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Eric Robinson

Columbus Blue Jackets Recall Eric Robinson

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In an effort to shake things up regarding their forward core, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have recalled Eric Robinson from their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. Playing on the second year of a two-year, $3.2MM contract with the Blue Jackets, Robinson has only been able to play in one game for Columbus this season.

A well-known problem throughout the league, the Blue Jackets offense has been anemic this year, not generating much from any level of their forward unit. Through 19 games, Columbus is averaging 2.68 G/GP, which puts them 27th in the league. Similarly, the organization’s powerplay has been equally as abysmal, generating a 9.84% success rate on the season, good for 30th in the league.

Although Robinson will not correct the ship on his own, he has been a quality depth scorer for the Blue Jackets over the last three seasons. Playing in 196 games since the start of the 2020-21 season, Robinson has scored 30 goals and 39 assists for the team, including five shorthanded points.

Before the callup, he was not tearing up the AHL level by any means but did score one goal and three assists in nine games for the Monsters. Given his playstyle, while he is back with Columbus, Robinson should feature in the bottom six of the team’s forward core.

Blue Jackets Activate Mathieu Olivier, Eric Robinson Clears Waivers

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10/15/23 1:00 PM: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Robinson has cleared waivers, and The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that the Blue Jackets will be sending Robinson to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.

10/14/23 1:02 PM: With winger Mathieu Olivier expected to come off injured reserve tonight, the Blue Jackets needed to open up a roster spot.  That spot is being vacated by winger Eric Robinson as the team announced that Robinson has been placed on waivers.  He has been designated as waivers/non-roster, opening up the spot immediately even though he’ll be on waivers until 1 PM CT on Sunday.

Olivier missed the season opener for Columbus due to a leg injury and with an IR placement being able to be back-dated, they were able to stash him on there even though he winds up missing less than a week of action.  The 26-year-old played in a career-best 66 games last season for the Blue Jackets, picking up five goals and ten assists along with 81 penalty minutes and 178 hits while logging 11:38 per night.  That was enough to earn him a two-year, $2.2MM deal back in June, one that bought out his final season of RFA eligibility while giving them an extra year of club control.

As for Robinson, he has done well in a slightly elevated role the last couple of years, putting up a career-high 27 points in 2021-22 while following that up with 24 points and a career-best 12 goals last season despite averaging less than 14 minutes per night in each year.  On the surface, it would seem like someone with that production might be a candidate to be claimed.  However, the 28-year-old has a $1.6MM cap charge this season and with so many teams tight to the cap, there’s a good chance he’ll go through unclaimed.  If that happens, Columbus can clear a pro-rated $1.15MM of his contract by sending Robinson to the minors.

Columbus could have elected to send one of their five waiver-exempt players down with the logical candidate being David Jiricek who was just recalled yesterday.  However, with the Blue Jackets down to just seven defenders including Jiricek, they decided that waiving Robinson was the safest route to take to get Olivier back into the lineup.

Blue Jackets Activate Three, Assign Marcus Bjork To AHL

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The Blue Jackets have made a series of roster moves in advance of tonight’s game against Detroit.  The team announced that center Boone Jenner, winger Eric Robinson, and goaltender Daniil Tarasov have been all activated off injured reserve.  To make room on the roster, defenseman Marcus Bjork was sent to AHL Cleveland.  Meanwhile, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo is unavailable tonight due to personal reasons.

While several veterans have struggled for Columbus this season, Jenner was one of the exceptions.  Prior to fracturing his thumb last month, the 29-year-old had 11 goals and 11 assists in 30 games, a 30-goal and 30-assist pace over a full season.  Additionally, Jenner is logging over 20 minutes a night and is winning 55.9% of his faceoffs, a career-high.  In his absence, the Blue Jackets won less than 40% of their draws.  Sophomore middleman Cole Sillinger will come out of the lineup to make room for Jenner in the lineup.

