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Metropolitan Notes: Milano, Texier, Morin

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Despite losing all that forward talent this summer, the Columbus Blue Jackets find themselves in quite a roster jam. With 12 spots all but locked up, there is just one spot remaining for the bubble players. Amongst those is Sonny Milano, the team’s first-round pick in 2014, who looked like a impressive top-six option after the 2017-18 season when he tallied 15 goals as a rookie. However, he found himself instead spending most of 2018-19 with the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL and there is no guarantee that he will make the team this year. To make matters worse, Milano would have to pass through waivers if Columbus decides to cut him from the team, which would almost certainly result in another team claiming him.

The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes that the Blue Jackets would prefer to trade him than pass him through waivers, but the market for Milano has been cold. The team could opt to keep him and consider moving on from one of its veteran players, such as Markus Hannikainen or Brandon Dubinsky. However, the team wouldn’t be able to bury Dubinsky in the minors with his $5.85MM salary. However, Hannikainen might be an easier option as he makes just $750K.

  • Sticking with the Blue Jackets, Portzine, in a separate article, writes that Columbus is considering giving former star Artemi Panarin’s first-line position into the hands of rookie Alexandre Texier this season. Panarin, the team’s lead winger last season, left for the New York Rangers over the summer, but the team believes that the 20-year-old may be able to succeed in that role this year. Texier scored one goal in two late regular season games and played in all eight playoff games for Columbus, scoring two goals and three points. The scribe adds that if Texier does win the top-line job, he could become a top candidate for the Calder Trophy.
  • Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi believes that the Philadelphia Flyers are likely to keep eight defensemen out of training camp. The team has a numbers problem with defensemen and with only one of them waiver exempt, Philippe Myers, who is a lock to make the team, the Flyers would have to put a player on waivers, likely Samuel Morin. Philadelphia believes there is a good chance they would lose Morin if they put him on waivers and are more likely to keep the extra defenseman instead.

Columbus Blue Jackets Make Four Roster Moves

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The Columbus Blue Jackets were busy this morning, making several roster moves as they prepare for the last week before the trade deadline. Brandon Dubinsky has been activated from injured reserve, while Markus Hannikainen takes his place there. In addition, Adam Clendening has been recalled from the minor leagues while Kole Sherwood has been assigned to the AHL. Hannikainen’s IR stint is retroactive to February 14th.

Dubinsky has played just 37 games this season, and missed the last two weeks with a lower-body injury. The veteran forward has 11 points this season and has been relegated to a bottom-six role, but is still a veteran leader on the team and a big body who can engage physically and be a positive in the faceoff circle. The Blue Jackets have extremely thin center depth thanks to another down season for Alexander Wennberg, meaning they’ll take all the help they can get from a player like Dubinsky.

For Sherwood, a demotion comes just after making his NHL debut with the club a few nights ago. The 22-year old forward followed up that performance with over 11 minutes of ice time last night against the Tampa Bay Lightning and didn’t look outmatched at the highest level. Still, he has more to do in order to establish himself as a full-time resident in the Columbus lineup.

The moves leave Columbus with 13 forwards, meaning Anthony Duclair is likely the lone forward scratch for tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.

East Notes: Ceci, Flyers, Dubinsky, Hannikainen

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While the Senators have several notable pending unrestricted free agents, they also have an intriguing restricted free agent on the horizon in defenseman Cody Ceci.  With a $4.3MM qualifying offer due at the end of the season, that may be too rich for Ottawa’s liking.  Accordingly, TSN’s Bob McKenzie noted in an appearance on TSN 1200 (audio link) that Ceci could also be a trade candidate for the Sens down the stretch.  His possession numbers aren’t pretty but he has been miscast in a top role all season long and it’s plausible to think that he would fare better in a lower spot on a contending team in a role that he’s better suited to play at this stage of his career.

Elsewhere out East:

  • With the Flyers moving out Jordan Weal to Arizona earlier in the week, it’s a sign that they’re at least ready to start dealing some depth pieces. With that in mind, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall suggests that winger Michael Raffl and defenseman Christian Folin could be in line for a similar fate.  Raffl has taken a step back offensively this season and has just two goals in 31 games but has scored at least 13 in three of the last four seasons which will help his market.  Folin, meanwhile, has played a sparing role but as he’s a right-shot defender, there should be a little bit of interest.  Both players are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer.
  • The Blue Jackets will be without center Brandon Dubinsky (hamstring) and winger Markus Hannikainen (elbow) for a while, reports Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. Both players were moved to injured reserve earlier in the week but instead of being out for days like the team had hoped, it appears both will be out longer.

