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Columbus Blue Jackets Fire Jarmo Kekäläinen

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have parted ways with general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen. The team’s President of Hockey Operations, John Davidson, will share the general manager duties with the rest of the hockey operations staff while Columbus searches for a replacement, per team reporter Aaron Portzline.

Kekäläinen has been with the Blue Jackets for 11 seasons, taking over for Scott Howson in 2013. He was just the fourth general manager in the team’s history and became the first to lead them to multiple playoff appearances. Unfortunately, those playoff appearances never turned into much – with a second-round exit in 2014 marking the farthest the team has ever made it. And it seems those days may be behind them, as Columbus hasn’t made the playoffs – or even ranked above sixth in their division – since 2020. They are currently ranked last in the Metropolitan Division with a 16-26-10 record this season.

Columbus’ recent seasons have instead been marked by top 10 draft picks, including taking Kent Johnson fifth overall in 2021, David Jiricek sixth overall in 2022, and Adam Fantilli third overall in 2023. While Johnson did manage 16 goals and 40 points last season, he’s on an 82-game pace of just 36 points this season, even playing in his first 10 AHL games of his three-year pro career. Jiricek has yo-yoed between the major and minor leagues, playing in nine AHL games and 36 NHL games this season – but failing to yet earn a role on the team’s special teams and managing just nine points. The best impact from a recent draft pick has undeniably come through Adam Fantilli, who currently ranks third on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 27 points through 49 games. But even Fantilli hasn’t been safe from headache, playing with 10 different linemates this season, more than his counterparts Connor Bedard and Leo Carlsson combined.

The usage of the team’s top prospects ultimately falls on rookie head coach Pascal Vincent, who was thrust into a head coaching role after the Blue Jackets unsuccessfully tried to bring back Mike Babcock. The long-time Toronto Maple Leafs head coach ran into controversy even before he was able to command the Columbus bench for the first time, leading to his resignation in mid September.

Kekäläinen’s biggest strength – and the talent that will certainly earn him attention from other NHL teams – is his drafting ability. The Blue Jackets boast plenty of top prospects, including Denton Mateychuk, Stanislav Svozil, and Gavin Brindley. These talents, along with their trio of top 10 picks, sets up Columbus well for the future. But there will need to be a lot of polishing around the edges if the team wants to find consistent playoff success. They’ll look to find that success under John Davidson, now the fifth general manager in team history, or whoever may succeed him.

Devils Notes: Markström, Merzļikins, Smith, Hatakka

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Reporting in recent days from both Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli has illustrated just how close the Devils were to acquiring goaltender Jacob Markström from the Flames in a pre-deadline blockbuster. Speaking on Monday’s episode of the “32 Thoughts” podcast, Friedman said the teams were close in principle on a trade but could not reconcile with each other on the financial aspect of the deal. The Devils remained firm on Calgary retaining some of Markström’s $6MM cap hit – something first-year GM Craig Conroy isn’t willing to do over the remaining three seasons of Markström’s deal.

Seravalli added Tuesday that discussions were serious enough to “get to [Markström]’s level to approve it,” a necessary step since he boasts a no-movement clause in his contract. With the two parties at an impasse that Seravalli thinks “probably” can’t be revisited, New Jersey GM Tom Fitzgerald will likely look elsewhere to upgrade his goaltending with 23 days until the trade deadline.

As the Devils look for a cheaper option, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes said Tuesday that they’ve had interest in Blue Jackets starter Elvis Merzļikins. It’s not a gigantic discount, though, as Merzļikins’ $5.4MM cap hit is only $600K less than Markström’s and runs through 2027. The 29-year-old Latvian has had an underrated bounce-back season, posting a .904 SV% and 1.3 goals saved above expected in 29 games, per MoneyPuck. While he and Markström both have inconsistent track records over a five-year sample, the latter’s peaks have been much higher – Markström’s 18.4 goals saved above expected this season have him on track for a third top-five Vezina Trophy voting finish in the last five years.

Still, either would be a massive upgrade on what Vítek Vaněček has done for them this season. His -11.1 goals saved above expected are second-worst in the league and the worst among starters for prospective playoff teams. Only Ottawa’s Joonas Korpisalo has performed worse overall relative to shot quality, saving -11.9 goals above expected. The Devils, who are 5-4-1 in their past ten games, are now at full health for the first time in weeks and sit two points back of the Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, a gap that can easily be closed with improved play between the pipes.

