Headlines

  • Jeff Skinner Signs With Sharks
  • Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Henry Thrun
  • Avalanche Sign Josh Manson To Two-Year Extension
  • Stars Trade Matt Dumba To Penguins
  • Panthers Sign Mackie Samoskevich To One-Year Deal
  • Golden Knights Beginning To Work Out Jack Eichel Extension
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • Atlantic
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Central
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Metropolitan
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Pacific
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Partners
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Blue Jackets Rumors

Morning Notes: Brindley, Soucy, Reichel, Rangers

May 13, 2024 at 10:33 am CDT | by Gabriel Foley 7 Comments

Team USA has added Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Gavin Brindley to their World Championship lineup, per Steven Ellis of the Daily Faceoff (Twitter link). Brindley becomes the fourth collegiate athlete to join the squad, stepping into a room with World Juniors teammates Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Trey Augustine. The quartet played a major role in USA’s drive towards the 2024 World Juniors Gold Medal – and they’re now rewarded with an opportunity with the Men’s National Team. Brindley isn’t expected to line up for USA’s Monday matchup against Team Slovakia, instead joining Leonard and Matt Kessel as the team’s healthy scratches.

Brindley is continuing to have a fruitful off-season, signing his entry-level contract and making his NHL debut in early April. He received 12 minutes of ice time but wasn’t able to change his stat line. With Columbus’ season ending soon after, Brindley’s scoring this season was limited to the 25 goals and 53 points he managed in 40 games with the University of Michigan. He also added 10 points in seven World Juniors games.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The NHL Department of Player Safety is expected to hold a hearing for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Soucy could be facing punishment for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid in the face, after McDavid was knocked over by Nikita Zadorov, during a late-game scrum. Soucy has been suspended once in his career, receiving a one-game booking for charging Conor Garland in March of 2021. He was also assessed a $2,500 fine for a roughing penalty in November of 2022. It will likely be Noah Juulsen who steps in should Soucy miss any time. Juulsen has played in one postseason game this Spring, recording a -1 in 11:24 of ice time. Juulsen is coming off a career-high 54 NHL appearances this season, though he only managed seven points.
  • Team Germany has also made a lineup addition, bringing in Chicago Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel, per Ellis (Twitter link). Reichel has been a key piece of Germany’s international presence, recording 11 points in 13 games across the last two World Championships. He also joined the team at the World U18 Division 1-A Championship in 2019 and the World Juniors in 2020. Reichel is coming off an up-and-down year, scoring just 16 points in 65 NHL games. He’ll look to reestablish his scoring spark in the familiarity of international play, with five games remaining on Germany’s slate before the quarter-finals.
  • The New York Rangers welcomed forward Filip Chytil back to practice on Monday, after he missed Game 4 with an illness. Blake Wheeler is also progressing from injury, upgrading to a full-contact jersey, shares Vince Mercogliano of USA Today Sports (Twitter link). Both Chytil and Wheeler should slot right back into the lineup, should both be cleared to play, likely bumping Jonny Brodzinski and Will Cuylle back to the skybox. Wheeler made a strong impact on the Winnipeg Jets’ first round run last season, scoring six points in five games to bring his career playoff scoring up to 45 points in 65 games.

AHL| Chicago Blackhawks| Columbus Blue Jackets| Injury| NHL| New York Rangers| Team Germany| Team USA| Vancouver Canucks| Winnipeg Jets Blake Wheeler| Carson Soucy| Filip Chytil| Gavin Brindley| Lukas Reichel

7 comments

Hockey Canada Releases 2024 World Championship Roster

May 7, 2024 at 10:08 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 9 Comments

May 7: Celebrini and Fantilli have returned home from Czechia, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports. The former will participate in tonight’s 2024 NHL Draft Lottery, while Fantilli’s reasons for departing are undisclosed. It’s unclear whether they’ve been removed from the roster entirely. In a corresponding transaction, the team added Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois and Lightning forwards Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul to the roster.

May 3: Hockey Canada has released its roster of 22 players who will wear the maple leaf at the 2024 World Championship, which begins next week in Ostrava and Prague, Czechia. There are three open spots left to be filled throughout the tournament as more teams are eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Much like the initial World Championship roster that USA Hockey released weeks back, it’s almost completely made up of NHL talent – a rarity for the top-level countries at this tournament recently. The return and promise of future best-on-best international tournaments in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics has players and front offices looking at this year’s Worlds as a tune-up and initial evaluation for those events.

