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Columbus Blue Jackets Continue Search For Center Help

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After signing Cam Atkinson to a new seven-year extension, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets have redoubled their efforts in search of a center to add to their lineup. Knowing exactly what Atkinson will be making down the road, and that he’ll be a fixture in the top-six for a long while allows the team to more accurately pursue players that will fit into their salary structure. We’d previously heard that they had made an offer for Matt Duchene, clearly showing their interest in chasing the big fish on the market. GM Jarmo Kekalainen is currently at the GM Meetings in Montreal, always an event that is watched with a close eye for potential trade talk.

It’s unclear who exactly the Blue Jackets would be pursuing, as Duchene and Kyle Turris represented the top two center names expected to be traded. While some teams may still consider Alex Galchenyuk a center, much of the rental market—that is, players who are unrestricted free agents at the end of the year—and known trade candidates reside on the wing. There are names like Joe Thornton, John Tavares, Paul Stastny and Henrik Sedin all set to hit the open market but none of them seem like realistic trade candidates at this point.

More likely it would have to be a lesser-known name. Tyler Bozak and Mikael Backlund are also free agents at the end of the year, but are currently on teams looking to compete for the Stanley Cup. Valtteri Filppula and Tomas Plekanec will also hit the market but are past their prime as key offensive pieces. With this renewed interest coming from Atkinson’s future though, it seems to point to the fact that they’d be after a player with term. The Blue Jackets have several young defenders that they could dangle thanks to the immediate impact Zach Werenski has made, while they also have extra wingers that could be moved for an immediate upgrade. For a team that looks poised to compete in the tough Metropolitan Division, nothing seems too drastic.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Cam Atkinson To Seven-Year Extension

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After a report earlier today that negotiations had heated up, Cam Atkinson has signed a seven-year $41.125MM ($5.875MM AAV) contract extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Atkinson was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and had been rumored to be looking at an average salary of $6MM. That would make this deal seem like a bit of a bargain for Columbus, especially given his importance to the team.

"<strongAtkinson, 28, has flourished with the Blue Jackets since becoming an NHL regular, with four straight 20-goal seasons including a career-high of 35 last year. The diminutive forward has climbed all the way from the sixth-round of the NHL Entry Draft to star status in the league, finding great offensive success at every step along the way. In 397 career games Atkinson has 233 points which already ranks him fourth all-time in Blue Jackets history. His 125 goals for the club put him behind only Rick Nash on the Columbus career leaderboard.

The easy comparable for this contract will be the one T.J. Oshie signed this summer, when he re-upped with the Washington Capitals for a similar salary. Oshie’s deal is one year longer, but similarly locks him up longer than the team probably wanted in order to keep the cap hit down. Atkinson will be 29 when the deal kicks in, meaning the team is paying him through his age-35 season. It’s unlikely he’ll keep up the same pace for that long, but paying $5.875MM for a potential 30-goal scorer will allow Columbus to keep most of the rest of their core together.

While Atkinson has just six points so far this year, it’s not just his offensive production that makes him so valuable. Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella uses Atkinson in all situations including the penalty kill, and he’s averaging more than 19 minutes per night this season. Though Columbus’ powerplay hasn’t gotten out of the starting blocks yet this season, if it does start clicking you can bet Atkinson will be in the middle of it. Last season he recorded 21 points with the man advantage, trailing only Alexander Wennberg in that category.

Amazingly, the new deal puts Atkinson as just the third-highest paid player on the club behind Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky and will allow them to do more to keep their club together in the next few years. Over the next two offseasons, Columbus has decisions to make and new contracts to sign with a dozen or so huge parts of their team, including players like Zach Werenski, Ryan Murray and Bobrovsky. Getting Atkinson locked in for a reasonable amount lets them know exactly what they have to work with, and where they need to shave salary.

This is another one of the big names to come off next summer’s UFA list, with several more to come before the end of the year. Even though all eyes are still on John Tavares as the head of that group, players like Atkinson, Evander Kane and James van Riemsdyk help fill out what looks right now to be quite the impressive offensive class. We’ll have to wait and see just who remains on July 1st.

Aaron Portzline of The Athletic broke the news of the extension, though originally had it down as a slightly lower salary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Contract Talks Heat Up Between Atkinson, Blue Jackets

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According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, contract talks have heated up over the last week between pending unrestricted free agent Cam Atkinson and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Portzline reports that the two sides have discussed contracts spanning six or seven years, with an average salary of $6MM per season.

