoing. This news isn’t too shocking, as the gritty winger has played well for the Kings since being acquired from the New York Rangers during the 2020-21 season, but coming with a qualifying offer of $1.65MM, Los Angeles may have opted to try and re-sign Lemieux at a lower rate, not taking the chance of him accepting a salary they may view as too high.
  • Erin Brown of The Hockey News reports that the PHF will announce its 2022-23 expansion plans on Tuesday morning. One of the premier women’s hockey leagues in North America, the PHF currently consists of five teams, including the Buffalo Beauts, Boston Pride, Metropolitan Riveters, Connecticut Whale, and Minnesota Whitecaps.
  • The Montreal Canadiens announced that defense prospect Jayden Struble suffered a lower-body injury today and would miss the remainder of development camp. The Canadiens’ second-round pick, 46th overall, in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, just finished his third season at Northeastern University, where he put up three goals and 11 assists in 34 games from the backend. The defenseman has just one more year before he will become a UFA if he does not sign with Montreal.

Pittsburgh Penguins Expected To Re-Sign Rickard Rakell

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As The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports, the Pittsburgh Penguins appear to be keeping their trade deadline acquisition around a while longer, re-signing forward Rickard Rakell. Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette adds that the contract is expected to be for six years at $5MM per season. Pittsburgh had acquired Rakell at the trade deadline from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick, forwards Zach Aston-Reese and Dominik Simon, and goaltender Calle Clang.

Rakell’s extension at this rate is an interesting one, the winger having recorded as many as 34 goals and 69 points in 77 games in 2017-18, but has not come close to either of those marks since. This season, Rakell scored 20 goals to go along with 21 assists in 70 games, four goals and 13 points of which came as a member of the Penguins in 19 games after the trade. Dealing with injury, Rakell played in just two of Pittsburgh’s seven postseason games. If the forward can get back to the player he was from 2016-2018 and be a reliable 30 goal scorer, then the contract should pose great value for the Penguins.

After carrying a $3.79MM cap hit, the extension brings Rakell up to $5MM, leaving Pittsburgh with just over $10.3MM in available salary cap space, without factoring in a new contract for RFA forward Kasperi Kapanen. The deal does not necessarily foreclose the possibility for re-signing superstar Evgeni Malkin, however the earlier news that Malkin would test free agency does put his future in the steel city squarely in doubt. Still, without Malkin, the remaining space would allow the team to pursue an extension with Evan Rodrigues, who is also slated to hit the open market on Wednesday afternoon and potentially even pursue a few extra additions to round out the roster.

Latest On David Perron

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Several veterans in this year’s UFA class appeared as though they wouldn’t be going anywhere, and one of those names was that of St. Louis Blues winger David Perron. Back in late May, Perron had expressed his interest in returning to the Blues, who are not the only team he has ever played for, but they are the only team he has ever signed a contract with. Conversely, around the same time, Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong made it clear that he wanted to bring Perron back. A reunion between the two sides made perfect sense, Perron being a perennial offensive weapon for the Blues since the start of his career, though mixing in stints with the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, and Vegas Golden Knights.

Now, just about a day-and-a-half from the opening of free agency, The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that Perron is expected to hit the open market on Wednesday, making it unlikely he will return to the Blues. Seravalli adds that cordial talks have been ongoing between team and player, but the team simply does not have the necessary salary cap space to make an appropriate offer to Perron. The news is tough for the Blues, and presumably Perron, who were hoping to continue the relationship, but the realities of a flat salary cap have taken hold. The Blues currently have $9MM in available salary cap space, but do have to re-sign several RFAs and may look to retain pending UFA Nick Leddy. Even if this offseason was no problem, chances are Perron will command a multi-year contract, and St. Louis also has four star forwards with expiring contracts next offseason: UFAs Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly and RFAs Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, amongst others.

