Blue Jackets Sign Jakob Lilja
1:30 PM: Lilja has indeed signed with the Blue Jackets, the team announced. It’s a one-year, entry-level contract and the financial details have not been disclosed.
12:03 PM: While today is the first day that teams can begin the process of buying out players, June 15th is also a notable day on the NHL calendar for another reason. It’s the deadline for players who are under contract overseas (in countries that have signed a Player Transfer Agreement with the NHL) to sign an NHL contract for next season. It appears that Swedish winger Jakob Lilja is making the jump as his club team in Djurgarden announced (Twitter link) that he has signed an NHL contract.
The 25-year-old was the leading scorer in the SHL at the end of January when he had 32 points in 37 games. However, his production tailed off sharply after that as he posted just five more points over his final 20 regular season contests before faring a bit better in the postseason with three goals and five assists in 19 games before losing to Frolunda in the league finals.
Lilja is a capable two-way forward and that’s the type of role he’ll need to play to have success at the NHL level where he likely slots in as a bottom-six option. As for where he might end up, an earlier tweet from Djurgarden stated that he was signing with Columbus but that was quickly removed and replaced with the announcement that he’s simply signing an NHL contract. With the deadline being today to get a deal done, it shouldn’t be long before his destination is made official.
Offseason Keys: Columbus Blue Jackets
With the postseason now finished, the activity is about to pick up. What storylines lie ahead around the league in what is shaping up to be a likely busy NHL offseason? Next up in our Offseason Keys series is a look at the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It was certainly an eventful year in Columbus. The team hovered around the middle of the pack for most of the season before GM Jarmo Kekalainen went all in at the deadline. Not only did he not move his top pending unrestricted free agents, he also went and brought in two more rental players in the hopes of pushing them over the top. While they still hovered around the middle of the pack – they didn’t clinch a playoff spot until the final days of the regular season – they had their best showing in the postseason. They swept the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Lightning (their first ever series victory) before falling to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Bruins. While getting through Tampa Bay was certainly a tough task, Kekalainen is now faced with a tougher one as he tries to keep this team together. Accomplishing that is basically their entire objective for this offseason.
Re-Sign Werenski
While it’s the forwards that are getting most of the attention among the bumper crop of restricted free agents coming off their entry-level deals, defenseman Zach Werenski also deserves to be included among that group. He has emerged as a legitimate top pairing blueliner already and has provided a level of offensive production that not a lot of two-way defenders reach in the early stages of his career.
Not only does that put him in line for a big raise, it also makes it a bit tricky to predict how much he’ll ultimately get. There are offensive-minded blueliners with similar numbers but lack the overall two-way game that Werenski provides. There are defensive-minded players who by this point have ascended to a top pairing role but don’t put up the numbers that Werenski has.
Those players have tended to sign for between 6-8% of the salary cap in recent years. With Werenski being an all-around player, he should check in above that which could push his new cap hit on a long-term deal (a short-term bridge pact is unlikely) over the $8MM mark. With so much money coming off the books on expiring contracts, Kekalainen won’t have to worry about any potential salary cap repercussions as he sets a new bar for a defenseman signing off his entry-level deal.
Keep Or Replace Top Forwards
Artemi Panarin hasn’t exactly hidden his intentions. Since the start of the season, he was intent on testing the free agent market. He certainly didn’t hurt his value in 2018-19 as he had a career season as the focal point of their attack where he led the team in scoring. That continued in the postseason as well. Panarin is by far the top free agent forward on the open market and could set a new benchmark for an AAV for a winger.
Then there’s Matt Duchene. Columbus paid a pretty high price to bring him in as a rental and they’ll have to do to keep him around in more ways than one. Not only is he the consensus top center on the open market (in a class that doesn’t have a lot of top-six talent at that position), they’ll also have to give up their 2020 first-round pick to Ottawa if he sticks around. While the Blue Jackets have what they hope is their long-term top pivot in Pierre-Luc Dubois, keeping Duchene in the fold would give them a very strong one-two punch for a long time. If nothing else, the first-round that’s encumbered for him re-signing takes any thought of a potential sign-and-trade off the table which means that Columbus is truly the only team with a chance to give him an eight-year deal. Before going any further, former Ottawa teammate Ryan Dzingel is one of the better secondary options of this free agent class as well.
