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Tim Berni, Marcus Bjork Assigned To AHL

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It really says something about how the Columbus Blue Jackets season is going, that two of their regular defensemen are being sent to the minor leagues over the All-Star break. Tim Berni and Marcus Bjork have both been assigned to the Cleveland Monsters for the time being.

The Blue Jackets roster has been ravaged by injuries this season, forcing players into unexpected roles. That’s true for the 22-year-old Berni, who has played 28 games for the Blue Jackets so far.

The sixth-round pick from 2018 has only one full season of North American professional hockey under his belt, and at times he has looked completely overmatched in the NHL. Still, the Swiss-born defender has improved throughout his time with the Blue Jackets, and even logged more than 21 minutes last night in an overtime loss to the Washington Capitals.

Bjork, meanwhile, has less experience on North American ice but quite a bit at the professional level in Sweden. The 25-year-old has 11 points in 27 games for the Blue Jackets this season, incredibly leading all Columbus defenders in scoring.

Both players will likely play roles on the club down the stretch, especially if Columbus ends up trading Vladislav Gavrikov or others. The Blue Jackets are back in action on February 10.

Gustav Nyquist Out Rest Of Regular Season

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have an interesting scenario on their hands as the deadline approaches. Gustav Nyquist, previously ruled out indefinitely, now has a recovery timeline. He is expected to miss the rest of the regular season but will not require surgery on a shoulder injury suffered last month.

While that would seem to remove him from trade talks, it should be noted that the announcement only states he will miss the regular season – not postseason, necessarily. Nyquist could still be acquired by a contending team with hopes that he could provide some depth in the playoffs, if he recovers in time.

That is certainly a gamble and one that will likely not result in any substantial return for the Blue Jackets, if it does happen at all. Nyquist was going to be a nice asset for them to flip at the deadline, given his history of success in the league and versatility to play up and down the lineup.

It also could impact his future. Should the 33-year-old return even for a handful of games, he would go into free agency with something to build on. Coming off a four-year, $22MM deal with the Blue Jackets, Nyquist could have been looking at one last multi-year deal had he stayed healthy. Now, his market might be more limited – especially if he is unable to return this year.

Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Marcus Bjork

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The Columbus Blue Jackets still have one game before the break, and they’re making a slight change to the roster. Marcus Bjork has been recalled, while Jake Christiansen is on his way back to the minor leagues.

Bjork, 25, has played in 26 games for the Blue Jackets this season as a rookie, after signing a one-year entry-level contract in the summer. The undrafted defenseman was a solid contributor for years in the SHL before deciding to try his luck in North America, and has so far acclimated quite well.

With 11 points in those games, Bjork actually leads all Blue Jackets defensemen in scoring this season. A lot of that has to do with the major injuries suffered by key players, but it’s impressive nonetheless for a first-year player seeing part-time duty.

Christiansen, 23, only played in one game during the recent call-up, and has 18 total for the season. He has scored just two points and rarely gets much ice time. On the year, he’s averaging fewer than 14 minutes, meaning he might be better off playing in the minor leagues, if his development is still a priority.

Blue Jackets Claim Lane Pederson Off Waivers From Canucks

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The Blue Jackets have added some forward depth as NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed center Lane Pederson off waivers from the Canucks.  To make room for him on the active roster, Columbus has placed winger Gustav Nyquist on injured reserve.

Pederson successfully made it through waivers back in October while he was still with Carolina.  With them, he played in four games with AHL Chicago before being included as a salary offset in the trade that also saw Vancouver pick up defenseman Ethan Bear.  The 25-year-old remained in the minors with Abbotsford for nearly two months, averaging just shy of a goal per game which earned him a recall in late November.

Since being brought up, Pederson had been a regular for the Canucks, getting into 11 games (including last night’s contest against Columbus while on waivers), picking up a goal and two assists while averaging just under 13 minutes a night.  For his career, Pederson has two goals and six helpers in 55 games between Arizona, San Jose, and Vancouver.  He’s on a one-way contract for the league minimum salary of $750K and is arbitration-eligible if he can get into 25 more games this season.  Otherwise, he becomes a Group Six unrestricted free agent.

The move is a low-risk flyer for the Blue Jackets who needed a replacement for Nyquist who is out indefinitely while there’s a strong chance they’ll be trading a few players between now and the March 3rd deadline so extra bodies were going to be needed at some point.  Pederson has a chance to play a regular role in Columbus in the hopes of finding some NHL stability that has so far eluded him across four different organizations.

Blue Jackets Recall Jake Christiansen

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The Blue Jackets have brought up some extra depth in advance of their game tonight against Seattle, announcing the recall of defenseman Jake Christiansen from Cleveland of the AHL.  His promotion is likely related to Nick Blankenburg’s upper-body injury that caused him to miss last night’s game against Vancouver.

It’s the second recall of the season for the 23-year-old who got into 17 games with Columbus during that first stint before being sent back to the Monsters late last month.  Christiansen had a pair of assists during that stretch while averaging a hit and block per game in just under 14 minutes of playing time per night.  He has been more productive in the minors, picking up a dozen points in 23 contests and is only a year removed from a 45-point sophomore year with Cleveland.

Columbus now has seven healthy defensemen on the roster so there’s no guarantee that Christiansen will be in the lineup tonight against the Kraken.  The blueliner is in the final year of his entry-level contract and will be eligible for salary arbitration this summer.

