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Blue Jackets Not Expected To Move Elvis Merzlikins

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It’s been an offseason of delayed change for the Blue Jackets, who took until late May to appoint Don Waddell as their next general manager and until this week to fire head coach Pascal Vincent. With the coaching change being Waddell’s first real mark on the franchise, many wondered if he may have some other moves up his sleeve in the coming days.

He still may, but moving on from goaltender Elvis Merzļikins won’t be one of them. Waddell told The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline that the team won’t buy out the final three seasons of the Latvian netminder’s contract and dismissed the possibility of a trade, saying the organization will put “all the resources we can” into helping Merzļikins rebound from a tough couple of campaigns.

“Let’s be honest, nobody is going to trade for that contract. Nobody,” Waddell told Portzline. “People say, ‘Well, why don’t you buy out the contract?’ It’s a six-year buyout, and there are years three, four, five and six when you might need that cap space. So you’ve eliminated those two options.”

The contract Waddell is referring to involves a $5.4MM cap hit for Merzļikins through 2027, a tough deal to move when there are far more attractive options in the net available for trade this summer. Merzļikins improved from a nightmarish 2022-23 season this year but still struggled with a .897 SV%, 3.45 GAA and 13-17-8 record in 41 appearances. He also frequently entered and exited the lineup due to a variety of illnesses and injuries, including a lower-body ailment that sidelined him for seven of their final eight games. Those numbers were still below average considering the Blue Jackets’ poor defense, saving -6.3 goals above expected, but it was a massive improvement on his -25.9 GSAx figure the year before in just 30 games (MoneyPuck).

It’s all a far cry from his rookie season five years ago when Merzļikins arrived in Columbus with a .923 SV% in 33 games and finished fifth in 2020 Vezina Trophy voting. In fact, he was overall one of the better netminders in the league with a .913 SV% in 120 games between 2019-20 and 2021-22, but his past two seasons have brought him down to a much more pedestrian .904 SV% for his career.

Back in January, the 30-year-old told media he’d requested a trade but later walked back his statement. He did have some interest from the Devils before the trade deadline, but they ended up going with Jake Allen as a stopgap option before making a big swing to acquire Jacob Markström from the Flames yesterday.

Next season, he’ll face stiff competition for starts from 24-year-old Daniil Tarasov, who ended the season on a high note after struggling with injuries early on. The 2017 third-round pick made a career-high 24 appearances, logging an 8-11-3 record with a respectable .908 SV% and 3.18 GAA that worked out to 3.9 goals saved above average. Pending restricted free agent Jet Greaves is also pushing for NHL time after posting a .926 SV% in 13 playoff games with AHL Cleveland and recording a 30-win regular season.

Blue Jackets Notes: Fourth Overall Pick, Laine, Hartley

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The Blue Jackets are open for business regarding their fourth overall pick in next week’s draft, GM and president of hockey operations Don Waddell said today (via Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch). They wouldn’t be looking at shopping the pick for an immediate roster upgrade, though.

Moving back in the draft is the only option if they’re parting with the pick, Waddell implied. He said “the price is high” to get them to do it, citing multiple other teams in the top 10 are also listening to offers to swap their picks.

If they don’t move the pick, the Blue Jackets are looking at their fourth top-10 pick in a row. Previous selections include Kent Johnson (fifth overall, 2021), David Jiříček (sixth overall, 2022) and Adam Fantilli (third overall, 2023).

Other quick hits from Waddell at this morning’s media availability:

  • Columbus hasn’t had any substantive trade discussions involving Patrik Laine yet, Waddell said (via Hedger). He’s actively in contact with Laine’s representation about trade options, but isn’t yet talking to other teams while Laine is still receiving treatment in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Waddell said that when they do get to the point of making a trade, he’d like it to be for established talent in return (via the team’s Jeff Svoboda). Laine and the Blue Jackets are seemingly both happy with parting ways this summer. Among interested parties, the Kraken have already been linked to his services.
  • Longtime NHL coach Bob Hartley has reached out to Waddell about the Blue Jackets’ vacancy, he confirmed (via Hedger). Hartley, who coached the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup in 2001, also worked under Waddell with the Atlanta Thrashers from 2003 to 2007. He hasn’t coached in the league since a four-year run with the Flames from 2012 to 2016, however. His only experience since has come overseas with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, a post he held from 2018 to 2022. In 2021, Hartley was named the KHL’s Coach of the Year and guided Omsk to a Gagarin Cup championship.

