Blue Jackets Reach Extension With AHL Affiliate
The Columbus Blue Jackets have reached a new multi-year agreement with the Cleveland Monsters, their AHL affiliate. The two organizations have developed into one of the strongest NHL-AHL relationships in the league since they partnered in 2015, including a Calder Cup championship in 2016.
Monsters team president Mike Ostrowski released the following statement in regards to the new agreement:
We are extremely proud and excited to continue our affiliation with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Our partnership with Columbus is great on many levels and allows our players to play in a major league environment which provides them a taste of what the NHL experience is like. Monsters fans are the best in the AHL and now they’ll be able to continue seeing future Blue Jackets play right here in downtown Cleveland, as well as follow their careers as they head to the Jackets. This partnership is outstanding for hockey in the state of Ohio.
The strong geographic connection between the two cities is obviously an important part of their relationship, and allows the Blue Jackets to have even more flexibility in terms of roster construction on a day-to-day basis, knowing their affiliate is just up the road.
Cleveland meanwhile has seen many NHL players come through their dressing room since partnering with Columbus, including Zach Werenski, Josh Anderson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Sonny Milano, Joonas Korpisalo, and Elvis Merzlikins, among others. The two sides will have that pipeline continue now into the future, though the specific details of the agreement were not made public.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Columbus Blue Jackets
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading for the 2021-22 season and beyond. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Current Cap Hit: $70,831,138 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Emil Bemstrom (one year, $925K)
D Adam Boqvist (one year, $894K)
F Yegor Chinakhov (two years, $925K)
F Cole Sillinger (three years, $925K)
Potential Bonuses
Bemstrom: $850K
Boqvist: $850K
Chinakhov: $500K
Sillinger: $425K
Total: $2.625MM
Sillinger took advantage of the Blue Jackets being thin down the middle to push himself into a regular roster spot and he is the only player from this draft class to make it past the nine-game threshold to start his rookie deal. His offensive numbers are certainly decent but it’s what he does in the last half of the contract that will determine if he gets a short-term second deal or a long-term pact as a franchise fixture. His two ‘A’ bonuses for this season could very well be hit, giving him a nice jump in pay. Columbus somewhat surprisingly agreed to burn the first year of Chinakhov’s deal last season without him playing a single game. That, coupled with a quiet start to his rookie campaign, puts the 2020 first-round pick on a path for a bridge contract. Bemstrom was a capable secondary offensive player in his rookie season and was a bit below that pace last season but has yet to play this season due to an oblique strain. Players like that rarely get long-term pacts but he should be able to land a small raise and be closer to the $1.5MM mark in 2022-23.
Boqvist was one of the key pieces of the trade return for Seth Jones but things haven’t gone as planned with his new team. He underwhelmed early on, got hurt, wound up being a healthy scratch for a little bit, and has been up and down since returning. While Columbus surely still views the 21-year-old as a long-term fixture, it’d be next to impossible to find a price point that both sides are content with on a contract that buys out UFA years. A bridge deal – potentially even a one-year contract to try to restore some value – makes the most sense for Boqvist while giving both sides more time to determine whether or not he can reach his offensive ceiling.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
D Gabriel Carlsson ($725K, RFA)
F Justin Danforth ($750K, UFA)
F Max Domi ($5.3MM, UFA)
D Scott Harrington ($1.633MM, UFA)
F Gregory Hofmann ($900K, UFA)
G Joonas Korpisalo ($2.8MM, UFA)
D Dean Kukan ($1.65MM, UFA)
F Patrik Laine ($7.5MM, UFA)
F Jack Roslovic ($1.838MM, RFA)
After a tough season split between Winnipeg and Columbus, Laine accepted his qualifying offer which didn’t come as much of a surprise. Doing so takes him to one year away from UFA eligibility so the time to work out a long-term contract is soon approaching. If that doesn’t happen, he’ll be in trade speculation before too long. As for how much a deal like that should cost, it’s likely in the high-$8MM/low-$9MM range and whether or not it’s worth paying remains in question. Domi has a lot riding on this season after failing to produce in his first season with the Blue Jackets. At this point, he’s likely heading for a pay cut and the question will be, does he take a one-year pillow deal to try to restore some value or opt for a bit less and get some stability after bouncing around the last few years (and probably again by the trade deadline)?