In fact, the only non-NHL player on Canada’s tournament-opening roster will be in the league next season. That’s presumptive 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini, who continues his 2023-24 campaign after taking home the Hobey Baker Award for the top collegiate player in his freshman season with Boston University. Their offense is highlighted and led by Blackhawks rookie phenom Connor Bedard and Kraken sniper Jared McCann, while Sabres defenders Bowen Byram and Owen Power highlight the back end. Blues netminder Jordan Binnington is expected to serve as the team’s starter.

The full roster is as follows:

F Connor Bedard (Blackhawks)
F Michael Bunting (Penguins)
F Macklin Celebrini (2024 draft-eligible)
F Dylan Cozens (Sabres)
F Adam Fantilli (Blue Jackets)
F Ridly Greig (Senators)
F Dylan Guenther (NHL Utah)
F Andrew Mangiapane (Flames)
F Jack McBain (NHL Utah)
F Jared McCann (Kraken)
F Dawson Mercer (Devils)
F Brandon Tanev (Kraken)

D Bowen Byram (Sabres)
D Kaiden Guhle (Canadiens)
D Jamie Oleksiak (Kraken)
D Colton Parayko (Blues)
D Owen Power (Sabres)
D Damon Severson (Blue Jackets)
D Olen Zellweger (Ducks)

G Jordan Binnington (Blues)
G Nico Daws (Devils)
G Joel Hofer (Blues)

Anaheim Ducks| Buffalo Sabres| Calgary Flames| Chicago Blackhawks| Columbus Blue Jackets| Montreal Canadiens| New Jersey Devils| Ottawa Senators| Pittsburgh Penguins| Seattle Kraken| St. Louis Blues| Team Canada| Utah Mammoth Adam Fantilli| Andrew Mangiapane| Bowen Byram| Brandon Tanev| Colton Parayko| Connor Bedard| Damon Severson| Dylan Cozens| Dylan Guenther| Jack McBain| Jamie Oleksiak| Jared McCann| Joel Hofer| Jordan Binnington| Kaiden Guhle| Macklin Celebrini| Michael Bunting| Nico Daws| Olen Zellweger| Owen Power| Ridly Greig| World Championships

9 comments

Offseason Checklist: Columbus Blue Jackets

May 4, 2024 at 2:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs plus several others who have already been eliminated.  Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Columbus.

After a tough 2022-23 season, there was supposed to be some reason for optimism for the Blue Jackets this year.  GM Jarmo Kekalainen picked up a pair of impactful defensemen while some younger players were expected to take the next step.  Mike Babcock was brought in as head coach to help shepherd the team back towards competitiveness at a minimum.

By now, you know what happened next.  Babcock was gone before ever coaching a game, resulting in Pascal Vincent, a first-time bench boss, taking over behind the bench.  The team then battled a litany of injuries throughout the year while there was some inconsistency in the performances from their young core, resulting in just a seven-point improvement while once again finishing last in the Metropolitan Division.  Eventually, Kekalainen was ousted with a lengthy search for his replacement underway.  That headlines a busy checklist for Columbus this summer.

Hire A GM, Make Coaching Decision: Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first.  Before the team can do any sort of heavy lifting, they need to hire Kekalainen’s replacement.  While team president John Davidson is handling the day-to-day operations for the time being, they can’t run with an interim option for too much longer.

The belief is that they’ve cast a very wide net as they look for a replacement with experience being a key characteristic they’re looking for.  However, that doesn’t have to come in the form of NHL GM experience but rather someone who has a lot of time working in an NHL front office.

Once they get that hire in place, the first decision that will need to be made is on the coaching front.  Vincent has one year left on his contract; is he going to be their coach of the future and get an extension?  Will the new GM want to make their own hire?  Or will they opt to stick with the status quo and keep Vincent in place in his walk year, allowing for extra time for evaluation with perhaps a reshaped roster?  Knowing this is the time of year when most coaching searches are completed, it’s important to get this file closed quickly which means a general manager needs to be hired sooner than later.