Atkinson, 28, has flourished with the Blue Jackets since becoming an NHL regular, with four straight 20-goal seasons including a career-high of 35 last year. The diminutive forward has climbed all the way from the sixth-round of the NHL Entry Draft to star status in the league, finding great offensive success at every step along the way. In 397 career games Atkinson has 233 points which already ranks him fourth all-time in Blue Jackets history. His 125 goals for the club put him behind only Rick Nash on the Columbus career leaderboard.

Having Atkinson sign a long-term deal would certainly weaken what currently looks like a pretty exceptional free agent class, something that is sure to happen several times before July 1st. While right now there are a dozen or more impact players headed for the open market, in-season extensions will likely reduce that group substantially.

A $6MM cap hit would put Atkinson right alongside Artemi Panarin as the highest-paid skater on the Blue Jackets, with only Sergei Bobrovsky coming in ahead of them. While there are several restricted free agents that also need contracts, Columbus could fit Atkinson in on the short-term at least due to the inexpensive contributions from players like Zach Werenski, Sonny Milano and Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Zac Dalpe Placed On Waivers

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After being moved to injured reserve just a few days ago, Zac Dalpe has now been placed on waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Dalpe’s IR stint was backdated to November 6th when he suffered the upper-body injury, which means he’s eligible to come off and be sent to the minor leagues should he clear waivers.

Dalpe was acquired by the Blue Jackets last season when they plucked him off waivers from the Minnesota Wild. Though he didn’t get into a game for Columbus, he signed a two-year two-way deal with the team before hitting the open market. The 28-year old forward played in 10 games to start the year with the Blue Jackets, but wasn’t particularly effective in his limited role. He was held scoreless and took 13 minutes in penalties, not winning himself any more minutes from the coaching staff.

He could be claimed though, as he has experience at center and actually has a history of excellent play in the minor leagues. The former Carolina Hurricanes prospect has just 24 points in 138 career games, but could provide at least some valuable depth for a team scrambling up front.

Poll: Which Team Needs Help At Forward The Most?

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In last night’s Insider Trading on TSN, the panel—comprised of Pierre LeBrun, Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger—spoke about the increased demand for top forwards around the league. According to them, the supply isn’t quite there for all these teams to go out and acquire someone impactful, so it’ll have to come down to the highest bidders.

The list of ten teams that McKenzie gave that are in the market for a forward include some surprises like Tampa Bay—who LeBrun clarified are currently looking for a winger to play with Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn—and obvious choices like Anaheim and Montreal.

Columbus put together a trade offer for Matt Duchene, and as LeBrun stated on TSN radio yesterday they’re still in the hunt for an upgrade down the middle. There’s no clear option at center as impressive as Duchene (or Kyle Turris, who was included in the same trade), but players are sure to shake loose as the season progresses.

So, who on this list needs the forward help the most this year? While deciding your vote, make sure to not just take in the offensive struggles but the proximity to Stanley Cup contention for each club. Which team will be the most willing to spend at the deadline, and go after the big fish to put them over the edge?

We’ve included all the teams on McKenzie’s list, but if you feel strongly that another should join the pursuit of another forward make sure to leave your comments below.

Which team needs forward help the most?
Montreal Canadiens 24.60% (185 votes)
Boston Bruins 19.41% (146 votes)
Anaheim Ducks 16.22% (122 votes)
New York Rangers 11.57% (87 votes)
St. Louis Blues 9.18% (69 votes)
Edmonton Oilers 6.78% (51 votes)
Columbus Blue Jackets 5.59% (42 votes)
Florida Panthers 2.79% (21 votes)
Tampa Bay Lightning 2.79% (21 votes)
Ottawa Senators 1.06% (8 votes)
Total Votes: 752

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Pacific Notes: Nugent-Hopkins, Gaborik, Subban, Engelland

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With the Matt Duchene trade in the books for a week now, The Hockey News’ Lyle Richardson writes that the Edmonton Oilers are one of three teams to watch over the next couple of months when it comes to making a big move. Citing the league’s need for playmaking centers, the scribe suggests the team could try and move center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and his large contract ($6MM AAV through the 2020-21 season) and try to get a much-needed wing.

