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Blue Jackets Expected To Buy Out Adam Boqvist

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to place young defender Adam Boqvist on unconditional waivers for the purposes of a buyout later today, shares Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Blue Jackets would only be on the hook for one-third of his contract value should he clear unconditional waivers, as he’s being bought out before the age of 26. That would burden Columbus with a $533K cap hit through the next two seasons, a full $2.7MM in savings from the $3.2MM salary that Boqvist was due next year, though also strapping them with empty cap in 2025-26.

Boqvist is a surprising name to a list of pre-July 1st buyouts that also features Jack Campbell and Nate Schmidt. Unlike those two, Boqvist is closer to the beginning of his career than the end of it, though he’s been no stranger to struggles. Boqvist has been in and out of Columbus’ lineups for much of the last three seasons since they acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks alongside the picks used for David Jiricek, Cole Sillinger, and Aleksi Heimosalmi. In return, Columbus gave up defender Seth Jones and the picks used on Nolan Allan and Dominic Jones.

Boqvist joined the Blue Jackets with 76 NHL games, and 29 points, under his belt. But despite moving to a Columbus team that was, at the time, less competitive than Chicago – Boqvist wasn’t able to work his way up the depth chart. He instead spent much of his first year on the team’s third pairing, posting 22 points, split evenly, in 55 games. That was enough offense to earn him a slight boost in power-play time last season, with Boqvist vindicating the boost with a career-high 24 points in 46 games.

But Boqvist hasn’t been able to avoid the injury bug in any of his five NHL seasons. That came to a point this season, when an upper-body injury ended Boqvist’s season in mid-March, after routinely holding him out of the lineup since December. He was held to just 35 games on the year, tied for the fewest games he’s played in one season, and Boqvist posted a career-low 10 points as a result. Despite clear skill in carrying and managing the puck, a lack of assuredness in making plays and air-headed defense has kept Boqvist from taking off. He was previously due a $2.6MM cap hit this season – a number that could be palatable for teams looking for a spark on waivers. Should he make it to the open market, the young Boqvist will surely have no shortage of suitors.

Blue Jackets Select Cayden Lindstrom Fourth Overall

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The Blue Jackets have taken center Cayden Lindstrom with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. In just two years the Blue Jackets have selected their 1-2 combo at the center position at the top of the draft.

Lindstrom is a prototypical center who can score goals and use his size to his advantage. With a high motor and his ability to work in the corners, Columbus will not have any complaints about Lindstrom being their second-line center for the foreseeable future. In the WHL this season, Lindstrom scored 27 goals and 46 points in 32 games while scoring 46 goals and 88 points in 99 total games in the major junior league.

With a glut of forwards already on the roster at the NHL level, Lindstrom may be a prime choice to spend another year in the WHL to expand on his skills. Nevertheless, given that his body is already NHL-ready, the Blue Jackets may be bullish enough on the selection to have him crack the roster as soon as next season.

It was always going to be difficult for Columbus to make a bad selection at fourth overall since the team could use talent at nearly every position. In Lidstrom, the team maximized their selection in the top five by adding a top-notch heavy sniper.

Blues Acquire, Extend Alexandre Texier

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The Blues have acquired winger Alexandre Texier from the Blue Jackets and promptly signed him to a two-year deal, his agent Dan Milstein confirmed. It’s a $4.2MM deal broken down evenly into a $2.1MM salary and cap hit each season, PuckPedia reports. The teams later made the trade official, confirming a 2025 fourth-round pick is headed to Columbus in return.

Texier, 24, is coming off a triumphant return to North America after spending the 2022-23 season on personal leave, suiting up on loan to the Swiss National League to be closer to his family in France. The Blue Jackets 2017 second-rounder put up career-highs across the board, notching 12 goals, 18 assists and 30 points in 78 games. The French pivot had always been an intriguing, versatile prospect, but COVID and injuries had limited him to a previous career-high of 46 appearances in his three previous full NHL seasons.