Kraken Linked To Patrik Laine

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With Patrik Laine now officially on the trade block, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet says that the Kraken are a team to watch in talks for the scoring winger (audio link to “32 Thoughts”). It’s not clear how much Seattle general manager Ron Francis has explored a move, but Friedman believes there’s a “real push in that organization to be more aggressive” this summer as the team enters its fourth season of existence.

Few expected scoring to be a major issue for the Kraken this season after their capable death-by-depth offense erupted for 289 goals last year, but their shooting percentage cratered this season en route to finishing 29th in the league in goals. A major hiccup has been the health of top-six winger André Burakovsky, who’s missed nearly half the campaign with injuries in back-to-back years. While he was effective last season when healthy, the same couldn’t be said in 2023-24. His 16 points in 49 games worked out to 0.33 points per game, tied for the lowest of his 10-year NHL career.

Acquiring Laine would add a player with even more exaggerated issues staying healthy over the past couple of years, but he’d immediately become the highest-ceiling scoring option on the roster. The Kraken have been largely comfortable with Jared McCann as their top sniper, averaging 32 goals per season in a Kraken uniform, but Laine’s sparkling career 14.7 shooting percentage is hard to pass up.

It is impossible to ignore Laine’s availability issues over the past three seasons. Injuries limited him to 129 out of 246 games, missing 47.6% of regular-season action during that time. He played just 18 games this season, although he also spent much of the year in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program after dealing with an upper-body injury in the first few months of the campaign.

However, during the two campaigns that he logged 50+ games in Columbus, he was worth his $8.7MM cap hit when in the lineup. The 2016 second-overall pick arguably had the best offensive showings of his career, pacing out for 38 goals and 82 points in 2021-22 and 33 goals and 78 points in 2022-23. Neither would have eclipsed his career high of 44 goals set with the Jets in 2017-18, but they would have both marked a career-best single-season point total.

There’s also breakout potential for Laine if he can stay healthy in a Kraken system that encourages puck possession. While they will have some different schemes next season under head coach Dan Bylsma, Seattle has consistently been a better even-strength puck possession team than Columbus over the past few years, and there’s little reason to see that not continuing without much roster turnover expected this summer. That means more opportunities for Laine to shoot and gives him a half-decent chance of sniffing the 40-goal plateau once again, especially if reunited with a skilled playmaker like former Blue Jackets teammate Oliver Bjorkstrand.

His power-play impact would also be beneficial. Laine led the league in power-play goals with 20 during his breakout sophomore campaign, and he’d help charge up a Kraken man-advantage unit that’s clicked at 18.4% over the past three seasons, 28th in the league during that time.

The Kraken aren’t a team that loves big cap hits, though. Defenseman Vince Dunn is their most expensive player annually at $7.35MM. Laine’s $8.7MM cap hit is worth it for his goal-scoring ability, but it’s hard for a lot of teams to justify absorbing it for a player who hasn’t played 60-plus games since before the pandemic.

But they do need scoring, and as Friedman articulates, their coaching change is indicative of a clear desire to return to postseason play in 2025. They have the financial flexibility to pull off a move with $23.424MM in projected cap space, although they do still need new deals for notable RFA forwards Matthew Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen.

Blue Jackets Likely To Prioritize Experience With Head Coaching Hire

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  • After middling results under first-time head coaches the past few seasons, expect the Blue Jackets to opt for someone with experience behind an NHL bench as they search for Pascal Vincent’s replacement. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic lists Jeff Blashill, Dean Evason, Todd McLellan and Jay Woodcroft to be a part of a long list of interview candidates.

Blue Jackets Fire Pascal Vincent

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The Blue Jackets have fired head coach Pascal Vincent, according to a team announcement.

“As I spent time with Pascal over the past few weeks, I found him to be an outstanding person and smart hockey coach who worked very hard last year under trying circumstances, but I believe a change behind the bench is in our team’s best interest,” reads a statement from general manager Don Waddell. “On behalf of the organization, I want to thank Pascal for his work ethic, professionalism and contributions during his three seasons with the Blue Jackets.”