One positive to take from the update on Perron is the amicable nature of ongoing discussions, with the impasse being St. Louis’ cap situation rendering them unable to make what would constitute a reasonable offer. In other words, the desire for a new contract is apparently still there between both sides. It would be highly unlikely that the Blues can shed the necessary cap to make that offer to Perron by Wednesday afternoon, however Perron does have the option to take a wait-and-see approach on his free agency. While that option could be risky for Perron, if he does do so and the Blues cannot do what’s needed to offer him a contract, the veteran could serve as an option for a team who sought to spend on another top-notch option like a Johnny Gaudreau, Evgeni Malkin, or Claude Giroux, but missed out.

Some may wonder, with Perron coming off of a four-year, $16MM pact, and the Blues having $9MM in salary cap space, what would, absent Tarasenko, O’Reilly, Thomas, and Kyrou’s contracts next year, stop St. Louis from bringing Perron back, especially on a one-year deal? Although it is technically possible, Perron is coming off a rather team-friendly deal that allowed him to return to St. Louis, signing at the $4MM AAV after posting 66 points in 70 games for Vegas the season before. Since then, Perron has continued his performance, even stepping up his game, scoring 94 goals to go along with 127 assists in 251 games over the life of the contract, including a 2020-21 that featured 58 points in 56 games. At 34 years of age, producing as well as he ever has, Perron could be due a fairly long-term deal and would be unlikely to settle at such a team-friendly rate once again.

Hiring Notes: Craig Johnson, Jim Johnson, Weight, Stars

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The Anaheim Ducks announced that they have hired former NHLer and recent member of the Los Angeles Kings organization Craig Johnson as an assistant coach on Dallas Eakins’ staff. Though Johnson doesn’t bring with him any previous NHL coaching experience, he does bring a wealth of hockey knowledge and experience between his 10 year playing career, coaching experience at various other levels, as well as other roles in scouting and directing. Johnson has spent the previous four seasons in the Kings organization, serving as a development coach, a professional scout, and an assistant coach on the staff of the Ontario Reign, the Kings’ AHL affiliate.

One of the more intriguing aspects of this hire is Johnson’s ties to the southern California hockey scene. Johnson came to the Kings in February of 1996 as part of the deal that sent Wayne Gretzky to the St. Louis Blues. The forward would spend eight seasons in a Kings uniform before spending part of the 2003-04 seasons with the Ducks. Shortly after retiring from his playing career, Johnson became the head coach of Santa Margarita Catholic High School’s hockey team, which plays in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League (ADHSHL), leading the team to three national titles during his tenure before joining the Kings organization. Craig’s son Ryan Johnson was a first round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2019, becoming the second first-round pick in that draft to come out of the ADHSHL, along with the Philadelphia Flyers’ Cam York.

  • Craig Johnson was not the only Johnson the Ducks hired today, with the team also announcing the hire of Jim Johnson as Director of Player Development. Jim Johnson has held numerous roles in coaching between USA in the USNTDP and at several World Junior Championships, as well as in the NHL, spending time as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, and most recently, the St. Louis Blues. In addition to his time behind the bench, he spent parts of thirteen seasons in the NHL, getting into 829 games as a defenseman.
  • Earlier today, news broke that Doug Wilson Jr. was no longer with the Sharks as their Scouting Director (link). It does appear the organization has added a new name to its front office, however, with former NHL star Doug Weight joining the organization as a senior advisor to the hockey ops department, says The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (link). Masisak points out that Weight had played several seasons alongside new Sharks GM Mike Grier while the two were with the Edmonton Oilers. Weight also spent time as an advisor and assistant GM with the New York Islanders before becoming the team’s Head Coach after Jack Capuano was fired during the 2016-17 season.
  • The Dallas Stars also announced two front office hires to the organization’s Hockey Analytics Department. Matt Rodell has been hired as the team’s Director of Hockey Analytics and Brad Behan has been hired as Coordinator of Hockey Analytics. Rodell has spent the previous five seasons in the Stars organizations in various capacities while Behan spent the 2021-22 season as an intern for the department.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Matt Murray

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In a trade that had been anticipated for a couple of days now, the Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired goaltender Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators, both teams announced. Heading to Toronto as well will be a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and a seventh-round pick in 2024. Ottawa is also retaining 25% of Murray’s salary. In exchange for Murray, Toronto will send “future considerations” to Ottawa. Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff was the first to report that an agreement was in place.

