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Adam Boqvist

Blue Jackets Recall Jake Christiansen On Emergency Basis

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The Blue Jackets summoned defenseman Jake Christiansen on an emergency basis from AHL Cleveland on Friday, per a team release. The recall is on response to an injury blue-liner Adam Boqvist sustained in last night’s 3-2 loss to the Senators, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

Christiansen is expected to draw into the lineup for the fourth time this season when Columbus faces the Sharks on Saturday. The Blue Jackets were only carrying six defensemen on the NHL roster after dealing Andrew Peeke to the Bruins at last week’s trade deadline, so they’re eligible to use an emergency recall to ensure they have six healthy defenders for their next game. As such, Christiansen does not count toward Columbus’ four post-deadline standard recalls, of which they’ve already used one.

Boqvist is still being evaluated for an upper-body injury. The Blue Jackets have not issued a timeline for his return to the lineup.

The 24-year-old Vancouver native is in his fourth season with the Blue Jackets organization after signing as an undrafted free agent in March 2020. The former Everett Silvertips star has consistently put up solid offensive numbers in the minors, solidifying a top-four role in Cleveland but never earning a spot on Columbus’ opening night rosters over the years. He signed a one-year, two-way extension ($775K NHL/$275K AHL/$350K gt’d) to remain with the Jackets before his entry-level deal expired last summer.

After leading all AHL defensemen in goals two seasons ago, Christiansen is now on pace for career-highs across the board with 13 goals, 27 assists and 40 points in 54 minor-league games this season. His +8 rating leads Monsters defenders, his 40 points are second on the team, and only Colorado’s Brad Hunt and Manitoba’s Kyle Capobianco have more points among defenders league-wide.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t shown the ability to replicate that success in the majors. He’s suited up for 35 NHL games since his debut in 2022, three of which came this season, logging one goal and five assists with a -5 rating while averaging 14:02 per game. His possession numbers have been middling in a sheltered offensive role, posting a career 43.9 CF% at even strength, suggesting he’s not ready to take on more minutes, either.

He remains an intriguing call-up option for Columbus, though, who are still getting bang for their buck based on his minor-league contributions. If they opt to issue him a qualifying offer, Christiansen will be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer.

Blue Jackets Activate Adam Boqvist Off IR

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to welcome back defenseman Adam Boqvist as they’ve activated him off of the injured reserve. The 23-year-old will re-join the team tonight when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning and should line up on the top defensive pairing alongside Zach Werenski. He will also likely see time on the team’s second power-play unit.

Boqvist suffered an upper-body injury on January 25th in a game against the Calgary Flames. While the injury was classified as upper-body, Boqvist suffered a head or facial injury after taking a puck to the face while sitting on the bench. The timing of the injury meant that the former eighth-overall pick only missed three games due to the All-Star break. It was the second time Boqvist has been sidelined this season as he missed four weeks of play in December due to a shoulder injury.

A native of Falun, Sweden, Boqvist has provided some offense from the backend as he has seven assists in 20 games this season. While his offensive numbers throughout his career have been decent, he has never been able to remain in the lineup for an entire season for a variety of reasons. Now in his fifth NHL season, Boqvist has yet to play more than 52 games in any one year.

Boqvist was one of the pieces acquired in the trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that sent Seth Jones to the Windy City and looked like he was turning the corner last season. But this season, injuries and healthy scratches have limited his playing time and he has had a hard time settling into a groove.

Blue Jackets Place Adam Boqvist On IR, Recall Nick Blankenburg

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The Blue Jackets have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game tonight against Vancouver.  The team announced that they have placed defenseman Adam Boqvist on injured reserve with an upper-body injury; taking his place on the roster is Nick Blankenburg who has been recalled from AHL Cleveland.

Boqvist was injured in Thursday’s victory over Calgary when he took a puck to the face on the bench.  Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner lost teeth and something worse as a result.  Boqvist is in the middle of a rough season as injuries and scratches have limited him to just 20 games where he has seven assists.  Last season, the 23-year-old looked to turn the corner offensively with 24 points in 46 contests but he just hasn’t been able to get back to that type of performance this year.  There’s no word on how long Boqvist will be out with the team simply saying that he’s out through the All-Star break.