The Blue Jackets had tried working Texier higher up in the lineup, moving him to the wing and getting him a decent chunk of time on their penalty kill. But with a higher-skilled, younger wave of prospects coming through the pipeline, he’d become expendable. They’ll need to replace the 1:46 he averaged shorthanded per game, though.

Meanwhile, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong does solid work here to pick up a solid depth-checking forward for a mid-round pick. The extension is quite reasonable, to boot. It comes in slightly lower than Evolving Hockey’s two-year, $2.33MM AAV projection.

Texier will serve as a younger, more defensively responsible replacement for some of the Blues’ mid-20s depth forwards hitting free agency this summer, namely failed reclamation projects Kasperi Kapanen and Jakub Vrána. He’ll be in contention for a third-line wing role but could also lock down a bottom-six center spot. It’s his natural position, although he didn’t play there a ton in Columbus and was abysmal in the faceoff dot, winning just 35.5% of his draws.

Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic was first on the return.

Flyers Looking To Trade For Fourth Overall Pick

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Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning continue to engage in contract talks but Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois isn’t sure that a deal will get done before July 1st (as per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times). The Lightning GM met with Stamkos’ representatives as recently as yesterday but with Tampa Bay’s cap crunch, the 2008 first overall pick may go to market.

Stamkos would have no shortage of suitors (as per Darren Dreger of TSN) if he becomes an unrestricted free agent and it would mark the end of an incredible era in Tampa Bay. Stamkos has won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning as well as two Rocket Richard trophies and has tallied 555 goals and 582 assists in 1082 NHL games. If the 34-year-old does go to market, he is sure to find a lucrative deal as he is coming off a season in which he registered 40 goals and 41 assists in 79 games.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Gabby Shirley of Bally Sports is reporting that Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois has held extension talks with defenseman Victor Hedman. BriseBois told the media that he hopes that he will agree on an extension in the coming days as Hedman is eligible to sign a new deal on July 1st. The 33-year-old has one year left on his current contract and is coming off another strong season in which he posted 13 goals and 63 assists in 78 games. Hedman’s cap hit for next year will be $7.875MM, but his actual salary will be $7MM.
  • Pierre LeBrun of TSN is reporting that the Philadelphia Flyers made a big push to try and acquire the fourth overall pick in this year’s NHL entry draft from the Columbus Blue Jackets. LeBrun’s sources have told him the Philadelphia made the offer on Wednesday and it was reported to include a swap of first-round picks, a player off the Flyers roster, and potentially the Flyers first-round pick next year. According to reports, Blue Jackets’ general manager Don Waddell turned down the offer, but it remains possible that the teams re-engage in the hours leading up to the draft.

Blue Jackets Could Look To Move Ivan Provorov

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Elliotte Friedman noted on the 32 Thoughts podcast that Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry is likely available via trade this summer. The 29-year-old signed a five-year $26.875MM contract last summer with the Penguins and put up pedestrian numbers in another inconsistent season and eventually lost the starter role to recently re-signed Alex Nedeljkovic.

Jarry’s contract might have looked unmovable just a few months ago, but given the goalie market and the fact that he is a two-time All-Star, a move seems very possible. Whether the Penguins want to make that move or not is another story, but the fact that they didn’t start him in the final 13 games of the regular season is certainly not a vote of confidence. Jarry went 19-25-5 last season with a .903 save percentage and a 2.91 goals-against average. His underlying numbers were a tick better as he posted 2.6 goals saved above expected (as per MoneyPuck).

