- The fourth-overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, Cayden Lindstrom, is now the highest-selected player from the recent draft who has not signed his entry-level contract. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports there is no cause for concern, as the general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Don Waddell, is entirely focused on hiring a new head coach for the franchise. The Blue Jackets still have plenty of time to sign Lindstrom to an entry-level contract which theoretically doesn’t need to be done this offseason. The young power forward will likely return to the WHL next season to continue his development.
[SOURCE LINK]
Blue Jackets Rumors
Updates On Blue Jackets Head Coach Vacancy
The Columbus Blue Jackets are still without a head coach for the 2024-25 NHL season and we now know two individuals who will not be taking on the role. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that one of the prospective finalists, Todd McLellan, will not become the new head coach due to complications from his former deal with the Los Angeles Kings, which prohibited a multi-year agreement with Columbus. Additionally, Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports Jeff Blashill is not under consideration for the role despite his connection to general manager Don Waddell and USA Hockey.
Due to the context of the report from Portzline, it appears the Blue Jackets circled McLellan as their primary candidate considering salary figures were exchanged between both parties. McLellan signed a one-year contract extension with the Kings organization which would have made him the team’s head coach for the 2024-25 campaign and he is still owed that total by Los Angeles. Because his previous contract is still being honored by the Kings organization, the Blue Jackets would have to negotiate with Los Angeles to make McLellan their next head coach.
As Portzline noted in his report, there is always a chance that Columbus circles back around on McLellan and comes to an agreement with the Kings. If they don’t, however; the Blue Jackets head coaching search may be down to Jay Woodcroft and Dean Evason. Much like McLellan, Woodcroft was let go during the season by the Edmonton Oilers, and Evason was let go during the season by the Minnesota Wild.
Neither prospective head coach even comes close to the pedigree of McLellan as he’s collected a career coaching record of 598-412-134 between the San Jose Sharks, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings. McLellan has coached his team to the playoffs in nine out of his 16 years as head coach and made it as far as the Western Conference Finals during his time in San Jose.
Blue Jackets Sign Jake Christiansen To Two-Way Deal
The Blue Jackets have signed RFA defenseman Jake Christiansen to a one-year, two-way deal, a team announcement states. It’s worth $775K NHL/$350K AHL with a $400K guarantee, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Christiansen was among the 14 players who filed for salary arbitration last week.
Christiansen, 25 in September, has 44 games of NHL experience to this point in his career. Those have all come in Columbus over the past three seasons. He’s scored once and added six assists for seven points with a -11 rating while averaging 13:41 per game, struggling to keep up defensively in the process.
He’s been much better in the minors, where he’s totaled 140 points (40 goals, 100 assists) in 202 games with a -6 rating in four seasons with AHL Cleveland (and briefly Stockton). That includes a 2023-24 season that saw him rack up 13 goals and 46 points in 62 games, earning him a nod on the AHL’s year-end Second All-Star Team after representing the North Division in this year’s All-Star Game. The left-shot Vancouver native has always had an appealing shot from the blue line, leading the entire AHL in goals by defensemen with 13 in 2021-22 and doing the same in juniors with WHL Everett in 2019-20.
There are a couple of spots on the Blue Jackets’ blue lineup for grabs after the team non-tendered Jake Bean and bought out Adam Boqvist. Only five defensemen are signed to one-way deals for next season, including league-minimum veteran pickup Jack Johnson. Christiansen will be in a competition with 2022 sixth-overall pick David Jiříček and 2022 12th-overall pick Denton Mateychuk for roster spots out of camp.
Blue Jackets Notes: Coaching Search, Laine, Dumais, Matteau
The Blue Jackets continue to have the lone head coaching vacancy in the NHL following last month’s dismissal of Pascal Vincent. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that a decision on a new bench boss is expected this week with Todd McLellan, Jay Woodcroft, and Dean Evason believed to be among the remaining finalists. Last month, McLellan was suggested to be the front-runner for the position. There has been a lot of turnover behind the bench in Columbus in recent years. Since John Tortorella was let go in 2021, they’ve gone through three head coaches since, Brad Larsen (two years), Mike Babcock (who resigned before coaching a single game), and Vincent, who only had one season before being let go.
More from Columbus:
- Also from Portzline’s piece, winger Patrik Laine has not yet been cleared from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program. While Columbus can trade him while he’s in the program, GM Don Waddell previously indicated that teams want to speak to Laine before considering putting an offer in for his services. Those conversations can’t happen until he’s cleared. The 26-year-old was limited to just nine points in 18 games last season and has two years left on his contract with an $8.7MM cap hit along with a 10-team no-trade list.
- Prospect Jordan Dumais might not be cleared to fully participate in training camp in September, relays Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch. The 20-year-old was a dominant scorer in the QMJHL, putting up 140 points in 64 games in 2022-23 and had 47 in 21 games last season before being shut down midseason to undergo hip surgery. Dumais will be AHL-eligible for the first time in 2024-25 and stands to play a big role with AHL Cleveland next season when he’s fully cleared to play.