Blankenburg, meanwhile, was a full-timer on the roster for Columbus last season though he missed time due to injury.  This year, however, he has primarily played in the minors, suiting up in 19 games for the Monsters where he has three goals and nine assists.  The 25-year-old has played in six games with the Blue Jackets, averaging nearly 18 minutes a night.  This is his final season of waiver exemption.

Columbus recently sent David Jiricek back to Cleveland so it might be a bit surprising that he didn’t get the promotion to return.  However, with Jiricek’s ice time being limited lately, it might be more beneficial to have an extended stretch with the Monsters where he’ll get big minutes consistently over being sent back and forth as injuries come and go.

Blue Jackets Place Adam Boqvist On IR With Shoulder Strain, Make Six Other Roster Moves

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The Blue Jackets have made a series of roster moves ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Islanders, as outlined in a team release. The team has placed defenseman Adam Boqvist on injured reserve with a shoulder strain, placed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins on IR with an illness, and forward Cole Sillinger on IR retroactive to November 26 with an upper-body injury. Columbus has recalled three players from AHL Cleveland in response: defenseman Nick Blankenburg and goalie Jet Greaves have been summoned on an emergency basis, while forward Emil Bemström is coming up on a standard recall.

Additionally, the club has activated netminder Daniil Tarasov from long-term injured reserve, although he will remain with AHL Cleveland on a conditioning stint. He had previously been assigned to the minors on an LTIR-specific conditioning stint.

Boqvist, who sustained the injury in last night’s overtime loss to the Kings, is expected to miss four weeks, per the team. It’s horrible timing for the 23-year-old, who was beginning to settle into a top-pairing role alongside Zach Werenski after starting his season on a rough note. Boqvist made just four appearances in the team’s first 18 games, sitting as a healthy scratch on a near-nightly basis. He’s now made nine straight appearances, however, and had logged over 20 minutes in each of his last three contests. Since his last healthy scratch on November 18 against the Capitals, Boqvist had three assists, a +7 rating and 11 shots on goal.

The 2018 eighth-overall selection by the Blackhawks had a strong showing despite dealing with injuries in Columbus last year, logging 24 points in 46 games (a 43-point pace) and leading qualified Blue Jackets defenders with a 48.7% Corsi share at even strength. It’s fair to claim he was misused out of the gate by head coach Pascal Vincent, likely costing the struggling Blue Jackets a handful of points in the standings. Boqvist’s possession numbers have once again been strong this season, posting a relative Corsi share of 2.1%.

His spot on the active roster is assumed by Blankenburg, who figures to make his season debut tomorrow with Erik Gudbranson out sick. The 25-year-old made his NHL debut for the Blue Jackets at the tail end of the 2021-22 campaign after signing as a free agent out of the University of Michigan and has made a strong offensive impact despite standing at just 5-foot-9 – quite a diminutive frame for an NHL defender. His play at the minor-league level has been excellent, notching three goals, eight assists and a +9 rating in 18 games with Cleveland.

Meanwhile, Merzlikins is expected to miss one week with an illness after making 35 saves on 39 shots last night. He will miss the team’s next three games and can return on December 14 against the Maple Leafs. Backup Spencer Martin will likely start two of them, with Greaves potentially making his season debut Friday against the Blues in the second half of a back-to-back. Martin, who has a 3.02 GAA and .902 SV% after being claimed off waivers from the Canucks in September, now has an extended chance to make his case to stay on the roster with Tarasov nearing a return to NHL play.

Bemström comes back up to the NHL roster after being demoted to Cleveland on November 16, clearing waivers in the process. To say the 24-year-old took his demotion well is an understatement – he lit up the minors with ten goals and four assists in eight games, including five multi-point efforts. After showing he absolutely does not belong at a second-tier level, it’s not surprising to see him back in Columbus today after depth winger Eric Robinson was dealt to the Sabres.

There is no change in Sillinger’s status, and he remains listed as day-to-day. It’s unclear when he’ll return to the lineup, although he’s eligible for activation at any time, given the existing length of his absence.

Blue Jackets Working On Trade To Move Defenseman

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are “engaged in trade dialogue with teams” about moving a defenseman off their NHL roster, sources tell Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. Seravalli adds these talks are “likely centered” around one of Jake Bean, Adam Boqvist and Andrew Peeke, but that general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is likely to “move whomever they find gets them most back.” The team’s roster crunch on defense left a pair of young defenders expected to earn NHL jobs, Nick Blankenburg and David Jiricek, off the team’s opening night roster yesterday.

