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Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Nate Schnarr To PTO

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have inked a professional tryout deal with forward Nate Schnarr, as confirmed by CapFriendly yesterday evening. Schnarr, 24, finds himself looking to earn a spot in the Blue Jackets organization after struggling to adjust to the pro game over the past few seasons.

Despite spending all four seasons of his pro career on an NHL contract, Schnarr is still looking to make his NHL debut. A third-round selection of the Arizona Coyotes in 2017, Schnarr exploded onto the scene as a prospect in the 2018-19 campaign after leading the OHL champion Guelph Storm in points with 102 in 65 games.

He hadn’t posted eye-popping point totals in juniors before that, though, which signaled he may have trouble carrying over that offensive explosion to the pros the following season. He played just 22 games in the minors with the Coyotes in 2019-20 before he was shipped to the New Jersey Devils as part of the five-asset return for Taylor Hall.

Schnarr’s been traded again in each of the past two seasons, ending up with the Montreal Canadiens before finishing out 2022-23 as a member of the Los Angeles Kings organization. Last season was the worst of his pro career to date, recording just four goals and five assists for nine points in 45 AHL games split between the Laval Rocket and Ontario Reign. He recorded just two points in 18 games with Ontario after the trade to the Kings, leading the team to opt not to issue him a qualifying offer this summer and let him become a UFA.

He’s extremely unlikely to earn an NHL role with Columbus off a PTO, but Columbus has brought in potential targets for their minor-league affiliate on tryouts over the past few seasons. At minimum, Schnarr will look to convince the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters to sign him to a contract, although ideally, he’d receive a two-way deal from the Blue Jackets with the option of being called up to make his NHL debut. Columbus has the space to do it; they have 44 out of the maximum 50 active contracts with only one unsigned RFA remaining, defenseman Tim Berni.

Schnarr must impress to stand out amongst a crowded core of existing Blue Jackets prospects and veterans destined for AHL assignment. Per CapFriendly’s projections, the Blue Jackets have 13 forwards under contract slated for assignment to the minors, while the Monsters have four additional forwards signed to AHL deals. 2022 draft choice Jordan Dumais is listed under CapFriendly’s “minors” category for Columbus at the time of writing but is not yet eligible for AHL assignment given his age – he must be returned to juniors if not on the NHL squad, per the NHL/CHL transfer agreement.

Update On This Year’s August 15 Free Agents

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Most NHL free agent business is dealt with in the early summer months. There is one important date later each year, however. August 15 marks the date when NHL teams lose their exclusive signing rights to most college-drafted players if they’ve graduated (or completed without graduating) college and are not yet signed to an entry-level contract.

Earlier this month, we published a list of players slated to hit the UFA market yesterday if not signed to an ELC within the coming days. However, the guidelines the NHL uses to determine a college graduate are some of the most complex sets of rules relating to contractual obligations in pro sports. That means it’s often impossible to glean a full list of players whose rights have expired (or not expired) until after the August 15 deadline has passed.

This year was no different, as CapFriendly issued multiple updates today on their X account regarding the list of August 15 free agents they’d made public earlier in the month. Three players who were slated to expire actually remained on their team’s reserve list: Calgary Flames 2018 fourth-round pick F Demetrios Koumontzis, Ottawa Senators 2018 seventh-round pick F Jakov Novak, and Senators 2018 second-round pick D Jonny Tychonick.

On the flip side, 12 players they expected to remain on teams’ reserve lists hit the free-agent market yesterday. With that in mind, we have a revised, accurate list of players who became unrestricted free agents yesterday. Asterisked players were not originally expected to come off their team’s reserve list.

Anaheim Ducks

*F Trevor Janicke (2019 fifth round, 132nd overall)

Arizona Coyotes

F John Farinacci (2019 third round, 76th overall)
*F Anthony Romano (2019 sixth round, 176th overall)

Boston Bruins

*D Dustyn McFaul (2018 sixth round, 181st overall)

Calgary Flames

*F Joshua Nodler (2019 fifth round, 150th overall)

Carolina Hurricanes

F Kevin Wall (2019 sixth round, 181st overall)

Chicago Blackhawks

F Jake Wise (2018 third round, 69th overall)

Colorado Avalanche

*F Matt Stienburg (2019 third round, 63rd overall)

Columbus Blue Jackets

D Robbie Stucker (2017 seventh round, 210th overall)

Detroit Red Wings

F Robert Mastrosimone (2019 second round, 54th overall)
*F Ethan Phillips (2019 fourth round, 97th overall)

Edmonton Oilers

F Skyler Brind’Amour (2017 sixth round, 177th overall)

Minnesota Wild

*D Marshall Warren (2019 sixth round, 166th overall)

New Jersey Devils

*D Case McCarthy (2019 fourth round, 118th overall)
*F Patrick Moynihan (2019 sixth round, 158th overall)

New York Islanders

D Christian Krygier (2018 seventh round, 196th overall)
F Jacob Pivonka (2018 fourth round, 103rd overall)