As for Robinson, he had missed the last five games due to an upper-body injury sustained earlier this month.  After setting benchmarks offensively in 2021-22 with 10 goals and 17 assists, the 27-year-old has struggled on that side of the ice this season with just three goals and seven helpers in 38 games so far despite his playing time hovering near 14 minutes a night for the second year in a row.  Blueliner Gavin Bayruether will be a healthy scratch to open up a spot for Robinson to return as Columbus will go back to a standard alignment of a dozen forwards and six defensemen.

Tarasov, meanwhile, was injured in practice two weeks ago, causing him to miss the last seven games and delaying their decision on whether or not to carry three goaltenders a little longer.  The 23-year-old has a .907 SV% in a dozen appearances with the Blue Jackets with his save percentage being just a single point lower than Korpisalo’s.

There haven’t been many bright spots for Columbus this year but Bjork has been one of them.  After signing an entry-level deal back in May, the 25-year-old started the season in the minors before being brought up in November and scored in his NHL debut.  Bjork has played in 26 games with the Blue Jackets this season, collecting 11 points while logging just over 19 minutes a game.  However, having sat out the last game and the fact that he’s waiver-exempt, they’ve decided that he will be the one to lose his roster spot for the time being.

Columbus Blue Jackets Assign Greaves, Fix-Wolansky To AHL

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have made a couple of roster moves, sending Jet Greaves and Trey Fix-Wolansky to the AHL. That suggests Elvis Merzlikins is ready to return, and either Boone Jenner or Eric Robinson – who both took part in practice today – will also be in the lineup tomorrow night.

Fix-Wolansky, 23, has played just four games with the Blue Jackets this season, spending most of the year with the Cleveland Monsters. The undersized forward has been outstanding there, to the tune of 34 points in 26 games, but can’t seem to bring that production to the NHL. A seventh-round pick in 2018, even playing games at the highest level is beating the odds, but the Blue Jackets will keep hoping that he can contribute on a more regular basis in the future.

Greaves, meanwhile, still hasn’t appeared in the NHL and is really only an emergency backup at this point. The 21-year-old has recorded an .885 save percentage in 15 appearances for the Monsters this year and has a long way to go before he is seeing meaningful playing time in the NHL.

Getting Jenner back would be the most impactful for the Blue Jackets, who have been without their captain since December 17. The 29-year-old has 11 goals and 22 points this season through 30 games, though like so many other Columbus players, has been outscored heavily at even-strength. Jenner is averaging more than 20 minutes a night for the struggling club, which has dropped to last in the NHL standings.

Columbus Blue Jackets Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced three roster moves: the team has activated defenseman Nick Blankenburg off of injured reserve, placed forward Eric Robinson on injured reserve retroactive to January 3rd, and recalled netminder Jet Greaves from their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, on an emergency basis.

Blankenburg, 24, returns to the Blue Jackets’ roster at an important time as his team is besieged by injuries. Those injuries have caused Columbus to rely on rookies such as Tim Berni and Marcus Bjork to play larger roles than they’d likely otherwise be playing. With Blankenburg now back, coach Brad Larsen will have another option to help out his beleaguered blueline.

Blankenburg made his NHL debut last season after ending a four-year collegiate career at the University of Michigan and has played in seven games this season. He’s scored three points in that span and has skated in just over 18 minutes per night.

Replacing Blankenburg on injured reserve is Robinson, a 27-year-old winger. Like Blankenburg, Robinson is an undrafted player who enjoyed a fruitful NCAA career en route to the Blue Jackets organization.

Robinson has 10 points in 31 games so far this season and has been a first-unit penalty killer for Columbus alongside veteran center Sean Kuraly. He’ll now be on injured reserve moving forward as he recovers from an upper-body injury.

This recall is the fifth emergency recall of the season for Greaves, the Blue Jackets’ 21-year-old netminder. Greaves has been forced into the organization’s number-three role thanks to an injury to Daniil Tarasov, and has been shuttled from Columbus to Cleveland relatively frequently as a result.