Keeping Panarin looks like it’s going to be a challenge. Columbus can offer him top dollar but all indications going back to the start of the season are that he has some interest in moving on. Keeping Duchene would be nice but losing another top draft pick would be tough to swallow. Kekalainen will be in tough to keep both in the fold and if he can’t get new deals done for them, he’s going to have to be aggressive to find replacements for them either on the open market or via trades.
Find A Starting Goalie
Goaltending hasn’t been a big question mark for the last several years with Sergei Bobrovsky in the fold. That certainly seems like it’s about to change as he’s also eligible for unrestricted free agency and eschewed overtures to talk about a new contract during the season. John Tortorella’s aggressive usage of Joonas Korpisalo at times seemed to hint that they may have been testing his potential readiness to take on a larger role for 2019-20 and beyond.
Korpisalo’s results imply that he’s not yet ready to take over from Bobrovsky just yet. The only other goalie they have under contract is Elvis Merzlikins and while he has some upside, he’s not going to be transitioning from being a starter in Switzerland to a starter in the NHL right away. It’s certainly possible that they could use the two as a platoon for next season but that strategy would certainly carry some risk, especially if they don’t intend on taking a step back in the short term.
With that in mind, Kekalainen could be scouring the free agent market to find at least a short-term option between the pipes if Bobrovsky does indeed move on. The next best option may be Semyon Varlamov, who could be open to a shorter-term ‘pillow contract’ in the hopes of rebuilding his value. That could play in well with what Columbus needs if they believe that one of their other two netminders could soon be ready for that role. At any rate, it appears quite likely that there will be less stability at that position for next season than there has been for a while in Columbus.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Sharks, Avalanche
GM Jarmo Kekalainen and the Blue Jackets knew what they were getting into when they held on to top impending free agents Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovksy, despite substantial hints that both planned to depart, and then went out and added another valued UFA in Matt Duchene at the NHL Trade Deadline. Columbus went all in, and while they didn’t win or even reach the Stanley Cup, they did succeed in winning the franchise’s first ever playoff round. Now, as they get set to potentially watch several star player walk away as free agents, Kekalainen and company are going to either squeeze every last drop out of those UFA’s or at least won’t make it any easier for them to jump to rival teams. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Blue Jackets have declined to give Panarin and Bobrovksy permission to talk to other teams about a sign-and-trade possibility. They have also kept the price of acquiring their negotiating rights high; LeBrun speculates the team is asking for a second-round pick. As the June 23rd UFA negotiation period approaches, and not long after it the start of free agency on July 1st, it seems Panarin and Bobrovsky are likely to remain Blue Jackets until the very last minute, unless a team ponies up. As for Duchene, the Blue Jackets remain interested in re-signing him, so similar rumors haven’t started yet, but don’t expect the deadline addition to be treated any differently if it comes to that.
- Columbus has likely lost hope of re-signing their top free agents, but San Jose is still holding out when it comes to Erik Karlsson. Karlsson is set to be the top defenseman on the market, but the Sharks would like him to skip that opportunity in favor of remaining with the team. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz writes that the two sides continue to work on an extension, with terms rumored to be close to the eight-year, $88MM contract signed by Drew Doughty of the rival Los Angeles Kings. Barring a trade in the coming weeks, only San Jose can offer Karlsson that eighth year, which may be even more valuable to the veteran defenseman given his recurring injury issues this season. Kurz agrees that the market may have cooled for Karlsson, so a long-term offer from the Sharks will very likely be the best deal he gets. This makes his decision less about salary and more about whether San Jose is where Karlsson wants to potentially spend the rest of his career.
- Misinformation is very common in draft and free agency season, so it should come as little surprise that one Denver source says the Avalanche are interested in drafting defenseman Bowen Byram just days after another said they weren’t. Byram is undoubtedly the best defenseman in the draft class, so no team with the chance to draft him is going to totally ignore him. The WHL product could go as early as No. 3 to the Chicago Blackhawks, but likely won’t get any farther than No. 6 to the Detroit Red Wings. Colorado falls squarely in the middle there at fourth overall and will surely consider Byram. But if Mike Chambers of The Denver Post is to be believed, the Avs will take the “best player available” route with their first of two first-round picks and would select Byram if he’s there. We won’t know for sure how it all plays out for just over one more week.