Sergei Bobrovsky Will Not Dress Due To Team Incident

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have issued a press release indicating that Sergei Bobrovsky will not dress for the team’s game against the Nashville Predators tonight, citing an “incident” which has caused the team to basically suspend (though not in those words) the veteran goaltender. GM Jarmo Kekalainen explains:

There are certain expectations and values that we have established for our players that define our culture. An incident occurred in which Sergei failed to meet those expectations and values, so we made the decision that he would not be with the team for tonight’s game. This is an internal matter and we will have no further comment at this time.

In Bobrovsky’s place the team has recalled Jean-Francois Berube while also moving Brandon Dubinsky and Markus Hannikainen to injured reserve. The veteran goaltender is expected to be back with the team at practice on Friday, and head coach John Tortorella would not go into any more detail about the situation when pressed by media.

The development is certainly an interesting one given the situation that is brewing in Columbus. Bobrovsky is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and has been considered a potential trade target for months. Pulled in his last game after allowing four goals, the 30-year old goaltender now sits on just a .906 save percentage for the year, a far cry from his career average of .919 or the heights he reached as a two-time Vezina Trophy winner.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Columbus Blue Jackets

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. Let’s take a look at 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 most thankful for?

There has been a dark cloud around the Blue Jackets at the start of the season with two of their best players suggesting they would rather be elsewhere (I’ll talk about that later) and then a significant injury to top defenseman Seth Jones, who tore a ligament in his knee during the preseason and missed the first month of the season. Throw in a disappointing season the previous year from players such as Zach Werenski, Alexander Wennberg, Brandon Dubinsky and Boone Jenner and many wondered whether the franchise might take a step back this season.

Instead, the Blue Jackets have played quite well and stand in second place in the Metropolitan Division with a solid 15-9-2 record this season. Several players have stepped up and the team has gotten solid goaltending. With a solid defense and lots of offense, the Blue Jackets look like a team that will contend and hopefully can make a deep push into the playoffs as the franchise hasn’t gotten out of the first round since the 2008-09 season.

Who are the Blue Jackets most thankful for?

Not more than a year ago, Columbus handed Cam Atkinson a seven-year, $41.1MM extension and he responded with a disappointing season, posting a pedestrian 24 goals and 46 points, the lowest of his career since the 2014-15 season. With a number of veterans struggling after being handed long-term deals (Dubinsky, Wennberg), many wondered whether the Blue Jackets made a mistake when they inked the then 28-year-old to such a long extension.

Fast forward one year and Atkinson is proving his value with a banner season so far. He has already scored 16 goals and 27 points in 25 games and looks to be developing into a point-per-game player, which would blow away any previous career highs. His team-leading five power play goals and two short-handed goals prove he has become the team’s most valuable player on the team so far this season amongst a large number of big names.

What would the Blue Jackets be even more thankful for?

While the team has got some secondary scoring, the team keeps hoping to turn some players’ careers around. The team signed Anthony Duclair to a one-year deal in hopes of developing him into the player everyone thought he would develop into. The Blue Jackets also had high hopes that Oliver Bjorkstrand would develop into a top-six player. While Duclair has already put up eight goals this season, he’s fallen into head coach John Tortorella’s doghouse and is has only scored one goal in the last eight games. Bjorkstrand, on the other hand, has struggled all year having scored just two goals along with two assists. Both are now fighting it out between each other for who gets a spot on Columbus’ third line. Hopefully, one of those player can distinguish themselves and take their game to a new level.

What should be on the Blue Jackets Holiday Wish List?

The team has a pair of major concerns on their roster with Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky about to hit unrestricted free agency at the end of the year. Both players have expressed a desire to play elsewhere, which could be devastating to the franchise. With the team unwilling to trade them off if they are in the hunt as the team values taking the team on a deep playoff run over trading them both off and rebuilding their roster again, there is a good chance the team will hold onto them. Panarin has expressed a desire to be in a bigger city, while Bobrovsky is looking for a record-breaking contract even bigger than that of Carey Price’s eight-year, $84MM deal that he signed last summer.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen hopes that a winning culture can convince each of them to remain with the team so the team can finally make a Stanley Cup run that the franchise needs for its fans. Even if the team can retain one of them, that would be a big boost for the franchise which would likely fall flat without both of them.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Columbus Blue Jackets Demote Milano To Make Room For Dubinsky

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The Columbus Blue Jackets needed a roster spot to activate veteran forward Brandon Dubinsky from injured reserve, according to Columbus Post-Dispatch’s Brian Hedger. However, the team surprised a few by opting to send winger Sonny Milano, who is not waiver-eligible, to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL.