In much lower-stakes news, the Devils assigned defenseman Santeri Hatakka to AHL Utica on Tuesday to make room for veteran Brendan Smith, who was activated off injured reserve and returned to the lineup in yesterday’s 4-2 win over the Predators. Hatakka, 23, had shown promising results with two assists and a +7 rating in seven showings but was a casualty of roster management as he did not require waivers to head to the minors. A pending RFA upon completion of his entry-level contract, the 2019 sixth-round pick of the Sharks will remain near the top of New Jersey’s list for blue-line call-ups for the rest of the season.

Smith, 35, made his return after missing 10 games with a knee sprain. The pending UFA had three shots on goal in 17:27 of ice time against Nashville, his 35th game of the season. The 6-foot-2 enforcer has averaged 14:30 per game this year while flipping between defense and wing, recording a goal and five points with a +2 rating.

Chinakhov Out Tuesday, Concussion For Blankenburg

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  • The upper-body injury that Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov sustained last night will cause him to miss at least Tuesday’s game versus Ottawa, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). If Columbus wants to call up a replacement forward, they’ll need to open up a roster spot first which could be done by shifting Adam Fantilli to injured reserve.  Meanwhile, Portzline adds that defenseman Nick Blankenburg is dealing with a concussion, the second one he has sustained this season.  The 25-year-old has been shuffled back and forth between Columbus and AHL Cleveland this year but it appears he’ll be staying in the minors for a little while until he’s cleared to return.

Upper-Body Injury For Yegor Chinakhov

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  • The Blue Jackets announced (Twitter link) that forward Yegor Chinakhov left tonight’s game versus Tampa Bay with an upper-body injury. After a slow start to his campaign following his early-November recall, the 23-year-old has become a capable contributor for Columbus, notching 14 goals and 10 assists in 39 games heading into tonight’s action.

Could Peeke Be A Buyout Candidate This Summer?

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  • Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli wonders if the Blue Jackets might look at buying out defenseman Andrew Peeke this summer. Columbus has been shopping a blueliner for most of the season (Peeke and Adam Boqvist have been the players believed to be available) but has yet to find a suitable trade, likely because both blueliners have cap hits at or above $2.6MM.  Peeke struggled last season and has been a frequent healthy scratch this year (playing just 20 times), providing a weak return on a $2.75MM price so far.  He has two years left on his deal and if Columbus was to buy him out, they’d eat a $917K dead cap charge for the next four seasons.

Blue Jackets Activate Adam Boqvist Off IR

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to welcome back defenseman Adam Boqvist as they’ve activated him off of the injured reserve. The 23-year-old will re-join the team tonight when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning and should line up on the top defensive pairing alongside Zach Werenski. He will also likely see time on the team’s second power-play unit.

Boqvist suffered an upper-body injury on January 25th in a game against the Calgary Flames. While the injury was classified as upper-body, Boqvist suffered a head or facial injury after taking a puck to the face while sitting on the bench. The timing of the injury meant that the former eighth-overall pick only missed three games due to the All-Star break. It was the second time Boqvist has been sidelined this season as he missed four weeks of play in December due to a shoulder injury.

A native of Falun, Sweden, Boqvist has provided some offense from the backend as he has seven assists in 20 games this season. While his offensive numbers throughout his career have been decent, he has never been able to remain in the lineup for an entire season for a variety of reasons. Now in his fifth NHL season, Boqvist has yet to play more than 52 games in any one year.

Boqvist was one of the pieces acquired in the trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that sent Seth Jones to the Windy City and looked like he was turning the corner last season. But this season, injuries and healthy scratches have limited his playing time and he has had a hard time settling into a groove.

Reports Indicate The Blue Jackets Will Host Stadium Series Game In 2025

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  • Although they will not be hosting the 2025 Winter Classic, reports are alluding to the idea that the Columbus Blue Jackets may be hosting a Stadium Series game as soon as next season (Article Link). Being one of only a handful of teams not to host an outdoor game up to this point, the Blue Jackets appear set to host an outdoor game at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football program. Although nothing has been confirmed yet for the 2024-25 NHL season, the article indicates that NHL representatives were seen surveying the property during Ohio State’s game against the Michigan State Spartans on November 11th.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Trade Deadline Primer: Columbus Blue Jackets

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With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are in the midst of a disastrous season. The walls started crumbling before the first puck drop of the season when Columbus parted ways with veteran coach Mike Babcock, who the team was looking to bring back from an unceremonious end to his career in the 2019-20 season.

