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Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Zac Rinaldo

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed free agent forward Zac Rinaldo to a one-year, two-way contract. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the deal will be worth $750K in the NHL, $275K in the AHL, and comes with a $300K minor league guarantee.

Rinaldo, 31, has carved out a 374-game NHL career despite never being anything more than a fourth-line presence. In a league that is almost completely devoid of enforcers, there’s still Rinaldo, playing NHL games every year and racking up penalty minutes. In 2020-21 he played four games with the Calgary Flames, averaged fewer than six minutes a night, and fought former teammate Austin Watson.

With 42 career points and 748 career penalty minutes, it’s clear what Rinaldo’s job will be with the Blue Jackets, whenever they put him in the lineup. The 31-year-old forward has never had more than five goals or nine points in a single season. With Columbus going through something of a transition period, trading away Cam Atkinson and Seth Jones, among others, the team will look very different this season. Perhaps Rinaldo will find his way into the lineup more often as they look to establish an identity under new head coach Brad Larsen.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Andrew Peeke

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have reached a contract with their final restricted free agent, signing Andrew Peeke to a two-year deal. The contract will be worth a total of $1.575MM. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that Peeke will earn $750K in 2021-22 and $825K in 2022-23. Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen released a short statement:

Andrew is a smart, mobile defenseman, who has the ability to join the rush and make plays in all three zones. He is still a young player, but we are excited to see his continued growth within our organization as he continues to work and earn more playing time.

Peeke, 23, was the 34th overall pick in 2016 and quickly found success at Notre Dame. After three years in college, he decided to turn pro and actually played 22 games for the Blue Jackets in his first professional season. That number decreased to just 11 appearances this season, but he will be in the mix for regular ice time in 2021-22.

There will be a battle for spots in Columbus after the team moved on from Seth Jones, Ryan Murray and David Savard. Jake Bean and Adam Boqvist have both joined the fray through trade, while Mikko Lehtonen was brought back on a one-year deal. The fact that Peeke is still waiver-exempt will probably hurt him in this case, as he can go to the minor leagues at the start of the year, but that should also make him one of the first call-ups in the case of injury.

The two-year deal could potentially take Peeke to Group VI unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2025 if he fails to secure a regular spot in the lineup. Otherwise, he will be a restricted free agent eligible for arbitration.

Brendan Gaunce Signs With Columbus Blue Jackets

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed free agent forward Brendan Gaunce to a one-year, two-way contract. Gaunce spent last season in Sweden playing for Vaxjo HC, winning the SHL title. CapFriendly reports that it’s worth $750,000 at the NHL level and $350,000 at the AHL level, with $400,000 guaranteed across the deal.

The 27-year-old was selected 26th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 2012 but failed to ever translate his minor league offense to the NHL. The 6’2″ center has just 16 points in 118 career NHL games, despite routinely being a top-line player in the AHL. In 2020-21, he helped Vaxjo to a league championship with 19 points in 30 games, but it back in North America to continue his career.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t figure to be many opportunities at the NHL level for a player like Gaunce unless the Blue Jackets make several other moves. The team has 12 forwards already on one-way contracts, with other names like Emil Bemstrom, Liam Foudy, and Yegor Chinakhov likely to contribute on their entry-level deals.

If it is destined to be a season in the minor leagues again, he’ll have to clear waivers at some point.

Blue Jackets Sign Cole Cassels, Olivier LeBlanc, And Jet Greaves To AHL Deals

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As the pace of NHL signings starts to slow down after a hectic start to free agency, there will start to be a higher number of minor signings as players look for AHL contracts or deals overseas.  We’ll keep tabs on today’s moves like that here.

  • Unrestricted free agent Zach Magwood has signed a one-year deal with HC Innsbruck in Austria, per a team announcement. The 23-year-old played in nine games with AHL Belleville last season after being acquired from Nashville but Ottawa declined to tender him a qualifying offer earlier this week.
  • Quinton Howden’s international tour will continue. The 2010 first-round pick left North America in 2017, making stops in Belarus, Russia, and Sweden since then.  Now he’s off to Germany as Kolner Haie of the DEL in Germany announced that they’ve signed the 29-year-old.  He takes the place of former NHLer James Sheppard who requested and was granted his release.
  • The Kings’ AHL affiliate in Ontario, California announced that they have signed a trio of players to minor-league deals in forwards Brett Kemp and Nikita Pavlychev plus goaltender John Lethemon. Kemp had 31 points in 23 games with WHL Medicine Hat in his overage junior season while Pavlychev made his pro debut last season, splitting time between AHL Syracuse (eight games) and ECHL Orlando (28 games).  As for Lethemon, he was under contract with Ontario last season but didn’t play for them, instead suiting up in 25 games with ECHL Greenville.
  • Turner Elson is returning to Grand Rapids of the AHL but not on an NHL contract this time around as the Griffins announced (Twitter link) that the 28-year-old has signed a minor-league deal. Elson, who had been on NHL two-way deals with Detroit since 2017, had 17 points in 31 games last season.
  • Columbus inked a trio of players to AHL deals per an announcement from their affiliate in Cleveland. Forward Cole Cassels and defenseman Olivier LeBlanc each signed one-year deals while goaltender Jet Greaves inked a two-year pact.  Cassels had 17 points in 31 games with AHL Belleville last season while Leblanc played a dozen contests with Belleville.  As for Greaves, he didn’t play at all last year with the OHL being shut down but played in 60 career games with OHL Barrie, posting a 3.99 GAA with a SV% of .899.