It is a surprise for a few since Milano posted 14 goals last year and many thought that the 22-year-old was ready to take that next step up in his game and even develop into a top-six left wing for the franchise in the future. However, it hasn’t been a good year for Milano so far, who has appeared in just eight games for the Blue Jackets with just one goal and four healthy scratches. Milano averaged 11:39 of ATOI last season, but found his playing time dwindle to just 8:19 this season.

While there may have been better options, it’s the easiest decision for the team who otherwise would have had to place a player on waivers, which they obviously preferred not to do. The team hopes that Milano can find his scoring prowess as well as work on his defensive game while in Cleveland, hoping that the demotion sparks his play.

The team does get a big boost in the return of Dubinsky. The veteran has only played in the first two games of the season before straining an oblique muscle during practice and has since missed 10 games. The 32-year-old veteran had a career-low 16 points in 62 games last season and many believed he desperately needed a bounce-back season. While it’s too early to tell, Dubinsky looked good in the first two games of the season, putting up a goal and an assist, while receiving 14:27 of ATOI in those two games. Dubinsky still has three years remaining on his deal, paying him $5.85MM AAV.

Injury Notes: Luongo, Dubinsky, Jost, McQuaid

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Not much has gone right for the Florida Panthers this season, but the team hopes that they may have good news on the horizon after goaltender Roberto Luongo was on the ice Sunday taking shots, according to NHL.com’s Jameson Olive. The team lost the oft-injured netminder during the second period of the season opener when teammate Frank Vatrano fell on him, forcing him out of the game with a lower-body injury.

The 39-year-old has fared well when healthy, but he hasn’t played more than 40 games since the 2015-16 season, which isn’t great considering the team is paying him $4.53MM per year for four more years. Head coach Bob Boughner was thrilled to see Luongo back on the ice, but has no intention of bringing him back until he is 110 percent healthy.

“He’s a huge part of this team. And you can see, no slight to anybody else, this team’s missed him,” Boughner said. “We’re a different team when he’s playing.”

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets also had good news as winger Brandon Dubinsky participated in Sunday’s morning skate, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required). Dubinsky has been out since Oct. 8 with a partially torn oblique muscle, but there remains no timetable for his return. The original diagnosis for Dubinsky’s injury was four to six weeks. He hasn’t been out three weeks yet, but the 32-year-old said that he’d be disappointed if he didn’t play on the team’s upcoming road trip, starting Thursday and going through Sunday. “I would say I’m ahead of schedule, but I don’t want to come back early and set myself back a few weeks,” Dubinsky said. The veteran had only played in two games before getting injured, but already had a goal and an assist.
  • The Colorado Avalanche may be without one of their top youngsters for a while as BSN’s Adrian Dater reported that the team will be without center Tyson Jost indefinitely. Jost, who suffered a head injury Friday in the third period against Ottawa, has a goal and an assist in 11 games so far this season. The 20-year-old scored 12 goals in his rookie season last year, but had worked his way higher up in the lineup this year.
  • Newsday’s Colin Stephenson reports that New York Rangers head coach David Quinn said that defenseman Adam McQuaid is day-to-day with a lower-body injury he sustained in the first period Thursday. He is not expected to play Sunday against Los Angeles, which could open up another chance for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, who has only appeared in two games for the Rangers this season.

Brandon Dubinsky Out Four To Six Weeks

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that center Brandon Dubinsky will be out four to six weeks after straining an oblique muscle in practice yesterday. Dubinsky has been placed on injured reserve.

Dubinsky, 32, also missed a good chunk of the 2017-18 season and saw a sharp decline in effectiveness. In 62 games he recorded just 16 points, making him a buyout candidate in the offseason given his hefty $5.85MM cap hit. The decision not to buy him out looked good through two games given that Dubinsky had dominated in the faceoff dot and scored two points, but will now be questioned once again given his latest injury. The team will have to find another option down the middle, and likely give even more responsibility to Riley Nash and Alexander Wennberg.

The Blue Jackets did win their first game of the season thanks to an Artemi Panarin overtime winner against the Detroit Red Wings, but will need to find some consistency if they’re to compete with the other powerhouse clubs in the Metropolitan Division. With Panarin and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky facing uncertain futures with the team, and now injuries piling up, there is plenty to be worried about as a Columbus fan.

