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Columbus Blue Jackets Select Adam Fantilli Third Overall

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The Columbus Blue Jackets might finally have found the first-line center they’ve long been waiting for. They have taken Adam Fantilli, the Hobey Baker winner, with the third overall pick at the 2023 draft.

This is a major stroke of luck for the Blue Jackets franchise, as it’s highly likely they would have selected Fantilli had they owned the second-overall selection. They were passed by the Chicago Blackhawks in the draft lottery, but now their fall turned out to not be a setback.

Fantilli is the type of player who might go first overall in any draft class that doesn’t include Connor Bedard. He combines speed, size, skill, and an impressive compete level to make him a strong bet to become a number-one center at the NHL level.

He’ll quickly become a fan favorite in Columbus, and he’ll join a growing stable of former Michigan Wolverines with the Blue Jackets, who already roster Zach Werenski, Nick Blankenburg, and Kent Johnson.

Even with 2021 first-rounder Cole Sillinger, Boone Jenner, and Russian import Dmitri Voronkov in Columbus’ long-term plans down the middle, Fantilli is likely to end up Columbus’ first-line center in the long term.

He may take a little while to reach that point, but if his impressive form at Michigan (30 goals, 65 points in 36 games) is any indication he’ll eventually become the face of the Blue Jackets.

Blue Jackets Sign Trey Fix-Wolansky To Extension

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they’ve re-signed winger Trey Fix-Wolansky to a two-year two-way contract extension that will carry him through the 2024-25 season. The former seventh-round pick would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2024-25 but has elected the security of his two-year deal. Fix-Wolansky will count $775K while in the NHL but will make $350K in 2023-24 and $375K in 2024-25 in the AHL. He gets a minimum guaranteed salary of $425K and $450K in the respective years of his extension.

The 24-year-old had an offensive breakout last season while in the AHL. In 61 games he set career highs with the Cleveland Monsters as he put up 29 goals and 42 assists. These numbers eclipsed his combined career numbers from his previous three seasons in the AHL. Fix-Wolansky was also honored by being named to the second AHL All-star team for the first time in his career.

At the NHL level the Edmonton native has dressed in 15 games for Columbus in parts of two seasons posting two goals and a single assist while averaging just over 10 minutes a night. The undersized forward stands just 5’7” and weighs 178 pounds but has learned to play with an edge as his career has gone on. Last season he dressed in just nine games in the NHL but managed to put up 11 hits.

The signing is very low risk for the Blue Jackets as they try to build up some depth in their forward ranks. Most of general manager Jarmo Kekalainen’s moves this offseason have been made to address their defense, but their forward group certainly needs work as well. Fix-Wolansky won’t be an improvement to the group, but he does offer them a talented, albeit undersized 13th forward who can shuffle back and forth between the AHL and the NHL.

Latest On Blue Jackets, Will Smith

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  • The Columbus Blue Jackets’ choice at the number-three pick is one of the more intriguing storylines heading into the draft three days from now, and The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline has injected some more mystery into the lead-up to draft night. Writing what he called “informed, but highly speculative insights” Portzline said “The Blue Jackets are huge Will Smith fans,” and that “if we had to pick one today, some 72 hours before the draft, we’d lean toward Smith.” (subscription link) Seeing as Portzline stressed the speculative nature of those insights his piece shouldn’t be seen as a firm indication of Columbus’ preferences, but rather more of an indication that their choice at number three between Smith, Leo Carlsson, and potentially Adam Fantilli isn’t as clear-cut as some might lead one to believe.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Carson Meyer To Extension

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A hometown kid is sticking around in Columbus. The Blue Jackets have extended forward Carson Meyer on a one-year, two-way contract, the team said today. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports the deal carries a league-minimum cap hit and NHL salary of $775K, an AHL salary of $190K, and a minimum guarantee of $210K.

Born in Powell, Ohio, and developed through the Blue Jackets’ youth program, Meyer’s strong freshman season at Ohio’s Miami University earned him a sixth-round selection in the 2017 NHL Draft as an over-age player. After a four-year collegiate career which included a transfer to the higher-exposure Ohio State, and one year of pro seasoning with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, Meyer made his NHL debut in 2021-22, scoring a goal and two assists in a 13-game callup.