This roster crunch didn’t come out of nowhere. After injuries depleted the Blue Jackets’ blueline depth for most of last season, Kekalainen acquired a pair of top-four defenders via trade back in June: Ivan Provorov from the Flyers and Damon Severson from the Devils. It would make sense, then, that both of those players are untouchables, as well as their top defenseman, Zach Werenski. The seventh defenseman on the active roster, Erik Gudbranson, carries a ten-team no-trade list and is locked into a rather unattractive $4MM cap hit through 2026.

That means the three defensemen Seravalli mentioned are the only realistic possibilities to get moved, and it’s hard to imagine Bean and Peeke would attract higher trade value than Boqvist. The 23-year-old right-shot defender was a core piece of the trade that sent Seth Jones to the Blackhawks in 2021. While injuries have affected his time in Columbus, he looks well on his way to becoming an everyday top-four player.

Selected eighth overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, Boqvist has 16 goals, 30 assists and 46 points in 98 games as a Blue Jacket. He’s received sheltered minutes, however, skating an average of just 17:47 per game since 2021. He is entering the second season of a three-year, $7.8MM contract carrying a $2.6MM cap hit. That’s quite an affordable number for his services and could likely fetch a first- or second-round pick in return.

Boqvist is projected to begin the season flanking Provorov on the team’s second pairing. If he’s moved, expect the Blue Jackets to recall Jiricek from AHL Cleveland to occupy the void.

It’s tougher to gauge Bean’s potential trade value. He’s two years older than Boqvist and was limited to just 14 games last season due to a shoulder injury. He also carries the pedigree of being a former first-round pick – the Hurricanes selected him 13th overall in 2016 – but doesn’t have the linear development track record of Boqvist. At a cap hit of $2.33MM and on an expiring contract, there’s more uncertainty attached to acquiring Bean than Boqvist.

Peeke has shouldered the heaviest minutes out of the potential trade trio as of late, but that doesn’t mean he’s done so successfully. The 25-year-old right-shot defenseman logged a -41 rating last season and had the unfortunate honor of being one of Columbus’ few healthy defenders throughout the season, having to take the brunt of the team’s depth issues. He notched 13 points in 80 games and averaged over 21 minutes a game for the second straight season, but his $2.75MM cap hit through 2026 carries some risk if he doesn’t pan out in a bottom-four role somewhere else.

Adam Boqvist Out, Jacob Christiansen In

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Team reporter for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jeff Svoboda, reports that defenseman Adam Boqvist will be sitting out of tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins with an illness. Replacing him in the lineup will be 23-year-old defenseman, Jake Christiansen.

Although this season is entirely lost for the Blue Jackets, there will still be some pride to be found in each of their remaining games. For example, tonight, they will have the opportunity to postpone the Bruins’ quest for the President’s Trophy. Unfortunately for Columbus, they will be without one of their top-scoring defensemen.

In 40 games this season, Boqvist has scored five goals and 17 assists, leading all Blue Jackets defensemen in scoring. Becoming the primary powerplay quarterback ever since the injury to Zach Werenski, Boqvist has accrued nine assists when the opposing team is down a man. A valuable piece coming to the Blue Jackets from the Seth Jones trade back in 2021, Boqvist has proven he can be a valuable piece to build around on Columbus’ back end.

Snapshots: Dumba, Olofsson, Boqvist

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The Minnesota Wild have acted as a banker the last few weeks, retaining salary in two transactions to grab some extra draft capital. Given their place in the standings, though, many assume they will do something more significant at the deadline. General manager Bill Guerin spoke candidly about his team today, once again answering specific questions on Matt Dumba:

Look. If someone comes through and offers a boatload for him we’ll think about it, but as of right now, Matt’s playing his best hockey of the year. I would bet that he’s here through the end of the year. I can’t make that promise, but he’s playing pretty good hockey right now. 

Dumba, 28, is on an expiring contract, and despite Guerin’s comments that he’ll be in Minnesota through the end of the season, he once again implied that the team wouldn’t be able to (or wouldn’t even try to) re-sign him in the summer. Minnesota is in fourth in the Central but just four points behind the division-leading Dallas Stars.