Upgrade In Goal: One of the ideas behind Kekalainen’s additions of Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson last summer was that an upgraded back end would go a long way toward helping stabilize things between the pipes.  Elvis Merzlikins was coming off a disastrous year while Daniil Tarasov – now the full-time backup after Joonas Korpisalo was moved at the trade deadline – didn’t have much NHL experience so there was certainly some logic in the idea that a better defense corps would benefit the goaltenders.

Despite the good intentions, the results weren’t much better.  Yes, Merzlikins improved his save percentage by 31 points this year compared to last.  However, he still checked in at .897, well below average for one of the higher-paid starters in the league.  Meanwhile, Tarasov improved his rate by 16 points to .908 but he still has just 45 career NHL appearances under his belt.  He could be part of the future plans for them but he’s not ready for the number one role.

However, Merzlikins’ performance over the past couple of years has shown that he’s not a viable option for the number one role either, at least not with Columbus.  Accordingly, it would be quite difficult to run it back with this tandem and expect any sort of material improvement in the standings.

The good news for Columbus is that it looks like this could be a summer where there is more activity than normal on the goalie transaction front with some notable names in play.  While it’s unreasonable to think they’ll be in the mix for the likes of Jacob Markstrom and possibly Juuse Saros, there should be a domino effect once the swaps begin, potentially giving them an opportunity to try another starter.

They’re not in a situation where they’ll be able to get good value for Merzlikins.  Frankly, they might not be able to get any value for him.  But if they want to try to take a step forward next season, it may very well be in the best interest of both sides to have a new starter in place working with Tarasov when the puck drops in October.

Defensive Decisions: After making some big moves last summer on the back end, whoever takes over as GM will have some decisions to make and could look to shake things up again.

Is Provorov going to be part of their long-term plans?  The change of scenery didn’t kickstart his game from an offensive standpoint although he had a decent year overall.  But he’s entering the final year of his contract with a $6.75MM AAV (the Blue Jackets are only responsible for $4.75MM of that) and will likely be looking for a long-term agreement around that price tag.  If he’s not willing to sign or the team isn’t ready to make that type of commitment, it might make sense to see what is available for him this summer over an in-season swap closer to the trade deadline.

Another decision will have to be made on the RFA front with Jake Bean.  A couple of years ago, it looked like he was going to be a key part of their future plans after putting up 25 points in 2021-22 while logging over 20 minutes a night.  However, since then, he has struggled to stay healthy and when he has played, he has had a much more limited role, predominantly on the third pairing.  The 25-year-old has one year of club control remaining but to use it, the Blue Jackets would have to tender him a $2.9MM qualifying offer and give him arbitration rights.  Would that money be better utilized elsewhere?  They’ll have to decide by the end of June.

Whoever takes over as GM will also likely pick up the efforts to move Adam Boqvist.  Brought over as part of the Seth Jones trade, the 23-year-old has shown flashes of being an above-average producer from the blueline but struggles with injuries and defensive zone issues have limited him thus far.  He played in just 35 games this season which isn’t ideal considering he’s carrying a $2MM cap charge.  With David Jiricek expected to make a full-time jump to the NHL next season and Nick Blankenburg no longer waiver-exempt, something has to give roster-wise.  Moving Boqvist would help ease the roster crunch.

On top of those, trying to upgrade the back end should also be on the to-do list if the new GM comes in and elects to keep pushing forward with this core.  It was a busy offseason last year for defensive activity and this one could be as well.

Bridge Or Long-Term Deals: The Blue Jackets have several young forwards in line for their second contracts this summer – centers Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson along with winger Kirill Marchenko.  While a long-term contract for any of them would likely be an overpayment at the beginning, it could also be a bargain later on if they pan out as expected.  With a young group, balancing things out with some long-term agreements among the short-term bridge ones makes sense from a salary cap perspective.

Sillinger had a nice bounce-back season after a rough sophomore campaign.  The 20-year-old set new career bests in assists (19) and points (32) while making strides as a two-way player.  If they think he’s poised to take a big step forward offensively next season, they could take a look at trying to work out a longer-term deal although a bridge agreement feels like the more probable outcome.

The same can be said for Johnson whose second full professional season had some struggles.  After putting up 40 points in his rookie year, he notched just six goals and ten assists in 42 games this year with a shoulder injury ending his campaign early.  Had he been able to take a step forward, he’d have been an easy candidate for a long-term pact but now, both sides need more time to evaluate things.

