- The Columbus Blue Jackets received some positive news on the injury front as team reporter Jeff Svoboda relays that forward Justin Danforth has been medically cleared from an offseason wrist injury and can begin ramping up for the regular season. Danforth was a bright spot for the Blue Jackets last season on the team’s bottom-six putting up 10 goals and 26 points in 71 games while only averaging 14:16 of ice time per night.
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Blue Jackets Rumors
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign James Van Riemsdyk
4:56 PM: The Blue Jackets made the deal official according to a team announcement. Waddell said, “James van Riemsdyk has been a very consistent, productive player throughout his career and bringing him to Columbus will not only provide depth to our group up front, but also valuable leadership and another veteran presence in our dressing room“.
3:34 PM: TSN’s Chris Johnston is reporting the Columbus Blue Jackets have signed UFA forward James van Riemsdyk. A few moments later, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that it would be a one-year, $900K contract for van Riemsdyk in Columbus.
The veteran sniper will join the fourth team of his career as the Blue Jackets inch closer to the salary cap floor. It was reported only yesterday that Columbus would be looking to add up front after moving on from Patrik Laine this summer and the tragic loss of winger Johnny Gaudreau at the end of last month. Forward Justin Danforth is not expected to be ready for the start of the regular season due to a wrist injury that knocks the Blue Jackets down to 10 healthy forwards. Putting together a complete lineup is more forward in the mind of general manager Don Waddell, as there isn’t an expectation the team will be penalized for starting the year under the salary cap floor.
JVR is no longer the offensive threat he used to be with the Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs but should reasonably add some punch to the middle-six of Columbus’ forward core. He’s coming off a one-year deal with the Boston Bruins in which he scored 11 goals and 38 points in 71 games while also skating in his 1000th NHL contest. Most of his points in Boston came in the first half of the season, with seven goals and 29 points through the first 41 games. He only managed four goals and nine points in the last 30 games without having a major decline in ATOI.
Columbus can reasonably expect 30 to 35 points from JVR this year but his real value may come through his leadership skills. He made it to the Stanley Cup Final in his rookie campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2009-10 with seven more appearances in the postseason since. He’s scored over 300 goals at the NHL level and could be a tremendous teacher to the number of young guns on the Blue Jackets’ roster.
He may become a buy-low trade candidate this season for contending teams looking to add scoring in their bottom six. The Blue Jackets are not expected to compete, and van Riemsdyk’s $900K salary will be more than affordable for interested parties. The now second-oldest player in Columbus will have to take advantage of the first half of the year if he hopes to compete for a Stanley Cup by the end of next season.
Blue Jackets Looking To Add Forwards In Free Agency
The Blue Jackets’ forward group has been thinned out in recent weeks. The team moved Patrik Laine to Montreal while Johnny Gaudreau tragically passed away late last month. Meanwhile, GM Don Waddell told reporters today including Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link) that forward Justin Danforth won’t be available for the start of training camp due to a hand/wrist injury.
Danforth sustained the injury late last season and underwent offseason surgery. However, it appears that the recovery isn’t going as well as possible and he’s set to be re-evaluated on Monday. The 31-year-old posted a career-best 10 goals and 16 assists in 71 games last season while spending time on the wing and down the middle, making him a capable role player. But now, his availability for the start of the season is in question.
By his count, Waddell states that the team is down to just 10 healthy regular forwards heading into training camp. While players like Trey Fix-Wolansky, Gavin Brindley, James Malatesta, or free agent signing Dylan Gambrell could play their way into the mix, it stands to reason that they’ll be looking to make some additions up front.
While some might expect those moves to come on the trade front given that they’re nearly $3MM below the $65MM cap floor per PuckPedia, it doesn’t appear that will be the case. Instead, Waddell indicated that their intention is to sign one or two forwards before training camp, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). These would be players on full contracts, not tryouts.
