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Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes Complete Minor Trade

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Jacob Graves and a conditional 2019 sixth-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for 22-year old forward Ryan MacInnis. If MacInnis plays 20 NHL games this season, the Coyotes would receive a 2020 fifth-round pick instead. Graves and MacInnis are both on the final years of their entry-level contracts and will be restricted free agents next summer.

Columbus has been notoriously thin down the middle for the last few seasons while having a surplus of young defenders, making this deal just a move to secure some depth for the organization. MacInnis was originally selected in the second round by the Coyotes in 2014, but hasn’t been able to find any of the scoring touch he showed in junior and had slipped down the depth chart in the minor leagues. The son of legendary NHL defenseman Al MacInnis will try to find new heights after getting a fresh start with the Blue Jackets organization.

Graves—who bears no relation to NHL All-Star Adam Graves—has been in the Columbus organization since signing his entry-level deal in 2016 fresh off winning a Memorial Cup with the London Knights. The defensive defenseman has split his minor league seasons between the ECHL and AHL and is unlikely to ever make an impact at the NHL level, but had to be included for the Blue Jackets to keep some contract slots open for other signings. The Coyotes are in a tougher boat when it comes to that, as they are currently at the 50-contract limit with Marek Langhamer still to sign. They will be able to create some room by sending players back to junior, but are still in a complicated roster position.

Artemi Panarin Meets With Columbus Blue Jackets, Still No Extension Progress

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One of the most interesting emerging storylines of this offseason has been the future of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin. The 26-year old forward told the team he was not interested in signing a long-term extension right away, instead needing some time to decide where he wants play and live for the next several years. Today, Panarin met with Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen in Nice, France to discuss the situation, but didn’t come out with a resolution. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic spoke with Panarin’s agent Dan Milstein after the meeting, who told him there was still “no contract progress at this time.” Igor Eronko of Sport-Express was also told that Panarin is still not willing to sign a long-term deal right now, despite the 45-minute meeting.

Panarin’s contract talks are such a big story in the NHL because there are some who believe the Blue Jackets would consider trading their superstar if they can’t get the security of an extension over the next few months. If it becomes clear that he is going to head to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019, there is likely an urgency to receive something of value for him before long. The recent departure of John Tavares from New York likely only strengthens the idea of trading Panarin, as the Islanders weren’t able to cash in on their expiring asset, believing that he would eventually re-sign. A Panarin trade would demand a huge return for the Blue Jackets after another outstanding season in which he recorded 82 points in 81 games and found some nice chemistry with Pierre-Luc Dubois.

To be clear, there is no guarantee that Panarin won’t eventually sign with the Blue Jackets. Milstein has made it clear in the past that his client loves the Columbus organization and has been treated extremely well during his time there, but just isn’t currently willing to commit to living there for the next huge chunk of his career. That’s his right as a pending unrestricted free agent, and should he hit the market he’ll have no shortage of suitors willing to spend big on him. Panarin is a legitimate offensive superstar, able to create scoring almost at will and proved this season that he can drive a line himself. Just as Tavares was a huge boost for the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer, Panarin could vault almost any playoff team into serious contender status. The fact is that he does that too for the Blue Jackets, making it an incredibly tough decision for Kekalainen as his team attempts to contend for the Stanley Cup this season.

Metropolitan Notes: Panarin, Oleksiak, Skjei

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With the team’s work with their restricted free agents now complete, Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen now has time to work on more important projects for the team. The GM’s top priority is to attempt to talk to star Artemi Panarin and try and talk him into signing a long-term deal. Now, NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that Kekalainen intends to meet with Panarin in France on Monday.

Panarin, who will be an unrestricted free agent next season, could become the headline superstar available to teams like John Tavares was this offseason. The 26-year-old originally signed with the Chicago Blackhawks and was traded a year ago to Columbus to alleviate salary cap issues. He posted excellent numbers with the Blue Jackets in the first season, putting upu 27 goals and a career-high 82 points. He has already stated that he isn’t willing to discuss an extension “as of now,” and it has been suggested by his agent Dan Milstein that the Blue Jackets might be better off trading him now.

