The Blue Jackets met with the representative for pending UFA defenseman Ivan Provorov at the combine this week, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). Projected as one of the top blueliners to hit the open market next month, he’s in a position to realistically command a max-term contract which would be seven years with another team or eight if Columbus signs him by the end of June.
However, Portzline notes that thus far, GM Don Waddell has been prioritizing a shorter-term agreement with the 28-year-old. Presumably, that offer would come with a higher AAV compared to a max-term offer but with over $40MM in cap room, per PuckPedia, they can safely afford to overpay if it got them a more desired term on the deal. Provorov had 33 points in 81 games this season while logging over 23 minutes a night and at this point, it’s unclear if he’d be amenable to a shorter-term pact.
More from Portzline’s piece on the Blue Jackets:
- Pending UFA forward Justin Danforth has switched agents. Previously represented by Puck Agency’s Jay Grossman, his new agent is Newport’s Pat Morris. Danforth played in 61 games this season, notching nine goals and 12 assists while also playing center on a full-time basis for the first time in his career. Coming off a one-year, $1.1MM deal, Danforth should be able to beat that on the open market next month if he doesn’t wind up re-signing with Columbus which Portzline notes is the veteran’s preferred outcome.
- The contract that prospect Oiva Keskinen received from the Blue Jackets last month contains a European Assignment Clause for next season. The 21-year-old is expected to get a chance to crack the NHL roster but he can trigger the return to Tappara in Finland if he doesn’t break camp with Columbus. A seventh-round pick in 2023, Keskinen had 15 goals and 20 assists in 59 regular season Liiga games but was limited to just a single assist in nine playoff outings.