Greaves, who like the other two players involved in today’s transactions did not hear his name called at the NHL draft, made his professional debut last season. He split time between Cleveland and the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings, posting a .905 save percentage in the AHL and a .907 in the ECHL.

This season, Greaves has only played in the AHL. (to go along with the time he’s spent on the bench in Columbus) He’s gotten into 15 games for the Monsters and gone 6-6-2 with a 3.69 goals-against-average and an .885 save percentage.

Greaves’ numbers are admittedly far weaker than they were last season, but it’s worth noting that the Monsters have been one of the AHL’s weakest teams over the past two seasons. With this emergency recall, Greaves will be on the bench for tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, backing up Joonas Korpisalo.

Snapshots: Martin, Zadina, Robinson

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USA Hockey has named Ryan Martin the general manager of the 2022 U.S. Men’s National Team, set to take part in the IIHF World Championship May 13-29 in Finland. Martin, who serves as the assistant GM of the New York Rangers, is taking over the U.S. role from Chris Drury, his current boss. John Vanbiesbrouck, assistant executive director of USA Hockey, released the following statement:

We’re excited to have Ryan as general manager. He’s well-versed with our player pool, passionate and knows what it takes to win on the international stage.

Martin will be assisted by Mike Grier, who currently works with the Rangers as a hockey operations advisor, and Chris MacFarland, an assistant GM with the Colorado Avalanche. This group will be trying to win the first gold at the event in more than 60 years, and only the third all-time. In 2021, 2018, 2015, and 2013, the U.S. team took home bronze.

  • When Filip Zadina stepped on the ice for the Detroit Red Wings last night, he crossed an important threshold in his career. As CapFriendly points out, his 141st game means that Zadina is no longer waiver-exempt and would need to clear them in order to be assigned to the minor leagues. With his effectiveness at the NHL level still very much in question–the 22-year-old has seven goals and 18 points in 55 games this season–and Jakub Vrana returning, some have questioned whether Zadina is long for Detroit. His entry-level contract will expire at the end of this season and he will become a restricted free agent for the first time.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have Eric Robinson back on the roster, after activating him from injured reserve. Robinson, 26, suffered an MCL sprain in his right knee thanks to a Radko Gudas hit in late January and hasn’t played since. The speedy winger has six goals and 17 points in 42 games this season and is already signed through 2023-24, thanks to a two-year contract extension signed last summer.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Eichel, Blue Jackets

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The NHL has released the Three Stars for last week, and because that included the All-Star game, Claude Giroux has been given the top honors. The Philadelphia Flyers captain did record four points in two games before heading to Las Vegas, where he won the All-Star MVP. The speculation over whether Giroux stays in Philadelphia through the trade deadline continues, with the veteran forward explaining that there is still a lot of time left before those decisions need to be made.

Second and third place went to two players who weren’t at the event, as Mitch Marner and Mason Marchment took home second and third respectively. The Toronto Maple Leafs star had seven points in the two games before the break, scoring three more goals to keep his streak alive. While Marner isn’t known as a goal scorer, he now has tallied in each of his last six games and 14 on the year. Marchment, meanwhile, had a six-point effort on the last day of January, taking him to 23 points in 22 games this season. An undrafted forward that the Maple Leafs then Florida Panthers developed, the 6’4″ Marchment has learned to impact the game in almost every capacity.

  • Jack Eichel was on the ice at Vegas Golden Knights practice today and he was no longer wearing a non-contact jersey according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic. The injured forward still wasn’t practicing in the top-12, skating on a reserve line with Nolan Patrick and Michael Amadio, but it’s a good sign that he could be back in the coming days. Head coach Pete DeBoer suggested as much at the All-Star game, exciting Golden Knights fans and sending the rumor mill swirling again with how the team will clear the cap space.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved Jake Bean, Eric Robinson, and Alexandre Texier to injured reserve, recalling Brendan Gaunce from the AHL under emergency conditions. All three players are dealing with long-term injuries that were announced over the past few weeks and aren’t expected back for a little while. The placements on IR are all retroactive as well–Bean to January 30, Robinson to January 31, and Texier to January 26.