But the problems have persisted in Columbus, with star winger Patrik Laine facing healthy scratches and personal absences, starting goaltender Elvis Merzlikins requesting a trade, top defense prospect David Jiricek expressing frustration with his NHL role, and star rookie Adam Fantilli now out for two months with a lower-body injury. When it rains, it storms – and it is storming heavily in Ohio. And while the upcoming trade deadline won’t remedy the challenges they’re facing, it could give Columbus a chance to kickstart a much-needed reset.

Record

16-24-10, 8th in the Metropolitan

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$18.525MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: CBJ 1st, CBJ 3rd, LAK 3rd, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th
2025: CBJ 1st, CBJ 2nd, CBJ 3rd, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th, CBJ 7th, VGK 7th

Trade Chips

Top goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is Columbus’ most likely option to be moved this Spring. The 29-year-old netminder requested a trade from the team, following a near total decline in his role. Merzlikins has only been iced in five of the team’s last 13 games, despite leading the team with nine wins and a .903 save percentage in 28 games this season. The Blue Jackets have instead leaned on Daniil Tarasov and Jet Greaves, a pair of goalies that are both much younger than Merzlikins. Columbus may be looking to find their goaltender for the next generation, something that the aging and expensive Merzlikins might not be around for.

But a Merzlikins deal may need a sweetener to go through. The 178-game veteran of the league is currently the 11th-most expensive goaltender in the NHL, with a $5.4MM cap hit until the end of the 2026-27 season – his age-32 season. That contract would be a significant commitment, even for a team desperate for goaltending help.

There’s no doubt that teams around the league will be eyeing top young players like Kent Johnson or David Jiricek as said “sweeteners”, though they’d certainly require a hefty return. Both options have yet to find their ideal role with the Blue Jackets. Johnson has just 15 points through 34 games this season, on pace for just 14 goals and 36 points, a step down from the 16 goals and 40 points he managed in 79 games last season. He’s also gone without a power-play point through 75 minutes this season – despite scoring 12 points on the man advantage last year. And while Johnson is being confined to the bottom-six, Jiricek is being confined to the minor leagues. The 20-year-old defenseman, who the team took sixth-overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, has averaged the lowest ice time of any Blue Jackets defenseman, playing under 15 minutes a night through 36 games this season and not yet touching special teams at all. He’s managed nine points and 20 penalty minutes in spite of the role, and is vocally at odds with the team’s brass about what ice time he should be receiving.

It seems Columbus is at their length’s end, forced to decide which players to lean into on a roster where 13 different players are averaging between 13 and 15 minutes of ice time. While it doesn’t make sense for one of the league’s lowest-ranked teams to sell the future, their pedigree as being strong in the draft could make any necessary deals easier to stomach.

Luckily, the Blue Jackets won’t be out of the trade market if they choose not to part with their top prospects, or if they can’t find a suitor for Merzlikins’ pricey deal. The team still has centerman Jack Roslovic receiving plenty of trade interest, with teams eager to add the consistent, all-situations role that Roslovic provides. The 27-year-old has just 10 points through 27 games this season, but managed 45 and 44 points across the last two seasons respectively. He’s become a reliable option down the middle and could be the perfect fit for any playoff team looking to play into the Summer. Columbus could also part with Justin Danforth or Sean Kuraly – two aging depth forwards that play a strong role with the Blue Jackets. Danforth could be a particularly interesting option, as the 30-year-old carries just a $975K cap hit over the next two seasons and has a strong 36 points through 101 career NHL games. He could be a cheap and lucrative add for teams looking for a boost in their bottom-six. It’s likely that the return for any veteran forward would be heavily based around draft picks, especially after Sean Monahan fetched a first-round pick in his move from the Montreal Canadiens to the Winnipeg Jets.

Team Needs

1) Build Around Fantilli: In a season of struggles, Columbus is able to rest their hat on one supreme bright spot – Adam Fantilli. The third-overall selection in last year’s draft, Fantilli has burst onto the scene, managing 12 goals and 27 points through 49 games despite a role that’s held him to an average under 16 minutes of ice time each game. What’s worse, Fantilli has spent at least 30 minutes of ice time with 10 different linemates over the first half of his rookie season. That is far from the ideal setting for a top young player. For perspective, #1-overall pick Connor Bedard has only had six linemates on a Blackhawks team devastated by injuries, while #2-overall pick Leo Carlsson has had just four linemates in Anaheim. Columbus is not giving Fantilli a chance to build consistent chemistry with his linemates, likely significantly holding him back from even more success in his rookie season. No matter if it’s because they don’t have the right players in the room, or just don’t know what configuration works best – the Blue Jackets need to use this trade deadline to get the player they’re hoping can lead the franchise into a more comfortable role.