Roslovic ended his holdout after being part of the Laine trade and did quite well, outproducing the others in the swap last season. That hasn’t carried over to this season where he has been more of a secondary player. While it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Jarmo Kekalainen try to buy out some UFA time with his next contract, they shouldn’t be willing to go much beyond the $3MM mark to achieve that. Hofmann and Danforth were brought over after strong seasons overseas. Hofmann has been okay while Danforth has had a very limited role. Neither have really earned big raises which could have them heading back overseas or re-signing for a similar price tag.
Kukan needed to show that he was capable of holding down a full-time spot in the lineup to have a shot at getting a small raise or even a similar contract next summer. Injuries have limited him to just two games which is going to make it hard for him to get that raise. Something closer to $1MM seems more likely for him. The exact same thing could be said for Harrington who, despite the three-year commitment from Columbus, hasn’t been able to establish himself as more than a seventh defender. The price tag for that is about half of what he’s making now. Carlsson has cleared waivers a couple of times but is still just 24. A small bump is all he’d need to stick around for another year.
Get used to seeing Korpisalo’s name in trade speculation over the next few months. He is no longer the starter of the future for the Blue Jackets and with them rebuilding, it’s unlikely they’d want to pay the price to extend him. His recent performance has hurt his value but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him eclipse $3MM on his next deal and he, too, might benefit from a one-year pillow contract elsewhere to try to improve his long-term value.
Two Years Remaining
D Gavin Bayreuther ($750K, UFA)
D Vladislav Gavrikov ($2.8MM, UFA)
F Gustav Nyquist ($5.5MM, UFA)
D Andrew Peeke ($788K, RFA)
F Alexandre Texier ($1.525MM, RFA)
Nyquist was supposed to come in and be a reliable top-six winger and for the first year, he was. However, he missed all of last season due to a shoulder injury and he has gotten off to a bit of a quieter start this season as well. As a result, his deal – which could have been argued as a slight overpayment when it was signed – now is a contract that’s well above market value. Texier has shown flashes of top-six upside but the consistency hasn’t been there which made a bridge deal for him a wise move for both sides. He’ll be owed a small raise with a $1.75MM qualifying offer and if he can start to produce with more consistency, there’s room for it to go up considerably from there.
Gavrikov has taken some steps forward in the early going this season, taking full advantage of his extra ice time to already surpass his point total from 2020-21 while logging nearly 21 minutes a game. He has become a capable top-four defenseman at a price tag that is well below what one of those can get on the open market. If he can keep this pace up through next season, he could double his current AAV. However, expecting him to maintain that production may be a bit unrealistic and accordingly, something in the $4MM range may be more probable. Peeke has played his way into a regular role and based on the contracts that Harrington and Kukan have, it’s possible that he could double his price tag on his next deal. Bayreuther has had a limited role when he’s in the lineup and that extra spot on the depth chart should be staying at or near the minimum which is where his price tag should be as well.
Three Years Remaining
D Jake Bean ($2.333MM, RFA)
F Eric Robinson ($975K in 2021-22, $1.6MM in 2022-23 and 2023-24, UFA)
F Jakub Voracek ($8.25MM, UFA)
Voracek was acquired over the summer from Philadelphia as the Flyers looked to shake up their veteran core. The 32-year-old has only scored once but with 17 assists in 21 games, he has been one of their top offensive forwards. That said, that isn’t a level of production worthy of that salary and at this point, it’s only likely it will decline. However, they have the cap space to be able to absorb the overpayment. Robinson worked his way from a sparingly used depth piece to a regular in the bottom six which earned him the raise for next season. He’ll need to show that he’s capable of producing double digits in goals if he’s going to have a shot at a higher AAV in 2024.
Columbus thought Bean had more to bring and flipped a second-rounder to Carolina for his rights, then signed him to a deal that was above the market rate for someone with just 44 games under his belt, most of which were in a limited role. It was a bit of a gamble by Kekalainen but it looks pretty good early on as Bean has thrived with the Blue Jackets, becoming a quality two-way blueliner. All of a sudden, this looks like a nice bargain on their books. He’ll be owed a $2.8MM qualifying offer when this contract expires and he’ll have arbitration eligibility while being a year away from unrestricted free agency. If Bean’s strong play continues, they’ll need to double his current price tag at a minimum to keep him in the fold.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Columbus Blue Jackets
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season passes the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
What are the Blue Jackets thankful for?