As for Marchenko, he very quietly led the Blue Jackets in goals this season with 23, his second straight 20-goal campaign after notching 21 in his rookie year.  Consistent scoring threats are hard to come by, particularly on a Columbus team that has underwhelmed offensively; they’ve only been better than 25th in goals once over the last five seasons.  A longer-term agreement shouldn’t break the bank with some comparables around the league checking in around the $5MM-plus range.  If that’s something Marchenko is amenable to, that’s a deal that could work out well for both sides.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Offseason Checklist 2024| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

1 comment

William Whitelaw Transfers To Michigan

April 27, 2024 at 6:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

  • Blue Jackets prospect William Whitelaw recently announced (Twitter link) that he has transferred to the University of Michigan for next season. The 19-year-old was a third-round pick last year, going 66th overall after a near-point-per-game season in the USHL.  However, offensive success was a little harder to come by this season at Wisconsin, as he was limited to 10 goals and seven assists in 37 games.  Those numbers aren’t bad for a first-year player but he opted for a change of scenery.  Whitelaw is the fourth NHL-drafted prospect to transfer out of Wisconsin in recent weeks, joining Pittsburgh’s Cruz Lucius, Detroit’s Brady Cleveland, and Minnesota’s Charlie Stramel.

Boston Bruins| Columbus Blue Jackets| NCAA| Tampa Bay Lightning| Transactions Eamon Powell| Ty Gallagher| William Whitelaw

1 comment

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Luca Pinelli To Entry-Level Contract

April 23, 2024 at 12:50 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 1 Comment

As they look towards the future with another disappointing season in the rearview mirror, the Columbus Blue Jackets have signed one of their prospects coming out of the Ontario Hockey League. In a team announcement, the Blue Jackets have signed forward Luca Pinelli to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2024-25 NHL season.

Spending the last three years with the Ottawa 67’s, Pinelli was drafted 114th overall by Columbus in the 2023 NHL Draft. A bit undersized, Pinelli is known as a workhorse on both sides of the puck, regularly leaving everything out on the ice. Throughout his time in the OHL, Pinelli developed his skills as an exceptional reactionary player, thoroughly scanning and adapting to the play at a moment’s notice.

He continued to improve offensively during his time in major juniors, scoring 91 goals and 181 points over 194 games with the 67’s since the start of the 2021-22 OHL season. Of his career totals, Pinelli more than doubled this past year, scoring 48 goals and 82 points through 68 games as Ottawa’s captain.

Unfortunately, the 67’s were unable to reach beyond the second round of the OHL Playoffs during his tenure in Canada’s capital, but it was through no fault of his own. In three years, Pinelli was able to suit up in 25 postseason games for the 67’s, scoring 14 goals and 29 points in total.

Now transitioning to the Blue Jackets organization, Pinelli should start next season in the American Hockey League for the Cleveland Monsters, unless he completely forces Columbus’ hand during training camp. Even though size is no longer a major determinant to making it to the NHL, Pinelli should still take some time to build up his body to be a sustainable presence in the lineup.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Transactions Luca Pinelli

1 comment

Jakub Voráček Announces Retirement From Playing Career

April 23, 2024 at 10:08 am CDT | by Gabriel Foley 4 Comments

Long-time Philadelphia Flyers winger Jakub Voráček has announced his retirement from playing in an exclusive March interview with Martina Jandová of Czechia’s Showtime Program. The 1,000-game veteran cited 12 concussions as the reason he can no longer play, describing four of the injuries as, “heavy”. This announcement brings an official end to Voracek’s career, something many speculated would happen after he accepted a job supporting Jaromir Jagr’s Kladno at the start of the season. Voráček said, “I started helping with the A team. [Jagr] called me in September to ask if I could help. So I decided to try it part-time. I enjoy it a lot. We’ll see what happens in the future, but I can’t go on the ice anymore.”

Voráček will retire as a member of the Arizona Coyotes despite never suiting up with the team. His rights were traded away from the Columbus Blue Jackets at last year’s Trade Deadline, with Columbus receiving Jon Gillies in return for the cap dump. Columbus drafted Voráček with the seventh-overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, taking him in a top 10 that also featured Patrick Kane, James van Riemsdyk, and Logan Couture. Voráček played one more season in the QMJHL – the league he was drafted out of – before debuting with the Blue Jackets in the 2008-09 season. His rookie year brought just nine goals, but still a solid 38 points, in 80 games.

