Cam Atkinson

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Columbus Blue Jackets

August 12, 2018 at 3:52 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

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 2018-19 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: $73,890,832 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Zach Werenski (one year remaining, $925K)
F Pierre-Luc Dubois (two years remaining, $894K)
F Sonny Milano (one year remaining, $863K)

Potential Bonuses

Dubois: $2.5MM
Werenski: $800K
Milano: $400K

Total: $3.7MM

The Blue Jackets got a big boost from Dubois who should provide the team with a top center for quite a long time as the 20-year-old had a solid rookie campaign as he posted 20 goals and 48 points. Those numbers should exponentially increase as he gets older, bigger and more comfortable in the league. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him develop into a 60-70 point player this year already. And with two years remaining, he will continue to be a bargain for some time.

Werenski had a mixed bag of a season as he saw his points totals drop from his rookie season (47 points) to his second season (37 points). Yet his goal totals increased from his rookie season (10) to his sophomore season (16). However, Werenski underwent surgery for a shoulder injury that had been causing him pain since October, suggesting he played injured all season. A fully healthy Werenski could give the team one of the top young defensemen in the league.

Milano arrived with much fanfare, but he struggled finding a permanent place in the lineup, as he often received relatively few minutes on the third line due to his struggles on defense. However, Milano showed flashes of scoring ability as the 22-year-old posted 14 goals in 55 games. With a year under his belt, Milano might be able to take those numbers to a much bigger level if he can prove he can play a two-way game for coach John Tortorella.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

G Sergei Bobrovsky ($7.43MM, UFA)
F Artemi Panarin ($6MM, UFA)
D Ryan Murray ($2.83MM, RFA)
G Joonas Korpisalo ($900K, RFA)
F Lukas Sedlak ($825K, RFA)
F Alex Broadhurst ($725K, RFA)
F Markus Hannikainen ($675K, RFA)
D Scott Harrington ($675K, RFA)
F Anthony Duclair ($650K, RFA)

The biggest news all offseason is the fact that Panarin has told Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen says he’s not ready to discuss an extension. Despite the GM’s attempt to speak to Panarin to convince him to stay, it looks like Panarin wants to head elsewhere once his contract expires at the end of the season and he becomes a unrestricted free agent. The 27-year-old winger posted a career-high 82 points after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, but seems to be looking to play in a city with a more diverse market. While there have been rumors that Kekalainen has been looking into trading options, little has come from it. The team may opt to wait until the trade deadline, but that could also lessen the return.

Perhaps more concerning is the contract situation with Bobrovsky. The 30-year-old goaltender is also in the final year of his contract. While there is no talk of leaving Columbus, the Blue Jackets have to be somewhat concerned about the veteran goaltender’s asking price. He will be 32 years old when his next contract takes effect, but Bobrovsky wants term, the team could be paying him until he’s 40 years old and it’s extremely likely that the goalie will take less money than the $7.43MM he’s making on this contract. However, that’s a lot of money to be handing out to an aging goaltender. Bobrovsky’s numbers are still good as he posted a 2.42 GAA and an impressive .920 save percentage in 63 games. However, his struggles in the playoffs isn’t working for him either. Regardless, the team could find itself in quite the contract negotiations in the coming summer.

Duclair is another interesting player, who signed a one-year deal after disappointing in both Arizona and Chicago. The 22-year-old opted to sign a minimum “show me” contract to prove he belongs in the NHL, but he’s struggled to produce over the years after a successful season back in 2015-16 when he potted 20 goals. Since then, he’s managed to post just 16 goals in two seasons. If he can find his game in Columbus, the Blue Jackets could still retain him as he’s a restricted free agent.Read more

Two Years Remaining

F Josh Anderson ($1.85MM, RFA)
D Dean Kukan ($725K, RFA)

With two years remaining on his deal, the team likes what it sees in Anderson, but still hopes to see even more offense. The 24-year-old did collect 19 goals this year, two more goals than his previous season and in 15 less games, so he’s improving. He also has managed to almost cut in half his penalty minutes. However, the team will need to see more offense if he wants to stay on after two years for any significant salary. Kukan, on the other hand, might be ready to take a full-time role with Columbus after the 25-year-old split time between Columbus and Cleveland of the AHL.

