Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Blue Jackets Rumors

Columbus Blue Jackets Name Boone Jenner Captain

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With Nick Foligno gone in free agency, the Columbus Blue Jackets needed a new captain. That decision has been made, and Boone Jenner will wear the “C” this season as the seventh captain in franchise history. He’ll be joined by Zach Werenski, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Gustav Nyquist, who will each serve as alternates. New head coach Brad Larsen explained why Jenner was the choice:

We had a lot of discussions as a coaching staff and with management and, while we were in no rush to make a decision regarding the next captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets, it became obvious to all of us that Boone was the right choice. He has tremendous character and a work ethic that has earned the respect of his teammates and he’s been an important part of our leadership group for several years. Zach, Gus and Oliver also have been part of that group and we are fortunate to have these guys lead our team.

Jenner, 28, has spent his entire career with the Blue Jackets to this point, suiting up 530 times in the regular season for the club. He reached a career-high of 30 goals in 2015-16 but has never really come close to matching that total, settling into more of a two-way role behind some of the team’s more offensive players. He had eight goals and 17 points in 41 games last season, but with some of the changes the team has made in recent months, could find himself more involved at that end of the rink this season.

At the very least, he will serve as a strong leader among a group that is going through a big transition. Foligno, Seth Jones and Cam Atkinson, huge parts of the franchise’s identity, are all playing for other teams this season. Werenski is now the face of the franchise, but he’ll be supported by Jenner now who takes on the responsibility of captain with an extension in pocket. The veteran forward is signed through 2025-26, meaning there doesn’t have to be any changes for several years.

The Blue Jackets, though considered something of a rebuilding group after trading away Jones, still have quite a few talented skaters on the roster and could surprise people this season. If it goes south, however, it’ll be up to Jenner and his alternates to keep the ship on course.

Max Domi To Play In Preseason Finale

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While he was expected to be out until at least November, Blue Jackets forward Max Domi has progressed quicker than anticipated in his recovery from shoulder surgery back in June to the point where he could be ready for next week’s season-opener.  To that end, the team announced today that he’ll be in their preseason finale tonight against Pittsburgh to assess his readiness to start the season.  The injury plus his $5.3MM cap hit resulted in Columbus leaving him unprotected in expansion with Seattle shying away.  While Domi’s long-term future with the team remains somewhat uncertain after a tough first year with them, it looks like he’ll have a full season or very close to it which should help his value on the open market next summer and in the trade market in the months to come.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/9/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With the submission of season-opening rosters due on Monday, many teams should be making more cuts today.  We’ll keep track of those moves here.

Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)

F Tyler Angle (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Josh Dunne (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Brendan Gaunce (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Carson Meyer (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Tristan Mullin (released from PTO, to Cleveland, AHL)
F Justin Scott (released from PTO, to Cleveland, AHL)
F Tyler Sikura (to Cleveland, AHL)

Florida Panthers (via WPLG’s David Dwork)

F Zac Dalpe (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Noah Juulsen (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Matt Kiersted (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Serron Noel (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Chase Priskie (to Charlotte, AHL)

Minnesota Wild (via team release)

D Calen Addison (to Iowa, AHL)
F Adam Beckman (to Iowa, AHL)
F Marco Rossi (to Iowa, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie)

F Jesse Ylonen (to Laval, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team Twitter)

F Joseph Gambardella (to Utica, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (via team Twitter)

F Parker Kelly (to Belleville, AHL)
G Mads Sogaard (to Belleville, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team Twitter)

G Felix Sandstrom (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)

F Michael Chaput (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Juuso Riikola (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team release)

G Colten Ellis (to Springfield, AHL)
F Dakota Joshua (to Springfield, AHL)
D Scott Perunovich (to Springfield, AHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via team release)

F Carson Focht (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F William Lockwood (to Abbotsford, AHL)

Gustav Nyquist Cleared For Contact, Max Domi Takes Part In Practice Drills

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While Blue Jackets winger Gustav Nyquist has yet to suit up in the exhibition season, don’t interpret that as a setback in his return from a shoulder injury.  Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch notes that the veteran is cleared for contact and is on the second line in practice but clearly, they’re being cautious after the 32-year-old missed all of last season.  Meanwhile, center Max Domi did some drills at practice on Friday as he works his way back from shoulder surgery of his own.  He’s still expected to be out until November at the earliest but his participation in practice suggests his recovery could be on the shorter end of the five-to-six-month timeline.