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that the Ottawa Senators are gauging what the trade market looks like for defenceman Jakob Chychrun. The 26-year-old has one year left on his contract at $4.6MM and will be a prime trade target for many teams looking to improve their backend. Ottawa is reportedly looking for a first-round pick, as well as a second-round pick or a high-end prospect in exchange for Chychrun, a steep price for what could be a one-year rental. Chychrun had a good offensive season last year with 14 goals and 27 assists in 82 games; however, he was -30. Chychrun turned the puck over with alarming frequency last season, committing 73 turnovers, however, his possession numbers were very good with a CF% of 51.2% at even-strength.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic lists Ivan Provorov as a potential trade chip for the Columbus Blue Jackets this summer as newly hired general manager Don Waddell tries to improve the struggling team. The 27-year-old Provorov has one season left on his contract with a cap hit of $4.75MM ($2MM retained by Los Angeles) and should receive interest if Columbus decides to move him. Portzline says he would be surprised if Provorov spends the year with the Blue Jackets, given his contractual status and the fact that the Blue Jackets have defenseman Denton Mateychuk turning pro. Mateychuk could be ready to tackle the top four minutes very shortly which could facilitate Provorov’s trade, however, it is important to note that Waddell has a history of being patient with young players and might opt to keep Mateychuk in the AHL for extra seasoning.

Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Free agency is now less than a week away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens.  There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Blue Jackets.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Jake Bean – A couple of years ago, the Blue Jackets made a move for Bean with the hope that he could become a longer-term option on the back end.  His first season went well before injuries were a significant issue in 2022-23.  This season, Bean was able to stay healthy but struggled while remaining limited in a third-pairing role.  At 26 with nearly 200 career NHL games under his belt, there is definitely a role for him on an NHL roster.  However, is he worth $2.8MM and granting him arbitration rights?  This is the decision that GM Don Waddell has to weigh.  If you’re wondering which way he might be leaning, remember that Waddell was the GM who moved him to Columbus in the first place.

F Kent Johnson – After a strong showing in his first full NHL campaign in 2022-23 that saw him put up 40 points in 79 games, expectations were high for the 2021 fifth-overall pick heading into the season.  However, he wound up not making the team out of training camp and when he was recalled later on, offensive success was harder to come by.  To make matters worse, he suffered a torn labrum in late February, ending his season prematurely while also affecting his offseason training.  It’s safe to say that he’s heading for a bridge contract and as a 10.2 (c) player, the Blue Jackets don’t have to worry about any potential threat of an offer sheet as he’s not eligible for one.

F Kirill Marchenko – The Blue Jackets haven’t had much success in the goal-scoring department in recent years but Marchenko is one of the exceptions.  The 23-year-old scored 21 goals in 59 games in his rookie year and followed it up with a 23-goal effort in 2023-24.  If Waddell is inclined to hand out a long-term agreement this summer, Marchenko is probably the candidate to receive it.  Otherwise, he could also be heading for a bridge deal.  Since he has arbitration rights, there’s a good chance that the agreement will push past the $3MM mark.

F Cole Sillinger – After a sophomore year to forget, Sillinger had a good bounce-back campaign, getting back around the numbers he had in his rookie year, notching 13 goals and 19 assists while improving at the faceoff dot and taking a regular turn on the penalty kill.  While it’s not the numbers they were hoping for from the 2021 first-rounder, Sillinger at least appears to be back on the upswing.  Once again, a short-term second contract is expected, one that should surpass $2MM per season.

F Alexandre Texier – After spending 2022-23 in Switzerland and having his contract tolled, Texier returned to Columbus and put up a career-best 30 points albeit with a lower point-per-game rate than in 2021-22.  There have been times when he has looked like a capable top-six piece but he hasn’t been able to play at that level consistently enough to stay there.  Accordingly, another short-term agreement is likely heading his way though he should get a raise from his $1.75MM salary which also serves as his qualifying offer.

Other RFAs: F Tyler Angle, D Marcus Bjork, D Jake Christiansen, G Jet Greaves, F Alexander Nylander

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Nick Blankenburg – It’s a pretty thin crop of pending unrestricted free agents which isn’t much of a surprise for a rebuilding team.  Blankenburg isn’t even a typical UFA as he qualifies as a Group Six free agent as a player who is 25 or older, has at least three professional seasons, and less than 80 NHL appearances.  Blankenburg was a full-timer on the NHL roster in 2022-23 but spent the bulk of this season in the minors where he also battled injury trouble.  Still, as someone who has had a bit of success at the top level (18 points in 55 games while logging over 18 minutes a night on average) and being a right-shot defenseman, Blankenburg should have fairly strong interest on the open market.