Columbus Blue Jackets Re-Sign Mikko Lehtonen

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Mikko Lehtonen to a one-year contract, giving the unrestricted free agent another chance to show what he can do at the NHL level. The 2020-21 season was Lehtonen’s first in North America after a long professional career overseas. The financial details have not yet been released.

Lehtonen, 27, was a highly sought after free agent last summer following an outstanding season in the KHL. He was named league defenseman of the year after scoring 17 goals and 49 points in 60 games with Jokerit, leading to a one-year contract with Toronto Maple Leafs. Many believed Lehtonen would get a full-time role on the Maple Leafs third pair and likely run the team’s second powerplay unit, but after Zach Bogosian established himself as a more reliable option on North American ice, Lehtonen was eventually moved to the Blue Jackets.

In Columbus, the savvy defenseman played 17 games, recording three points. He averaged 18 minutes a night for the Blue Jackets in those games, more than six minutes more than during his time in Toronto. With a full offseason and training camp to prepare, and room on the Columbus blueline, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lehtonen find much more success this time around. While he may not be the breakout KHL star that some were hoping for, he’ll get another chance to show he is an NHL-level defenseman.

Zach Werenski Signs Long-Term Extension With Blue Jackets

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After several difficult years of asset management, capped off by the recent forced departure of Seth Jones, the Columbus Blue Jackets are stepping up do whatever it takes to keep their stars. In the wake of the Jones trade, no player is more important than fellow star defenseman Zach Werenski – and the team just made that clear. The Blue Jackets have signed Werenski to a six-year, $57.5MM contract extension, as first reported by Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston and confirmed by the team. That contract, which begins in the 2022-23 season, will make Werenski the third-highest paid defenseman in the NHL at a $9.583MM AAV, even higher than Jones’ recent deal. The breakdown is as follows:

  • 2022-23: $2MM SB, $8MM salary
  • 2023-24: $2MM SB, $10MM salary
  • 2024-25: $2MM SB, $9.5MM salary
  • 2025-26: $2MM SB, $7.5MM salary
  • 2026-27: $6.25MM SB, $1MM salary
  • 2027-28: $6.25MM SB, $1MM salary

The structure of this deal makes the contract buyout-proof, but that shouldn’t be an issue for the Blue Jackets. Werenski has committed to the team, publicly stating his excitement to remain in Columbus, and that is exactly what the team is hoping for. The team and city have developed a reputation for not being able to retain top talent in recent years, but they are hoping to change that perception. Rewarding players with loyalty (and a lot of money) is a great first step.

While this is certainly a large sum to award Werenski, it isn’t a massive overpay. Perhaps in the shadow of Jones, Werenski has quietly been one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL since breaking in with an All-Rookie debut season in 2016-17. At 24, Werenski already has 335 games under his belt, in which he has recorded 65 goals and 189 points, among the top blue line scorers in that time. Consistency has been the most impressive part of his offense as well; Werenski recorded double-digit goals and 37-47 points in each of his first four full NHL seasons, including a 2019-20 campaign in which he played only 63 games. This year, he again played at a full-season pace of 16 goals and 47 points.

On top of his elite shot, puck possession, and offensive instincts, Werenski has also developed into a solid defensive player who has been using his 6’2″ frame more effectively of late. This more mature, well-rounded game has allowed Columbus to use Werenski in all situations, leading to a career-high 24:22 time on ice per game this year. That role is only going to increase with Jones gone and Werenski will also be asked to help develop the likes of new additions Jake Bean, Adam Boqvist, and eventually Corson Ceulemans and Stanislav Svozil. Werenski seems ready for the challenge.

Jake Bean Signs Extension In Columbus

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that newly acquired defenseman Jake Bean signed an extension with the team. It’s a three-year deal costing Columbus $2.33MM annually. Here is the breakdown:

2021-22: $1.9M
2022-23: $2.2M
2023-24: $2.9M

This could wind up being an outstanding value for the Blue Jackets. Although Bean is only 23 and has just 44 NHL games under his belt, the 2016 first-round pick has shown flashes of immense upside in his young pro career. In his rookie season in 2020-21, Bean recorded 12 points in 42 games despite playing very limited bottom-pair minutes and without a consistent power play role. At 1.18 points per 60 minutes already without prime power play opportunity and playing with bottom-pair talent, Bean will only go up from there with a top-four role seemingly waiting for him in Columbus. At 20+ minutes per night and put in better scoring opportunities, it would not be a surprise to see the young blue liner push for at least 30+ points.

