- In a newsletter on EV Zug’s website, the Swiss NLA team indicated that the Blue Jackets are interested in working on a new deal for pending RFA winger Calvin Thurkauf. The 22-year-old had a career best 26 points in 53 games with AHL Cleveland this season while getting into three NHL games with Columbus as well. Thurkauf played in Zug’s junior system before coming to North America so if he was to decide to go back overseas, that would be his likely landing spot.
Blue Jackets Rumors
Blue Jackets Activate Seth Jones And Dean Kukan Off IR
Although we’re still more than a month away from the play-in round getting underway, the Blue Jackets made a pair of roster moves today, announcing that they’ve activated defensemen Seth Jones and Dean Kukan off injured reserve, paving the for them to suit up against Toronto in what will likely be early August.
The return of Jones will be huge for their back end. He led all Columbus players in ice time at 25:17 per game. While that actually represented a small dip compared to a year ago, that number was still high enough to rank seventh among all blueliners league-wide this season. He should step back into the number one role and play in all situations; not many teams welcoming back injured players will get a player that has as big of an impact as he does. He had missed the final 14 games before the pandemic shut down the season due to an ankle injury.
Jones’ offensive numbers dipped this season with 30 points in 56 games, his lowest point per game rate in any of his full seasons with the Blue Jackets. However, he made a big impact at that end a year ago when they made it to the second round and he’s certainly capable of doing that again. At the very least, he’ll take some of the pressure off Zach Werenski (who potted a career-best 20 goals this season) in the attacking zone.
After being a depth player the last couple of years, Kukan had stepped into a regular spot on their third pairing before a knee issue caused him to miss the final 29 regular season games. He wound up suiting up in 33 contests this year, collecting five points (1-4-5) while averaging just shy of 16 minutes per night. He may not be able to reclaim that regular role after being off for so long but at the very least, he’ll represent capable depth if and when injuries arise.
While not mentioned in this announcement, the Blue Jackets are also expected to welcome back forwards Cam Atkinson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Nathan Gerbe for their best-of-five series against the Maple Leafs. Alexandre Texier currently remains on IR along with Josh Anderson and Brandon Dubinsky, neither of whom will be available.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Metropolitan Storylines: Columbus Blue Jackets
While the stretch run is officially over with the NHL’s declaration that the play-in games won’t be part of the regular season, we still have one division left to get to in our Stretch Run Storylines series. Our focus has been shifted to the Metropolitan Division with an eye on things to watch for in the postseason. Next up is a look at Columbus.
The Blue Jackets were one of the surprises of the postseason last year. Few gave them a chance against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Lightning but instead, it was Columbus that swept Tampa Bay. This version of the team lacks the star power last year’s group had with Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, and Sergei Bobrovsky all playing elsewhere but they were right in the thick of the battle for a top-three spot before the pandemic shut the season down. They have a similar matchup as their first round clash last year as they’ll be taking on Toronto. Here is what to watch for from the Blue Jackets.
Return Of Walking Wounded
Some teams will benefit from getting a key player or two back from injury that may not have been available to play had the postseason gone on as originally scheduled. The Blue Jackets aren’t just getting a player or two back. Instead, a third of their lineup will be returning.
Oliver Bjorkstrand was in the midst of a breakout season in spite of ankle and rib injuries that cost him 21 games; he still managed to lead the team in goals. He’s back. Cam Atkinson was having a quiet year but is a top-liner for them still. He’s back from his lower-body issue. So is promising youngster Alexandre Texier (lumbar stress fracture) and veteran Nathan Gerbe (groin) whose performance after an in-season call-up was enough to earn him a two-year extension.
But that’s not all. How about adding back a 25-minute per game defenseman to the lineup? Seth Jones was one of just seven blueliners to have that ATOI and he is back from his ankle injury. Getting a number one defender back is a huge addition. Dean Kukan (knee) isn’t as well known but he was holding down a regular spot on the back end before he went down.