Three Years Remaining

F Brandon Dubinsky ($5.85MM, UFA)
F Nick Foligno ($5.5MM, UFA)
D David Savard ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Riley Nash ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Oliver Bjorkstrand ($2.5MM, RFA)

While many feel that Dubinsky still has some gas left in the tank, it’s looking more and more like his contract could prove to be an anchor to the team’s long-term salary cap success. After posting at least 12 goals and 40 points for the previous four seasons, Dubinsky tallied just six goals and 10 assists and his productivity may be at an end for the 32 year old. Unfortunately, he has three more years at $5.85MM, which are numbers handed to a second-line center, not a fourth-liner. Another poor season could see Columbus try to dump his contract as quickly as possible. Foligno is in a similar boat as he had one of the worst seasons of his career as he posted just 15 goals and 33 points. The 30-year-old also could be in decline unless he can have a bounce-back season.

The hard-hitting Savard proved to have a solid season after being separated from long-time partner Jack Johnson, but found his game after being paired with trade deadline acquisition Ian Cole. While his offensive numbers decreased (23 points down to 16 points this year), the 6-foot-2, 227-pound Savard was a solid presence on the blue line and hopefully has a few more years left in the tank. Nash should provide some veteran depth on the team’s bottom-six.

Bjorkstrand finally was handed a full-time position with Columbus as he played 82 games last season, but the 23-year-old winger delivered, posting 11 goals and 40 points with the potential to be a breakout candidate.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Cam Atkinson ($5.88MM through 2024-25)
D Seth Jones ($5.4MM through 2021-22)
F Alexander Wennberg ($4.9MM through 2022-23)
F Boone Jenner ($3.75MM through 2021-22)
D Markus Nutivaara ($2.7MM through 2021-22)

Much of the success of Columbus and its future will fall on the shoulders of Atkinson, who had a breakout season in 2016-17 with 35 goals and 62 points and was rewarded with a seven-year, $41.13MM extension. He responded with a disappointing season as he tallied 24 goals and 46 points in 65 games. He did deal with multiple injuries that may have had an effect on that season, but Atkinson must step up and prove he was worthy of that contract which kicks in this year if Columbus has any chance to take that next step and go deeper into the playoffs.

Jenner is another player who has seen his numbers drop significantly after a big season. Jenner posted a 30-goal season back in 2015-16, but has been unable to duplicate that season. The 25-year-old has managed just 31 goals in the past two years combined, but provides much-needed physicality as he has posted more than 200 hits in each of the last four seasons. Wennberg is another center who struggled with injuries all season and had a down year. After posting a 59-point season in 2016-17, he managed just 35 points and found himself playing on the team’s third line for quite a while. However, if he can remain healthy, he could easily work his way back to the team’s No. 2 center position.

Jones had a breakout season for the Blue Jackets and could, along with Werenski, be two of the top defensemen in the league. The 23-year-old boasted career highs in goals (16), assists (41) and points (57) and he continues to improve and could find himself to be a Norris Trophy candidate as soon as next year if he keeps up his play.

Buyouts

D Fedor Tyutin ($1.46MM for 2018-19 and 2019-20)
F Scott Hartnell ($3MM in 2018-19 and $1.25MM in 2019-20 and 2020-21)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Jones
Worst Value: Dubinsky

(Excluding entry-level contracts)

Looking Ahead

Columbus’ biggest problems are right in front of them and the success of their franchise may come down to Panarin’s situation. If the team trades him, they need to walk away with a solid return, so the team can move forward. Obviously, if Kekalainen can convince him to re-sign with the franchise, that would be the best-case scenario, but the team should look to trade him as soon as possible otherwise they will find themselves in similar situations to that of Erik Karlsson in Ottawa or Max Pacioretty in Montreal, as both of their values continue to shrink daily.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Blue Jackets Sign Defenseman Tommy Cross

July 1, 2018 at 11:55 am CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

The Columbus Blue Jackets are bringing in a familiar face in former USHL Junior Blue Jackets player Tommy Cross. The 28-year-old defenseman, a long-time Boston Bruins depth player, is also a good friend of Cam Atkinson from the pair’s time at Boston College. TSN’s Frank Servalli reports that it is a two-way deal for Cross, paying him the minimum $650K at the NHL level.

The 28-year-old has shown off his offensive game over the past couple of years with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. In two seasons, he’s combined for 20 goals and 71 points. However, the blueliner has not had any success cracking the Bruins lineup, even with the team’s rash of injuries in the last couple of years. He hasn’t appeared in a regular season game in two years, although he did make an appearance in a Bruins’ playoff game in the 2016-17 season.

The two-way deal should allow Cross to play a major role for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and would have to challenge both Dean Kukan and Markus Nutivaara for playing time at the NHL level.

U.S. Announces 2018 Men’s National Roster

April 28, 2018 at 1:38 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

USA Hockey announced their initial 2018 national roster for the upcoming 2018 IIHF Men’s World Championships on May 4-20 in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark, headlined by Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane.