- Speaking of Cleveland, they announced the re-signing of winger Stefan Matteau to a one-year deal. The 30-year-old previously spent two years with them back in 2019-20 and 2020-21 before going to Colorado but returned on a minor league deal last season where he had six points in 15 regular season games before adding seven more in 14 playoff contests. Matteau, a 2012 first-round pick, has 92 career NHL appearances under his belt with a total of 11 points.
Blue Jackets Not Interested In Joel Quenneville
The Columbus Blue Jackets remain the only team without a head coach for the 2024-25 NHL season as Don Waddell fired previous bench boss Pascal Vincent on June 17th. Since being reinstated by the league on July 1st, multiple reports have linked Joel Quenneville with the head coaching vacancy in Columbus. However, it appears Quenneville will have to wait for a new NHL home as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports the Blue Jackets have no interest in Quenneville.
Quenneville unceremoniously resigned from his previous position as head coach of the Florida Panthers during the 2021-22 season after league investigations unearthed his involvement in the Kyle Beach sexual assault allegations against then-video coach Brad Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. According to reporting, Quenneville diminished the matter at hand due to eliminating ’distractions’ during the Chicago Blackhawks’ quest for the Stanley Cup.
Upon his resignation, Quenneville said, “I want to express my sorrow for the pain this young man, Kyle Beach, has suffered. My former team – the Blackhawks — failed Kyle and I own my share of that. I want to reflect on how all this happened and take the time to educate myself on ensuring hockey spaces are safe for everyone“. After nearly three years away from the game, league commissioner Gary Bettman decided that Quenneville and others were eligible for reinstatement due to, “each of these three individuals has acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which, not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership“.
Outside of the obvious controversy from the 2010 playoffs, Quenneville sits just behind legendary coach Scotty Bowman for the most wins in NHL history behind the bench. The veteran head coach has spent 25 years in the NHL between the St. Louis Blues (eight years), Colorado Avalanche (three years), Chicago Blackhawks (11 years), and Florida Panthers (three years). Over that stretch, Quenneville has compiled a record of 969-572-77-150 over 1,768 games and has made the playoffs 20 times with three Stanley Cup rings.
This takes one name off the list for Columbus as the team looks to rebound from a disastrous season in 2023-24. The Blue Jackets have not made the postseason since the 2019-20 season and have finished last place in the Metropolitan Division three out of the past four years. The next head coach for the franchise will be important as Columbus has legitimate talent on the roster such as Johnny Gaudreau and a wealth of prospects on the way.
Blue Jackets To Sign Zachary Sawchenko
The Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to sign depth goaltender Zachary Sawchenko to a one-year deal, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK News (Twitter link). Sawchenko became an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Vancouver Canucks following a one-year, two-way deal with the club.
Sawchenko spent the full contract with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, though he served as the team’s third-string goalie and only drew in to 12 games, split evenly between the regular season and playoffs. He was hot in the flashes he played in, ending the year with six wins and a .910 save percentage. That includes a standout performance in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, when Sawchenko posted a career-high 47 saves to propel Abbotsford to the second round.
But even with promising flashes, it was a down year for Sawchenko – just one season after his first season as a starter. Sawchenko – signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019 – appeared in a career-high 41 games with the Chicago Wolves last season, after three seasons in backup roles. He didn’t find much of a groove in the spot, though, posting just 17 wins and a .895 save percentage. That performance pushed him back down the depth chart – a role he’s likely to maintain with the Blue Jackets, who already have Nolan Lalonde and Jet Greaves signed to contracts that could push them into an AHL role.
Christiansen, Greaves, Marchenko File For Arbitration
Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and originally produced by the National Hockey Leaguer Players’ Association, 14 players have elected for salary arbitration this summer. The deadline for team-elected arbitration is tomorrow. Friedman also notes the arbitration hearings will happen between July 20th and August 4th. To add context, not every one of these players will appear for a hearing with their respective teams as they may continue to negotiate on a new contract. However, each player who elects for salary arbitration is now prohibited from negotiating with other teams or signing an offer sheet. Here is a list of the players that have elected for arbitration:
F Beck Malenstyn (Buffalo Sabres)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo Sabres)
F Martin Necas (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Jack Drury (Carolina Hurricanes)
D Jake Christiansen (Columbus Blue Jackets)
G Jet Greaves (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Kirill Marchenko (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Joe Veleno (Detroit Red Wings)
D Spencer Stastney (Nashville Predators)
F Oliver Wahlstrom (New York Islanders)
D Ryan Lindgren (New York Rangers)
D Ty Emberson (San Jose Sharks)
D J.J. Moser (Tampa Bay Lightning)
F Connor Dewar (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Blue Jackets Sign Jack Johnson
July 3: Columbus made the deal official Wednesday morning.
July 2: The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Jack Johnson to a one-year deal worth $775K (as per PuckPedia). The deal brings Johnson back to the organization in which he had the most success on the ice, having played in Columbus for seven seasons. Johnson has bounced around the league to Pittsburgh, Colorado, Chicago and the New York Rangers since leaving Columbus in 2018 and won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche back in 2022.