With all that said, Bean does need to continue to grow in the defensive aspects of the game. It is that development rather than his offensive potential that will dictate his ceiling in Columbus. The re-tooling Blue Jackets need well-rounded, all-situations players and Bean is still working on becoming that.

Columbus Blue Jackets Re-Sign Alexandre Texier

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The Columbus Blue Jackets re-signed young forward Alexandre Texier today, the team announced. It’s a two-year deal paying a total of $3.05MM, meaning it’s got an average annual value of $1.52MM. Texier was a restricted free agent but did not have arbitration rights.

It was a little over two years ago when Texier made his debut in the NHL, bursting onto the scene after dominating the Finnish league as a teenager. He scored three points in eight games for the Blue Jackets in the 2019 playoffs and hopes were high that he would step directly into a top-six role despite his young age. Instead, Texier averaged fewer than 13 minutes in the 36 games he did get into during the 2019-20 season, moving in and out of the lineup as a fringe roster player. He finished the year with six goals and 13 points, not exactly the rookie campaign that was expected.

Unfortunately, his sophomore year didn’t go much better. The 21-year-old had just four goals and 15 points in 49 games this season for the Blue Jackets despite additional minutes and responsibility. His offensive game hasn’t translated at all, though he did get a chance to play center—rather infrequently—under head coach John Tortorella, who is notorious for not trusting young players in the middle of the ice.

Now as the team heads into a new chapter under head coach Brad Larsen and without several key veterans, it will be up to young players like Texier to take the next step in Columbus. A $1.52MM cap hit isn’t insignificant and should mean he’s in the lineup every night, but it also doesn’t guarantee much else. He’ll have to prove he can contribute more regularly at the offensive end of the rink if he wants more ice time and a bigger contract in 2023.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Gavin Bayreuther, Tyler Sikura

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After a short vacation to Seattle, Gavin Bayreuther has once again signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The minor league defenseman was selected in the expansion draft as a pending UFA and has signed a two-year contract to return to his previous organization. The deal will be a two-way contract in 2021-22 and a one-way contract in 2022-23. The team has also signed minor league forward Tyler Sikura to a one-year, two-way contract.

Bayreuther, 27, was a confusing selection in the first place, as he has just 28 NHL games under his belt and has scored just three goals. It never seemed like he was destined for the Kraken roster, but perhaps they believed he could be signed and stashed in the minor leagues. For Columbus, that’s exactly what is likely to happen, with him returning to the Cleveland Monsters where he scored 12 points in 14 games this year.

The same can be said for Sikura, who doesn’t even have an NHL game under his belt. He did however scored 21 points in 29 games for Cleveland, and will return as a strong minor league veteran to fill out the system. It’s all about the development of their young talent now in Columbus, so keeping the relationship with the AHL team strong and productive is an important step.

Patrik Laine Accepts Qualifying Offer, Signs With Blue Jackets

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Wednesday: Official now, Laine has accepted his one-year qualifying offer with Columbus. He will be a restricted free agent again in 2022.

Tuesday: The Columbus Blue Jackets recently extended a qualifying offer to Patrik Laine, as they would any other restricted free agent they wanted to keep in the organization. The difference was, because of the way his previous contract was structured, that qualifying offer came with a salary of $7.5MM. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Laine has accepted that offer, meaning he will sign a one-year deal worth $7.5MM for the 2021-22 season. The contract can’t technically be announced until Wednesday.

Still just 23, Laine has turned into something of an enigma in the NHL. Supremely talented, he scored 110 goals in his first three seasons, establishing himself as one of the league’s next great snipers. Some compared him to players like Alex Ovechkin or Steven Stamkos because of his ability to hammer one-timers accurately into the net on the powerplay, giving the Winnipeg Jets a seemingly unstoppable weapon.

But then, things started to deteriorate, to the point where Laine was traded early this season to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was quickly put in the doghouse after a run-in with an assistant coach (one that turned out to be Brad Larsen, who is now the team’s head coach) and he ended up with just ten goals and 21 points in his 45 games with Columbus. There’s no doubting his offensive ability, but his commitment to the defensive side of the game and his sometimes questionable engagement have raised questions about his future.

Auston Matthews, who was compared to him immediately because they went with the first two spots in the 2016 draft, signed a huge long-term contract out of his entry-level deal that made him one of the highest-paid players in the NHL. Laine was given a two-year bridge and traded in the middle of it. Instead of negotiating a long-term deal, he’ll now return to Columbus on just a one-year contract, though one that rewards him handsomely. Next year, he’ll be an RFA again and will need the same qualifying offer, but perhaps things will have changed.

With a new head coach in Columbus and a fresh start that doesn’t have a trade and quarantine involved, Laine could very well get back to dominating the league with that wicked shot. But now just two years away from free agency, it’s hard to know just how long he’ll be with the Blue Jackets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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