New York Rangers

*F Eric Ciccolini (2019 seventh round, 205th overall)
*F Riley Hughes (2018 seventh round, 216th overall)

Ottawa Senators

*F Luke Loheit (2018 seventh round, 194th overall)

Philadelphia Flyers

F Jay O’Brien (2018 first round, 19th overall)

San Jose Sharks

D Arvid Henrikson (2016 seventh round, 187th overall) Originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens

Toronto Maple Leafs

D Ryan O’Connell (2017 seventh round, 203rd overall)

Winnipeg Jets

G Jared Moe (2018 sixth round, 184th overall)

Of the list above, Krygier and Pivonka are remaining in the Islanders organization on confirmed AHL contracts for 2023-24, although they remain eligible to sign with another NHL team should one come calling. All others are either returning to school for 2023-24, have contracts signed in other leagues, or are not signed for next season.

Notably, this is the official confirmation that the Flyers’ exclusive signing rights of O’Brien have lapsed. As compensation for not signing a first-round pick to their entry-level contract, the Flyers will receive a compensatory second-round pick from the league in the 2024 NHL Draft.

August Free Agency Update: Metropolitan Division

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As even most mid-tier free agents are now off the market, it’s a good time to look at how each team has fared on the free agent market this offseason. We’re publishing a list of one-way signings (i.e., likelier to start the season on the NHL roster) by team, per division, to keep you updated on NHL player movement since the new league year began on July 1.

Asterisked players denote a restricted free agent. Double-asterisked players denote the contract starts in the 2024-25 season. Next up is the Metropolitan Division. You can check out the list of Atlantic Division signings here.

Carolina Hurricanes

**F Sebastian Aho (eight years, $9.75MM cap hit)
D Dmitry Orlov (two years, $7.75MM cap hit)
F Michael Bunting (three years, $4.5MM cap hit)
G Frederik Andersen (two years, $3.4MM cap hit)
F Jesper Fast (two years, $2.4MM cap hit)
D Anthony DeAngelo (one year, $1.675MM cap hit)
G Antti Raanta (one year, $1.5MM cap hit)
*D Dylan Coghlan (one year, $850K cap hit)
F Brendan Lemieux (one year, $800K cap hit)
D Caleb Jones (one year, $775K cap hit)

Columbus Blue Jackets

none

New Jersey Devils

F Michael McLeod (one year, $1.4MM cap hit)
F Nathan Bastian (two years, $1.35MM cap hit)
*D Kevin Bahl (two years, $1.05MM cap hit)
F Tomas Nosek (one year, $1MM cap hit)

New York Islanders

**G Ilya Sorokin (eight years, $8.25MM cap hit)
D Scott Mayfield (seven years, $3.5MM cap hit)
F Pierre Engvall (seven years, $3MM cap hit)
G Semyon Varlamov (four years, 35+ contract, $2.75MM cap hit)
*F Oliver Wahlstrom (one year, $874.1K cap hit)
F Julien Gauthier (two years, $787.5K cap hit)

New York Rangers

*D K’Andre Miller (two years, $3.872MM cap hit)
D Erik Gustafsson (one year, $825K cap hit)
G Jonathan Quick (one year, 35+ contract, $825K cap hit)
F Blake Wheeler (one year, 35+ contract, $800K cap hit)
F Nick Bonino (one year, 35+ contract, $800K cap hit)
F Tyler Pitlick (one year, $787.5K cap hit)
F Riley Nash (two years, $775K cap hit)

Philadelphia Flyers

*F Noah Cates (two years, $2.625MM cap hit)
F Garnet Hathaway (two years, $2.375MM cap hit)
*D Cameron York (two years, $1.6MM cap hit)
**G Samuel Ersson (two years, $1.45MM cap hit)
F Ryan Poehling (one year, $1.4MM cap hit)
D Marc Staal (one year, 35+ contract, $1.1MM cap hit)

Pittsburgh Penguins

G Tristan Jarry (five years, $5.375MM cap hit)
D Ryan Graves (six years, $4.5MM cap hit)
F Lars Eller (two years, $2.45MM cap hit)
F Noel Acciari (three years, $2MM cap hit)
G Alex Nedeljkovic (one year, $1.5MM cap hit)
*F Drew O’Connor (two years, $925K cap hit)
F Matthew Nieto (two years, $900K cap hit)
F Andreas Johnsson (one year, $800K cap hit)
G Magnus Hellberg (one year, $785K cap hit)
D Ryan Shea (one year, $775K cap hit)
F Vinnie Hinostroza (one year, $775K cap hit)
*D Ty Smith (one year, $775K cap hit)

Washington Capitals

**F Tom Wilson (seven years, $6.5MM cap hit)
*D Martin Fehervary (three years, $2.675MM cap hit)
F Max Pacioretty (one year, $2MM cap hit)
F Matthew Phillips (one year, $775K cap hit)

Johnny Gaudreau “More Comfortable” In Columbus Ahead Of 2023-24

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The first season for star winger Johnny Gaudreau in Columbus didn’t go quite as planned after he signed a seven-year, $68.25MM deal with the club in 2022. While he still managed some strong offensive production with 21 goals, 53 assists and 74 points in 80 games, injuries completely derailed what looked like a promising rebound season for Columbus, and they once again finished near the bottom of the league. After yet another busy offseason for Columbus with the intention of inching toward playoff contention, Gaudreau told NHL.com’s Adam Kimmelman he’s “more comfortable” with his new environment in Columbus ahead of 2023-24 and is looking forward to getting the Blue Jackets back on track.