Vincent’s firing comes after one season at the helm for Columbus, his first as an NHL head coach. During his short tenure, the team went 27-43-12 (.402), although he was never put in a position to succeed. The team had initially tabbed Mike Babcock as their next head coach entering the season after firing Brad Larsen last summer, but Babcock resigned at the beginning of training camp after he was the subject of a joint NHL/NHLPA investigation spurred by allegations that Babcock asked to view phones and/or photographs of several Blue Jackets players.

The Blue Jackets weren’t expected to make the playoffs this season, but they were supposed to take a step forward from 2022-23’s 59-point showing. While they technically improved on that total by seven points, they still finished within the bottom five of the league. A new-look defense featuring offseason acquisitions Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson failed to demonstrate much improvement, allowing 298 goals. Only the Sharks allowed more with 326.

Vincent, 52, joined the Blue Jackets as an associate coach on Larsen’s staff ahead of the 2021-22 season. The move came after spending a decade in the Jets organization, first as an NHL assistant before becoming the head coach of the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

The search for a new coach begins immediately, the team said. For now, assistants Jared Boll, Josef Boumedienne, Steve McCarthy, Mark Recchi and goaltending coach Niklas Bäckström remain in their posts, but the team said “further decisions regarding the club’s coaching staff” haven’t yet been made.

At times this season, Vincent drew public criticism for his handling of the development of some of the Blue Jackets’ many young prospects. Chief among most complaints was the lack of playing time for 2022 sixth-overall pick David Jiříček, who suited up in 43 games for Columbus this season but averaged a paltry 14:36 per game with no special team usage. The young blue-liner did well in his limited minutes, posting 10 points, recording 38 shots on goal and posting positive relative possession metrics. Others did have good seasons, namely Kirill Marchenko and his team-leading 23 goals, but overall, their young core didn’t mesh as hoped. A calf laceration that ended 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli’s season in January didn’t help matters.

Under Vincent, the Blue Jackets’ team play improved slightly from last season. They controlled 48.3% of shot attempts, 45.8% of expected goals and 46.9% of scoring chances at 5-on-5. These numbers were better than 2022-23’s by at least a full percentage point, but they were still far away from anything resembling a playoff team.

The Blue Jackets now arrive very late to the coaching search party. All of the vacancies created over the last few months have already been filled, wrapping up with the Sharks promoting Ryan Warsofsky late last week. Accordingly, barring any extremely unforeseen circumstances, Vincent won’t be behind an NHL to begin next season as a head coach. There are still a number of assistant and associate coach vacancies that he should draw interest for, however.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report Vincent had been relieved of his duties.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Waddell: Everything Is In Play For The Right Price

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  • New Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell has some work to do to reshape Columbus this offseason. To that end, he told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that he is telling teams that “for the right price, everything is in play”.  He has been fielding calls inquiring about the fourth overall selection in a couple of weeks although it would be surprising to see them most that pick.  Meanwhile, it certainly looks like Patrik Laine could be on the move in the coming weeks and other veterans could also go as Waddell puts his stamp on the team.  After another last-place finish in the Metropolitan, it could be another busy summer in Columbus.

Columbus Blue Jackets Aiming To Trade Patrik Laine

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On this week’s rendition of TSN’s Insider Trading, an interesting player has reportedly hit the trade block. Pierre LeBrun indicates that one of the major goals of the offseason for the Columbus Blue Jackets is to move on from struggling forward Patrik Laine.

Laine has been an interesting player, to say the least during his time in Columbus since being acquired by the organization in a trade during the 2020-21 NHL season. In 174 games for the Blue Jackets, Laine has scored 64 goals and 138 points as the team hoped he would be a solid compliment to Johnny Gaudreau on the first line.

This past season was far and away Laine’s worst in Ohio, as he only managed six goals and nine points in 18 games. To add insult to injury, head coach of the Blue Jackets, Pascal Vincent, healthy scratched Laine for the first time in his career in mid-November before Laine finally landed in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program for the rest of the season in late January. Seemingly disgruntled on both sides of the relationship, it appears Laine and Columbus will work on a mutual move at some point this summer.

As desperately as both sides may want a formal split, Laine’s contract has quickly become one of the hardest to move in the league. The acquiring team will be on the hook for $8.7MM (~10% of the salary cap) for the next two seasons unless Columbus is willing to retain money in the trade. Still, with the lack of production on his current deal and the stop in the Player Assistance Program, most teams may be hesitant to add Laine to the roster.