Gustav Nyquist Out Indefinitely With Upper-Body Injury

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It’s starting to get closer to the time of year when teams will be holding out potential trade assets to protect them from injury. Unfortunately, the Columbus Blue Jackets hadn’t reached that point yet with Gustav Nyquist, who suffered an injury on Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers. Today, the Blue Jackets have announced that Nyquist is out indefinitely with an upper-body ailment.

It was less than two weeks ago that reports emerged about the Blue Jackets talking to teams about Nyquist, who is on an expiring contract and comes with plenty of experience. The 33-year-old has ten goals and 22 points on the season and was playing nearly 18 minutes a night for the banged-up Columbus squad.

Just five shifts into his night against the Oilers, though, he collided with Jesse Puljujarvi and left the game. At the time, head coach Brad Larsen told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that Nyquist would be re-evaluated on Thursday. Announcing an indefinite absence is an ominous conclusion to that evaluation, though it doesn’t necessarily mean anything long-term.

What it does mean, is there will now be plenty of confusion around his deadline value. Nyquist already was showing signs of slowing down, but was still an important two-way player for the Blue Jackets and an ideal trade deadline candidate for many teams.

Just last season he scored 53 points, and given his ability to play both wings, could fit onto a third line almost anywhere. While his $5.5MM cap hit does cause a problem, the Blue Jackets have shown a willingness to retain at the deadline in the past, and could have squeezed a nice asset out of a Nyquist trade.

Now, there’s no telling if he’ll even be moved.

Daniil Tarasov Reassigned To Minor Leagues

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have returned Daniil Tarasov to the minor leagues, less than a week after he was activated from injured reserve. The young netminder played once during that time, stopping 26 of 28 shots in a loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday

Through 13 appearances this season, Tarasov continues to show that he has the potential to be a full-time NHL option for the Blue Jackets in the near future. The 23-year-old now has a .914 save percentage in his 17-game career, and has arguably outperformed both Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins this season, even if most of his appearances still result in losses (most of the Blue Jackets’ games do).

With Korpisalo on an expiring deal and Tarasov signed to a new three-year contract last summer, his time is coming. The question now will be whether Merzlikins can bounce back from his dreadful 2022-23 season or if there will be a goaltending controversy in Columbus next year.

For now, it doesn’t really matter who plays for the team. Columbus is destined for the bottom of the standings, and letting Tarasov play in the minor leagues may be a better use of his talent. He won’t be waiver-exempt next year, meaning this is the last chance they have to move him freely between leagues.

New York Rangers Checked In On Vladislav Gavrikov

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One of the names you will hear a lot as the trade deadline approaches is Vladislav Gavrikov, the Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman that is coming to the end of his three-year, $8.4MM deal. A pending free agent with a relatively low $2.8MM cap hit, he is one of the top rental defensemen on the market, given his size, mobility, and experience. Gavrikov had 33 points last season, and is still logging more than 22 minutes a night this year.

In an article by Arthur Staple of The Athletic, it is revealed that the New York Rangers are one of the teams to have called on Gavrikov. The ask from the Blue Jackets, reportedly, is a first-round pick plus a mid-round pick. Recent years have seen players like Ben Chiarot, and David Savard land first-rounders at the deadline, while Josh Manson was dealt for Drew Helleson and a second last deadline. The key to Gavrikov’s market is how inexpensive he will be. If the Blue Jackets retain half of his contract, the $1.4MM cap hit is easy to absorb for many of the league’s contenders.

Columbus Blue Jackets Listening On Gustav Nyquist

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Though it looks like it might change tonight, when the day began, the Columbus Blue Jackets were in last place in the NHL. After signing Johnny Gaudreau to a massive free agent contract, just about everything has gone wrong this season, with a long list of injuries dropping the Blue Jackets out of playoff contention almost right away.

It makes sense, then, that Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen would be looking at ways to turn expiring contracts into future assets. One of those expiring deals is Gustav Nyquist, who is finishing up a four-year, $22MM contract this season. On the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek explained that the team is now listening to trade offers for Nyquist.

Now 33, Nyquist has long been an effective offensive player in the NHL. In all right of his full seasons in the league, he has scored at least 42 points, and just last season posted 18 goals and 53 points in all 82 games. This year hasn’t been quite as good, with just 18 on the board, but at least some of that is due to the poor performance around him.

Most notably, perhaps, is that he doesn’t rely on powerplay opportunities to get his offense. Nyquist hasn’t cracked 12 points with the man advantage since 2014-15, and actually had just as many shorthanded goals (4) as powerplay markers last season. Two of his eight goals this year are while penalty killing, another attribute that will certainly make him attractive come deadline time.

The Blue Jackets have selected five times in the first round the last two years, and now look like they have a legitimate shot at Connor Bedard. If they can continue to add pieces, there could be much better times just around the corner in Columbus.

Kekalainen Hoping To Get Texier Back Next Season

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There was some surprise when it was announced that Blue Jackets winger Alexandre Texier would play this season in Switzerland instead of Columbus at his request to play closer to his family.  GM Jarmo Kekalainen told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that he’s hopeful that the 23-year-old will be able to return next season.  Texier has six goals and 14 assists with SC Bern of the NLA this season, good for seventh on the team in scoring with five of the six ahead of him also having NHL experience.  He has been a bit more productive in Champions League action, notching two goals and five assists in six games so far.  Texier is in the second and final year of his bridge deal with Columbus but is not counting against their salary cap during his absence.

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