Richardson cites Edmonton as well as the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Buffalo Sabres as the three teams most likely to make the next big trade in the league. In fact, he suggested the Oilers attempt to move Nugent-Hopkins to Columbus, who were the losers in getting either Duchene or Kyle Turris via trade. However, could the Blue Jackets fit Nugent-Hopkins under their salary cap without Edmonton retaining some of that salary? The suggestion was the Oilers would either require Cam Atkinson or Josh Anderson in return to make that deal work.

Nugent-Hopkins has been playing well this year as he’s put up six goals and six assists this season. Known as a defensive forward, the former No. 1 overall pick could be a key asset for Columbus or any other team needing a center.

  • Los Angeles Times’ Curtis Zupke writes that veteran forward Marian Gaborik got his first full practice under his belt Saturday after having knee surgery back in April. The 35-year-old is not expected to be activated soon as the Kings are taking a cautious approach with the injury-prone winger, who has had knee and foot issues over the last two years, which has seen him play 110 games in the past two-plus seasons. “I felt pretty good,” he said. “Things have been getting into flow. Obviously I’ve missed a lot of time so [I need to] get used to everything — my legs, just the whole body as a hockey player, to get back into things, and to just keep going and ramping things up, and get my timing back. It’s pretty much the whole package I have to get back.”
  • Vegas Golden Knights’ goaltender Malcolm Subban was spotted skating at City National Arena today, tweeted SinBin. Subban, who went down with a lower-body injury, was deemed out for four weeks on Oct. 22, so it looks like he might be on target for a return within the next couple of weeks. The team has been forced to use their fourth-string goaltender, Maxime Lagace, for the past two weeks as the team has been decimated by injuries to Marc-Andre Fleury, Subban and Oscar Dansk.
  • Sticking with the Golden Knights, The Canadian Press’ Darren Haynes points out that Vegas defenseman Deryk Engelland has more points (2-7-9) than quite a few defensemen, including San Jose Brent Burns, Nashville’s Roman Josi and Calgary Mark Giordano. Engelland, who played for the old Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL earlier in his career and made Las Vegas his home from that point on, has never put up more than 17 points in a season. Always known as a defensive player, the 35-year-old has been reborn in Las Vegas, who is just eight points away from a career-year.

Columbus Blue Jackets “Ready To Move” One Of Their Defensemen

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The Columbus Blue Jackets were interested in Matt Duchene. They were interested for a long time, and were even quite close to acquiring him at one point. That dream died on the weekend though, when Duchene was traded to the Ottawa Senators and in the process another top-six forward went off the board. There’s no telling if Columbus had interest in Kyle Turris, but as Pierre LeBrun explained in the latest edition of Insider Trading for TSN, they still believe they need help up front.

The bottom line is this. They have [defensemen], they’re ready to move one, and they want to get better up front.

Ryan MurrayLeBrun details that the Blue Jackets’ preferred add would be a top-six center, but that they would settle for just a forward of that variety. As he notes, the team is incredibly deep on defense at the moment, thanks to the emerging play of Markus Nutivaara and Gabriel Carlsson. The most obvious candidate to be moved would be Ryan Murray, who was included in the Colorado talks and seems to be the odd man out in Columbus. The second-overall pick in 2012 (behind Nail Yakupov) has developed into a good-but-not-great option on the left side, and has been passed over by Zach Werenski in the pecking order. Murray is also a restricted free agent this summer, one that it’s not clear the Blue Jackets will have the room to pay long-term.

The other interesting option though would be Jack Johnson. Though Blue Jackets fans would hate to lose their long-time leader on the blue line, the fact remains that he’s an unrestricted free agent this summer. Johnson is still an important part of the team, and losing him would force Murray and others to step into bigger roles, but he’s another that the team probably can’t afford to keep long-term. 30-years old now, Johnson has done more than enough to deserve a multi-year contract on the open market this summer and with Seth Jones and David Savard already inked long-term, he may price himself out of their market.