Despite that, there are some players who won’t be returning. Josh Anderson won’t be ready to go from his shoulder surgery and while he had a tough year offensively, his physicality will certainly be missed. Veteran Brandon Dubinsky (wrist) will also remain out. Even with them not playing, Columbus is getting several core players plus important regulars back. Not many teams can say they’ll benefit anywhere near as much from this delay as them.
Who Starts?
There were understandably question marks between the pipes heading into the season. There are now as well. But it’s a different set of questions entirely.
Heading into the season, it seemed like the Blue Jackets were being risky going with a relatively unproven tandem of Joonas Korpisalo and rookie Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins struggling early on only compound that. However, both got going as the season progressed and when Korpisalo went down, Merzlikins came in and went on a tear, making a compelling case to stay in the top role in the process.
Both now are healthy and with the fact that it will be more than four months between games before teams take to the ice again, it’s an entirely clean slate. Their three-week training camp could very well represent the competition to see who gets the nod in the first game against Toronto.
This series represents an interesting clash of styles. The Maple Leafs had the second-most goals in the league this season while the Blue Jackets allowed the third-fewest. With Columbus being a defense-first, low-scoring team, whoever gets the tap to start is going to have that extra challenge of facing a top attack.
Dubois’ Final Push
Heading into this season, Pierre-Luc Dubois looked like a prime candidate for a breakout year. His sophomore campaign was strong and he played well in their playoff run last season. Things didn’t quite go as planned, however. While he managed to lead the Blue Jackets in scoring this year, his goals per game and points per game averages dipped despite a small uptick in ice time. Losing players like Duchene and Panarin shifted Dubois from a secondary role to a front line one but the improvement in production wasn’t there.
As a restricted free agent this summer, that certainly doesn’t help his negotiating leverage. Of course, he’s still in line for a significant raise but between this and the expected flattening of the salary cap, the time may not be right for either side to commit to a long-term, big money deal that buys out the remainder of his RFA eligibility and takes out some of his UFA years. However, a big showing offensively in the play-in round and potentially longer would certainly help his case.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Columbus’ Josh Anderson Will Not Be Ready To Begin Postseason
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced back in early March that forward Josh Anderson had undergone labrum surgery in his left shoulder and would need four-to-six months to recover. At the time, that meant that Anderson’s 2019-20 season was over. However, given the lengthy pause in the NHL season due to COVID-19, a number of players – including some Blue Jackets – who otherwise would have been done for the year are now looking likely for the delayed postseason. Anderson though is not so lucky.
The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline relays from a team source that Anderson will not be ready for the beginning of the playoffs, widely expected to start up in early August. Hope is not lost that he could return at some point, but it would require a significant run from the Blue Jackets. Portzline writes that Anderson is not expected to be ready for game action until September at the earliest.
As a result, for Anderson to play again this season the Blue Jackets would first need to win their knockout round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs and then would need to upset a top-four seed in the first round of the playoffs. In fact, if the Blue Jackets are the only lower seed to win in the knockout round, they would face the No. 1 seed next. Fortunately, Columbus does have some experience with this accomplishment, shocking the world in 2019 by sweeping the President’s Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lighting in Round One. They also went six games with the Boston Bruins, the eventual Eastern Conference champs and the 2019-20 President’s Trophy winners, in the second round. Few would argue that the current version of the Blue Jackets is more talented than last year’s squad, but at least the majority of the roster has experience with facing stiff competition and coming out victorious. They also have recent playoff experience against top-four seeds in Tampa and Boston and went 4-0-2 against the Bruins, Bolts, and Washington Capitals this season.
If the Blue Jackets are indeed alive when Anderson is back at full strength, he could be a difference-maker for the team. The 6’3”, 220-lb. power forward is build for the physical, high-intensity playoff game and provides the size and aggression that Columbus sometimes lacks up front. Though Anderson struggled offensively this season while batting injury, recording just four point in 26 games, he notched 27 goals and 47 points last year and added another three points in ten playoff games. If Anderson is truly healthy, he could be an x-factor for a Blue Jackets team that would already have to be hot at the point of his return.
