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Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Johnny Gaudreau

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After the Columbus Blue Jackets entered as a surprise team in the Johnny Gaudreau sweepstakes late this afternoon, the team has apparently signed the superstar forward, says Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, the deal is worth $9.75MM per season and will be paid entirely in salary (no bonuses), bringing the total value to $68.25MM. The Blue Jackets have confirmed the signing themselves, with Gaudreau set to meet the media tomorrow at 1:00 pm ET.

The theme of Gaudreau’s free agency had largely been about staying home, whether that meant staying with the only team he has ever played for, the Calgary Flames, or moving closer to his hometown in southern New Jersey. As a matter of course, the Philadelphia Flyers, Gaudreau’s childhood team, was a frontrunner for the winger’s services, along with nearby clubs who were also looking to add a dynamic forward in the New Jersey Devils and the New York Islanders. After Gaudreau informed Calgary of his intention to hit the open market and not return, the field dropped to just the other three. However, around the time that Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher had announced that the team was done signing free agents, effectively dropping them out of the Gaudreau bidding, a dark horse in the form of Columbus entered the race and won the war.

Of course not as close to southern New Jersey as Philadelphia, Newark, or Long Island, Columbus does bring Gaudreau much closer to the east coast of the United States as he appeared to want, and puts him as the centerpiece of what was already an exciting Blue Jackets build. Gaudreau will now team up with fellow star winger Patrik Laine and star defenseman Zach Werenski to form a fearsome trio to lead an otherwise solid Columbus team that features several young players and prospects with extremely high upside such as Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger and the recently drafted David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk.

An issue here for Columbus now, one certainly worth dealing with, is cap room.  CapFriendly now projects Columbus to have just over $3.4MM in salary cap space, but with RFAs to re-sign including Nick Blankenburg, Emil Bemstrom, and the certainly-not-cheap Laine. In order to bring back their RFAs, Columbus will likely need to make another move to clear out some cap space.

Losing Gaudreau is clearly a massive blow to the Flames, this evening’s news not making much of a difference to the organization that saw one of it’s all-time great players move on. The team will now have to choose which direction to head in, with fellow superstar forward Matthew Tkachuk a pending RFA and set to hit the UFA market next summer. How Calgary and GM Brad Treliving play this offseason could determine whether the Flames choose to push forward, add talent back in, or rebuild, potentially necessitating a trade of Tkachuk.

For the Flyers, losing out on the opportunity to sign a hometown superstar may be difficult to take, however the team bowed out on its own accord, apparently looking to take a different path, with Gaudreau not part of the plan. For the Devils and Islanders, however, losing out on Gaudreau is tougher, having been part of the bidding and both needing to add an offensive weapon in order to take a step forward; the Devils looking to escape a years long rebuild and the Islanders looking to step back into the playoffs after back-to-back Conference Finals appearances followed by a miss of the postseason completely. Still, Gaudreau wasn’t the last chip the market had to offer, with Nazem Kadri still representing a star player and Ondrej Palat another point-producer, as well as J.T. Miller on the trade market, so options do remain.

Lastly, Gaudreau moving on from Calgary in favor of Columbus seems to bring Columbus full circle and bring back memories of 2019. It was on the first day of free agency (July 1st of that year to be exact) Columbus, who had a world of promise, lost three superstars in the form of Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene and Sergei Bobrovsky to free agency, effectively instituting the mini-rebuild the franchise has undergone since. Today, Columbus switches roles, signing the superstar free agent with Calgary now evaluating its future.

Erik Gudbranson Expected To Sign With Columbus Blue Jackets

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are adding some size and physicality to the backend, as they work out a deal with Erik Gudbranson according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Per various outlets, the deal carries a ten-team no-trade clause for the duration of the contract.

Last September, Gudbranson signed a one-year deal worth $1.95MM. Now, he gets a sizeable raise from Columbus, a team that was looking to add physicality and veteran leadership to their back end. They were reportedly interested in acquiring Ryan McDonagh before he headed to Nashville, and he now gets his defenseman in Gudbranson.

The 30-year-old Ottawa native had a bit of a career renaissance in Calgary, fitting like a glove next to Nikita Zadorov on the Flames’ bottom-pairing, providing Darryl Sutter’s squad with imposing physical play. He averaged 18:07 per night and played nearly three minutes per game on the penalty kill. The Flames had the sixth-best penalty kill in the league, and it’s clear that GM Jarmo Kekalainen is crediting a decent amount of that success to Gudbranson’s efforts.