2) Take What You Can Get: The Blue Jackets won’t be making the playoffs this year. And, pending a 2020 run, likely won’t make it next season either. But fans shouldn’t lose hope. Fantilli offers great promise for the future and he’s backed by really exciting prospects like Gavin Brindley – Fantilli’s old teammate – as well as top defense prospect Denton Mateychuk and high-scoring forward Jordan Dumais. That’s only scratching the surface of what is a really deep Blue Jackets prospect pool. Columbus doesn’t need to focus on their depth in the same way as the Anaheim Ducks or Minnesota Wild – and thus don’t have a need to try and stretch any trades. In a year of turmoil, general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen needs to be more focused on building a cohesive roster than saving face. If there’s a chance for him to relieve some of the tension in the Blue Jackets lineup, or find a way to lighten the load on rookie head coach Pascal Vincent, it may be best to act first and worry about long-term upside second.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Blue Jackets’ Adam Fantilli Out Eight Weeks

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Blue Jackets rookie Adam Fantilli will miss approximately eight weeks with a calf laceration sustained Sunday against the Kraken, the team announced Wednesday.

Fantilli sustained the injury when Seattle forward Jared McCann’s left skate made incidental contact with Fantilli’s left calf as he attempted to lay a hit. The skate reached Fantilli’s calf despite him wearing multiple layers of protective equipment, including Kevlar socks, per multiple sources.

The 19-year-old has largely been successful in what’s been a tumultuous season for Columbus. Through 49 games, the 2023 third-overall pick has 12 goals, 15 assists and 27 points while averaging 15:42 per game.

An eight-week recovery timeline from today puts Fantilli back in the Blue Jackets lineup with 10 games remaining in the regular season. He will be out through the Trade Deadline and is looking at a return during the last week of March.

Critics of Fantilli’s two-way game during his rookie season will point to his -21 rating, but there’s more to that number than meets the eye. He’s controlled 48.4% of Corsi events at even strength – 1% higher than the Blue Jackets’ total share without Fantilli on the ice – good enough for seventh on the team. His rating has been brought down by goaltending, as Columbus netminders have a .861 SV% when Fantilli is on the ice in all situations.

He’s bounced around the lineup this season, but head coach Pascal Vincent has most commonly used Fantilli either at center between veterans Johnny Gaudreau and Justin Danforth or on a ’Kid Line’ of sorts with Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov. Other Blue Jackets youngsters, namely Yegor Chinakhov and Kent Johnson, will likely receive a bit more ice time with Fantilli out of the fold.

Blue Jackets Assign Nick Blankenburg To AHL

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The Blue Jackets assigned defenseman Nick Blankenburg to AHL Cleveland on Wednesday, per a team announcement.

Columbus recalled Blankenburg, 25, for the second time this season on Saturday to replace Adam Boqvist on the active roster, who landed on injured reserve. Blankenburg did not play in each of the Blue Jackets’ last three games, however, and heads back to Cleveland without adding to his 49 career NHL appearances.

After an intriguing rookie season in 2022-23 in which Blankenburg posted 14 points in 36 games, most expected the University of Michigan product to challenge for an NHL job out of training camp this year. An influx of veterans on the Columbus blue line limited the spots available for younger players, however, and the waiver-exempt Blankenburg started the season in Cleveland as a result.

Injuries on defense meant Blankenburg got a chance early last month, playing six games after a Dec. 7 emergency recall. However, he failed to get on the scoresheet and posted middling possession metrics before an upper-body injury knocked him out of the lineup, keeping him out of action for nearly a month. The Blue Jackets activated him from IR and reassigned him to Cleveland on Jan. 21, but brought him up less than a week later when Boqvist was injured.

With the Blue Jackets beginning their bye week/All-Star break after Tuesday’s 1-0 win over the Blues, they no longer required an extra defenseman on the roster. If Boqvist is not ready to return when Columbus plays next on Feb. 10 against the Lightning, Blankenburg could see his third summons of the season if the Blue Jackets don’t want to give disgruntled 2022 sixth-overall pick David Jiricek another shot.

The 5-foot-9, 177-lb puck-mover has done well in his first career AHL stint, posting three goals and nine assists with a +7 rating in 19 games with Cleveland. He will be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer upon completion of his two-year, $1.65MM contract.

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