Rick Nash Officially Hired By Columbus Blue Jackets
Rick Nash has officially started his hockey management career. After spending the last few months shadowing Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen, Nash was announced as special assistant to the GM today in a press release from the team. The Blue Jackets also announced that Bill Zito has been promoted to senior vice president of hockey operations, associate general manager and alternate governor. Basil McRae and Josh Flynn have been promoted to assistant general manager, and Chris Clark is now director of player personnel. Kekalainen released a statement on the slew of promotions:
Our club has made great strides in recent seasons thanks in part to the experienced and talented group of individuals within our hockey operations department. We believe it was important to recognize contributions and maintain consistency within our group in order for us to continue to improve and work towards our goal of winning a Stanley Cup.
Nash, 34, is a legendary franchise icon from his playing days with the Blue Jackets. Selected first overall in 2002, it didn’t take him long to become a superstar in the NHL. During his sophomore season, Nash would record his first 40+ goal season and take home the Rocket Richard trophy as the league’s top goal scorer. He would go on to score 298 total regular season goals for the Blue Jackets over his 674 games with the franchise, before eventually ending up with the New York Rangers. A trade deadline deal sent him to Boston in 2018, but after suffering another concussion he was forced to retire.
According to the release, Nash will help in several areas including player evaluations, prospect development and player recruitment. Kekalainen spoke highly of his new assistant:
Rick is the most decorated player in Blue Jackets history and was one of the game’s most respected players during a career that included multiple All-Star Games, Olympic and World Championship gold medals and a Stanley Cup Final appearance. He cares deeply about the Blue Jackets and the city of Columbus and will be a great addition to our organization.
Player recruitment is certainly something the organization will need after they watch three of their best players leave this offseason in free agency. Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene are all expected to test the market this summer, leaving room for the Blue Jackets to make other additions to their group.
Kevin Hayes Visits With Philadelphia Flyers
Since acquiring the exclusive negotiating rights of Kevin Hayes earlier this month, the Philadelphia Flyers have had some preliminary conversations with the pending free agent on a potential contract. Yesterday, Hayes actually met with the Flyers in person and according to Frank Seravalli of TSN was impressed with his visit. Still, Seravalli reports that Philadelphia “isn’t No. 1″ on the veteran center’s list, and notes that the Columbus Blue Jackets and Arizona Coyotes might be of interest.
Hayes, 27, was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for a fifth-round pick in order to give Philadelphia a head start on contract negotiations. It’s not the first time that Hayes might be intrigued by the idea of free agency however, as he decided not to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks out of college despite the team spending a first-round selection on him in 2010. The Boston College alum decided to sign with the New York Rangers instead, and played the first four and a half seasons of his pro career there before a mid-season trade took him to Winnipeg in February.
There are plenty of reasons why the Flyers would be interested, given that Hayes is coming off his best offensive season. The 6’5” center recorded 54 points in 71 games, though failed to crack the 20-goal mark once again. He has done so in just one of his NHL seasons, something of a red flag for a team expecting him to contribute big numbers at even strength. Still, his size and two-way ability make him a desirable asset for pretty much anyone looking for depth down the middle, something Philadelphia could use if Claude Giroux is going to stay on the wing.
As one of the younger players available this summer, there will be no shortage of suitors for Hayes. The Blue Jackets would make sense if Matt Duchene departs in free agency, while the Coyotes have been trying to find consistent production at the center position for years. Both teams also have former teammates of Hayes from New York involved in some way. Derek Stepan is a leader in the Arizona locker room, while Rick Nash has been working with Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen for the last while.
Daniil Tarasov To Play In Finland
When the Columbus Blue Jackets signed Veini Vehvilainen earlier this spring, it made for quite a crowded goaltending position within the organization. Even with Sergei Bobrovsky and Keith Kinkaid scheduled to leave in free agency, the team had four goaltenders under contract for next season with another—Joonas Korpisalo—expecting a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent. Out of those five, there isn’t a ton of NHL experience, making it unclear how the minor league playing time would be sorted out. Today an answer has been revealed, with Daniil Tarasov being loaned to Porin Ässät of Finland’s Liiga.
Tarasov, 20, only signed his own entry-level contract in May, ending his career in Russia after debuting in the KHL this season. Originally selected in the third round two years ago, the young netminder has plenty of development left before he can make a real impact on the Blue Jackets organization despite his impressive year. With so many minor league goaltenders in the system, Tarasov may have been forced to sit and watch more often than not, meaning a placement in Finland will get him much more playing time.
The Finnish team has announced it will be just a one-year deal, meaning the Blue Jackets will once again face this problem next spring. At least at that point they’ll have a better grasp on their goaltending situation, as there is no guarantee they even have their 2019-20 starter in the organization right now.