Kekalainen obviously hopes that he can either convince Panarin to consider signing an extension soon or be convinced that he will have to make a trade to get Panarin to a team that he wants to play for.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins locked up defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to a three-year, $6.4MM deal a few days ago, but it shows how far the 6-foot-7, 255-pound blueliner has come, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Unable to break into the Stars’ lineup throughout the first five years of his career, he found himself traded to Pittsburgh where assistant coaches Jacques Martin and Sergei Gonchar altered his entire game like the franchise has done in the last few years with other blueliners such as Justin Schultz, Ian Cole and Chad Ruhwedel. Using film, they have worked on his defensive skills, penalty killing, his shot and his stickhandling to start and have high expectations for him next season. His offense has already started as in 47 games with Pittsburgh he posted four goals and 14 points.
  • Shayna Goldman of The Athletic (subscription required) breaks down the New York Rangers restricted free agency dilemma, especially looking at what to do with defenseman Brady Skjei in regards to giving the blueliner a bridge deal or long-term deal. The scribe looks back to forward Kevin Hayes, also a restricted free agent, who received a two-year bridge deal, but now will cost the team quite a bit of money. Skjei, who is coming off a down year, might be better off with a bridge deal to see what kind of player he becomes over the next two seasons. However, a long-term deal might also be quite beneficial because it would come at a lower cost. Even if he doesn’t become more than a third-pairing defenseman, a low-cost long-term deal has quite a bit of trade value as well.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Oliver Bjorkstrand To Three-Year Deal

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have signed their final restricted free agent as the team has come to terms with forward Oliver Bjorkstrand on a three-year contract. NHL.com’s Brian Hedger reports the deal is for $7.5MM with a $2.5MM AAV.

The deal constitutes a bridge deal as the 23-year-old winger will still have one season left as a restricted free agent when this deal ends in 2021 and he will have arbitration rights at that point. The $2.5MM salary is solid raise from the $872K he was making on his entry-level deal.

Bjorkstrand is the last of three restricted free agents the Blue Jackets had to deal with. The promising forward had a solid year in Columbus in his first full season there. He posted 11 goals and 40 points in 82 games. A third-round pick in 2013, Bjorkstrand showed immediate promise for Columbus after being drafted when he posted 50 goals for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL and then followed that up with 63 the next year. A fast-skating forward with a hard shot and quick release, he has produced at the AHL level, while splitting time in Columbus the next two years, but earned himself a full-time role this past year.

“He is just scratching the surface of the type of player he can be and we believe he has the potential to be a dynamic offensive player for our club,” said Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen (via Hedger).

With the deal in place, Columbus will have $5.6MM in salary cap space remaining with 24 players under contract, so the team will have to make adjustments to their roster as they can only have 23 when the season starts.

Metropolitan Notes: Brassard, Bjorkstrand, Quenneville

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With a sudden logjam at the center position, there was talk that the Pittsburgh Penguins might look to unload someone with the name of Derick Brassard being near the top of the list. However, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that the Penguins may now be looking to do something different instead.

The scribe writes that the Penguins intend to experiment with Brassard in hopes of converting the long-time center to the wing and move him up a line. The 30-year-old has played in 716 NHL games and has never played anywhere other than center. However, the belief is that with his skating and shooting skills, Brassard might be a solid wing option for either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin and would free up room for others to fill in the bottom-six center roles.

While Brassard was having a solid season with Ottawa, posting 18 goals in 58 games, he didn’t thrive as well in a lesser role in Pittsburgh, where he went from averaging 18:21 ATOI to 15:12 with the Penguins. However, an increased role in the team’s top-six could be exactly what Brassard and the Penguins both need.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets may be getting close to signing one of their restricted free agents as The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that the Blue Jackets and Oliver Bjorkstrand are closing in on a deal. Portzline follows that up by reporting that his sources say they are not buying out any of his unrestricted free agent years, suggesting it is likely to be a bridge deal, most likely for two or three years. The 23-year-old winger put up a solid season last year for Columbus, posting double-digit goals for the first time in his career, posting 11 goals and 40 points. Bjorkstrand just finished up his entry-level deal and was paid $872K.
  • New Jersey Devils prospect John Quenneville had high expectations coming into the 2017-18 season, but various injuries held him back and the 2013 first-round pick is starting to run out of chances to develop into the highly-touted prospect. In fact, in the team’s exit meeting with Queenville, the team was quite frank with the 22-year-old, telling him to get into shape. The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes that Quenneville has done just that this offseason, working with a sports trainer alongside many athletes, including the New York Islanders’ Johnny Boychuk. He has already got himself to 210 pounds with just 9.3 percent body weight in hopes of finding a regular role in New Jersey. He only played two games for New Jersey and managed just 43 in Binghampton, posting 14 goals and 34 points.