However, the list of remaining unrestricted free agents isn’t exactly the deepest, especially among those who aren’t tied to a team via a PTO. Among the remaining options that haven’t secured a tryout are wingers James van Riemsdyk, Mike Hoffman, Kyle Okposo, Blake Wheeler, and Phil Kessel, who hasn’t given up hope on playing after not suiting up last season.
While signing a couple of those players would help, it wouldn’t get them to the cap floor, barring an overpayment on those contracts. However, Hedger relays (Twitter link) that he has been in talks with the league and the NHLPA about that and isn’t concerned at this time about being penalized if they stay under that number this season. While that’s something for them to worry about later on, in the meantime, it looks like Columbus will be making a signing or two in the coming days.
Prospect Notes: Heidt, Dumais, Dach, Frondell
Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin didn’t rule out the chances of top prospect Riley Heidt making the opening night roster in an interview with The Athletic’s Joe Smith. Guerin said, “We have guys that still don’t need waivers… If Riley plays so well that he pushes himself on the team, then great. That’s what it’s about. It’s about competition.” Smith went on to acknowledge the hefty jump Heidt would need to leapfrog other prospects like Liam Ohgren and Marat Khusnutdinov – with Guerin acknowledging the former as someone Minnesota expects to make the NHL roster.
Heidt is coming off a dazzling season with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, ranking third in league scoring with 117 points in 66 games. He also ranked eighth with 711 faceoff wins, winning at an effective 51.8 percent. Heidt set career highs across the board but still seems a step behind the NHL lineup. He’d otherwise be bound for a fourth WHL season, though Minnesota could award him up to nine regular-season games to help inform their decision.
Other notes from across the prospect world:
- Top Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais won’t be taking part in this weekend’s NHL Prospects Challenge, per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, who shares the winger has been designated with a lower-body injury. Dumais isn’t expected to participate in the start of training camp, either. It isn’t clear if this is related to the lower abdominal surgery Dumais underwent in January, which held him out of the entire second half of the season. He’s been as productive as they come in the QMJHL, recording 325 points across 193 games and four seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads. He’ll get a chance to translate that scoring to the pro level this season – that is, when he’s healed from that’s delaying his pre-season start.
- Chicago Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach shared that he has his sights set on earning an NHL roster spot, telling The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus that he feels he could’ve earned one by now had he not been injured. Dach notably missed extended time with a concussion this season, after a sucker punch from Milwaukee’s Zachary L’Heureux. Small absences cut into Dach’s first pro season, though he still impressed with 27 points in 48 AHL games. Dach has now been heavily limited by injuries in the last two seasons, making a spot on the Opening Day roster a longshot – though Dach could earn his way into an NHL call-up later this year if he continues to stand strong in the minors.
- Top 2025 NHL Draft prospect Anton Frondell is set to undergo knee surgery, shares Djugardens IF insider Robin Fredriksson. No timeline for a return has been revealed. It’s Frondell’s second major lower-body injury in as many years, after a separate injury limited his 2023-24 campaign to just 42 league games. Frondell impressed when he did play, notably scoring 39 points in 29 U20 games, and adding seven points in seven games at the World U17 Hockey Challenge. His name has appeared near the very top of early 2025 Draft rankings, though another significant injury could make him an early faller.
KHL Ak Bars Has Been In Touch With Voronkov About Possible KHL Return
- Dating back to last season, there was speculation that Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov might want to return to the KHL. In an interview with Championat’s Dmitry Storozhev, Ak Bars GM Marat Valiullin acknowledged that he spoke with Voronkov after last season, presumably to gauge his interest in returning to the KHL but no discussions have taken place since then. The 23-year-old had a solid rookie season last year, notching 18 goals and 16 assists in 75 games and is someone that Columbus will undoubtedly be looking to keep beyond the upcoming season when his current contract expires.
Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Gaudreau Pass Away
Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, passed away on Thursday, the team has confirmed in a statement. They were struck by an accused drunk driver while biking near their New Jersey home, police confirmed to Jeff Goldman of NJ Advance Media. They were 31 and 29 years old.