D Jakub Zboril – Zboril didn’t see any NHL action in 2023-24, instead splitting time between the AHL affiliates for Boston and Columbus.  Part of that could be attributable to the seven-figure cap hit he had, something that shouldn’t be the case next season.  The 27-year-old has 76 career NHL games under his belt and should have interest on two-way offers.  However, if he feels that the AHL is his likeliest destination, it’s also possible that he will consider his options overseas.

Other UFAs: F Joshua Dunne, F Brendan Gaunce, F Carson Meyer, G Malcolm Subban, D Billy Sweezey

Projected Cap Space

Cap space won’t be an issue for the Blue Jackets this summer as they enter the offseason with $21.675MM in spending room.  None of their pending restricted free agents are poised to command a pricey contract although there are enough of them to put a dent into that figure.  Nonetheless, there is enough room for them to try to make a splash this summer if Waddell wants to put his stamp on his new team early.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Cap information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Todd McLellan Believed To Be The Contender For Blue Jackets Coaching Vacancy

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With the draft coming up later this week and free agency beginning soon after, the Blue Jackets will likely want to fill their head coaching vacancy before then.  To that end, ESPN’s John Buccigross reports (Twitter link) that a decision is expected soon while Todd McLellan is gaining traction to be their next bench boss.

McLellan would certainly represent an experienced option taking over from Pascal Vincent who was in his first year running the bench this past season.  In their search for a new GM, the Blue Jackets were placing a lot of emphasis on experience and it appears Don Waddell is placing a similar emphasis on that with his coaching hire.

The 56-year-old started 2023-24 with Los Angeles where he was in his fifth season with the team.  However, they struggled through the first half of the year, resulting in his being dismissed in early February with assistant Jim Hiller taking over on an interim tag (which was later lifted in the spring).

McLellan also has long coaching stints under his belt with San Jose and Edmonton.  All told, he has been behind the bench for 1,144 games, 24th-most in NHL history.  He hasn’t had a lot of playoff success over that stretch with his teams playing to a 42-46 record over nine postseason appearances.

Of course, playoff success shouldn’t be on the mind of Waddell, at least in the short term.  The Blue Jackets have missed the postseason in four straight years and have finished at the basement of the Metropolitan for two straight years.  With a particularly young core group, the focus in the near future will be making the most of player development and trying to get Columbus to be more competitive.

With that in mind, McLellan could very well be the right fit to help lead the Blue Jackets through their rebuild and ideally towards trying to push for a playoff spot.  Whether it’s him or someone else, a decision on their next head coach should be coming soon.

Prospect Nolan Lalonde Traded In The OHL

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  • Blue Jackets goalie prospect Nolan Lalonde is on the move at the OHL level. Kingston announced that they’ve acquired the 20-year-old from Saginaw for a conditional draft pick.  Columbus signed Lalonde as an undrafted free agent back in 2022 and he posted a 3.16 GAA with an .874 SV% in 32 games with the Spirit.  Lalonde is eligible to play in the pros full-time next season but could also return for his overage year which will now be played with his hometown Frontenacs if he is indeed sent back.

Blue Jackets Sign Yegor Chinakhov To Two-Year Extension

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The Blue Jackets have signed winger Yegor Chinakhov to a two-year, $4.2MM extension, per a team announcement. The deal carries a $2.1MM cap hit through the 2025-26 season.

Chinakhov, 23, was a pending restricted free agent. The Russian winger was not eligible for salary arbitration and wouldn’t have been until the summer of 2025. Notably, this is Don Waddell’s first signing since taking over as general manager of the Blue Jackets late last month.