The 37-year-old Johnson isn’t the offensive contributor he once was and will likely serve as a depth defenseman on the Blue Jackets bottom pairing. He should also provide their young group with a veteran presence.
Johnson was a third overall pick of the Hurricanes back in 2005, selected two spots behind his good friend Sidney Crosby. The Indianapolis, Indiana native spent six seasons in Los Angeles before he was dealt to Columbus along with a first-round pick for Jeff Carter. The Kings went on to win two cups with Carter in the lineup, while Johnson and the Blue Jackets time together was a rollercoaster that culminated in Johnson departing as a free agent in 2018 to sign with the Penguins.
Johnson had three goals and 13 assists in 80 games last season with the Avalanche and posted a +15. He played just under 15 minutes a night and remained a drain on possession numbers, posting a negative relative CF% for the 17th time in 18 NHL seasons.
Two-Way Signings: Schueneman, Aspirot, Gaudette, Gambrell, Poolman, Richard, Entwistle
The first day of NHL free agency saw over $1B spent for the first time in league history. Much of that went to stars across the league, though general managers are also having to focus on building up their farm programs. Here are five smaller names signed on Tuesday. Each of these deals carry a $775K cap hit at the NHL level, unless otherwise specified.
- The St. Louis Blues have signed defenseman Corey Schueneman to a one-year contract. Schueneman, 28, appeared in 64 games with the Colorado Eagles this season, netting four goals, 22 points, 24 penalty minutes, and a +2. He’s a quick-paced, hard-shooting defender who carries a lot of heft in his frame, even at 5-foot-11. He’s already made his NHL debut, appearing in 31 games with Montreal between 2021 and 2023 and scoring two goals and seven points. Schueneman is likely set for a role on the Springfield Thunderbirds lineup, where he’ll compete for ice time with Blues prospects like Marc-Andre Gaudet and Hunter Skinner.
- The Calgary Flames have re-signed defender Jonathan Aspirot to a one-year contract. Aspirot, 25, spent 66 games with the Calgary Wranglers last season, scoring a career-high 33 points and adding 80 penalty minutes and a -6. It was Aspirot’s first year in Calgary, after spending four years with the Belleville Senators. He totaled 63 points in 161 games with Belleville, and will now be set to reassume his top-end role with the Wranglers next season.
- Belleville is due for their own reinforcements, with the Ottawa Senators signing Adam Gaudette to a one-year deal (Twitter link). Gaudette, 27, led the AHL with 44 goals last season, in his pursuit of 71 points across 67 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds. It was a breakout year for Gaudette, after totaling 27 goals and 51 points in 65 games between the Toronto Marlies and Thunderbirds in 2022-23. Gaudette was formerly a top prospect in the NHL, appearing in 220 games across six seasons in the NHL. He’s only managed 27 goals and 70 points in those appearances, though his recent scoring could suggest upside still untapped. The Senators will hope that’s the case, as they position Gaudette for a premier role in the AHL next year.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Dylan Gambrell to a one-year deal. Gambrell spent all of this seaosn in the minor leagues, playing in 66 games with the Marlies. He managed 14 goals and 36 points – his highest AHL scoring since the 2018-19 season. Gambrell has been based much more in the NHL over the last six seasons, totaling 233 games and 40 points. He’ll be set for a top line role with the Cleveland Monsters, and push for a spot near the bottom of Columbus’ NHL lineup.
- The Buffalo Sabres have signed defenseman Colton Poolman to a one-year deal (Twitter link). Poolman, 28, has spent the entirety of his four-year pro career in the Flames organization to date. The younger brother of Canucks defenseman Tucker Poolman had three goals and three assists in 66 games for the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers last season.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Anthony Richard to a two-year deal (Twitter link). Richard spent 59 games with the Providence Bruins last year, netting 25 goals and 55 points. It was a small step down for Richard, after netting 30 goals and 67 points last year. He’s also totaled 24 NHL games since 2018, scoring eight points. Richard should be set for a starring role with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, with a chance to push for the NHL roster.
- The Florida Panthers signed MacKenzie Entwistle to a one-year deal. Entwistle, 24, has spent most of the last three seasons on the Chicago Blackhawks lineup, though he’s managed just 33 points in 188 games. He’ll now join the reigning Stanley Cup champions, though his two-way deal suggests he’ll have to work his way up to the NHL from an AHL start.
Minor Free Agent Signings: Metropolitan Division
With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Metropolitan Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.
Carolina Hurricanes
none
Columbus Blue Jackets
D Cole Clayton (one year, $950K entry-level cap hit)
F Owen Sillinger (one year)
New Jersey Devils
F Mike Hardman (two years)
D Colton White (two years)
New York Islanders
none
New York Rangers
none
Philadelphia Flyers
none
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Nathan Clurman (one year)
D Mac Hollowell (one year)
F Jimmy Huntington (one year)
F Bokondji Imama (one year)
D Ryan Shea (one year)
Washington Capitals
G Mitchell Gibson (one year)
D Chase Priskie (one year)