“The National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew,” said league commissioner Gary Bettman. “While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path. Gaudreau often told the story of how his father taught him to skate as a child in his home state of New Jersey, and he carried that same youthful passion throughout his 11 NHL seasons.”
Both Gaudreaus prefaced their professional careers with stints at Boston College, where Johnny immediately emerged as a star after being selected in the fourth round by the Flames in 2011. After recording a point per game as a freshman, he was the best player in college hockey by his junior year, leading the NCAA in scoring in 2013-14 with an incredible 80 points and 40 games. He won the Hobey Baker Award for the top collegiate player in the country and signed his entry-level contract with Calgary to end the campaign, scoring his first NHL goal in his first NHL game against the Canucks on April 13, 2014.
Gaudreau was an immediate standout, locking down a top-six role and posting 64 points in 80 games during his rookie season to help the Flames to their first playoff berth in six years. He led the team with nine points in 11 postseason games as they upset the rival Canucks in the first round and stole a game from the heavily-favored Ducks in Round 2.
Over the next decade, Gaudreau would cement himself as the cornerstone of the Flames’ offense. He was their representative at the NHL All-Star Game for five years to begin his career and quickly made a name for himself as one of the league’s most agile wingers.
His first true breakout came in 2018-19 when he torched the league for 36 goals and 99 points en route to Calgary’s first division title since 2006. He averaged over 20 minutes per game and finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting.
Gaudreau continued to serve as Calgary’s top offensive option up until 2021-22. Entering the final season of a six-year, $40.5MM contract, Gaudreau, along with linemates Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk, put up one of the most dominant seasons from a single forward unit we’ve seen in quite some time. He recorded career-highs with 40 goals, 75 assists and 115 points and also led the league with a remarkable +68 rating. His expert playmaking also helped Lindholm and Tkachuk to breakout campaigns, and for a time, they were the most suffocating two-way line in the league at 5v5.
An unrestricted free agent for the first time the following summer, Gaudreau opted to head east to return closer to his New Jersey home. The top UFA on the market that summer, he landed a seven-year, $68.25MM deal with Columbus. Both he and the team hoped he would be the veteran offensive presence necessary to help guide the team out of a rebuild. Gaudreau led the Blue Jackets in scoring each of the past two seasons, posting 33 goals, 101 assists and 134 points in 161 games.
Matthew never made his way to the NHL, but he did have a strong career in the minor leagues. After playing spot duty as a freshman at Boston College in Johnny’s junior season, he later emerged as an important player for the program in his own right, tying for the team lead in scoring during his senior season with 35 points in 40 games.
The younger Gaudreau began his pro career in the Islanders organization in 2017, signing a two-way AHL contract with their affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He had five points in 17 games over his first two years there, spending most of his time down in the ECHL with the Worcester Railers. It was there he was able to shine offensively, posting 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points in 88 games.
In 2019-20, Gaudreau opted to join Johnny in the Calgary hockey pyramid, inking a deal with the Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat. He made four appearances for them and had a breakout year on loan to the ECHL’s Reading Royals, where he erupted for 29 assists in 40 points in 38 games.
Gaudreau headed overseas when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, posting six points in 12 games for Sweden’s Tyringe SoSS. He returned to the Railers for 2021-22, making a lone appearance before announcing his retirement.
All of us at PHR send our deepest condolences to the Gaudreau family, their friends, their fans, and the many organizations where the brothers took their talents.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Cayden Lindstrom Ruled Out For Rookie Camp, Still Recovering From Back Injury
Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said last week that star center prospect Cayden Lindstrom was unlikely to suit up in next month’s NHL Prospects Challenge in Buffalo. Speaking to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Waddell confirmed Lindstrom won’t participate in the event and won’t be fully cleared at the beginning of training camp as he recovers from a disc herniation that cost him much of his draft year.