Columbus Re-Signs Ryan Murray

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The Blue Jackets have locked up one of their remaining restricted free agents, announcing that defenseman Ryan Murray has accepted his qualifying offer.  That means he will make $2.825MM for the 2018-19 season.  GM Jarmo Kekalainen had the following statement about the signing:

“Ryan is a talented, young defenseman with terrific puck-moving abilities.  He has battled some injuries early in his career, but we believe he has overcome those and will be an important part of our blueline this season.”

As Kekalainen alluded to, injuries were once again a concern for the often banged up blueliner as he missed nearly half of last season with a back injury.  As a result, he played in just 44 games (his fewest since 2014-15) and picked up a dozen points (1-11-12) while averaging 18:26 per night.  He was called on to play more in the postseason as his ATOI jumped to 21:32 per game.

While Murray hasn’t lived up to his draft billing (he was the second-overall pick in 2012), he has been a capable fourth or fifth defender thus far in his career.  There’s a decent chance he will be asked to take on a bit larger of a role next season following the departures of Jack Johnson (Penguins) and Ian Cole (Avalanche) in free agency.

His back injury likely played a big role in Murray’s decision to simply take the qualifying offer as he didn’t have a ton of leverage for a raise, something that may have helped him decide to not file for arbitration as well.  He will once again be a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration rights.

The Blue Jackets now have a little more than $8MM in remaining cap space per CapFriendly with only winger Oliver Bjorkstrand in need of a new contract.  The first-time RFA will see his $735K qualifying offer expire at 4 PM CST tomorrow and he does not have any arbitration rights.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Poll: Who Will Be The Centerpiece Of The Next Big Trade?

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Given the players remaining on the free agent market, any further fireworks this summer will likely come via a blockbuster trade. It certainly seems possible too, with more than a few major names being floated around. Who will be the first to go?

The biggest fish available for a lucky team to catch is obviously all-world defenseman Erik Karlsson. With one year remaining on his contract and on a sinking ship in Ottawa, the Senators have little choice but to trade the Norris Trophy winner. However, finding the right deal to get a fair return on a player of Karlsson’s caliber is proving difficult and talks between Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion and both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars have reportedly broken down. The noise surrounding a potential Karlsson trade has died down significantly over the past few days.

Another trade target whose apparent availability is being downplayed in Edmonton Oilers winger Milan Lucic. Early in the off-season, there was rampant speculation that a Lucic trade was inevitable. Some said that the team wanted to move on from the remaining five years and $30MM of the underachieving forward’s contract, while others said that it was Lucic who was unhappy in Edmonton and was seeking a trade. Both sides have denied claims that they are seeking a separation, but as most trade rumors go – where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

There’s also Max Pacioretty, who was close to being traded during draft weekend but ended up remaining with the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs captain is coming off of a down year and is in the final year of his contract, making his trade value the lowest that it has been in years. Yet, it has continually been reported that the Canadiens are listening on offers. Those reports have grown quiet over the last week or so and it could be that Montreal has simply opted to retain one of the faces of their franchise, but don’t rule out the possibility of a deal just yet.

As potential Karlsson, Lucic, and Pacioretty deals have lost some steam, Columbus Blue Jackets’ star Artemi Panarin has emerged as a popular trade target. Panarin, to his credit, was honest with the organization that he remains unsure if he will be willing to sign a long-term extension to stay in Columbus before his contract expires after next season. As a result, GM Jarmo Kekalainen and company have begun to explore any possible trade scenarios should they choose to mitigate the risk of losing Panarin for nothing as a free agent by dealing him away. However, Panarin is still a young and highly productive player who hasn’t flat out said he won’t resign with the Blue Jackets and the team may be understandably cautious in making a decision on what to do with him.