Of note, Gaudreau mentioned he’s already met with incoming head coach Mike Babcock and said they “got off to the right footstep there” in regard to their view for the team, believing Columbus “[needs] that hard-nosed coach that’s going to push us in practices and in games.” Some questions were raised about their potential relationship in the public discourse after the Babcock hiring was reported, given the latter’s affinity for a more physical, checking game that doesn’t quite align with Gaudreau’s individual skillset. Gaudreau addressed those concerns directly with Kimmelman, however:

I played for Bob Hartley, another guy who is very demanding and Sutter the same way. So I’ve had success under those coaches. They want their teams to win. 

Success is a conservative word for Gaudreau’s final season with the Calgary Flames, spent under Sutter. While the now ex-Flames coach certainly butted heads with Gaudreau publically at times, the diminutive winger exploded for 40 goals and 115 points in Calgary in 2021-22.

That monster scoring year certainly didn’t come alone – he had a pair of stellar linemates in Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk to help him out. But if Gaudreau feels he’s better suited to recapture that form under Babcock, it could certainly cause a domino effect for a pair of potential linemates in 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli and winger (maybe turned center) Patrik Laine. Babcock will be looking for a healthy Laine to provide an elite goal-scoring complement to Gaudreau, something that’s certainly a possibility after he’s produced near a point-per-game pace in Columbus over the past two years despite battling injuries.

Zach Werenski Has Met With Mike Babcock

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  • The Columbus Blue Jackets need a giant refresh button after a disappointing and injury-laden campaign last season. No one needs it more than their number one defender, Zach Werenski, who’ll be ready to go after missing all but 13 games last season with a shoulder injury. Today he told reporters, including BlueJackets.com’s Jeff Svoboda, that he’s met with incoming head coach Mike Babcock and is feeling revitalized ahead of an important transitional season for the club. Werenski said the conversation “kind of fired me up a little bit. I think from that point on, I just wanted to get to training camp and get the season going.” The 26-year-old left-shot defender registered eight points in his limited action last year and skated over 23 minutes per game.

Blue Jackets Won't Replace Kenny McCudden

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  • The Blue Jackets aren’t planning to replace former coach Kenny McCudden, notes Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). McCudden spent the past eight seasons as a skills coach with Columbus but resigned earlier this month to join Washington as an assistant coach.  Mike Babcock (head coach) and Niklas Backstrom (goalie coach) are the newcomers to their coaching staff, joining holdovers Pascal Vincent (associate coach) and Steve McCarthy (assistant coach).

Laine Open To Playing Center Next Season

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  • Late last season, the Blue Jackets experimented with lining up Patrik Laine at center, a move that was short-lived as he suffered a season-ending triceps strain later that week. However, he told NHL.com’s Craig Merz that he’s open to moving down the middle once again next season.  Columbus has added Adam Fantilli and Dmitry Voronkov this summer while youngsters Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson are also young centers.  But if they want to ease those players in on the wing, moving Laine to center for at least a little while next season could be a reasonable approach to take.

Assistant Coach Kenny McCudden Departs Blue Jackets

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  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced this morning that assistant coach Kenny McCudden has departed the organization. Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen issued a statement that added some clarity to the situation. McCudden was entering the final year of his contract and was slated to work on new head coach Mike Babcock’s staff. In his statement, Kekalainen indicates McCudden had a “desire to either sign a contract extension or look at other opportunities,” while Kekalainen’s preference is that “everyone [on the coaching staff] gets to know each other before deciding on extensions.” So, with those two opposing preferences laid out, McCudden’s departure seems to have been the natural outcome. Now he will seek other opportunities after coaching for eight seasons in Columbus and helping contribute to what was arguably the most successful period in franchise history under former head coach John Tortorella.

Columbus Looking To Thin Out Forward Core

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  • The main columnist of the Columbus Blue Jackets on The Athletic, Aaron Portzline, reported in his article today that the Blue Jackets still have some work to do in thinning out their forward core. One of the main areas of focus, Portzline adds, will be moving out some of the centers that Columbus has on their roster. Already carrying eight forwards with the ability to play center, and a couple more possibly in the minor leagues, the Blue Jackets could make a trade to fill out weaker areas of their team.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Blue Jackets Looking For Veteran Third Goalie

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  • The Blue Jackets are still looking to add a veteran goaltender this summer, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). With Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov in place as the tandem in Columbus, they’re instead looking for a third-stringer with some NHL experience that can split time in the minors with Jet Greaves but also be called upon if one of their top two get injured.  There are a handful of players in free agency that can fill that role while they could also look to pick one up in a swap if they try to make a move from their potential forward surplus.

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