If Columbus does not stay alive long enough for Anderson to return, there is some question as to whether we have already seen the last of him in a Blue Jackets uniform, or at the very least playing for the team in the postseason. An impending restricted free agent, Anderson is heading into his final off-season under team control barring a long-term extension. Given his previous contractual battles with the organization, his arbitration rights, and the questions surrounding his health and performance this season, a multi-year deal this summer seems like a long shot. The team had previously been rumored to be shopping Anderson at the trade deadline this season and could resume trade talks in the off-season. If he does indeed re-sign, it will almost certainly be a one-year deal via arbitration of qualifying offer. Thus an impending UFA in 2021, Anderson would likely be back on the block next season, especially if the Blue Jackets do not look like they are headed for the postseason.
Snapshots: Brackett, UAH, Voronkov
The Vancouver Canucks will not be bringing back amateur scouting director Judd Brackett after failing to come to a new agreement. Brackett’s name has been in the news the last few months after reports surfaced that there was a dispute over how much control he had in Vancouver, something that Canucks GM Jim Benning confirmed today to Thomas Drance of The Athletic:
I believe in a chain of command… I don’t know too many places where a team is going to give a head scout total autonomy to make all the picks without collaborating with people higher up..
Brackett has been with the Canucks for more than a decade and is credited–at least partially–for the team’s relatively strong draft record.
- Amazingly, a GoFundMe to try and save the University of Alabama-Huntsville hockey program has reached its goal of $500,000. The program was cut due to financial concerns last week, but immediately fans of the team (and one famous alumnus) rallied to try and keep the Chargers from disappearing. No word yet on whether the plan has worked, but it was an impressive campaign nonetheless.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets will have to wait quite some time to get Dmitri Voronkov into the organization after the prospect forward signed a new three-year contract in the KHL today. Selected 114th overall in 2019, the 6’4″ center was a standout at the World Juniors for Russia, scoring seven points in seven games. His new contract will keep him in the KHL through the 2022-23 season.
Several Injured Players Ready To Return, Josh Anderson Still In Question
- Some teams will greatly benefit from this pause in the schedule if games eventually resume and one of those is the Blue Jackets. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch provides an update on their long list of injuries, noting that defensemen Seth Jones and Dean Kukan as well as wingers Oliver Bjorkstrand, Alexandre Texier, Cam Atkinson, and Nathan Gerbe are all ready to return. Winger Josh Anderson is also a possibility depending on when games were to actually take place; he was listed as out four-to-six months following shoulder surgery just after the trade deadline. The earliest he could play is July if he’s on the quicker end of that timetable. Meanwhile, center Brandon Dubinsky (wrist) remains out long-term and isn’t expected to play if the season returns.
Ryan Murray Consulted With Doctors About The Possibility Of Having To Retire Earlier This Season
- To say that Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray has been injury-plagued throughout his career would be an understatement. He has only played more than 66 games just once and multiple ailments have limited him to just 27 games this season. The blueliner admitted to John Matisz of The Score that he wondered if he’d be forced to hang up his skates early as a result of everything but after consulting with doctors, there has been no reason to seriously consider that. The 26-year-old has one more year left on his deal with a $4.6MM price tag and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in the 2021 offseason.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Elvis Merzlikins
Just that quickly, the Columbus Blue Jackets have their goaltending tandem locked up. After extending Joonas Korpisalo last week it was Elvis Merzlikins’ turn today. The Blue Jackets have announced a two-year extension for Merzlikins. Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen gave an explanation:
We’ve believed for several years that Elvis Merzlikins was the best goaltender outside the NHL while he was playing in Switzerland and this year he has shown that he has the ability and drive to be a very good goaltender in this league. He is quick, athletic and driven to succeed and we are excited to see what the future holds for Elvis and our hockey club.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the deal will pay Merzlikins $3MM in 2020-21 and $5MM in 2021-22 ($4MM AAV). He will be an unrestricted free agent at its conclusion.
The Blue Jackets have now locked up their future in net, for at least the next two seasons, at a reasonable $6.8MM total. That’s still considerably less than the amount former Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky landed in free agency and with the way Merzlikins and Korpisalo performed it looks like the team may have dodged a bullet.