At a $4MM cap hit with four-year term, it’s fair to question whether this signing is the shrewdest on Columbus’ part. While his locker room contributions are certainly valuable, and the Blue Jackets obviously believe he can be an impact player on their penalty kill, there are enough question marks in Gudbranson’s game to make this deal a controversial one. For example, did Gudbranson really play that much better in 2021-22 that he earns a new contract worth twice as much per year as his last deal? Also, if the Blue Jackets are paying Gudbranson for his physicality and grit, why did they give Gudbranson a four-year term, when his physical style could eventually take its toll on his body and make him age worse?

NHL history is littered with leadership-first, physical defensemen getting long-term contracts, only for those deals to age terribly. The Karl Alzner deal in Montreal is a perfect example. Gudbranson had a good season in 2021-22, nothing can take away from that. But for a team that’s done so much right over the past year, it’s fair for fans to be a bit confused at this signing, although its far from a certainty that it’ll age as poorly as the comparables that were mentioned.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign David Jiricek, Denton Mateychuk

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have locked up two huge parts of their future, signing David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk to three-year entry-level contracts. The young defensemen were picked sixth and 12th respectively in this month’s draft.

The earlier pick, Jiricek, is an extremely accomplished defenseman for his age, having played for Plzen of the Czech Extraliga for parts of the past three seasons. Jiricek had 11 points in 29 games and one point in Czechia’s one-game run during the short-lived 2022 IIHF World Junior Championships. Jiricek is known for his size, all-around game, and booming point shot. He’s coming off a major knee injury, but it’s not expected to have any long-term impact on his career. With this signing, the Blue Jackets have the option to bring Jiricek to training camp and see if the polished defenseman can make their team.

Mateychuk, on the other hand, may take a bit more time than Jiricek. The Canadian defenseman plays a dynamic game that’s a bit less pro-ready. Mateychuk had 64 points in 65 games for the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors and had 10 points in their 10-game playoff run. Mateychuk is a tad undersized, standing at five-foot-eleven, but even with that in mind, he plays the sort of game that is becoming increasingly valued in today’s NHL. He’ll likely return to Moose Jaw for another season before possibly contending for an NHL job in 2022-23 at the earliest.

Kekalainen: Mutual Interest In A Long-Term Contract For Patrik Laine

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  • While Patrik Laine is a year away from being eligible to test unrestricted free agency, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen told reporters including Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that there is mutual interest in getting a long-term extension done with the winger. Laine is coming off his first career point per game season, notching 26 goals and 30 assists in 56 games and received his $7.5MM qualifying offer.  He’s eligible to file for arbitration if an agreement can’t be worked out in the coming days.

Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Adam Boqvist

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are keeping pending restricted free agent defenseman Adam Boqvist around for three more seasons, per the team. The deal has a total value of $7.8MM and an average annual value of $2.6MM, taking him through the 2024-25 season.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen gave the following statement on Boqvist’s extension:

Adam is a talented, mobile defenseman with the ability and creativity to provide offense from the blueline. Despite some injuries, he had a very good first season with our club at the age of 21 and as he gets bigger and stronger, we believe he has the potential to be a very impactful player in this league.

Losing time to those aforementioned injuries, Boqvist finished the 2021-22 season — his first in Columbus — with 11 goals, 11 assists, and 22 points in 55 games. In his third NHL season, Boqvist achieved a career-high in goals, points, and ice time (17:03). Over those three seasons, he’s played 128 games split between Chicago and Columbus and has 17 goals, 34 assists, and 51 points.

Overall, it’s been a solid start to Boqvist’s career, who Chicago selected eighth overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Columbus acquired Boqvist, along with a 2021 first-round pick (used on Cole Sillinger), a 2022 first-round pick (sixth overall), and a 2021 second-round pick (flipped to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Jake Bean) in the massive Seth Jones trade prior to last year’s draft.

The 21-year-old Boqvist still needs to work on improving his defensive game at the NHL level, but he’s shown solid transitional play and offensive zone awareness thus far, earning him the extension. In all likelihood, he’ll be slotting into a top-four role in Columbus next season.

NHL Announces 2022-23 Regular Season Schedule

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The news continues to break during what’s been a busy pre-draft week. The NHL has released the full 82-game schedule for the 2022-23 campaign, marking a return to normal dates and length for the first time since 2018-19.

2022-23 will see its curtains open overseas, where the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators will open the season at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia on October 7 and 8, 2022. The regular season will begin on the North American side of the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, with a classic doubleheader. The puck will drop at Madison Square Garden for an Eastern Conference Final rematch between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers, followed by a Pacific Division showdown in Southern California between the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings.

The Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony will be the following night at home against the Chicago Blackhawks. The season will wrap up on April 13, 2023.

Some key events throughout the season include the 2022 Global Series in Tampere, Finland, where the Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets will play a pair of games on November 4 and 5, 2022. The 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic is slated for January 2, 2023, between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins at Fenway Park, and the 2023 NHL Stadium Series is set for February 18, 2023, in Raleigh, North Carolina, where the Hurricanes will host the Washington Capitals. All-Star Weekend will be February 3-4, 2023, hosted by the Florida Panthers.

Offseason Notes: Chychrun, White, Dallas

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It’s been a while since we’ve heard Jakob Chychrun’s name atop trade rumors, especially when considering how he was viewed as one of the hottest commodities ahead of the Trade Deadline. It’s not often an under-25 defenseman with top-pairing pedigree becomes available, but the Arizona Coyotes decided not to move him just yet. That could change, however, as the Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger reports that the Blue Jackets and Coyotes are talking about a deal. While he couldn’t offer Chychrun’s name specifically, he also reminds that Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has said that the team could move their 12th overall pick at the 2022 draft in exchange for a young NHL player with term.

Chychrun certainly fits that bill, signed at just $4.6MM through 2025. It also matches up with the rumblings that Columbus is looking to add aggressively on defense, as multiple reports suggested they were in discussions with the Tampa Bay Lightning about landing Ryan McDonagh. If Arizona acquired the 12th overall selection, it would give them a jaw-dropping four first-round picks in addition to their five second-round picks.

  • There’s significant interest in soon-to-be free agent Colin White after he was placed on waivers for the purpose of a buyout today by the Ottawa Senators. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that up to 14 NHL teams have shown interest in White over the past few months, which could lead to a significant bidding war for his services once free agency opens. TSN’s Darren Dreger specifically names the Montreal Canadiens as a team that could be a fit, as general manager Kent Hughes was his agent prior to getting hired in Montreal.
  • The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta says the Dallas Stars are looking to add a significant punch at forward this offseason, specifically to add a jump to a line with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Dallas will reportedly be active on both the trade and free-agent markets, looking to be aggressive and squeeze out whatever this core has left in them to try and win a championship. Neither Benn nor Seguin, who are making above $9MM per season each, cracked the 50-point mark last year.

Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Free agency is now less than two weeks away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in mid-July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  Next up is a look at the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Key Restricted Free Agents:

F Emil Bemstrom – A fourth-round pick in 2017, Bemstrom had a strong debut in 2019-20, putting up 10 goals and 10 assists in 56 games for Columbus seeing just over 12 minutes a night of ice time. However, after his debut, he was limited to just 20 games in 2020-21, where he tallied only five points and didn’t fair much better this season, having 11 points in 41 games. Concerning as the bit of regression is for Bemstrom, he does have two things on his side: Columbus’ transitioning period as they search for talent to move forward with, and age, at just 23-years old. Because of those factors, Bemstrom is a likely candidate to be brought back into the fold with the Blue Jackets and have a chance to prove himself, but it may not be for much more, or even as much as, the $925K AAV he had on the ELC that is set to expire.

F Patrik Laine – The Blue Jackets don’t have too much in the way of free agents this offseason, but they do have one of the most discussed RFAs of the summer in Laine. After Laine held out in the summer of 2019 and was eventually traded from the Winnipeg Jets, Columbus fans might fret about their team’s ability to get a deal done with the winger, but not to worry, as The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports, the two sides are speaking regularly and amicably with the goal of a long-term extension for the Finnish sniper in mind. Having concluded a one-year, $7.5MM contract that saw Laine become a point-per-game player for the first time in his career, albeit in just 56 games, the 24-year-old is due for a raise, especially if the Blue Jackets would like to keep him around for the long haul. Fortunately for Columbus, the question seems to be “how much” and not “can it happen?” A long-term extension with Laine would, most importantly, provide the retooling franchise with a cornerstone player for it’s next build locked in at a guaranteed rate for years to come, making future decisions easier and more predictable.

D Adam Boqvist – One of the more exciting prospects in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Boqvist was selected eighth-overall by the Chicago Blackhawks and was later traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets as one of the centerpieces of the Seth Jones trade. Though Boqvist has certainly not been bad in his young career, he has yet to reach the heights projected for him by many. His most complete season to date came in 2021-22, where the defenseman had 11 goals and 11 assists in 52 games. Still, as his been the story for much of his professional career, Boqvist missed significant time with injury. There’s no question the Swede will return to Columbus and aim to be a significant contributor if healthy, but he won’t see the massive extension given to fellow 2018 selection Quinn Hughes or the one due to Noah Dobson.