Their future down the middle.
After moving Pierre-Luc Dubois to Winnipeg last season, Columbus’ center depth was extremely limited. However, that changed over the offseason. Kent Johnson was picked fifth overall in the draft and has been nothing short of stellar at Michigan. Cole Sillinger went seven picks later and has acquitted himself well while playing a regular role for the Blue Jackets this season. All of a sudden, the center position went from a significant question mark to a long-term asset almost overnight. Add Boone Jenner getting locked in on a four-year extension and there’s their top three for the foreseeable future. That’s a foundation to build on as they continue to rebuild.
Who are the Blue Jackets thankful for?
The list of high-end players that have left the organization either through free agency or trade (due to dissension or declining an extension) over the last few years is quite significant. Werenski could have been the next one to do so. The top of the market for defensemen increased sharply over the summer and Werenski appeared to be the next one poised to potentially leave. He could have simply filed for arbitration in July, taken a one-year award, and gone to the open market in 2023. But he didn’t. Instead, the 24-year-old opted to lock in a six-year extension, ensuring he’ll be with Columbus throughout the prime of his career. He was certainly well compensated for it; he’ll have the third-highest AAV of any NHL defender next season. But other players turned down lucrative money to stay before. Werenski is the recent exception and they’re quite thankful for that.
What would the Blue Jackets be even more thankful for?
Max Domi to stay healthy and productive.
It has been a rocky year for the 26-year-old. He was left unprotected in expansion and Seattle passed on taking him. He had shoulder surgery which cost him most of training camp. Then he fractured some ribs and along the way, caught COVID. That’s not a fun way to start a contract year. But in between all of that, he has had a decent season with nine points in a dozen games. If he can stay healthy and keep producing, Domi would become a prominent trade chip heading into the deadline as an intriguing piece that can play down the middle or on the wing. Another decent prospect or pick wouldn’t hurt as they look to stockpile assets.
What should be on the Blue Jackets’ Holiday Wish List?
Assuming they fall out of the playoff mix (they’re hanging around a Wild Card spot at the moment), picks and prospects will be at the top of GM Jarmo Kekalainen’s wish list. They don’t have many notable pieces to sell beyond Domi and backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo (and his start to the season isn’t going to have general managers calling to try to get him). But Columbus has plenty of cap space at their disposal and that could be a way to try to add some of those future assets. Are they willing to be a third-party facilitator or take a bad contract back to add those assets? On the other hand, if they happen to still be in the mix by mid-March, they can leverage that cap space to add a piece or two without giving up a significant return. The Blue Jackets shouldn’t be overly busy on the trade front over the coming months but there will be a chance to add to their stockpile.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Joonas Korpisalo Placed On Injured Reserve
Dec 3: Following Tarasov’s debut, the Blue Jackets have placed Korpisalo on injured reserve retroactive to December 1 with a non-COVID illness. He’ll have to miss seven days, meaning he’s out for a few more.
Dec 2: EBUG alerts all over the league today. The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Daniil Tarasov from the AHL and expect to have him starting tonight’s game against the Dallas Stars, after both Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins were ruled out with a non-COVID illness. The team has an emergency goalie–Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch identifies him as Casey Sherwood, a 36-year-old who was briefly under contract in the ECHL nearly ten years ago–on the ice at morning skate. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweets that if possible, Merzlikins will serve as the backup, but Tarasov is expected to arrive in Dallas around 2 pm and start tonight.
The 22-year-old Tarasov has just 15 starts at the AHL level under his belt, after being selected by the Blue Jackets in 2017. The Russian netminder split last season between Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL and the Cleveland Monsters, though his time in the minors was not very impressive. This year hasn’t been much different, with an .897 save percentage in nine appearances, but there are still high hopes for the 6’5″ goaltender.
In fact, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff mentioned Tarasov in his latest trade targets column, which lists Korpisalo at the very top. With Merzlikins taking over the starting role completely and Tarasov “eventually waiting in the wings,” teams have called the Blue Jackets about Korpisalo’s availability. According to Seravalli, Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen is aware that the netminder would be “open to an opportunity to play elsewhere,” though there has been no formal trade request to this point.