The back issue shouldn’t plague Lindstrom deep into the regular season. Waddell and Lindstrom’s agent, Wasserman Hockey’s Daren Hermiston, “agreed that he’s getting close to a return,” Portzline said. There’s a distinct air of caution in how the Blue Jackets choose to handle Lindstrom’s return to full contact, prioritizing the long-term help of a player they hope can be a top-six answer down the middle for years to come.
Lindstrom, 18, played only 36 total games with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League last season. His regular season ended in mid-December, and he battled through the injury to play four postseason games. But when he was in the lineup, the British Columbia native showed why he was one of the most unique talents in this summer’s draft. He was the Tigers’ best pure sniper with 27 goals in 32 regular-season contests, and his 1.44 points per game were tied for second on the team behind projected 2026 first-overall selection Gavin McKenna (1.59). The pivot has NHL-ready size at 6’3″ and 214 lbs and is involved physically, sometimes crossing the line, as evidenced by his 66 PIMs.
Recurring back problems could be debilitating for a player who thrives on Lindstrom’s type of style, so it’s no surprise that Columbus won’t give him a full clearance until he’s truly 100%. “Before we drafted him, we had all of the MRIs, all the tests, and everything else from his agents and doctors,” Waddell told Portzline. “This is something he’s going to get better from, but we want to be really careful with it. I’ve said all along we’re going to slow-play this one. I’m going to be the conservative one here.”
The injury does, however, likely remove any slim chances he had of making the NHL roster out of camp. Waddell, entering his first year in Columbus after six years as GM of the Hurricanes, is no stranger to letting prospects overbake, so it was always likely Lindstrom would spend all of 2024-25 back in Medicine Hat. Giving him a nine-game trial of NHL action without a whole training camp to work up to it certainly goes against the “conservative” ethos Waddell describes.
Lindstrom, who the Blue Jackets selected No. 4 overall in June, is the only member of the top four yet to sign his entry-level contract. But that delay isn’t related to his injury, Waddell said. He told Portzline that he’s “assuming we’ll sign him in training camp” after saying this to Hermiston earlier this summer.
Evening Notes: Jagr, Baertschi, Necas
Hockey legend Jaromir Jagr has hit a lull in his off-season prep, announcing in an Instagram post that he’s suffered a torn hamstring. He’ll now be out for three-to-six weeks, adding that the injury was likely a result of overtraining, which team physio Pavel Kolar warned him against. In a quote translated from Czech by Derek O’Brien of The Hockey News, Jagr said, “When I talked to the physiotherapist Pavel Kolář about the fact that I would like to properly train, he warned me not to do anything that my body is not used to. Of course, I didn’t listen to him… I went for a run. Not the sprints I used to do uphill, but normally straight. But I put weights on my ankles and tore my hamstring.”
Jagr, a partial owner of Kladno, will now miss the team’s remaining four pre-season games and could be out for the start of the Czech Extraliga season on Sep. 18. Kladno has a game roughly every other day from there on out, eating into Jagr’s goal to play in every Extraliga game this season. The inevitable Hall-of-Fame winger has stayed productive into his 50s, scoring 18 points across his last 31 Extraliga games, dating back to 2022. He’s never shown any reason for doubt, and even through a hamstring injury, he hopes to continue a productive playing career in Kladno as soon as possible.
Other quick notes from around the NHL:
- Former Vancouver Canucks winger Sven Baertschi has joined the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks as an assistant coach, shares Ryan Pike of Flames Nation. Baertschi spent two years with the Winterhawks in 2010 and 2011, ultimately scoring a dazzling 240 points in 156 games with the club. That was enough to motivate the Calgary Flames to select Baertschi with the 13th overall selection in the 2011 NHL Draft, though he never managed to live up to that precedent. His career year came with Vancouver in 2016-17, when he posted 18 goals and 35 points in 68 games. Baertschi finished his NHL career with 138 points in 292 games, playing in parts of 10 seasons. That’s a hockey career to be proud of – meager scoring or not – and Baertschi will now look to carry his experience back to the juniors team that helmed his early career.