Voráček was the focal piece of the 2011 blockbuster trade that sent a then 27-year-old Jeff Carter to Columbus for a 21-year-old Voráček and the draft picks used to select Sean Couturier and Nick Cousins. It was in Philadelphia that Voráček built his legacy, recording six separate 20-goal seasons and consistently rivaling 50 or 60 points. His career-year came in 2017-18, when he managed 20 goals and 85 points in just 82 games.

Columbus would re-acquire Voráček in 2021, sending Cam Atkinson to Philadelphia. Voráček would play in 90 more games with the Blue Jackets, scoring 68 points, before his career came to a close midway through the 2022-23 season. Voráček totaled 1,058 games in the NHL, netting 223 goals and 806 points. He remains the third-highest scoring Czech player in NHL history, behind just Jagr and Patrik Elias.

Columbus Blue Jackets| NHL| Newsstand| Philadelphia Flyers| QMJHL| Retirement| Utah Mammoth Jakub Voracek

4 comments

William Whitelaw Transfers to Michigan

April 22, 2024 at 6:00 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 1 Comment

  • Columbus Blue Jackets second-round pick William Whitelaw has transferred from the University of Wisconsin to the University of Michigan for his sophomore season, per an announcement on his Instagram. Whitelaw had a slow start to his collegiate career, recording just 10 goals and 17 points in 37 games and often serving in a third-line role. This came after Whitelaw served as the leading forward on the 2023 Clark Cup championship-winning Youngstown Phantoms, scoring 61 points in 62 games in his only full-year in the USHL. He’ll hope for a much bigger role with the Wolverines, who recently lost Frank Nazar, Dylan Duke, and Gavin Brindley to NHL contracts.

AHL| Columbus Blue Jackets| Kyle Dubas| NHL| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Prospects| USHL| WHL| Washington Capitals Andrew Cristall| Brayden Yager| Bryce Brodzinski| William Whitelaw

1 comment

Jeff Carter Announces Retirement

April 17, 2024 at 9:33 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 13 Comments

The Penguins announced postgame that veteran center Jeff Carter is retiring after a 19-year NHL career. He’d spent the last three seasons and change in Pittsburgh, maintaining his status as a regular but slipping to bottom-six minutes as his point production and all-around game declined.

The two-time Stanley Cup champion cited family reasons as his primary reason for stepping away from the game, confirming he’ll stick around in the Pittsburgh area moving forward:

Yeah, we’re staying. We moved here in August full-time. We’ve loved it. It’s been a great fit for our family. It’s central to both our extended families. It has worked out really well.

Carter’s career began with the cross-state rival Flyers, who selected him with the 11th overall pick in 2003 as part of arguably the most star-studded first round in modern history. The now-39-year-old wouldn’t make his NHL debut for another two years, sticking around with the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League while a labor lockout canceled the 2004-05 campaign. At age 21, he immediately stepped in as a solid complementary scorer, scoring 23 goals and 42 points in 2005-06 while averaging only 12:04 per game.

He was promoted to Philadelphia’s top six the following season, where he largely remained for the Flyers and three other clubs before being demoted last season. By 2008-09, he’d cemented himself as one of the better two-way centers in the league, leading a deep Flyers offense in scoring with a career-high 46 goals and 84 points, averaging nearly 21 minutes per game.

His point production trailed off marginally over the next two seasons but nonetheless remained a top-six fixture. Injuries began to take a minor toll, as he was limited to 12 appearances in the Flyers’ run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. Philly inked him to an 11-year, $58MM extension early in the 2010-11 campaign, but he would never play a game for the franchise under that deal. Then-Flyers GM Paul Holmgren had a quick case of buyer’s remorse amid his early 2010s roster-retooling, dealing Carter to the Blue Jackets for young winger Jakub Voráček, a first-round pick that became captain Sean Couturier, and a third-round pick that became depth contributor Nick Cousins.

It was a slam-dunk deal for Philly, who got 604 points and 727 games out of Voráček, 795 games and 498 points (and counting) out of Couturier, and three seasons of decent depth scoring out of Cousins. Carter played less than a full season in Columbus, as he was flipped to the Kings at the 2012 trade deadline after just 15 goals and 39 games in a Blue Jackets uniform.