A completely off-the-board first-round pick in 2020, Chinakhov solidified himself as a solid depth scoring option this past season with 16 goals and 29 points in 53 games. His shooting percentage was a tad steep at 14.5%, and he may be a regression candidate next year, but he didn’t look out of place as his minutes ramped up. He averaged 15:10 per game, seventh among Blue Jackets forwards who finished the season on the roster. Chinakhov also had some of the best possession metrics of any Columbus player, finishing fifth on the team with a 49.4 CF% at even strength.

There’s been a lot to like around Chinakhov’s all-around offensive game. In hindsight, his 69 points in 56 Russian junior league games during his draft year should have earned him a tad more consideration from the public scouting world at the time. He had solid results in his lone professional season in Russia, posting 10 goals and 17 points in 32 games for Avangard Omsk in 2020-21 before arriving in Columbus the following year. A dual-threat passer and shooter with a good set of wheels, he averaged 2.1 shots on goal per game this season.

His production provided some great financial value for Columbus this year, spending the campaign on a one-year, $800K extension he inked in April 2023 with his entry-level contract set to expire. It’s a considerable but deserved raise for the Omsk native, who will continue to push for consistent top-six minutes next season under a new head coach. The Blue Jackets still have $21.675MM in projected cap space for 2024-25 with a roster size of 16.

Blue Jackets Not Expected To Move Elvis Merzlikins

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It’s been an offseason of delayed change for the Blue Jackets, who took until late May to appoint Don Waddell as their next general manager and until this week to fire head coach Pascal Vincent. With the coaching change being Waddell’s first real mark on the franchise, many wondered if he may have some other moves up his sleeve in the coming days.

He still may, but moving on from goaltender Elvis Merzļikins won’t be one of them. Waddell told The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline that the team won’t buy out the final three seasons of the Latvian netminder’s contract and dismissed the possibility of a trade, saying the organization will put “all the resources we can” into helping Merzļikins rebound from a tough couple of campaigns.

“Let’s be honest, nobody is going to trade for that contract. Nobody,” Waddell told Portzline. “People say, ‘Well, why don’t you buy out the contract?’ It’s a six-year buyout, and there are years three, four, five and six when you might need that cap space. So you’ve eliminated those two options.”

The contract Waddell is referring to involves a $5.4MM cap hit for Merzļikins through 2027, a tough deal to move when there are far more attractive options in the net available for trade this summer. Merzļikins improved from a nightmarish 2022-23 season this year but still struggled with a .897 SV%, 3.45 GAA and 13-17-8 record in 41 appearances. He also frequently entered and exited the lineup due to a variety of illnesses and injuries, including a lower-body ailment that sidelined him for seven of their final eight games. Those numbers were still below average considering the Blue Jackets’ poor defense, saving -6.3 goals above expected, but it was a massive improvement on his -25.9 GSAx figure the year before in just 30 games (MoneyPuck).

It’s all a far cry from his rookie season five years ago when Merzļikins arrived in Columbus with a .923 SV% in 33 games and finished fifth in 2020 Vezina Trophy voting. In fact, he was overall one of the better netminders in the league with a .913 SV% in 120 games between 2019-20 and 2021-22, but his past two seasons have brought him down to a much more pedestrian .904 SV% for his career.

Back in January, the 30-year-old told media he’d requested a trade but later walked back his statement. He did have some interest from the Devils before the trade deadline, but they ended up going with Jake Allen as a stopgap option before making a big swing to acquire Jacob Markström from the Flames yesterday.

Next season, he’ll face stiff competition for starts from 24-year-old Daniil Tarasov, who ended the season on a high note after struggling with injuries early on. The 2017 third-round pick made a career-high 24 appearances, logging an 8-11-3 record with a respectable .908 SV% and 3.18 GAA that worked out to 3.9 goals saved above average. Pending restricted free agent Jet Greaves is also pushing for NHL time after posting a .926 SV% in 13 playoff games with AHL Cleveland and recording a 30-win regular season.

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