- Plenty of teams expressed interest in former top trade piece and recent Hurricanes re-signee Martin Necas, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in the latest written 32 Thoughts. Among the interested parties were the Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets, though Necas was ultimately swayed to stay in Carolina thanks to the support of his teammates off the ice. Necas will now look to make the most of his two-year contract after posting 71 and 53 points in the last two seasons, respectively. That’s strong production, and Necas should earn an impressive contract when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, pending any collapse over the next two years.
Summer Synopsis: Columbus Blue Jackets
It’s been a summer of change for the Columbus Blue Jackets as the team now has a new general manager for the first time in over a decade, with Don Waddell tasked to man the ship. It took longer than expected, but the team also has a new head coach, Dean Evason, as the team looks to turn the corner in their rebuild. The Blue Jackets have disappointed immensely since losing in the First Round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, as they’ve compiled a record of 107-155-40 in the meantime, which is good for a winning percentage of .354. As now one of the younger teams in the league, the Blue Jackets will be relying more on their younger players to take the next step and pull the organization back to contention.
Draft
1-4: C Cayden Lindstrom, Medicine Hat (WHL)
2-36: D Charlie Elick, Brandon (WHL)
2-60: G Evan Gardner, Saskatoon (WHL)
3-86: D Luca Marrelli, Oshawa (OHL)
4-101: D Tanner Henricks, Lincoln (USHL)
6-165: D Luke Ashton, Langley (BCHL)
It was going to be difficult for Columbus to miss out on a top prospect with the fourth overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, and the team did not disappoint as they took the premier power forward available. Lindstrom combines size and speed and will be a valuable long-term option in Columbus’ top six. He recently wrapped up his sophomore campaign with Medicine Hat in a season that saw him score 27 goals and 46 points in 32 games. The only early concern with Lindstrom up to this point is a nagging back injury that limited him last season, but he still carries a development floor of being a second-line center.
Despite only having five picks in the remaining six rounds of the draft on day two, the Blue Jackets got a steal toward the top of the second round with Elick, who was predicted by many to be a late first-round talent. He’s already a legitimate shutdown defenseman in the WHL who can swiftly move the puck up the ice in certain scenarios. Despite being one of the more physical defenders in his age group, he is a menace with his stick in the lanes and has the acceleration to beat opposing forecheckers to the puck on defense.
Trade Acquisitions
D Jordan Harris (from Montreal)
Harris will take over responsibilities for Jake Bean on the Blue Jackets blue line, and he’s projected to suit up in a bottom-pairing role. Over the last two seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, Harris played in 131 contests while scoring seven goals and 31 points. At 24 years old, he still holds some prospect pedigree but doesn’t project to log heavy minutes outside of five-on-five action.
If Columbus trades defenseman Ivan Provorov during this season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer, Harris could slot into the second-pairing role with fellow youngster David Jiricek. The team could then test Harris on the second powerplay unit in hopes of a breakthrough but will likely opt for a more well-rounded option to fill that need.
UFA Signings
D Jack Johnson (one year, $775K)
F Dylan Gambrell (one year, $775K)*
C Sean Monahan (five years, $27.5MM)
G Zachary Sawchenko (one year, $775K)*
* denotes two-way contract
Columbus made a big splash on the opening day of free agency with a five-year deal to Monahan. He will be reunited with winger Johnny Gaudreau from their days with the Calgary Flames with the hopes of a resurgence from the latter. Since signing a seven-year, $68.25MM deal with the Blue Jackets in 2022, Gaudreau has failed to manage a point-per-game as he’s scored 33 goals and 134 points in 161 contests.
Monahan is coming off of a solid season split between the Canadiens and the Winnipeg Jets as he achieved the highest point total of his career since the 2019-20 season. Not only was he a solid contributor offensively with 26 goals and 59 points in 83 games, but Monahan also performed much better in the faceoff dot than in seasons past, as he achieved a success rate of 54.9% last season compared to his 51.0% career average. Monahan should immediately step in as the team’s first-line center allowing Evason and the coaching staff to take some pressure off some of their younger options down the middle.