Being a high-salary reclamation project, it should be a relatively easy task ironing out a list of potential suitors for Laine. Given that he only brings offensive contributions to the lineup, there are several rebuilding clubs with plenty of cap flexibility and a need for more offense. The Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks all come to mind as clear choices to pursue a trade for Laine this summer.

All three options allow Laine a fresh start to his career two years before he hits unrestricted free agency. If Laine can rebuild is former label as a high-level goal-scoring threat throughout the league, the acquiring team may even be able to sell high on him at the trade deadline after next season.

Columbus To Begin Negotiations With Yegor Chinakhov

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  • In the same announcement from the Shumi Babaev Agency — the Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to begin contract talks with forward Yegor Chinakhov. Unlike Zamula, Chinakhov has not yet earned arbitration rights but is coming off a 16-goal campaign, good for fourth on the team in goal-scoring. Chinakhov’s production from this past season could be an outlier, as he saw his average time on ice jump nearly two minutes under current head coach Pascal Vincent. Nevertheless, with the Blue Jackets being desperate for offensive production, there should be plenty of motivation for a new deal on both sides of the negotiation.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Blue Jackets Assign Denton Mateychuk To AHL

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The Blue Jackets have sent left-shot defense prospect Denton Mateychuk to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters to finish the season, per a team release. Mateychuk’s junior season ended last week when his Moose Jaw Warriors were stomped out of the 2024 Memorial Cup in a 7-1 semifinal loss to the eventual champion Saginaw Spirit.

Mateychuk, the 12th overall pick in 2022, is a strong candidate for at least a brief look at the NHL roster next season. He’s coming off an electric campaign in Moose Jaw that saw him serve as team captain for the second straight year while compiling 17 goals and 75 points in 52 games, winning the Bill Hunter Trophy for the top defenseman in the Western Hockey League. He added another 11 goals and 30 points in 20 playoff games as the Warriors won their first WHL championship, taking home playoff MVP honors. The 19-year-old also had four assists in five games for Team Canada at the 2024 World Junior Championship and was named a top-three player on the team.

The Winnipeg native will now get his first taste of pro hockey with the Monsters, who are still alive in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. They trail the Eastern Conference Final against the Hershey Bears 2-0 after losing a pair of road games in overtime. Mateychuk could make his professional debut tomorrow in Game 3 of the series as the Monsters look to avoid being put on the brink of elimination.

Mateychuk signed his entry-level contract shortly after he was drafted in 2022, but the lack of NHL action over the past two seasons caused his deal to slide twice. Thus, he still has three years remaining on his rookie deal and won’t be a restricted free agent until 2027. His cap hit has also decreased to $887K from its initial $950K because of the $190K worth of signing bonuses he’s earned during the two slide years.

Jarmo Kekalainen Linked To Hurricanes’ GM Vacancy

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The Hurricanes are considering hiring former Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen to fill their vacancy, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Speaking on the “32 Thoughts” podcast on Monday, Friedman said Kekäläinen is a “contender” for the position. Their GM vacancy was created last month after Don Waddell resigned from his post, joining Columbus to replace Kekäläinen within days.

Kekäläinen, 57, is the first external candidate firmly connected to the Carolina opening. He was fired from his post in Columbus in February after 11 years with the organization.

It’s unclear if the Hurricanes have obtained permission to interview him from the Blue Jackets yet, but it would make sense as a virtual GM-for-GM trade. Carolina’s assistant GMs under Waddell, Eric Tulsky and Darren Yorke, are also strong contenders to replace Waddell, with the former serving as interim GM in his absence.

Notably, Friedman said the candidate pool for Waddell’s replacement isn’t terribly large due to how the organization wants to structure its front office. The team has made it clear to potential candidates that, unlike with other teams, their GM won’t be their sole primary decision-maker. Instead, they’ll work in a more collaborative environment with AGMs and owner Tom Dundon, with their main duties being facilitating communication with other teams. Evidently, that hasn’t scared off Kekäläinen, but Friedman reports it has swayed a few candidates away from having an interest in the role.

It’s also the first opening Kekäläinen has been connected to in earnest since his firing. While it’s been a tough go in Columbus lately, he did oversee the longest sustained period of success in franchise history, helping construct a Jackets roster that made the playoffs four years in a row from 2017 to 2020.

With Waddell heading over to Columbus, the Canes are the only team with an active GM vacancy. The Oilers are likely to end up with one after the Stanley Cup Final ends with Ken Holland in the final year of his contract and not expected to return.

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