Kane, who announced he’d play this summer after his Blackhawks season ended with no trip to the playoffs, represented the U.S. twice in both the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Games, leading the U.S. to a silver medal in 2010, was named the captain of this team back on April 9. He will be joined by four others with World Championship experience, including Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, New York Islanders forward Anders Lee, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy and the Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau.

The one interesting roster note is the addition of 18-year-old Quinn Hughes, who is considered to be a likely top-10 pick in the upcoming NHL draft. The full roster can be found below:

G Scott Darling
G Keith Kincaid
G Charlie Lindgren

D Will Butcher
D Quinn Hughes
D Nick Jensen
D Alec Martinez
D Connor Murphy
D Jordan Oesterle
D Neal Pionk

F Cam Atkinson
F Blake Coleman
F Alex DeBrincat
F Johnny Gaudreau
F Brian Gibbons
F Patrick Kane
F Chris Kreider
F Dylan Larkin
F Anders Lee
F Sonny Milano
F Derek Ryan
F Tage Thompson
F Colin White

Columbus Sends Several Players To World Championships

April 26, 2018 at 2:01 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Every year when a team is eliminated in the first round, calls come in from the various World Championship teams to see if they are willing (and healthy enough) to suit up for their respective countries. For the Columbus Blue Jackets, many players in the organization received those calls.

Brian Hedger of NHL.com relays the list from GM Jarmo Kekalainen. Ryan Murray (Canada), Pierre-Luc Dubois (Canada), Cam Atkinson (USA), Dean Kukan (Switzerland), Markus Nutivaara (Finland), Alexandre Texier (France) and Matiss Kivlenieks (Latvia) will all be playing in the tournament.

The appearance will be a first for Dubois, who just last season was competing for Canada at the World Junior Championship. 2017-18 saw a huge leap in his development, as he went from an inconsistent junior year to a reliable top-line center on a playoff team. With four points in his first taste of the NHL postseason, Dubois is set up for a long career of impressive moments. The 19-year old could add another one by playing a big role on Team Canada.

For Atkinson, it will be only his second appearance at the tournament despite some great seasons over the past half decade. Though he was only able to play in 65 games for the Blue Jackets this year, he once again showed that he can be a top offensive producer and earned himself a seven-year extension. Atkinson’s small stature hasn’t slowed him down against top competition, and he’ll likely be asked to play a big role for USA Hockey over the next few weeks.

The tournament starts on May 4th, in Denmark.

Minor Transactions: 12/27/17

December 27, 2017 at 8:36 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

As the NHL gets back to its regularly scheduled programming today, league rosters will start to thaw after the holiday season. At 12:00am on December 28th, teams will be once again allowed to trade, waive and loan any player on the active roster. For now, we’ll have to make do with recalls from the minor leagues.

Yesterday, the Columbus Blue Jackets made several transactions in order to deal with the injuries to Cam Atkinson and Alexander Wennberg. Both veteran forwards were placed on injured reserve, while recalling Tyler Motte and Dean Kukan. Sonny Milano and Jordan Schroeder are both also up on emergency recall.
The Arizona Coyotes recalled Lawson Crouse last night, likely to fill in for a potential suspended Zac Rinaldo. Rinaldo was offered an in-person hearing with the league but declined, and could face a suspension of at least five games for his punch of Samuel Girard.
The Philadelphia Flyers meanwhile loaned goaltender Alex Lyon back to the minor leagues while activating Michal Neuvirth from injured reserve. Neuvirth hasn’t played a game in a month with a leg injury, but will try to continue the solid start he’d been having before going down.
The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Brett Lernout from the AHL, and will bring him along on their three-game road trip. Lernout played in his first game of the season for the Canadiens just before Christmas, and will remain an option for Montreal while Shea Weber is with a foot injury and David Schlemko deals with the flu.
Ottawa has brought Ben Harpur back up from the minor leagues, giving them a seventh defenseman once again now that games have resumed. Harpur has played 14 games for the Senators this season, recording a single point.
Los Angeles has recalled Kevin Gravel after just a few days in the minor leagues. While Christian Folin is slowly working his way back from injury, he won’t be able to suit up just yet. Gravel hasn’t yet played for the Kings this season, after getting into 49 games last year.

Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg Out Four To Six Weeks

December 26, 2017 at 8:16 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Columbus Blue Jackets are not having a good holiday season. Brian Hedger of NHL.com confirms that both Cam Atkinson and Alexander Wennberg will miss four to six weeks due to injury. Atkinson’s foot was broken by a Seth Jones shot, while Wennberg will miss time with a back injury.