Meyer saw 14 games of NHL action this past season, recording one assist, but saw his AHL point pace increase to 26 points in 34 games after recording just 27 points in 57 games the year prior. An oblique strain kept him out of the Blue Jackets lineup for a few weeks in the middle of the season, but he rebounded nicely down the stretch in Cleveland and recorded his lone point in his last NHL call-up of the campaign, an April 11th game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

He’ll be 26 by the time next season starts, though, and it’s not seeming like he’ll get a roster spot out of training camp. With Alexandre Texier back in the fold after a year overseas, as well as a potential opening night spot for their third overall selection in next week’s draft, the numbers game just isn’t kind to Meyer. He’ll remain one of their first few call-up options throughout the season, though, barring a significant setback in his minor-league play.

Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Mathieu Olivier

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today they’ve secured the services of right wing Mathieu Olivier for the next two seasons. The team revealed that the deal is worth $2.2MM in total and will keep the 26-year-old in Columbus until the end of the 2024-25 season at a $1.1MM cap hit.

Olivier was a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights after completing a two-year, $1.5MM contract signed with the Nashville Predators in 2021. Columbus acquired him for a 2022 fourth-round pick nearly one year ago, and the gritty winger responded by recording career highs across the board with five goals and 15 points in 65 games. He’s got a bit more skill to his game than a typical enforcer, although he doesn’t have much upward mobility in the lineup.

It’s a fine deal for a player of his role, although with the team now carrying less than $5MM in projected cap space (CapFriendly) before July’s even started, seven figures per season may have been a bit of a reach. The team’s fourth line of Olivier, Eric Robinson, and Sean Kuraly was their most consistently used in 2022-23, amassing nearly 400 minutes of play together.

The 6-foot-2 product of Mississippi will be an unrestricted free agent in two years.

Blue Jackets Notes: Third Overall Pick, Coaching Staff, Voronkov

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With phenom Connor Bedard effectively a lock to go first overall to the Chicago Blackhawks and Hobey Baker winner Adam Fantilli widely expected to be pick number two, many believe that the first pick with major intrigue at the draft later this month is the third pick, held by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus has long sought after a star number-one center, and with this third pick they have an excellent opportunity to draft a player who can fill that role.

According to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, that’s exactly what they’re going to do. Portzline writes: “We know this much: the Blue Jackets will spend the No.  3 pick on a center.” (subscription link) While there is always room for a surprise, the two players widely expected to be available for the team to select are Orebro HK’s Leo Carlsson and Boston College commit Will Smith. It seems likely that Columbus will end up with one of those two players, and it’s difficult to go wrong picking either one. Carlsson was extremely impressive playing largely at left wing for Orebro, scoring 25 points in 44 regular-season games and nine in 13 playoff games. He also showed well at the IIHF Men’s World Championships, serving as Sweden’s first-line center. Their other expected option, Smith, is an extremely intelligent player who plays the style of a deceptive and creative playmaking center. Operating in between two other top prospects (Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perrault) Smith had one of the most productive seasons in U.S. National Team Development Program history. So while we may not know exactly who Columbus will draft in 10 days, we do know they’re going to get an impactful center prospect.

Some other notes about the Blue Jackets:

  • Portzline also reported today that the Blue Jackets are expected to retain the assistant coaches they had under former coach Brad Larsen to fill the staff of reported new head coach Mike Babcock. Those assistants are Pascal Vincent, who was a candidate for the team’s head coaching job in their past two searches, Steve McCarthy, Kenny McCudden, and Jared Boll. They each have one year remaining on their contracts with Columbus, according to Portzline.
  • One last bit of information from Portzline’s piece today regards center Dmitri Voronkov, who the team signed to an entry-level deal in May. Per Portzline, Voronkov’s contract contains a stipulation that would allow him to “return to Russia if he’s not on the Blue Jackets roster by the end of December.” The hope is, of course, that the 22-year-old Voronkov can seize an NHL job in training camp and make an instant impact in Columbus. He had an impressive final season in the KHL with 26 goals and 43 points in 78 combined regular season and playoff games. But if he can’t manage to hold down a spot in Babcock’s lineup and ends up playing with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters by the end of 2023, we now know he’ll have the option to head back to Russia.