A Murray trade this offseason had almost seemed to be a given, with the question being when and to who. A deal that would send Murray to the Buffalo Sabres appeared to be in place last week until Murray declined via his no-trade clause. The deal now helps to alleviate some of the cap concerns Murray’s contract placed on the Senators, especially in the wake of acquiring Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks who carries a $6.4MM cap hit, but will be due at least a $9MM qualifying offer after next season, and perhaps more if Ottawa wants to keep the sniper long-term. Not only DeBrincat, but Ottawa has been rumored to be interested in playing the free agent market, and shedding even 75% of Murray’s $6.25MM cap hit over the next two seasons will make things easier on Ottawa.

For the Maple Leafs, this acquisition appears to put the Jack Campbell era in Toronto to a close, the team needing a goaltender under tight cap circumstances, absorbing a cap hit just under $4.69MM now. Campbell had been rumored to be asking for at least a $5MM AAV on his next contract, if not more, over four or five years. With the price seemingly too rich for the Maple Leafs, they opted to go for Murray, who has just two years left on his contract. For now, Murray projects to be the number one goaltender for the Maple Leafs, with Erik Kallgren and Joseph Woll behind him. Given Murray’s injury issues and recent struggles in net, Torotno will either have to rely on Kallgren and Woll as support, or may have to find themselves another goaltender either through trade or free agency.

Murray’s career has come a long way since his impeccable run to back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a rookie. After the Cups, Murray continued to impress in Pittsburgh, compiling a .913 save-percentage and 2.80 goals-against average in 99 games over the proceeding two seasons. But, the goaltender hit a wall in 2019-20, posting a subpar .899 save-percentage and 2.87 goals-against average before being traded to the Senators that offseason. Things, ultimately, got worse in Ottawa, Murray struggling to an .893 save-percentage and 3.38 goals-against average in 2020-21. Ottawa and Murray hoped for a fresh start in 2021-22, but injuries and poor play plagued him. The Senators would place Murray on waivers on November 27th, clearing the next day, and would not call him back up until December 28th. Murray would eventually head back to IR for the final time on March 6th, not playing another game for Ottawa. All told, the goaltender played just 20 games this season, though his numbers did improve slightly, with a .906 save-percentage and 3.05 goals-against average.

For the deal to work for Toronto, they will need Murray to rebound back to the player he was his first few seasons with the Penguins. Then, Murray was a budding star who not only won two Stanley Cups as a rookie, but did so usurping future Hall-of-Famer Marc-Andre Fleury in net. The impressive performance was so great, in fact, that when deciding which goaltender to protect ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2017 expansion draft, Pittsburgh opted to protect Murray, exposing, and losing, one of the best players in the franchise’s history. Gambling on Murray over Campbell, who represented the Maple Leafs at this year’s All Star Game, could pay dividends for Toronto, who likely saves significantly on contract term by going this route, but in order to do so, Murray will need to return to at least close to the player he was previously.

Seattle Kraken Expected To Re-Sign Karson Kuhlman

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The Seattle Kraken appear to be bringing back a familiar face by signing Karson Kuhlman to a one-year standard contract worth $825K, according to CapFriendly. The deal will carry Kuhlamn through 2022-23 and leave him a UFA after the season. Kuhlman was among the Kraken players who did not come to the team via the expansion draft, and was instead claimed on waivers in January from the Boston Bruins.

After another solid season, Kuhlman, an energy-type player appeared to earn another look from a Kraken team that is still building searching for its identity. The forward put up three goals and seven assists in 44 games between Boston and Seattle in 2021-22, but eight of those 10 points came in just 25 games with the Kraken. Now the forward should have a chance to make an impact in training camp to try and earn regular minutes for Seattle, or if not, as a quality depth piece for 2022-23.

Kuhlman began his amateur career as a member of the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL before attending the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he played much the same role as he does now. After his college career, the undrafted free agent signed with the Bruins, joining the Providence Bruins for two games to round out 2017-18. He would have a solid season for Providence the following year while also making his NHL debut with Boston the same year. The 26-year-old spent the rest of his career with Boston, occasionally making stops in Providence before this season’s waiver claim that sent him out to Seattle.