RFA Re-Signings
F Yegor Chinakhov (two years, $4.2MM)
D Jake Christiansen (one year, $775K)*
G Jet Greaves (two years, $1.625MM)
F Kent Johnson (three years, $5.4MM)
F Kirill Marchenko (three years, $11.5MM)
F Cole Sillinger (two years, $4.5MM)
* denotes two-way contract
Most of Columbus’ available cash went to their class of restricted free agents as the team committed heavily to some of their younger talent. Marchenko landed the largest deal of the group after nearly leading all Blue Jackets in goal-scoring in back-to-back campaigns. With Monahan centering his line, Marchenko could hit the 30-goal plateau as soon as this upcoming season.
Johnson, Sillinger, and Chinakhov all carry similar pedigrees as prospects, with the latter having the most impressive season last year with 13 goals and 29 points in 53 games. It’s imperative that all three improve on the defensive side of the puck to have longevity at the NHL level and Evason’s coaching style should help in that department. None of their contracts were signed this summer, which hamper any near or future spending for the Blue Jackets, and they will give both player and team a pathway towards a better deal in the future.
One of the sneakier contracts dolled out by Columbus this summer is the two-year, $1.625MM agreement with Greaves, who is playing his way toward regular backup minutes at the NHL level. The young netminder impressed greatly at the AHL level last season with a 30-12-4 record in 46 games with a .910 SV% and 2.93 GAA. Greaves carried his strong play into the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs, where he helped push the eventual champion Hershey Bears to game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals on the backs of a .926% throughout the postseason.
Departures
D Jake Bean (Calgary, two years, $3.5MM)
D Nick Blankenburg (Nashville, two years, $1.55MM)*
D Adam Boqvist (Florida, one year, $775K)*
F Joshua Dunne (Buffalo, two years, $1.55MM)*
F Brendan Gaunce (Minnesota, two years, $1.55MM)*
F Patrik Laine (traded to Montreal)
F Carson Meyer (Anaheim, one year, $775K)*
F Alexander Nylander (signed with Toronto, AHL)
D Billy Sweezey (Boston, one years, $775K)*
F Alexandre Texier (traded to St. Louis)
* denotes two-way contract
Columbus was not positioned to lose a lot of talent this summer, with the most significant loss coming from purposeful moves. The team chose not to tender contracts to defensemen Boqvist or Bean, which allowed them to find greener pastures elsewhere and thin out their defensive core. Boqvist and Bean both had disappointing campaigns last year which prohibited them from having any future use to the Blue Jackets. The team can now give consistent minutes to top-prospect Jiricek after shuffling him back and forth from the AHL for much of last year.
The major loss comes up front with the team moving on from Laine and a second-round pick in 2026 in exchange for Harris. Laine was limited dramatically last season due to injuries and a lengthy stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, which caused him to only suit up in 18 games. However, the former second-overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft is only two years removed from being one of the better forwards on the roster, as he scored 48 goals and 108 points in 111 games between 2021 and 2023. No matter how much they would’ve liked to keep Laine after exiting the Player Assistance Program a few weeks ago, the Finnish sniper and his agent had already agreed with Columbus earlier in the summer that moving out of the organization was necessary to correct his career.
Salary Cap Outlook
By allowing the Canadiens to take on the full $8.7MM owed to Laine in each of the next two years, the Blue Jackets have one of the cleaner salary cap tables of any organization. The team is headed into the 2024-25 NHL season with $15.95MM available in cap space, according to PuckPedia. With the team unlikely to contend in a top-heavy Metropolitan Division this year, Waddell and the Blue Jackets could weaponize their cap space by taking on a bad contract or two or could become a third-team broker closer to the trade deadline. No matter the route they take, the salary cap won’t be an issue for Columbus heading into next season.