Snapshots: Sbisa, Dubinsky, Nummelin

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With Nate Schmidt now out for the first 20 games of the regular season and Shea Theodore still a restricted free agent, David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal speculates (Twitter link) that the Golden Knights could turn to veteran defenseman Luca Sbisa on a PTO deal for training camp.  Vegas is certainly familiar with Sbisa as he played in 42 games (regular season and playoffs) with them last season.  The 28-year-old is one of the top defenders left on the open market and would give the team some extra competition at training camp at the very least and potentially some insurance if Theodore remains unsigned into the season.  Whether it’s Sbisa or someone else, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Vegas add another defender heading into training camp.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • While Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky struggled considerably last season, the team didn’t give any thought to buying out the remaining three years of his contract, notes George Richards of the Columbus Dispatch. The 32-year-old spent time as a healthy scratch last year and recorded a career-low 16 points, hardly the type of value they were expecting for someone carrying a $5.85MM cap hit.  Dubinsky has slimmed down over the summer and hopes that his improved speed will help him make more of an impact.  If not, the buyout talk will pick up once again over the summer.
  • Former NHL blueliner Petteri Nummelin announced his retirement today at the age of 45. The ex-Blue Jacket and Wild rearguard has had quite the journey since leaving the NHL, playing in Switzerland, Finland, Norway, and Japan.  He’ll be staying in the game, however, taking on an assistant coaching role in TPS Turku’s system in Finland, his hometown team, per a report from Turun Sonomat in Finland (link in Finnish).

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert 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 into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of 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: $73,890,832 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Zach Werenski (one year remaining, $925K)
F Pierre-Luc Dubois (two years remaining, $894K)
F Sonny Milano (one year remaining, $863K)

Potential Bonuses

Dubois: $2.5MM
Werenski: $800K
Milano: $400K

Total: $3.7MM

The Blue Jackets got a big boost from Dubois who should provide the team with a top center for quite a long time as the 20-year-old had a solid rookie campaign as he posted 20 goals and 48 points. Those numbers should exponentially increase as he gets older, bigger and more comfortable in the league. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him develop into a 60-70 point player this year already. And with two years remaining, he will continue to be a bargain for some time.

Werenski had a mixed bag of a season as he saw his points totals drop from his rookie season (47 points) to his second season (37 points). Yet his goal totals increased from his rookie season (10) to his sophomore season (16). However, Werenski underwent surgery for a shoulder injury that had been causing him pain since October, suggesting he played injured all season. A fully healthy Werenski could give the team one of the top young defensemen in the league.

Milano arrived with much fanfare, but he struggled finding a permanent place in the lineup, as he often received relatively few minutes on the third line due to his struggles on defense. However, Milano showed flashes of scoring ability as the 22-year-old posted 14 goals in 55 games. With a year under his belt, Milano might be able to take those numbers to a much bigger level if he can prove he can play a two-way game for coach John Tortorella.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

G Sergei Bobrovsky ($7.43MM, UFA)
F Artemi Panarin ($6MM, UFA)
D Ryan Murray ($2.83MM, RFA)
G Joonas Korpisalo ($900K, RFA)
F Lukas Sedlak ($825K, RFA)
F Alex Broadhurst ($725K, RFA)
F Markus Hannikainen ($675K, RFA)
D Scott Harrington ($675K, RFA)
F Anthony Duclair ($650K, RFA)

The biggest news all offseason is the fact that Panarin has told Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen says he’s not ready to discuss an extension. Despite the GM’s attempt to speak to Panarin to convince him to stay, it looks like Panarin wants to head elsewhere once his contract expires at the end of the season and he becomes a unrestricted free agent. The 27-year-old winger posted a career-high 82 points after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, but seems to be looking to play in a city with a more diverse market. While there have been rumors that Kekalainen has been looking into trading options, little has come from it. The team may opt to wait until the trade deadline, but that could also lessen the return.

Perhaps more concerning is the contract situation with Bobrovsky. The 30-year-old goaltender is also in the final year of his contract. While there is no talk of leaving Columbus, the Blue Jackets have to be somewhat concerned about the veteran goaltender’s asking price. He will be 32 years old when his next contract takes effect, but Bobrovsky wants term, the team could be paying him until he’s 40 years old and it’s extremely likely that the goalie will take less money than the $7.43MM he’s making on this contract. However, that’s a lot of money to be handing out to an aging goaltender. Bobrovsky’s numbers are still good as he posted a 2.42 GAA and an impressive .920 save percentage in 63 games. However, his struggles in the playoffs isn’t working for him either. Regardless, the team could find itself in quite the contract negotiations in the coming summer.

Duclair is another interesting player, who signed a one-year deal after disappointing in both Arizona and Chicago. The 22-year-old opted to sign a minimum “show me” contract to prove he belongs in the NHL, but he’s struggled to produce over the years after a successful season back in 2015-16 when he potted 20 goals. Since then, he’s managed to post just 16 goals in two seasons. If he can find his game in Columbus, the Blue Jackets could still retain him as he’s a restricted free agent.Read more

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