Metropolitan Notes: Faulk, Werenski, Harrington, Devils
After an impressive playoff run that has Carolina looking like an improved franchise, the Hurricanes don’t want it to be a fluke season. The team, which based much of its success on an impressive blueline, wants to commit to it long term. Therefore despite being mentioned as a trade candidate for more than a full season, it looks like Carolina wants to commit long-term to Justin Faulk. The defenseman has one year remaining on his contract, but The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription required) reports that the team has reached out to Faulk and his agent in hopes of signing an extension when he’s eligible on July 1.
LeBrun adds that Faulk, who has played his entire eight-year career in Carolina, is amenable to an extension, although it’s likely he would demand a no-trade clause this time around. That would give Carolina three right-handed top-four defensemen in Faulk, Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce, but he says that the Hurricanes are OK with having that right depth on the right side and are comfortable keeping all three.
However, the Fourth Period reports that Carolina is looking to acquire a top-six winger to boost their offense this year and that the team is willing to trade one of their top defenseman to make that happen. The report suggests that Carolina is one of the teams that has inquired on Minnesota’s Jason Zucker and has spoken to Toronto about both William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen and Nazem Kadri in the past.
- The Athletic’s Allison Lukan (subscription required) reports that while the Columbus Blue Jackets have several options on how they want to sign restricted free agent Zach Werenski, it’s almost a lock that Columbus will attempt to sign him to a long-term deal. The 21-year-old blueliner just finished up his entry-level deal and is in line for a big payday after posting 38 goals and 128 points over three years, but with plenty of cap room and multiple free agents walking away from Columbus, locking him up to a long-term deal, which could exceed $6MM, is likely going to be the team’s goal.
- Sticking with the Blue Jackets, the team has another restricted free agent who is expected to get a raise this summer. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch writes that defenseman Scott Harrington, who has had trouble catching on to an NHL team early in his career after playing just 79 NHL games over the past four seasons with three different teams, has found a home in Columbus. The 26-year-old played his first full season, playing 73 games, mostly as a bottom-six defenseman, but was instrumental to the Blue Jackets as a character leader in the locker room. After making just $675K last season, Harrington could potentially double his salary for next season.
- The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) lays out the possibilities on what the New Jersey Devils can do with their second-round pick (No. 34). With three second-round picks, the 34th pick is a valuable asset that could allow the team to trade into the first round or use to trade for a significant impact player to bolster its team. The scribe looks at past teams in similar positions, including a 2013 trade in which the Buffalo Sabres traded several players and the No. 31 pick for Ryan O’Reilly.
Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets
Free agency is now less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. Columbus does have a few important restricted free agents, but it’s the unrestricted free agents that have dominated the press over the last year.
Key Restricted Free Agents: D Zach Werenski – The defenseman wraps up his entry-level deal and now is expected to get quite a pay raise after making $1.775MM last season. The top pairing defenseman may not have the accolades and numbers that partner Seth Jones carries, but with the way the market has been rising, the 21-year-old blueliner could seriously cash in this summer and could conceivably make even more than Jones’ current $5.4MM per year deal. Regardless, Werenski had a solid season for the Blue Jackets, posting 11 goals and 44 points and has scored 38 goals over three seasons, an impressive feat for a young defenseman. Werenski also added a goal and six points in 10 games during Columbus’ playoff run this season.
D – Ryan Murray – Other than playing 82 games back in 2015-16, Murray’s biggest problem has been staying healthy. Other than that one season, the most games the 25-year-old has played was 66 and that was back in his rookie campaign. The talented blueliner played in 56 games this past season, but was hampered with a back injury for quite some time as well. This is Murray’s last year as a restricted free agency as he could become an unrestricted free agent in 2020-21 and could opt to depart. Although Murray has shown talent, Columbus might have a problem handing the former second-overall pick in 2012 a long-term deal if he can’t stay healthy. That’s why Murray could be a solid trade candidate, most recently to Chicago.