While decisions shouldn’t be made on one performance, Tarasov will at least get a chance to show where his development has taken him to this point by suiting up for his NHL debut.
Department Of Player Safety Announces Several Fines
The Department of Player Safety is working this holiday, as they’ve issued a pair of fines for actions in last night’s Winnipeg Jets-Columbus Blue Jackets game. Max Domi has been fined $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct, while Josh Morrissey has earned a $5,000 fine for slashing. Both are the maximum allowable under the CBA.
That’s not all, however, as Ottawa Senators defenseman Nikita Zaitsev has earned a $5,000 fine in his first game back from the COVID protocol for cross-checking Timo Meier of the San Jose Sharks.
Morrissey especially seems lucky to have escaped without a suspension, given the violent slash he gave to Alexandre Texier as an empty-net goal went in. He was given a two-minute minor penalty for the play, but the game was out of reach at that point late in the third period.
Domi meanwhile already received six minutes in penalties during the game, but the league did not reveal what exactly the fine was for. The Blue Jackets forward did cause a scrum to happen after shooting a puck into the net well after the whistle, and attempted to fight an unwilling Evgeny Svechnikov while the linesmen were trying to split them up.
Zaitsev meanwhile cross-checked Meier in the face, though not with the force of some previous incidents that have merited suspensions. He didn’t receive a penalty on the play and Meier did not suffer a serious injury.
Blue Jackets Activate Max Domi From COVID Protocol
This has been a trying season so far for Blue Jackets forward Max Domi. However, things will be looking up for him now as the team announced that they have activated him from COVID protocol. Domi was initially placed there on November 1st which means he missed nearly double the minimum time of ten days while recovering. Columbus had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made to add him back to the active roster.
Domi was initially expected to miss at least a month of the regular season while recovering from shoulder surgery but was able to get back ahead of schedule, suiting up in their preseason finale and was in the lineup on opening night where he had three points. However, in just his second game, he suffered a fractured rib which caused him to miss four games. Then he was back for two more before this bout with COVID.
It’s hardly the start to the season that Domi wanted, especially with the added importance of this being a contract year as he’ll be set to hit the open market for the first time in July. Coming off a couple of disappointing seasons – one with Columbus and one with Montreal – the 26-year-old needs a bounceback season to rebuild some value. Now with this behind him, he’ll hopefully have a chance to do just that.
AHL Shuffle: 11/14/21
A busy weekend in the NHL continues today. After 26 teams took the ice on Saturday, 12 will suit up on Sunday, including eight teams playing back-to-back. As a result, a number of teams could be looking to make changes on the fly today. On the other hand, with only two games on the docket on Monday, other teams could be using the time off to tweak their roster (and manage their salary cap). Keep up with all of the action right here:
Atlantic Division
- The Ottawa Senators had recalled unheralded defenseman Maxence Guenette from AHL Belleville on Saturday to assist with the injury crisis on their blue line, but with Artem Zub able to play Guenette was shortly re-assigned. Apparently, the team still has some concerns as Guenette is headed back to Ottawa today, the team announced. If Guenette plays on Sunday, it will be the NHL debut for the 2019 seventh-round pick.
Metropolitan Division
- Frequent Flyer Nick Seeler is taking a departure flight down to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the team announced. Seeler has been back and forth all season, but has actually not seen any AHL action yet. The veteran defenseman has played in 11 games with Philadelphia, but has been held scoreless in a limited role.
- As expected, the Pittsburgh Penguins have activated Sidney Crosby, Brian Dumoulin, Marcus Pettersson, and Chad Ruhwedel. In order to clear the space for these additions, Drew O’Connor, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Juuso Riikola, and Louis Domingue have all been reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, per the Pittsburgh Tribune’s Seth Rorabaugh. It’s a bittersweet swap for the Penguins, who undoubtedly get better but at the cost of exciting young pieces in O’Connor and Joseph.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets recalled Justin Danforth from the Cleveland Monsters Sunday afternoon, per a team release. Danforth, who was signed to a one-year, one-way contract this offseason, could make his NHL debut with Columbus after potting five points in eight AHL games to start the season. The 28-year-old Oshawa, Ontario, native has been one of the world’s best scoring forwards outside of the NHL in the past few seasons with a trio of strong performances in the Liiga and KHL.