  • Speaking of Dallas, they have once again loaned Fredrik Olofsson to the minor leagues, as they do on almost every off-day. The Stars have been banking cap space all season, and today’s addition of Evgenii Dadonov opened up even more room, due to the salary retention by the Montreal Canadiens. The team now has plenty of flexibility going into this week’s negotiations and could add another significant player.
  • Adam Boqvist was scratched from today’s Columbus Blue Jackets game due to a lower-body injury but is only out day-to-day, according to the team. The young defenseman was playing arguably his best hockey of the season lately, registering points in five of his last six games. He was replaced in the lineup by Billy Sweezey, who is making his NHL debut while Vladislav Gavrikov continues to sit out.

Columbus Blue Jackets Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced a series of roster moves this evening. Defenseman Adam Boqvist and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo have both been activated off of IR. In order to create the roster space for both players, the team has placed forward Cole Sillinger on IR and assigned goaltender Jet Greaves to the Cleveland Monsters, their AHL affiliate. Sillinger’s IR placement is retroactive to December 17th.

Columbus’ injury woes this season are well-documented, and Korpisalo is no exception, coming off of his second IR stint of the season. The netminder missed the first two weeks of the season on IR before landing there again December 11th. The other key struggle for the Blue Jackets this season has been goaltending, and there, Korpisalo again is no exception. The 28-year-old has struggled to a 3.53 goals-against average this season, though his .903 save-percentage, when considering his goals-against the the Blue Jackets’ on-ice struggles, is encouraging.

Korpisalo’s fellow netminder, Greaves had been recalled Tuesday on an emergency basis, but hadn’t played. The 21-year-old has had his own struggles in net this year, getting into 11 games with Cleveland, recording an .877 save-percentage average and 4.09 goals-against average.

The 19-year-old Sillinger hasn’t yet been able to recapture the success he had as a rookie in 2021-22, tallying just six points through his first 30 games this season and now lands on a lengthy IR list. The forward suffered an upper-body injury in Saturday’s game against the Boston Bruins and hadn’t played since. Though an injury isn’t good news, perhaps a brief time away could act as a reset for the youngster with a fresh-start ahead.

Boqvist will be a much-welcomed addition to a depleted lineup, havng played in just four games this season, the most recent coming October 25th. The former Chicago Blackhawks prospect has shown promise as a legitimate NHL defenseman, but is still awaiting a big breakout. Given the long list of injuries, if Boqvist can stay healthy, he should be able to gather enough regular minutes to help him facilitate that breakout.

Columbus Blue Jackets Recall David Jiricek

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Another top pick from the 2022 draft is about to get his chance at the NHL level. The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled David Jiricek from the minor leagues, after Adam Boqvist was moved to injured reserve. Boqvist suffered a broken foot in last night’s game and will miss six weeks.

Jiricek, 18, was the sixth-overall pick this summer, and has quickly shown that he may be ready for a level higher than the AHL. In five games with the Cleveland Monsters, the 6’3″ defenseman has four assists and has registered 12 shots on goal. Known for his size, reach, and blistering slapshot, the Czech defender already does have plenty of experience at the professional level.

He made his debut in the Czech league in 2020 and played two full seasons for Plzen HC before being selected by the Blue Jackets. He also played for Czechia at the World Championship earlier this year, helping his country to a bronze medal in a tournament filled with NHL talent.

While that offensive production from the AHL may not immediately follow him to the Blue Jackets, Jiricek’s future is extremely bright. He is a natural defender who is rarely out of position, already has enough strength to play against opponents much older than him, and can show a mean streak that can be intimidating in front of his own net.

Quite different from the player who he is replacing, it’s not clear exactly what kind of role Jiricek will get in Columbus. Boqvist, 22, is known best for his ability to jump into the rush (or start it himself) and was quarterbacking the team’s second powerplay unit. His playing time at even strength had actually been the second-lowest among Columbus defenders this year, meaning there won’t be a ton of minutes to carve up, especially if the powerplay time goes to someone else.

Like other teenagers, it is also important to remember the entry-level contract rules for Jiricek. He will not burn the first year of his deal until he plays in his tenth game, meaning this could be a short-term tryout to see if he can hack it in the NHL. That said, if he shows he is ready, there will be some interesting decisions to be made when Boqvist is healthy again.

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.

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