Another situation playing out between a team who would rather hold on to their asset is the Minnesota Wild and winger Jason Zucker. Zucker filed for salary arbitration this off-season and, after a career season, is due a major bump on his previous $2MM salary. However, the Wild have a surplus of NHL-caliber forwards and a likely shortage of cap space needed to sign both Zucker and young defenseman Matt Dumba. Dumba and the blue line are the priority, potentially making Zucker expendable. Minnesota will do what they can to keep him, but may not have a choice but to get what they can for the 26-year-old scorer.

Finally, there are the Carolina Hurricanes. Last month, there was not hotter name on the rumor mill than forward Jeff Skinner. Approaching the NHL Draft, several insider went so far as to guarantee that he would be traded in the coming days. More than two weeks later, Skinner remains a Hurricane. There is surely a market for Skinner, but the team and new GM Don Waddell have stated that they simply haven’t received an offer yet that they were comfortable with. Carolina clearly values what Skinner brings offensive and the Hurricanes need to be better at scoring next season. Where they have strength and depth is the blue line, yet they have managed to add both Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan this off-season. The team is now overloaded with talented defensemen, especially on the right side, and there is an expectation that veteran leader Justin Faulk is likely going to be odd man out and interest is high in the All-Star.

There are many trade possibilities available, including deals that include more than one of these players, but assuming otherwise: Who is most likely to be the next big name traded this off-season?

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Snapshots: Ducks, Arbitration, Panarin

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The Anaheim Ducks will retire two numbers this season, honoring Paul Kariya’s #9 and Scott Niedermayer’s #27 at two different ceremonies. Both players have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame following outstanding playing careers, and were huge parts of a franchise that has had quite a bit of success over its first 25 years in existence.

Kariya, the team’s very first draft pick, recorded 669 points in 606 games for the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and was named captain just a few years into his career. His dynamic offensive skill and speed brought the team international attention, and when paired with Teemu Selanne formed one of the most exciting young duos to watch in the NHL. He won just about everything he could in his career except for a Stanley Cup, including Olympic, World Junior and World Championship gold medals, an NCAA title and a pair of Lady Byng trophies.

Niedermayer had a different path to success in Anaheim, coming as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2005. The superstar defenseman brought championship experience to the Ducks, and quickly led them to a Stanley Cup of their own in 2007. That was the team’s first and only NHL championship, and Niedermayer’s Conn Smythe-winning performance was good enough to cement him in their history forever. Another three seasons at an elite level only confirmed his designation as one of the greatest players to ever suit up in Anaheim.

  • A few arbitration dates have already been set, as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Mathew Dumba and Jason Zucker of the Minnesota Wild have hearings on July 23 and 28th respectively. Members of the Washington Capitals will also be in Toronto on one of those days, as Liam O’Brien has a hearing set for the 23rd. It’s important to note that teams can sign these players to contracts at any time before an arbitrator actually makes a decision, and only a few (if any) of those who filed for player-elected salary arbitration will even make it that far. For Zucker, an arbitrator could only grant a one-year contract since the Minnesota forward is already 26 and is scheduled to reach unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019.
  • Rumors have been swirling for some time about the status of Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Artemi Panarin, given that he isn’t willing to open negotiations with the team regarding his upcoming free agency. Panarin is scheduled to hit the open market next summer, and agent Dan Milstein spoke with The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) to make it clear that his client holds no grudge or animosity towards his current team. Quite the contrary, Milstein explains that the Blue Jackets have been an outstanding organization for Panarin, but that the 26-year old forward simply hasn’t make a decision on his future. Panarin is one of the league’s very best offensive talents, but the Blue Jackets would have to consider trading him if there is a clear indication that he won’t entertain a long-term extension at some point.

Columbus’ Panarin Likely To Be Next Star Player On The Move

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With many contract extensions already in the books and the realization by the Ottawa Senators that Erik Karlsson needs to be traded, that might suggest to some fans that after Karlsson the superstar market might be closed for some time. Yet that isn’t the case as several players have not opted to sign extension yet, including players such as Dallas’ Tyler Seguin and most notably the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Artemi Panarin.