Central Division
Pacific Division
- Without a game until Wednesday, the Los Angeles Kings have sent some of their bottom of the lineup players down to the minors. The team has announced that forward T.J. Tynan and defensemen Kale Clague and Austin Strand have been reassigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign. While Clague has played in eight games with L.A. so far this season, Strand and Tynan have just two games between them and could be in for a longer stay in the AHL.
- After clearing waivers, Riley Sheahan has been assigned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, the Seattle Kraken announced. Sheahan was one of the few expendable players left on a Seattle roster that still faces a roster crunch with a number of valuable players – though that value has not produced many wins thus far.
- To make room for Tyler Motte who was activated off injured reserve, the Vancouver Canucks announced that they’ve sent defenseman Jack Rathbone to the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL. Rathbone has played in nine games for Vancouver this season, averaging just under 14 minutes per game.
Adam Boqvist Has Recovered From Lower-Body Injury
It appears that Adam Boqvist has some work to do to get back into the lineup for the Blue Jackets. Although he had been dealing with a lower-body injury, the defenseman has actually been a healthy scratch for the past two games, notes Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). The 21-year-old was one of the key pieces coming back to Columbus as part of the Seth Jones trade over the summer but he has yet to take a step forward, logging just over 17 minutes a game in his first five contests while being held without a point. Now, he’ll have to bide his time and for another opportunity to suit up.
Snapshots: Rask, Housley, Carrier
TSN’s Chris Johnston notes on Thursday’s edition of Insider Trading that free agent goaltender Tuukka Rask is working his way back after offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum and could be ready to return to game action as soon as January. Johnston notes specifically that Rask could be an option for Team Finland at the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, potentially a huge boost to an already strong Finnish program. While Johnston reports that Rask’s main focus in his “mind and his heart” remains with the Boston Bruins, the door isn’t completely closed on other options, either. Regardless, it’s good to see one of the league’s best goalies of his generation working his way back to health for what could be his last chance at a championship.
More notes from around the league:
- Arizona Coyotes assistant coach Phil Housley has entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol, per the team’s public relations department. He won’t travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. He’ll miss three games, including a back-to-back set against the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators this Friday and Saturday. Arizona’s next home game is a week from today against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and pending test results, Housley could be available to return then.
- According to the team, Nashville Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier is out for Thursday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues with an upper-body injury. The Predators note that he’ll be evaluated further when the team returns home. Carrier blocked a shot that hit him up high during Wednesday night’s game against the Dallas Stars and did not return.
League Notes: Nash, All-Star Events, DeAngelo
The Columbus Blue Jackets will retire Rick Nash‘s No. 61 on March 5, 2022, raising it to the rafters of Nationwide Arena. This will be the first number retired in Blue Jackets history, but certainly makes sense given Nash’s place on the club’s all-time leaderboards.
First in goals, assists, points, and games played, Nash was the original superstar for the club, winning the Rocket Richard Trophy in just his second season in the NHL. He would move on to New York and then Boston during a 15-year playing career, but returned to Columbus to work as a special advisor in 2019 and is now the team’s director of player development. Even if you weren’t a Blue Jackets fan, jaw-dropping moments like Nash’s goal against the Arizona Coyotes put the club on the national stage.
- The league is considering two new All-Star events on the Las Vegas Strip, according to Greg Wyshynski of ESPN. The upcoming All-Star festivities will be held in Las Vegas on February 4-5, and undoubtedly have some new flare thanks to the city that’s putting them on. The traditional skills competitions, Wyshynski reports, would still be held inside T-Mobile Arena and these new events would have a “Vegas touch to them.”
- Tony DeAngelo has been issued a $2,000 fine for diving/embellishment, which is the penalty for the player’s second incident of the season. He was first issued a warning following an incident on October 31, and then received this fine for one on November 6. While this kind of fine doesn’t seem like much when compared to an NHL salary, upon a team’s fifth incident in one season, the head coach is also given a fine. It’s never good to take money from the pocket of the person who controls your ice time.