Other RFAs: D Adam Clendening, F Markus Hannikainen, D Scott Harrington, G Joonas Korpisalo, F Ryan MacInnis, F Sonny Milano, F Eric Robinson, F Justin Scott, F Lukas Sedlak, D Doyle Somerby, F Sam Vigneault
Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Artemi Panarin – The 27-year-old has been everything that Columbus had hoped for when the Blue Jackets traded for him two years ago. Panarin scored 55 goals and 114 points over those two seasons, but it became apparently clear that he had little interest in signing any sort of extension and wished to move on when he hit unrestricted free agency. Rather than trade him away, the team chose instead to hold onto him and bulk up for the playoffs, which did allow Columbus to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time ever. Unfortunately, the team has no chance to sign him as he has quickly become the most sought-after free agent, most likely to sign a deal with either Florida or the New York Rangers.
G Sergei Bobrovsky – Unfortunately for Bobrovsky, the team is in the exact same pickle that they are with Panarin. The long-time goaltender has been one of the faces of the franchise for years in Columbus and while many initially thought he just was holding out for a Carey Price-like contract, it has been quite clear that he too intends to leave the Blue Jackets and sign elsewhere with many people believing that he might choose to sign with Florida as well. Regardless, Bobrovsky becomes the most highly-touted goalie on the free-agent market. While his regular season numbers took a minor dip with a 2.58 GAA and a .913 save percentage, the 30-year-old netminder finally showed some skill in the playoffs with a 2.41 GAA and a .925 save percentage in 10 appearances.
F – Matt Duchene – If there is one big-name free agent that Columbus might be able to retain, it will be Duchene, who is at least considering staying with the Blue Jackets. Unfortunately, there are also a large number of teams that are interested in signing him as well, which could make a signing tough. Acquired at the trade deadline from Ottawa for several prospects and their 2019 first-round pick, Duchene added a second-line center presence that helped solidify the team’s top six and between the two teams combined for 31 goals and 70 points. The down side of signing him is the team would lose their 2020 first-rounder as well, making it even more of a challenging decisions for the franchise.
Other UFAs: G Jean-Francois Berube, D Tommy Cross, F Ryan Dzingel, G Keith Kinkaid, F Mark Letestu, D Adam McQuaid
Projected Cap Space: Cap space is definitely not an issue in Columbus as the team is projected to have more than $32MM in cap room. The problem is the team is likely to lose all four of their top unrestricted free agents and must find a way to attract other free agents without having to overpay them. However, that will be a challenge for general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who has done an excellent job in recent years to compete in a small market. Regardless, the team must find a way to add a top talent and hope that its prospect depth can keep the team above water for the next couple of years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Arizona, Columbus To Aggressively Pursue Matt Duchene
While the Matt Duchene rumors have been quite exciting already, they show no sign of slowing down. Despite whispers that the top free-agent center is interested in joining the Nashville Predators, more teams keep coming up. The most recent interest comes from the Arizona Coyotes. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription required) writes that the Coyotes, searching for another top-line center, intend to aggressively pursue Duchene, while the Columbus Blue Jackets haven’t given up on re-signing their deadline acquisition either.
The 28-year-old scored 31 goals and 70 points between Ottawa and Columbus last season, but a solid postseason in which he registered five goals and 10 points in 10 playoff games was enough to make him one of the most sought-after impending free agents, especially with teams in need at the center position.
Arizona used Derek Stepan as their top-line center this season, but the team would be better served moving Stepan to a second-line role and inserting a new name into the No. 1 spot, giving them two solid options down the middle and allowing Arizona to utilize other forwards like Nick Schmaltz and Alex Galchenyuk at the wing position. Arizona, which narrowly fell short of the playoffs this season, has made it clear that they want to upgrade their team and become playoff relevant after years sitting in the Pacific Division cellar.
As for Columbus, LeBrun writes that the franchise is still negotiating with Duchene’s agent, Pat Brisson, to bring the center back. One question that comes up is whether the team would be willing to offer eight years, and upwards of $80MM to Duchene, especially when they would also have to give Ottawa their 2020 first-round pick if they successfully re-sign him. While many have suggested that being aggressive at the trade deadline was good for Columbus, the team would look even better if it could retain at least one of Duchene, Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, or Ryan Dzingel this summer.
Veini Vehvilainen Named Top SM-Liiga Goalie For Second Straight Year
- Blue Jackets goalie prospect Veini Vehvilainen has won the Urpo Ylonen award for the top goalie in Finland for the second straight season, the sm-Liiga announced (Twitter link). The 22-year-old posted a 1.58 GAA with a .933 SV% in 38 games with Karpat and recently signed his entry-level deal with Columbus. With Sergei Bobrovsky’s future with them uncertain, Vehvilainen could find himself in the mix for an NHL spot fairly quickly.