Colorado Avalanche Extend Alexandar Georgiev, Jacob MacDonald

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The Colorado Avalanche announced via Twitter that they have extended goaltender Alexandar Georgiev for three years. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the deal is expected to carry a $3.4MM AAV and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports the salary breakdown to be $3.6MM in year one, $3.7MM in year two, and $2.9MM in year three. Colorado had acquired the goaltender on Thursday in exchange for a 2022 third-round pick, a 2022 fifth-round pick, and a 2023 third-round pick. The trade, and now this extension, seems to put a close to Darcy Kuemper’s time in Colorado, as he is set to hit the free agent market on Wednesday.

Just after the Georgiev announcement, the team also announced via Twitter and their website that they have extended defenseman Jacob MacDonald for two years. The news was first broke by The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. MacDonald’s contract is two-way, with a $450K salary in the minors and carries a cap hit of $762.5K each season (link).

Georgiev, 26, was an arbitration-eligible RFA who was due a $2.65MM qualifying offer, one the Rangers likely couldn’t afford, especially as a backup to Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin. With speculation that the team could let Georgiev walk in free agency, the team was able to secure a return by sending him to Colorado for the above draft picks. Colorado appeared set to try and work out an extension with Kuemper, the incumbent goaltender, but with several other UFAs on the docket and a goalie market with seemingly much higher demand than supply, Georgiev became the more attractive option.

The reigning Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche now boast a duo of Georgiev and Pavel Francouz in net, which will cost a combined $5.4MM over each of the next two seasons before Francouz becomes a UFA after 2023-24. The cost for both goaltenders is surely attractive for Colorado, given it is less than some teams pay for just their starter, however it doesn’t come without some questions as to performance. In 33 games last season, Georgiev played to just an .898 save-percentage, the worst mark of his career, and a 2.92 goals-against average. Francouz played to a far better .916 save-percentage and 2.55 goals-against average in 21 regular season games, as well as a .906 save-percentage and 2.81 goals-against average in seven playoff games, filling in for an injured Kuemper. Though Francouz’s numbers are relatively good, the Avalanche have made clear his role is as the backup. This may not necessarily hold true over the remainder of his contract, and could formulate strong competition between the two for playing time.

Switching gears and turning back to MacDonald, the 29-year-old is a veteran of 43 NHL games, including eight in 2021-22 for the Avalanche, his most significant time however, coming in 2020-21, where he played in 33 games. Having just two goals and eight assists in his NHL career to date, the defenseman has been a prolific point-producer at the AHL level, hitting the 40-point mark three times, including one 55 point season. This season, MacDonald tallied 10 goals and 15 assists in a mere 33 AHL games. The Cornell University alum could be a candidate to push for more playing time with the Avalanche this year, having shown his ability to play at the NHL level, his affordability, and with questions regarding other Avalanche defensemen, including pending UFAs Josh Manson, Jack Johnson, and Ryan Murray, as well as Samuel Girard, who broke his sternum in Colorado’s second-round series against the St. Louis Blues.

Afternoon Notes: Kubalik, Bailey, Burakovsky, Murray

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Earlier this week, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that the Chicago Blackhawks were not expected to extend a qualifying offer to forward Dylan Strome, and now it appears forward Dominik Kubalik will not be receiving one either, says The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus. Failing to qualify Kubalik is not much of a surprise given the choice not to keep Strome around either, and Chicago’s plan to conduct a full-scale rebuild. Had Chicago wanted to qualify Kubalik, the offer would have had to be for $4MM, relatively high as compared to the 32 points of production Kubalik offered in 78 games this season.

Choosing not to qualify Kubalik doesn’t necessarily foreclose the possibility of a return to the Blackhawks, as the move might be to avoid Kubalik accepting the offer or filing for arbitration, but it would make a reunion highly unlikely nonetheless. Although far from a bright side, this doesn’t signify a major blow to Kubalik’s future success, the Czech winger still capable of producing offense, even tallying as much as 30 goals as a rookie in 2019-20, in just 68 games. With a somewhat significant decline from his previous production in 2021-22, Kubalik may not find another deal at the qualifying offer he was expecting, but should find himself with interest from teams that are on a budget but looking to add a spark on offense.