His offensive peak may have been in Philadelphia, but he found the most success in Los Angeles. He posted nine points in 16 games down the stretch in 2012 before tying for the league lead with eight goals in 20 postseason games as the eight-seed Kings had one of the most dominant Cinderella runs in professional sports, winning the first Stanley Cup in franchise history while going 16-4. Splitting duties with former Flyers teammate Mike Richards as some of the Kings’ primary secondary scorers behind Anže Kopitar, he returned with a vengeance in 2014, erupting for 10 goals and 25 points in 26 playoff games as L.A. captured its second championship in three years.

Carter eclipsed the 60-point mark in each of the next three seasons and was on his way to doing so again in 2017-18 until an October skate cut caused tendon damage in his lower left leg, requiring surgery and keeping him out for over four months. He was strong in limited action, posting 22 points in 27 games, but was held without a point in four playoff games as the Kings were quickly dispatched by the expansion Golden Knights in the first round.

Unfortunately, he was never the same after that. He managed 60 points combined over the following two seasons (136 games), posting a -41 rating in the process. After he was limited to eight goals and 19 points through the first 40 games of the COVID-shortened 2021 season, the retooling Kings traded the final season-and-a-half of his aforementioned extension to the Penguins for a pair of mid-round draft picks, retaining half his $5.27MM cap hit in the swap.

The move worked out well in the short-term for Pittsburgh. Carter had a resurgence in slightly increased minutes down the stretch, recording 11 points in 14 games and four goals and six playoff games as the Pens were eliminated in the first round by the Islanders. He put up 45 points the following season, his highest total in five years, but Pittsburgh was again dispatched in the first round, this time by the Rangers.

Given his mild rebound, Penguins GM Ron Hextall inked Carter to a two-year, $6.25MM extension midway through the 2021-22 campaign. Unfortunately, the unavoidable aging curve took effect sooner than they’d hoped, knocking his production down to 13 goals and 29 points last season while having his ice time slashed to its lowest since his rookie season. This year marked another significant slide, posting 11 goals and just four assists in 72 contests. He is coming off his best-ever year in the faceoff dot, winning 61.5% of his draws.

Carter’s final goal came earlier tonight in a 5-4 loss to the Isles, a power-play tally assisted by Sidney Crosby and Michael Bunting. All told, his 1,321 career games played stand alone at 63rd on the all-time list. He tallied 441 goals, 409 assists, and 850 points with a career +9 rating and captured Selke Trophy votes on four occasions (2009, 2011, 2016, 2017). His estimated career earnings to date are $76.5MM, per CapFriendly.

With Carter sticking around in Pittsburgh, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take an off-ice role in GM Kyle Dubas’ front office. PHR extends its best wishes to Carter and his family in their next chapter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Los Angeles Kings| Newsstand| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Retirement Jeff Carter

13 comments

Blue Jackets Recall Luca Del Bel Belluz

April 16, 2024 at 1:40 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 1 Comment

Now that the Carolina Hurricanes have officially clinched the second spot in the Metropolitan Division, the organization has opted to sit a multitude of players for the team’s game tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets. With several spots in the lineup open, the team has called up defenseman Dylan Coghlan and forward Max Comtois from the Springfield Thunderbirds and Chicago Wolves, respectively.

[SOURCE LINK]

  • Preparing to make his NHL debut this evening, the Blue Jackets have recalled forward Luca Del Bel Belluz from their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. With forward Dmitri Voronkov out of tonight’s game due to illness, Del Bel Belluz could end up centering the third line with newcomer Gavin Brindley. In his first season playing for the Blue Jackets organization, the former 44th overall selection has scored nine goals and 30 points over 55 games in the AHL this year.

Carolina Hurricanes| Columbus Blue Jackets| Vancouver Canucks| Vegas Golden Knights Arturs Silovs| Dylan Coghlan| Jonas Rondbjerg| Luca Del Bel Belluz| Max Comtois

1 comment

Blue Jackets Notes: Fix-Wolansky, Subban, Jenner

April 15, 2024 at 8:42 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski Leave a Comment

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they’ve assigned forward Trey Fix-Wolansky to the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. The 24-year-old played in a career-high 11 NHL games this season with the Blue Jackets, posting two goals and an assist. The former seventh-round pick averaged a shade under 11 minutes of ice time per game and appeared to gain more confidence as the season went on. In his final appearance two nights ago he potted two goals against the Predators in 10:49 of ice time.