D Nick Blankenburg, D Gabriel Carlsson, F Trey Fix-Wolansky, F Kevin Stenlund

Key Unrestricted Free Agents:

The Blue Jackets are in an interesting position, with no significant UFAs to deal with this offseason. Of the names listed below, only Harrington and Berube played in the NHL this year, each only playing in a handful of games. Those two as well as Sikura could be candidates to be re-signed as depth for the NHL club and to round out the Cleveland Monsters AHL lineup, with Gerbe and Rinaldo not having played since the 2020-21 season. Johnson is an intriguing name, having been serviceable in 20 games in the AHL this season, he was phenomenal for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL, helping the team win the Kelly Cup.

Despite the lack of key UFAs, Columbus could look ahead to a pair of UFAs to-be in forward Gustav Nyquist and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, who will both hit the market in 2023. It’s unclear what the plan for these two is in Columbus, however Nyquist has continued to produce the steady offensive output that helped him sign his current four-year, $22MM contract, while Gavrikov has established himself as a defensive backbone on the team’s blueline.

F Nathan Gerbe, F Zac Rinaldo, F Tyler Sikura, D Scott Harrington, G Jean-Francois Berube, G Cam Johnson

Projected Cap Space:

The Blue Jackets will enter this offseason with just over $19.5MM in available cap space, plenty to return all expiring contracts if they wish. Though it’s plenty, Laine’s extension, which should include an AAV higher than the $7.5MM he made in 2021-22, will take up a significant portion of that space. It’s likely the club will look at some additions to help round out the roster and perhaps help if the team is more competitive than expected, but it appears the organization will take the time to evaluate its talent and give as much time and experience as possible to younger players they want to build around, like Boqvist and forwards Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson. One of the brightest spots for the organization is, once a long-term deal with Laine is complete, the team will still have a comfortable amount of cap space to work with, while having all of their experienced building-blocks, including Laine, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Zach Werenski, and Elvis Merzlikins, already signed long-term.

Latest On Patrik Laine Extension

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While the Winnipeg Jets have a situation on their hands with Pierre-Luc Dubois and his reported desire to test free agency in two years, the Columbus Blue Jackets aren’t facing a similar issue with the main player they received in the Dubois trade: Patrik Laine. According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Laine’s camp and the Blue Jackets “communicate every few days” in “amicable” negotiations focused on finding a long-term deal for Laine. (subscription link) While Portzline does note that the negotiations aren’t “anywhere close,” and that negotiations “may take a while,” there is a desire from both parties to get a long-term extension done regardless of where the exact negotiations might be at this point in time.

For the Blue Jackets, their desire to extend Laine is entirely understandable. When he was healthy, Laine was a dynamic offensive force the type of scorer the Blue Jackets haven’t had in their lineup since Artemi Panarin’s two-year stay in Columbus. Laine had 26 goals and 56 points in 56 games in 2021-22 and showed the kind of elite scoring ability that got him drafted second overall in 2016. Perhaps most importantly, Laine produced at a point-per-game rate without having an elite center to rely on, highlighting his abilities as a play-driving winger and helping dispel the notion that he is simply a streaky, perimeter-shooting passenger winger. The Blue Jackets clearly believe they have a player to build around in the 24-year-old Laine and getting him inked to any sort of remotely reasonable long-term extension would be a major win for Jarmo Kekalainen’s front office.

Blue Jackets Re-Sign Carson Meyer

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Columbus has been active in recent days as they look to re-sign their pending restricted free agents.  Winger Carson Meyer is the next one to receive a new deal as the Blue Jackets announced that they’ve agreed on a one-year, two-way deal with the 24-year-old.  PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the contract pays $750K in the NHL, $125K in the AHL, and has a guarantee of $175K.

Meyer made his NHL debut this past season, getting into 13 games with Columbus in April as the team was playing out the stretch.  He picked up a goal and two assists along with 27 hits in those appearances while averaging a little more than eight minutes a night on the fourth line.  Prior to that, Meyer played in 57 games with AHL Cleveland, tallying 16 goals along with 11 assists.

While it’s possible that Meyer could try to push for a spot on the fourth line in training camp, the likelier scenario is that he returns to the Monsters as he is waiver-exempt through next season.  But after a decent showing in the final month of the season, Meyer is someone that could be considered for an early-season recall when injuries arise in Columbus.

Aaron Portzline of The Athletic was the first to report that Meyer was close to re-signing.

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