The question then becomes how the Blue Jackets want to attack this season. Johnson has a bigger role than Murray currently, but would likely net them a smaller package on the open market. The team sacrificed their 2017 first-round pick to get David Clarkson’s contract off the books and protect Josh Anderson from expansion, but would they be willing to include their 2018 pick to acquire the top forward? A rental like Johnson, or an underperforming Murray may not be enough on their own depending on who it is. For a team expected to compete for the Stanley Cup, tough decisions await.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Cam Atkinson Activated From Injured Reserve

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The Columbus Blue Jackets will get some help up front tonight as they take on the Nashville Predators, as Cam Atkinson has been activated from injured reserve. Atkinson had missed the last few games with a lower-body injury, but will join the team to try and right the ship after a tough loss to the New York Rangers last night.

The Blue Jackets have had their forward depth tested this season, with Matt Calvert heading to IR yesterday and Lukas Sedlak already out long-term. Still, the team finds itself at 9-5-1 and tied for first in the Metropolitan Division. Atkinson’s return will only help their cause, as they open a short two-game homestand before hitting the road once again.

Columbus is carrying 13 healthy forwards now, and you’d think it would be Zac Dalpe that comes out to make room for Atkinson. Dalpe took a bad elbowing penalty late last night that helped the Rangers climb back into the game. The Blue Jackets will take on Nashville tonight.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Calvert, Matthews

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The NHL has named its three stars for the previous week, with goaltender Corey Crawford taking top honors. Crawford earned two shutouts for the Chicago Blackhawks last week, and recorded a .919 save percentage. Unfortunately, Chicago is still just 7-6-2 on the season after dropping last night’s game against Montreal 2-0. They’ll need more solid performances from Crawford going forward if they’re to really climb towards the top of the standings.

Josh Bailey and Martin Jones took home second and third respectively, after impressive weeks of their own. Bailey had an incredible seven assists last week and now has 15 on the season, and Jones led the Sharks to three straight wins. Both the Sharks and Islanders have climbed out of early holes to establish themselves as relevant playoff possibilities once again.

  • Matt Calvert will be out three to four weeks with an upper-body injury according to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ GM Jarmo Kekalainen. Calvert was injured in Saturday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and has been placed on injured reserve. Losing Calvert will test the Blue Jackets’ forward depth even more, as they’re already without Lukas Sedlak and Cam Atkinson for the time being. The team has not made a corresponding move yet, and will take on the New York Rangers tonight.
  • Auston Matthews is a game-time decision for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight as he deals with “soreness” according to head coach Mike Babcock. If Matthews does miss the game, it would be the first time in his career he failed to suit up. In 97 career regular season games, Matthews now has 50 goals and is showing he could be even more dominant than anyone expected when he was selected first overall. The Maple Leafs can’t afford to lose him for very long though, as their slide continued with a 6-4 loss at the hands of the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
  • Unfortunately for the fans in Stockholm, Carl Soderberg may not be in the lineup when the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators play NHL regular season games in Sweden later this week. The Swedish-born forward did not travel with the team, instead staying at home in Denver with his pregnant wife. Since the couple is expecting the baby on Tuesday, he hasn’t yet been ruled out for the back-to-back games.

Blue Jackets Activate Carlsson, Place Atkinson On IR

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced a pair of moves today as the team activated defenseman Gabriel Carlsson from injured reserve and made room on their roster by placing winger Cam Atkinson on injured reserve, retroactive to Oct. 28.

Carlsson, the team’s first-round pick in 2015, has played just four games this season, but the 20-year-old blueliner suffered an upper-body injury on Oct. 13 against the New York Rangers and was placed on injured reserve. He had, however, been a regular on the team. Carlsson won the battle for the defense’s sixth spot in training camp this year, beating out regular Markus Nutivaara and journeyman Scott Harrington.

When Carlsson was injured, the team recalled Nutivaara, who had played 66 games for Columbus last year. The 23-year-old has fared well since replacing Carlsson in the lineup, putting up five assists in nine games, already just two points short of equaling his output last year when he finished with seven points. Who will continue to play on that third pairing is unknown. However, for the moment, both players will continue to play with the Blue Jackets.

Atkinson suffered a lower body injury after suffering numerous injuries in a game on Oct. 28 against the St. Louis Blues. He suffered the original injury in the first period of the game, but returned. Then he was hit in the helmet with a puck during the second period only to re-injure that lower-body injury in the third period when he took a hit and was forced to leave the game. Since the move is retroactive to Oct. 28 and he has already (technically) been on IR for a week, he can be activated at any time, tweets The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, so a third move could come in the next day or two depending on when Atkinson is ready to go. He is currently listed as day-to-day.

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