  • From a player who seems on his way to a new team to a player who appears to be staying with his one and only team, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that the New York Islanders are not only not shopping forward Josh Bailey, but he may not be available altogether. The veteran winger has been a staple in the Islanders’ lineup for 14 years and has two more years at $5MM left on his contract. With the team needing to clear some cap space if they want to add offense and re-sign RFA defensemen Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov, Bailey had been rumored to be an expendable piece with a relatively significant cap hit the team could cut out.
  • Peter Baugh, who covers the Colorado Avalanche for The Athletic, says that talks between the Avalanche and winger Andre Burakovsky have been quiet, however Burakovsky does still hope to remain in Colorado. With the veteran a pending UFA, and the market opening up on Wednesday afternoon, if Colorado wants to keep him around, the talks will likely have to intensify shortly to get something done. The forward has seen his production take a massive step forward since being traded to Colorado from the Washington Capitals in the summer of 2019, hitting a career-high 61 points in 80 games this season. In addition to Colorado’s need to balance the salary cap along with other pending UFAs in Nazem Kadri and Valeri Nichushkin, Burakovsky also brings with him a streaky nature, leaving his breakout and free agency with question marks surrounding it.
  • According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, talks between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs on goaltender Matt Murray have intensified, though nothing is done just yet. Murray has been one of the most frequently discussed names of the young offseason, with a deal to the Buffalo Sabres seeming to materialize before Murray killed it via his no-trade clause. The goaltender has two more years carrying a $6.25MM cap hit left on his contract, and any trade would likely require Ottawa to retain some salary while also potentially including an asset as well.

Evening Notes: Sharks GM, Fleury, Paliafito

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When Doug Wilson stepped away from his post as GM of the San Jose Sharks nearly three months ago, many assumed the organization would take its time in finding a new GM, but may not have expected the process to take three months. One reason the team may be waiting would be to find a candidate similar to Wilson, one who the organization was able to rely on for nearly 20 years, icing a competitive team almost every season of his tenure. Another would be their trust in interim GM Joe Will, an experienced executive who could guide the front office as it prepares for the upcoming offseason.

But, the decision may not have to wait much longer, writes The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. According to LeBrun, an announcement on the new GM is expected to come as soon as tomorrow, and the belief is that the Sharks will name Mike Grier as the club’s next General Manager, though LeBrun adds that this has not been confirmed by anyone in the Sharks organization. Grier was among the many people thought to be interviewing for the coveted position and like Wilson is also a former Sharks player. After hanging up his skates, Grier has been rising up the ranks behind the scenes, with a GM position seemingly a fit at some point.

  • LeBrun also wrote earlier on the weekend’s offseason rumblings, including the status of star goaltender and soon to be free agent Marc-Andre Fleury. The veteran and his wife were to meet with agent Allan Walsh today in Montreal to discuss the plan with regards to his upcoming free agency, with Fleury’s current team, the Minnesota Wild, in the mix. In addition to the Wild, LeBrun speculates that the Toronto Maple Leafs could be suitors for Fleury, pointing to the goaltender’s willingness to head to Toronto at the trade deadline this year before the supposed trade fell apart. LeBrun adds that Fleury will be able to be as picky as he wishes, and could look at a number of contenders, listing the Colorado Avalanche as an intriguing possibility as well, though he adds Colorado would like to keep incumbent goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that scout Jim Paliafito, formerly of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was hired by the New York Islanders. Paliafito, Friedman writes, is known for his expertise with the European free agent market. One of the most notable free agents Paliafito helped the Maple Leafs recruit was undrafted forward Ilya Mikheyev, who scored 21 goals in just 53 games for Toronto this season.

Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Free agency is now less than two weeks away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in mid-July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  Next up is a look at the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Key Restricted Free Agents:

F Emil Bemstrom – A fourth-round pick in 2017, Bemstrom had a strong debut in 2019-20, putting up 10 goals and 10 assists in 56 games for Columbus seeing just over 12 minutes a night of ice time. However, after his debut, he was limited to just 20 games in 2020-21, where he tallied only five points and didn’t fair much better this season, having 11 points in 41 games. Concerning as the bit of regression is for Bemstrom, he does have two things on his side: Columbus’ transitioning period as they search for talent to move forward with, and age, at just 23-years old. Because of those factors, Bemstrom is a likely candidate to be brought back into the fold with the Blue Jackets and have a chance to prove himself, but it may not be for much more, or even as much as, the $925K AAV he had on the ELC that is set to expire.

F Patrik Laine – The Blue Jackets don’t have too much in the way of free agents this offseason, but they do have one of the most discussed RFAs of the summer in Laine. After Laine held out in the summer of 2019 and was eventually traded from the Winnipeg Jets, Columbus fans might fret about their team’s ability to get a deal done with the winger, but not to worry, as The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports, the two sides are speaking regularly and amicably with the goal of a long-term extension for the Finnish sniper in mind. Having concluded a one-year, $7.5MM contract that saw Laine become a point-per-game player for the first time in his career, albeit in just 56 games, the 24-year-old is due for a raise, especially if the Blue Jackets would like to keep him around for the long haul. Fortunately for Columbus, the question seems to be “how much” and not “can it happen?” A long-term extension with Laine would, most importantly, provide the retooling franchise with a cornerstone player for it’s next build locked in at a guaranteed rate for years to come, making future decisions easier and more predictable.

D Adam Boqvist – One of the more exciting prospects in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Boqvist was selected eighth-overall by the Chicago Blackhawks and was later traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets as one of the centerpieces of the Seth Jones trade. Though Boqvist has certainly not been bad in his young career, he has yet to reach the heights projected for him by many. His most complete season to date came in 2021-22, where the defenseman had 11 goals and 11 assists in 52 games. Still, as his been the story for much of his professional career, Boqvist missed significant time with injury. There’s no question the Swede will return to Columbus and aim to be a significant contributor if healthy, but he won’t see the massive extension given to fellow 2018 selection Quinn Hughes or the one due to Noah Dobson.

D Nick Blankenburg, D Gabriel Carlsson, F Trey Fix-Wolansky, F Kevin Stenlund

Key Unrestricted Free Agents:

The Blue Jackets are in an interesting position, with no significant UFAs to deal with this offseason. Of the names listed below, only Harrington and Berube played in the NHL this year, each only playing in a handful of games. Those two as well as Sikura could be candidates to be re-signed as depth for the NHL club and to round out the Cleveland Monsters AHL lineup, with Gerbe and Rinaldo not having played since the 2020-21 season. Johnson is an intriguing name, having been serviceable in 20 games in the AHL this season, he was phenomenal for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL, helping the team win the Kelly Cup.

Despite the lack of key UFAs, Columbus could look ahead to a pair of UFAs to-be in forward Gustav Nyquist and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, who will both hit the market in 2023. It’s unclear what the plan for these two is in Columbus, however Nyquist has continued to produce the steady offensive output that helped him sign his current four-year, $22MM contract, while Gavrikov has established himself as a defensive backbone on the team’s blueline.

F Nathan Gerbe, F Zac Rinaldo, F Tyler Sikura, D Scott Harrington, G Jean-Francois Berube, G Cam Johnson

Projected Cap Space:

The Blue Jackets will enter this offseason with just over $19.5MM in available cap space, plenty to return all expiring contracts if they wish. Though it’s plenty, Laine’s extension, which should include an AAV higher than the $7.5MM he made in 2021-22, will take up a significant portion of that space. It’s likely the club will look at some additions to help round out the roster and perhaps help if the team is more competitive than expected, but it appears the organization will take the time to evaluate its talent and give as much time and experience as possible to younger players they want to build around, like Boqvist and forwards Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson. One of the brightest spots for the organization is, once a long-term deal with Laine is complete, the team will still have a comfortable amount of cap space to work with, while having all of their experienced building-blocks, including Laine, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Zach Werenski, and Elvis Merzlikins, already signed long-term.

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