Key Questions
Who Will Be Left On The Roster At The End Of Next Year? The biggest trade chip for Columbus heading into next year is Provorov, who may be one of the better options available at next year’s deadline. The left-handed Russian is entering the final year of a six-year, $40.5MM contract originally signed with the Philadelphia Flyers and could reasonably take on top-four minutes with almost any team in the league. The Blue Jackets will also have the bonus of being able to retain 50% of Provorov’s salary, but it may not net them much more in return as it is becoming more and more common each season. A dark horse trade candidate would be captain Boone Jenner, given his solid play on both sides of the puck and his relatively low $3.75MM salary for the next two years. Depending on how the trade market develops over the regular season, Jenner could net Columbus a decent haul of draft capital and another roster opening for their prospects.
Which Player Will Take The Next Step? The Blue Jackets have not had a player score more than 80 points since Artemi Panarin scored 87 during the 2018-19 campaign. Gaudreau has not been that player up to this point, albeit getting close during the 2022-23 season. The team desperately needs a star player to take over and their best hope of that happening comes in the form of Adam Fantilli. The University of Michigan alum was the third overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft and wrapped up his rookie campaign with 12 goals and 27 points in 49 games. Although he was hampered by a calf laceration last year, Fantilli is still an elite-level prospect and could score 50 points as soon as next season. Not typically viewed as a top free-agent destination — the Blue Jackets will need to develop one of their younger prospects into the player they desperately need.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Blue Jackets Agree To Terms With Cole Sillinger On Two-Year Deal
The Blue Jackets and center Cole Sillinger have come to terms on a two-year deal worth $4.5MM, per a team press release. It’s the expected result after Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported earlier this month the two sides were close on a two-year pact.
Sillinger has been viewed as a potential core piece for the Jackets ever since they selected him 12th overall in the 2021 draft. He was the middle selection of a trio of first-round picks Columbus had that year, joining Kent Johnson and Corson Ceulemans. He immediately became a top-five prospect in the organization and was expected to be a high pick after being named the United States Hockey League’s Rookie of the Year the preceding campaign.
Those expectations ratcheted up after Sillinger made the opening night roster as an 18-year-old, a rare feat for a non-top-10 pick. In his rookie season, he was immediately thrust into bottom-six center duties and finished 10th on the middling club in scoring with 31 points in 79 games. He still had some work to do defensively, as his -22 rating was one of the worst on the team, and his shot attempt and shot quality shares at even strength were below team average.
Two years later, not much has changed. Sillinger’s possession numbers improved slightly last season after a sophomore slump in 2022-23, but his offensive development has largely remained stagnant. He did feature more prominently on a weaker Columbus offense this past year, ranking sixth among forwards in average time on ice (16:07). But it didn’t translate into a big breakout on the scoresheet, managing 13 goals and 32 points in 77 games. It’s undoubtedly solid depth production, but it’s not a verifiable step forward from where his rookie season was.
But last season was a massive step in the right direction for Sillinger compared to the previous year. That sophomore slump hit him hard, limiting him to just three goals and 11 points in 64 games, resulting in a brief assignment to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.
Sillinger’s overall game has had some notable positives thus far. The 21-year-old pivot has been a consistent physical presence, tying for third on the team in hits last season with 119. He’s also been a decent chance generator by volume, ranking fourth on the Jackets in shots on goal with 157 last year, but a lack of quality chances has limited him to an 8% shooting rate through his 220 career NHL games.
For now, the 6’1″, 201-lb center is a decent third-line anchor, especially for a rebuilding club. But he’s still got room to grow, and he’ll look to do so throughout this affordable bridge deal to cash in when he becomes a restricted free agent again in 2026.
Sillinger is the second member of the 2021 draft class to ink a new deal this week, joining No. 2 overall pick Matthew Beniers. He put pen to paper on a seven-year, $50MM pact yesterday.
With Sillinger signed, the Jackets’ season-opening roster could now be set with 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders, PuckPedia projects. His $2.25MM AAV and cap hit still leaves them with $15.95MM in cap space with a full roster.