Blue Jackets Will Not Assign Zac Rinaldo To An Affiliated Team

at CDT | by 23 Comments

After clearing waivers earlier today, it was expected that Blue Jackets winger Zac Rinaldo would be assigned to Columbus’ AHL team in Cleveland.  The veteran wasn’t invited to training camp after declining to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.  However, GM Jarmo Kekalainen released the following statement, announcing that Rinaldo will not be going there after all:

Our position has been very clear that our organization is committed to doing everything we can to ensure the health and safety of our players, coaches, staff and fans. Given the impact COVID-19 continues to have in our communities, we believe the best course of action given Zac’s vaccination status is to not have him report to Cleveland at this time. While we respect an individual’s right to make a personal choice with regards to being vaccinated or not, we have a responsibility to do what we believe is best for our organization. We will honor Zac’s contract, but if he wants to pursue any other opportunities to play this season we will allow him to do so.

Rinaldo’s contract calls for an AHL salary of $275K and contains a guaranteed payment of $300K which the Blue Jackets will be on the hook for regardless of whether or not he plays anywhere this season.  In the meantime, Rinaldo’s camp may be on the lookout to try to find the 31-year-old a place to play outside the Columbus organization.  Now that he has cleared waivers, Columbus could loan him to an unaffiliated team overseas, for example.  Rinaldo had spent the last two seasons in Calgary’s system, suiting up in 23 games for the Flames in that time.

Korpisalo Hopes To Re-Sign Despite Merzlikins Extension, Bayreuther Saw Better Chance For Roster Spot With Columbus Over Seattle

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Although Columbus recently inked goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to a five-year extension, fellow netminder Joonas Korpisalo told reporters, including Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch, that he hopes to still be able to remain with the Blue Jackets beyond the expiration of his current contract next summer.  The 27-year-old has spent his entire career with the organization after being drafted in the third round back in 2012 but has largely been in a backup role during that stretch.  With the commitment they’ve made to Merzlikins, Korpisalo, who is hoping to be cleared to return from his lower-body injury soon, will have a hard time landing a lot more than his $2.8MM AAV as the high-end backup market is typically in the mid-to-high $3MM range.

  • Still with Columbus, while defenseman Gavin Bayreuther’s time with Seattle was limited, it wasn’t due to a lack of interest from the Kraken. The blueliner told Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets’ team site that he did receive a two-way offer from Seattle but knew that he’d be viewed as a player that was likely ticketed for the minors.  Instead, he went to free agency and returned to Columbus where he feels he’ll have a better chance of sticking with the big club.  Bayreuther averaged just over 15 minutes in nine games with Columbus last season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Jean-Francois Berube

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Columbus Blue Jackets have added some more goaltending depth to the organization, signing Jean-Francois Berube to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K, an AHL salary of $200K, and a minor league guarantee of $225K according to Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. Berube had been in training camp with the Blue Jackets on a professional tryout.

Berube, 30, hasn’t seen the NHL since the 2017-18 season, but is a veteran minor league option that will serve as little more than injury insurance in Columbus. In fact, he could very well be nothing more than a practice option if the league goes to taxi squads for goaltenders this season at any point. With only two netminders other than Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo signed to NHL contracts though, the Blue Jackets needed to add at least one more to cover any call-up issues.

There was a time when Berube was one of the best goaltenders in the minor leagues, but even those days are passed now. He posted a .885 save percentage in 19 appearances with the Ontario Reign last season, the third consecutive year he was sub-.900. While he can give the team another option, don’t expect him to receive the majority of the starts so long as prospect Daniil Tarasov stays healthy.

Snapshots: Vrana, Voracek, Augustana

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Hockey is back as the preseason enters its second day. While teams continue to announce roster moves and training camp cuts, there’s a variety of news and notes from around the league and sport that have come through the wire. The most notable takes us to the Detroit Red Wings, where head coach Jeff Blashill reports that forward Jakub Vrana will see a specialist on Monday for a shoulder injury suffered this week. After yesterday’s report from Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen that Vrana would be reevaluated later, this is a quick turnaround from such an uncertain timeline. Any absence would be a huge blow to Detroit, for whom Vrana scored at a point-per-game pace last season.

Some other news from around the hockey world:

  • The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline notes the discrepancy in the role that Jakub Voracek will carry during his second tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Voracek’s last season in Columbus came in 2010-11 at the age of 21, playing 10 seasons and 727 games in Philadelphia after a trade. Dealt back to Columbus this offseason in exchange for Cam Atkinson, Voracek now returns as the oldest player on the Columbus roster. He’ll be tasked with being a strong voice in terms of leadership to help gel a rebuilding squad. It’s something that Voracek says he’s “ready to fill” due to his experience in Philadelphia.
  • After announcing a move to create a Division I hockey program back in June, South Dakota’s Augustana University will announce the program officially on October 5. Including the groundbreaking of the team’s new arena, the event will mark history for hockey in South Dakota. It continues a recent tradition of lesser-known schools breaking into the Division I scene.