Kevin Hayes Acquisition Appearing Less Likely

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  • On today’s episode of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman dumped some cold water on the rumors of a Kevin Hayes trade between the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. After the two teams were involved in a three-way deal that saw Ivan Provorov head from the Flyers to the Jackets, reports said the move didn’t eliminate the possibility of the long-rumored Hayes deal coming to fruition. However, the Blue Jackets now have under $6MM in projected cap space for 2023-24 (CapFriendly) after getting defender Damon Severson from the New Jersey Devils in a sign-and-trade, which would force the Flyers to retain a high amount of Hayes’ $7.14MM cap hit through 2025-26. While Columbus remains in desperate need of centers, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen now has seven defensemen on the roster that cost more than $2MM against the cap, including a combined $6.75MM wrapped up in Erik Gudbranson and Andrew Peeke, who both had very disappointing campaigns last season.

Blue Jackets Re-Sign Joshua Dunne

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The Blue Jackets have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents early as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed forward Joshua Dunne to a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal will pay $775K in the NHL and $125K in the minors with a total guarantee of $175K.

The 24-year-old signed a two-year contract with Columbus as an undrafted college free agent back in 2021 and has seen NHL action in two of his three professional seasons including a career-high eight appearances with the Blue Jackets in 2022-23.  However, he’s still looking for his first point at the top level.  He did, however, have a strong season with AHL Cleveland, finishing second on the Monsters in goals with 20 and fourth in points with 37.

Dunne would have been owed a qualifying offer of nearly $918K this summer with an AHL salary of $80K.  Instead, he has opted to take less than that in the NHL in exchange for the higher guaranteed salary.  With Columbus trending toward being a team that spends close to the salary cap again next season, the lower cap charge should also help his chances of a recall.  Dunne will once again be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights next summer.

Columbus Blue Jackets Expected To Name Niklas Bäckström Goalie Coach

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After solidifying Mike Babcock as their head coaching hire, which won’t be official until later this summer, the Columbus Blue Jackets still had one vacancy left to fill on their bench. That will be filled soon, as multiple sources indicated to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline that longtime Minnesota Wild netminder Niklas Bäckström will be named their new goaltending coach.

Bäckström will be taking over from Manny Legace, whose contract was not renewed after 2022-23.

The 45-year-old Finn last played in the NHL with the Calgary Flames in 2015-16 but played three more seasons professionally in Finland before calling it a career. Since retiring in 2019, he’s served on and off with Columbus as a scout and as a European goaltending development coach.

During his playing days, Bäckström amassed 413 games of NHL experience, 409 of which came with Minnesota. Known for his sound technical play, Bäckström was a Vezina Trophy nominee in 2008-09 after posting a .923 save percentage, 37-24-8 record, and eight shutouts in 71 starts.

Bäckström will now be in charge of working with Columbus’ NHL goalie tandem, which, as it stands, is made up of European starter Elvis Merzlikins and Russian backup Daniil Tarasov. Merzlikins struggled mightily last season after a strong stretch of play, and the pivot to Bäckström as goalie coach is made with his performance in mind especially.

Blue Jackets Unlikely To Re-Sign Gavin Bayreuther

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  • Another player set to change teams this summer is defenseman Gavin Bayreuther of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 29-year-old played in 94 games for Columbus over the past two seasons, seizing opportunities provided by the multitude of injuries that have hit the Blue Jackets’ defense in that span of time. But now that the team has added considerable talent to their blueline in recent days (through trades for Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson) they have quite the logjam on defense. Columbus has eight defensemen on one-way contracts at the moment and that doesn’t include David Jiricek, the 2022 sixth-overall pick who will likely play his way into NHL consideration quickly in the fall. As a result, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that “it seems a safe bet” that Bayreuther will hit the open market and move on from the club he’s been with for the past three seasons. (subscription link)

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