The 26-year-old has only played in the league for three years, but has made it count, totaling 88 goals and 233 points in that span. Now after recent comments suggesting that he isn’t willing to sign an extension “as of now,” there is plenty of doubt that a long-term deal with the winger is even likely. In fact, while he has not requested a trade, it looks like he’s trying to force his way out of Columbus.

Panarin’s agent Dan Milstein clarified initial statements in a Q&A with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required). He says it has nothing to do with his love for the team, but more on where he wants to play for the next seven or eight years.

“… (Panarin’s) biggest thing is … he loves the team, he loves the coach,” Milstein said. “It’s not the team or the way they treat him. It’s about, does he want to spend the next eight years in Columbus? That’s the only thing at stake right now. If it was a two-year deal we probably would have done it. But it isn’t a two-year deal. It’s gonna have to be an extended, seven- or eight-year deal put in place.”

Columbus may not be the right fit for Panarin if he’s looking for exposure, considering that he chose to sign his initial tw0-year, entry-level deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, who had already won a Stanley Cup in 2013 and were on the verge of winning their second weeks after they signed him in 2015. Columbus lacks the geographical market as a impact city, while the team’s success has also been an issue as they’ve reached the playoffs just four times in the history of the team (albeit, twice in the past two years). However, the team is neither a place where free agents frequently want to come to and despite recent success, the team still isn’t viewed as a team that can contend for a Stanley Cup.

While the Blue Jackets have reportedly been “testing the market” for Panarin, so far little movement has occurred, according to Milstein. However, when directly asked what the chances are that Panarin signs with Columbus, Milstein said he would suggest the Blue Jackets trade him.

“He doesn’t want me to negotiate yet, so you know … if I was the Blue Jackets, I would do the same thing (consider trades),” Milstein said.

Metropolitan Notes: Johnson, Myers, Rangers

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While defensemen have been receiving big deals in the last week or two, one deal that caught many by surprise was the five-year, $16.25MM deal that Jack Johnson signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins signed on July 1. While Johnson was a highly-touted prospect at one time and developed into a solid NHL veteran, the five-year term seemed like a lot considering that the 31-year-old had lost his job at the end of the season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and instead took up a role as a healthy scratch for the remainder of the season and the playoffs. Johnson finished the year posting

Regardless, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford had coaches’ Mike Sullivan and Sergei Gonchar look into the three games leading up to Johnson’s benching and they walked away with a positive impression and the team signed the veteran.

The Athletic’s Jesse Marshall (subscription required) took a look at the three games before Johnson was benched and analyzes and breaks down the veteran’s play, citing that his performance was solid, but underwhelming and while the defenseman did have some bad luck at times, what stood out the most was his lack of involvement in the team’s offense as he seems to only have been focusing on his defensive game, which might be exactly what Rutherford and the Penguins want out of Johnson.

  • Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Philadelphia Flyers’ signing of Christian Folin almost guarantees that defensive prospect Philippe Myers will begin the season with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 21-year-old undrafted free agent had a solid rookie season with the Phantoms last season and was expected to get a “long look” in Flyers training camp in September. However, with six quality NHL established defenseman already on the roster (not counting the injured Samuel Morin), Myers would have to beat one of them out to make the team. General manager Ron Hextall wouldn’t allow Myers to make the team as the team’s seventh defenseman when he could return to Lehigh Valley and get valuable playing experience. So, while many were upset that the team went out and signed Folin, it’s likely that Folin will man that extra defenseman role instead.
  • The New York Rangers have been talked about as a potential third-team in any deal involving Erik Karlsson. The team has $23.7MM in cap room to work with and with the team in a quick rebuild, this would be the perfect time to add more picks or prospects to that effort. While the team might be open to acquiring Ryan Callahan from Tampa Bay, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that the team will not take on the contract of veteran Bobby Ryan, who still has four years at $7.25MM remaining on his deal. He writes that the Rangers don’t believe they will still be rebuilding in three or four years and being burdened by that deal down the road wouldn’t make any sense.

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