Training Camp Notes: Bruins, Blue Jackets, Penguins

at CDT | by 5 Comments

As development camps begin to wrap up around the NHL, training camp rosters have been released throughout the day and into the evening. There’s been a variety of rather interesting surprises and irregularities as the rosters have been released to the public. One of the more unusual aspects of the day has to do with the Boston Bruins training camp roster. It appears as though veteran AHL defenseman Aaron Ness will be attending camp with the team. While no contract terms have been announced, he had previously signed a professional tryout contract with the Seattle Kraken. A contract announcement can likely be expected in the near future.

Elsewhere from training camps around the league:

  • Another surprise inclusion comes in the form of a veteran goaltender. The Columbus Blue Jackets released their roster today, including 30-year-old veteran netminder Jean-Francois Berube. The Quebec native, originally a selection of the Los Angeles Kings in 2009, is returning to the organization after a one-year stint there in 2018-19. It was played entirely with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. While Berube’s numbers have dipped in recent seasons, he was once a capable third-string option and still could provide valuable goalie depth to the organization. Similar to Ness, no contract terms have been released yet for Berube, but it’s something to look out for.
  • The Tribune-Review’s Seth Rorabaugh reports that forwards Sam Houde and Josh Williams are attending Pittsburgh Penguins camp on amateur tryout contracts. Both signings could help plug some organization depth weaknesses caused by a cascading injury effect. Houde comes to the team after serving as the captain for the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens, scoring 28 points in 29 games during his final QMJHL season. Williams, a winger out of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, showed off his goal-scoring skills this year with 17 goals and 30 points in 22 games. Both could slot into depth roles in the AHL and could eventually become bigger parts of the organization if signed.

Elvis Merzlikins Signs Five-Year Extension

at CDT | by 12 Comments

The Columbus Blue Jackets have locked up their starting goaltender, signing Elvis Merzlikins to a five-year, $27MM contract extension. The deal kicks in for the 2022-23 season and runs through 2026-27, carrying a $5.4MM cap hit. Previously, both Merzlikins and tandem mate Joonas Korpisalo were scheduled to become unrestricted free agents after the upcoming season. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports the full contract details:

  • 2022-23: $5.25MM
  • 2023-24: $6.0MM
  • 2024-25: $6.0MM
  • 2025-26: $5.525MM
  • 2026-27: $4.225MM

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen released a statement on the deal:

Goaltending is a position of strength for our team and Elvis Merzlikins has been an important part of that over the past two seasons so we are very excited to have agreed to terms on a contract extension that will keep him in Columbus for at least the next six years. He is big, athletic and has a tremendous passion for the game and we believe he will be an integral part of our success in the coming years.

Merzlikins, 27, certainly hasn’t taken the usual path to stardom in the NHL, but he nevertheless is well on his way to establishing himself as one. Selected in the third round of the 2014 draft, the Latvian netminder was playing as a teenager in Switzerland. He would remain there for another five seasons, putting up outstanding numbers while routinely suiting up for his country internationally. Time and again he would stand out as the best player on the Latvian side, keeping them in games where they were vastly outmatched and posting numbers like his .940 save percentage at the 2018 tournament.

In 2019, at the end of the 2018-19 season, he finally decided to sign with the Blue Jackets and start his North American career. He would end up playing just two games in the minor leagues, quickly showing that he was more than ready for the NHL. In that rookie season, he posted a .923 save percentage in 33 appearances, good enough to finish fifth in both Calder and Vezina Trophy voting.

Last season, those numbers dropped a bit, but Merzlikins was still able to register a .916 on a struggling Columbus team. His partner, Korpisalo, finished with an .894 and likely lost the race to be the Blue Jackets’ long-term goaltending option. This new contract all but confirms that, though obviously the 27-year-old Korpisalo could also be retained at a lower price to secure the position.

While he has played the smaller half of the games the last two seasons, Merzlikins should be expected to take the lion’s share this year if he can stay healthy. In fact, just a few weeks ago he told reporters that he wants to play as much as he can, even hoping to win the Vezina as a tribute to his close friend Matiss Kivlenieks, another Blue Jackets goaltender who tragically passed away earlier this summer at age 24. Merzlikins credits Kivlenieks for saving his and his pregnant wife’s life, who were standing 20 feet away when a fireworks mortar struck the young netminder.

Merzlikins, the new father–his son, Knox Matiss Merzlikins was born on August 20–is now locked up long-term in Columbus and carries the 12th highest cap hit among NHL goaltenders. That rank is likely to go down as more contracts are signed, but the Blue Jackets have put their faith in him as their starter for the next several years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top