It’s hard to explain just how successful the 26-year old Merzlikins was in his first year with the Blue Jackets. After starring in Switzerland for several seasons he came over and almost immediately became one of the best goaltenders in the league, recording a .923 save percentage in 33 appearances, including five shutouts.
Even though Merzlikins is making more than Korpisalo, there’s no guarantee that he gets the majority of starts next season. Kekalainen told reporters that the decision will be up to the coach, meaning John Tortorella has the final say on which netminder backstops his club next year.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Mikhail Grigorenko
UPDATE 11:00pm: The NHL has rejected the Grigorenko contract because the filing window for deals starting next season has not opened yet. Though teams are allowed to sign previously drafted prospects or undrafted players that have never played in the NHL, they are not allowed to sign a player like Grigorenko until the normal free agent period opens.
The Blue Jackets have issued a statement:
Earlier today, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced the signing of forward Mikhail Grigorenko to a one-year contract for the 2020-21 National Hockey League season. The contract subsequently has been rejected by the NHL Central Registry due to a misunderstanding with regards to the filing window. We have been in contact with the league and Dan Milstein, Grigorenko’s agent, and the contract will be filed on July 1.
9:54am: The NHL is nothing if not a second-chance league. Mikhail Grigorenko will get another opportunity to show what he can do in North America after signing a one-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2020-21 season. Grigorenko has played the last three seasons in the KHL with CSKA Moscow. The contract carries a salary of $1.2MM according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, who also reports that the young forward was offered twice as much to remain in Russia but turned it down.
Grigorenko, 25, last played in the NHL during the 2016-17 season with the Colorado Avalanche, scoring 10 goals and 23 points. Though that double-digit goal total was the best output of his career, it still wasn’t anywhere near what was expected of him when he was selected 12th overall in 2012. That pick was made by the Buffalo Sabres, who had seen a dominant forward put up 40 goals and 85 points as a rookie for the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL. Though his first crack at the NHL didn’t go according to plan, Grigorenko has developed even further in Russia and has been one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players in the last two seasons. He also represented Russia and won a gold medal at the 2018 Olympics and took home a Gagarin Cup in 2019 while leading all players in KHL playoff scoring.
It’s all of those exceptional performances that have earned him another chance in the NHL, and he’ll head to a Blue Jackets team that will likely look different again next season. Columbus already traded away Sonny Milano at the deadline, and now has a tough decision to make on Josh Anderson in the offseason. Grigorenko gives them a cheap option that can potentially play in the top-six, though he’ll have to prove his production will carry across the ocean.
Even though he is only currently 25, Grigorenko will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal.
Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Joonas Korpisalo
Who needs Sergei Bobrovsky anyway? The Columbus Blue Jackets did just fine with their unproven goaltending tandem this season, with Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins both performing at All-Star levels when they were called upon. That success requires payment however and both goaltenders were scheduled for restricted free agency this summer. You can check at least one name off the to-do list, as Korpisalo has signed a two-year extension with the Blue Jackets today. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the deal will carry an average annual value of $2.8MM and keeps Korpisalo under contract through the 2021-22 season. Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen explained just why he decided to offer the contract:
Joonas had the opportunity to play a lot of games for us early in the season before he was injured and responded by playing at an All-Star level. He is a young, talented goaltender with a great work ethic and desire to succeed and we are very excited to see his continued development and improvement moving forward.
Korpisalo, 26, was given 37 starts for the Blue Jackets this season and recorded a .911 save percentage in those games—nearly equalling Bobrovsky’s numbers from a year ago. That performance earned him a selection to the All-Star game, though an injury kept him from attending. Injuries will be the question moving forward and likely will play a role in deciding which of the team’s netminders gets the majority of the games.
Having Korpisalo sign at such a low number will allow the team to keep both, assuming that the negotiation with the arbitration-eligible Merzlikins goes smoothly. Even with a stagnant salary cap the Blue Jackets should have more than enough room to operate with this tandem in place, and the fact that Merzlikins is not eligible for the Seattle expansion draft means the team could have their goaltending positions solved for some time.
It is important to remember however that even though Korpisalo may be new to the net, he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this contract. The number may be low but the team bought out only one UFA year.