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 2017-18 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: $67,012,975 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Oliver Bjorkstrand (One year remaining, $656K)
D Gabriel Carlsson (Three years remaining, $894K)
F Pierre-Luc Dubois (Three years remaining, $925K)
F Sonny Milano (Two years remaining, $863K)
D Markus Nutivaara (One year remaining, $818K)
D Zach Werenski (Two years remaining, $925K)
Potential Bonuses
Bjorkstrand: $133K
Dubois: $2.5MM
Milano: $400K
Werenski: $850K
Total: $3.883MM
Bjorkstrand was expected to be an important player last year after a strong finish to his rookie campaign but he instead split 2016-17 between the NHL and AHL. He should be able to lock down a regular role this time around but given his small track record so far, he looks like a candidate for a bridge deal next summer. Dubois, the third overall selection just a year ago, didn’t have a great year at the junior level but should get a long look at training camp. Milano spent most of his first pro season in the minors and was productive and should also get a long look. There’s room for both top youngsters potentially to make the lineup.
On the back end, Werenski had a fantastic rookie season that saw him finished third in Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year. He set a team record for rookie scoring while finishing 13th league-wide in points by a blueliner with 47. He maxed out on his Class A performance bonuses and assuming he stays healthy, he should be able to do so again in 2017-18 without too much difficulty. He’s trending towards landing himself a significant second contract if he can keep this up for the next two years; already a bridge deal doesn’t seem likely.
Nutivaara wasn’t expected to land a roster spot but he wound up playing somewhat of a regular role on the third pairing. He’ll likely find himself in that sixth or seventh role once again which wouldn’t have him in line for any sort of notable raise. Carlsson played more with the Blue Jackets in the playoffs than he did during the regular season which will have him in the mix for a spot in training camp.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Cam Atkinson ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Matt Calvert ($2.2MM, UFA)
F Boone Jenner ($2.9MM, RFA)
D Jack Johnson ($4.36MM, UFA)
D Ryan Murray ($2.825MM, RFA)
Atkinson has quickly blossomed into a reliable goal scorer and set a new career mark with 35 tallies last season. If he comes close to those numbers once again, he’s going to set himself up to be one of the top forwards in free agency and it’s going to take a big raise to keep him around. Jenner’s production dipped from 30 goals to 18 while he also spent more time on the wing than in previous years. He’s still poised to see a pay bump in his next contract but it may not be as high as it may have seemed a year ago. Calvert saw his role decrease last year and if he stays in the bottom six (a likely scenario), there’s a good chance he’ll be let go after the season to save a bit of cap space as they’ll likely look to fill his spot with a cheaper player.
Johnson hasn’t lived up to his high draft billing (third overall in 2005) but is still a legitimate top-four defender. However, his offensive production has dropped quite a bit over the past two seasons which could hurt his leverage if he gets to the open market. As things stand, a new deal for him should come in somewhat close to his current one. Murray is another player who has yet to live up to his draft status (second overall in 2012) and is coming off a season where his average ice time dipped to career lows. As a result, his name has been involved in trade speculation and that’s probably not going to change. If he doesn’t have a rebound year in 2017-18, it might be tough to find the right fit on a long-term deal next summer.
Two Years Remaining
G Sergei Bobrovsky ($7.425MM, UFA)
F Markus Hannikainen ($675K, RFA)
D Scott Harrington ($675K, RFA)
G Joonas Korpisalo ($900K, RFA)
F Artemi Panarin ($6MM, UFA)
F Lukas Sedlak ($875K, RFA)
Panarin’s trade to Columbus was arguably the biggest deal of the offseason, one that saw the team surrender two years of player control with Brandon Saad heading the other way. Panarin has had two very strong seasons so far with over 70 points in each. This contract he’s on sets him up to hit the open market at 27 where he could be the most sought after player in free agency so a big raise is likely forthcoming. Sedlak and Hannikainen project to be depth forwards and their next deals shouldn’t be considerably higher in terms of cost. On the back end, Harrington also projects as cheap depth once again and won’t command a big raise two years from now in all likelihood.
What a difference a year makes when it comes to Bobrovsky. This time a year ago, there was a case to be made that he was overpaid but after a career year that saw him earn the Vezina Trophy, now it’s fair to wonder how much more it might cost to keep him, especially with the recent escalation in goaltender salaries. That, of course, will change if he plays more like the 2015-16 version over the next couple of years but GM Jarmo Kekalainen will have to keep that in mind when planning ahead. Korpisalo begins his first year of full-time NHL play and if he progresses as the team hopes, he will also be in line for a notable raise at the end of this contract.
Three Years Remaining
None (other than Carlsson and Dubois, covered above)
Four Or More Years Remaining
F Brandon Dubinsky ($5.85MM through 2020-21)
F Nick Foligno ($5.5MM through 2020-21)
D Seth Jones ($5.4MM through 2021-22)
D David Savard ($4.25MM through 2020-21)
F Alexander Wennberg ($4.9MM through 2022-23)
Wennberg’s deal came together just recently with pen being put to paper back on Friday. It’s a pretty safe move as it represents market value for a second liner and even if he regresses a little, he’ll still be a solid second liner. (And if he continues to improve, it’s a steal of a deal.) He’s an important part of the team that’s locked up at a team-friendly rate. Foligno isn’t likely to get back over the 70 point plateau which he did the season in which he signed his current deal but if he can hold around 45-50 point mark like he did last year, it’s decent value. Dubinsky has seen his production dip lately but he’s still a key part of their lineup. This contract could be a bit burdensome by the end if his scoring continues to drop but that’s a few years away from happening.
Jones hasn’t disappointed since joining the team from Nashville as he continues to show that he’s a legitimate top pairing blueliner. To have one of those under contract for the next half-decade at that rate is a nice spot for the Blue Jackets to be in. Savard’s output is down relative to a couple of years ago but he remains a quality top-four player locked in at a rate that is commensurate with what a lot of second pairing defenders are receiving.
Buyouts
F Jared Boll ($567K in 2017-18)
F Scott Hartnell ($1.5MM in 2017-18, $3MM in 2018-19, $1.25MM in 2019-20/2020-21)
D Fedor Tyutin ($1.958MM in 2017-18, $1.458MM in 2018-19/2019-20)
Retained Salary Transactions
None
Still To Sign
Best Value: Werenski (Atkinson among non-ELC players)
Worst Value: Calvert
Looking Ahead
Columbus is going to be in great shape when it comes to the salary cap this season, even when they get Anderson locked up eventually. The bigger question will be whether they can afford to retain their top players as their contracts expire over the next two seasons. They should have the ability to do so with the players who are entering the final year of their deals in 2017-18 but after that, it could be a bit of a challenge.
As things stand, the Blue Jackets have just shy of $30MM tied up in six players for 2019-20. Werenski, Panarin, and Bobrovsky all have their contracts ending the year before and it’s going to take big ticket deals to lock those three up while players like Atkinson (assuming he re-signs), Murray, and Jenner will have their next deals by then. Add new contracts for them to what they already have committed and there’s a good chance they find themselves very tight to the cap, especially with several other players needed to fill out the roster. That’s a concern for a couple of years down the road though.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.