Eric Robinson Out Six Weeks With MCL Injury

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The Columbus Blue Jackets seem to announce a serious injury every week these days. Eric Robinson is the latest to hit the shelf, as the team announced that he will miss six weeks with an MCL sprain in his right knee. The winger was injured in Monday’s game against the Florida Panthers on a hit from Radko Gudas, one that did not draw a penalty or any supplementary discipline from the league.

Robinson, 26, has gone from undrafted college free agent to full-time NHL forward in a few short years and has 17 points in 42 games with the Blue Jackets this season. He averages 14 minutes a night in a bottom-six role, with a good chunk of that coming on the penalty kill. He and Sean Kuraly lead all Blue Jackets forwards in shorthanded ice time this season, and given the recent injuries to Alexandre Texier and Jake Bean, the team has lost a lot of the options they’re comfortable with when down a man.

Six weeks doesn’t rule him out for the rest of the season but does take him right up against the trade deadline. Any chance the Blue Jackets had to try and chase down a playoff spot before then is slipping further away with every injury that chips away at the organizational depth. The team now sits 18 points behind the Washington Capitals for fourth in the Metropolitan Division and 14 points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wildcard spot.

Snapshots: Canucks, Ruff, Canadiens, Robinson

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While Jim Rutherford has a tendency to swing big in trades, it doesn’t appear he’ll do that with the Canucks.  In an appearance on Sportsnet 650 (audio link), the team president acknowledged that any trades they make will be for draft picks and younger players, suggesting he won’t try to add some veterans in an effort to aid Vancouver’s push to get back into the playoff picture (they sit three points out of the last Wild Card spot).  Rutherford also mentioned that their new GM will likely be a first-timer in the role.  There’s no timeline for when they want to get that spot filled.

More from around the hockey world:

  • The Devils announced (Twitter link) that head coach Lindy Ruff has been placed in COVID protocol. Assistant coach Alain Nasreddine will take over as interim bench boss until Ruff is able to return.  It won’t be the first time that Nasreddine has been in charge of the bench for New Jersey as he served as interim head coach for them for 43 games back in 2019-20.
  • Canadiens prospect Jacob Olofsson has signed a contract through the 2022-23 season with IF Bjorkloven, the Allsvenskan team announced. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick of Montreal back in 2018 (56th overall) and must sign with them by June to retain his NHL rights.  This contract, along with a tough showing in 25 SHL games this season, suggests that’s unlikely to happen.
  • Still with Montreal, the Canadiens announced that winger Brandon Baddock has been placed in COVID protocol. The 26-year-old made his NHL debut last night in Carolina due to Montreal’s long list of injuries and COVID protocol, playing a little over eight minutes and recording six hits.
  • Blue Jackets winger Eric Robinson has cleared COVID protocol, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 26-year-old has a dozen points in 28 games this season while averaging a career-high 14:04 per game.

Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Eric Robinson

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Eric Robinson to a two-year contract extension, according to PuckPedia. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.6MM.

Robinson, 26, still had one year left on his previous contract that will pay him $975K this season, but will now be locked up through 2023-24. He’ll earn $1.5MM in 2022-23 and $1.7MM in 2023-24, reaching unrestricted free agency at the end of the deal. An undrafted free agent signing out of Princeton in 2018, Robinson has now played 120 NHL games. He registered eight goals and 18 points this season, filling out a bottom-six role nicely.

This new deal bets that he can continue in that role, but for a team that is going through a transition period after the trade of Seth Jones it doesn’t come with much risk. At worst, he struggles to improve his offensive production and stays on the fourth-line, at best he provides a little extra secondary scoring for a reasonable price. For a player that has worked extremely hard for everything he’s earned as a professional, not a bad gamble to take.

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