An undersized forward at 5’7” tall, Fix-Wolansky has been a prolific AHL scorer for the past two seasons but has been unable to carry it over to the NHL level. In 26 career NHL games, the Edmonton, Alberta native has four goals and two assists, numbers that are in stark contrast to his AHL numbers where he has 84 goals and 113 assists in 221 games.

In other Blue Jackets notes:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have also assigned goaltender Malcolm Subban to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. The 30-year-old netminder is a veteran of 87 NHL games split over eight seasons but has appeared in just five NHL games over the last three years including one this season. The Toronto, Ontario native is with his fifth NHL franchise and has appeared in 206 AHL games posting a record of 89-78-29 with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner was back at team practice today as he looks to return from personal leave. It was Jenner’s first time on the ice since he and his wife Maggie announced that their son Dawson was tragically stillborn. Jenner has missed the Blue Jackets last six games but could be available for the team’s final regular season game tomorrow night against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 30-year-old has spent his entire 11-year NHL career with the Blue Jackets and is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played with 715.

Columbus Blue Jackets Boone Jenner| Malcolm Subban| Trey Fix-Wolansky

0 comments
« Previous Page
Load More Posts
    Top Stories

    Jeff Skinner Signs With Sharks

    Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Henry Thrun

    Avalanche Sign Josh Manson To Two-Year Extension

    Stars Trade Matt Dumba To Penguins

    Panthers Sign Mackie Samoskevich To One-Year Deal

    Golden Knights Beginning To Work Out Jack Eichel Extension

    Lightning Acquire Sam O’Reilly From Oilers For Isaac Howard

    NHL, NHLPA Ratify Four-Year CBA Extension

    Gavin McKenna To Commit To Penn State

    Tyler Johnson Announces Retirement

    Recent

    West Notes: Sharks, Lord, Prosvetov

    Erik Karlsson Open To Being Traded To A Handful Of Teams

    Minor Transactions: 7/11/25

    Snapshots: Drouin, Hoefenmayer, CBA

    Blues’ First-Rounder Justin Carbonneau Will Return To QMJHL

    Wild Re-Sign Michael Milne

    Jeff Skinner Signs With Sharks

    Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

    Jets Re-Sign Isaak Phillips To Two-Year Contract

    Canadiens Still Have Work To Do This Summer

    Rumors By Team

    Rumors By Team

    • Avalanche Rumors
    • Blackhawks Rumors
    • Blue Jackets Rumors
    • Blues Rumors
    • Bruins Rumors
    • Canadiens Rumors
    • Canucks Rumors
    • Capitals Rumors
    • Devils Rumors
    • Ducks Rumors
    • Flames Rumors
    • Flyers Rumors
    • Golden Knights Rumors
    • Hurricanes Rumors
    • Islanders Rumors
    • Jets Rumors
    • Kings Rumors
    • Kraken Rumors
    • Lightning Rumors
    • Mammoth Rumors
    • Maple Leafs Rumors
    • Oilers Rumors
    • Panthers Rumors
    • Penguins Rumors
    • Predators Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Red Wings Rumors
    • Sabres Rumors
    • Senators Rumors
    • Sharks Rumors
    • Stars Rumors
    • Wild Rumors

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • 2025’s Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents
    • Sam Bennett Rumors
    • Nikolaj Ehlers Rumors
    • Mitch Marner Rumors
    • Marco Rossi Rumors

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    • Support Pro Hockey Rumors And Go Ad-Free
    • 2025 Free Agent Focus Series
    • 2025 Offseason Checklist Series
    • 2025 NHL Free Agent List
    • 2026 NHL Free Agent List
    • Active Roster Tracker
    • Coaching Staff Directory
    • Draft Pick Tracker 2025
    • Key Offseason Dates
    • Offseason Trade Tracker
    • Pro Hockey Rumors On X
    • Pro Hockey Rumors Polls
    • Waiver Claims 2024-25

     

     

     

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives

    PHR Info

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Commenting Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version