The news couldn’t come at a worse time for the Blue Jackets, who go on the road for eight of their next 12 games and are trying to fight to stay relevant in the Metropolitan. With the entire division separated by just nine points, losing two of your best forwards for a six week stretch can be devastating. Luckily—if you can call it that—Wennberg and Atkinson had already been struggling this season, forcing other young players to step up offensively.

Last season saw the pair lead the Blue Jackets in almost every offensive category, with Atkinson scoring 35 goals and Wennberg recording 46 assists. They finished with 62 and 59 points respectively, and were deadly threats on the powerplay all season. This year, has been a little different.

The two have combined for just 29 points all season, and were a big part of the Blue Jackets early struggles on the powerplay. While in their offensive funk, the team turned to others like Pierre-Luc Dubois and Oliver Bjorkstrand to lead the way and will now have to again. With Brandon Dubinsky still out with a broken orbital bone, even more pressure will be placed on the young Dubois who has quickly gone from roster afterthought to first-line center.

It will be interesting to see if the Blue Jackets are forced to make a move to help their center group, or if they turn to players like Sonny Milano and Tyler Motte to try and plug the holes. With Artemi Panarin looking like himself again—15 points in his last 12 games—there could be enough offense to still carry the team for the time being.

Metropolitan Notes: Atkinson, Hornqvist, Zacha, Weal

November 18, 2017 at 1:52 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Cam Atkinson’s new seven-year, $41.125MM contract with the Blue Jackets gives him a full no-trade clause from now until June 15th, 2020, reports Steve Gorten of the Columbus Dispatch. After that time, he can block a trade to ten teams until the end of his deal in 2025. He joins Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno, and Sergei Bobrovsky (who all have no-move clauses) as players with trade protection. GM Jarmo Kekalainen acknowledged that if they weren’t able to reach an extension with Atkinson, they likely would have wound up trading him to avoid the risk of losing him for nothing.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division:

Winger Patric Hornqvist is the most prominent of Pittsburgh’s pending unrestricted free agents this summer but despite that, GM Jim Rutherford told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that it’s unlikely that they will work on an extension during the season: “That would be something that’s a little uncharacteristic for me. For the most part, I wait until the end of the season.” Hornqvist is off to a good start to the season with 12 points (7-5-12) in 18 games and has scored 21 or more goals in each of the last four seasons; that type of consistency is something that will be coveted if he makes it to the open market.
Although he is waiver-exempt and is a healthy scratch for the fourth game of the last five, the Devils have not discussed sending center Pavel Zacha to their AHL affiliate in Binghamton, reports North Jersey’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). The 20-year-old is off to a quiet start this season with five points (2-3-5) in 15 games and with Travis Zajac now back in the lineup, finding ice time at a fairly-crowded center position may be tough to do for Zacha in the short-term.
The Flyers announced that winger Jordan Weal is dealing with an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. This marks the second time he has had an upper-body issue this season. In his first full NHL campaign, Weal has recorded two goals and four assists in 17 contests while averaging just under 14 minutes per game of playing time.

Columbus Blue Jackets Continue Search For Center Help

November 17, 2017 at 12:17 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

After signing Cam Atkinson to a new seven-year extension, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets have redoubled their efforts in search of a center to add to their lineup. Knowing exactly what Atkinson will be making down the road, and that he’ll be a fixture in the top-six for a long while allows the team to more accurately pursue players that will fit into their salary structure. We’d previously heard that they had made an offer for Matt Duchene, clearly showing their interest in chasing the big fish on the market. GM Jarmo Kekalainen is currently at the GM Meetings in Montreal, always an event that is watched with a close eye for potential trade talk.

It’s unclear who exactly the Blue Jackets would be pursuing, as Duchene and Kyle Turris represented the top two center names expected to be traded. While some teams may still consider Alex Galchenyuk a center, much of the rental market—that is, players who are unrestricted free agents at the end of the year—and known trade candidates reside on the wing. There are names like Joe Thornton, John Tavares, Paul Stastny and Henrik Sedin all set to hit the open market but none of them seem like realistic trade candidates at this point.

More likely it would have to be a lesser-known name. Tyler Bozak and Mikael Backlund are also free agents at the end of the year, but are currently on teams looking to compete for the Stanley Cup. Valtteri Filppula and Tomas Plekanec will also hit the market but are past their prime as key offensive pieces. With this renewed interest coming from Atkinson’s future though, it seems to point to the fact that they’d be after a player with term. The Blue Jackets have several young defenders that they could dangle thanks to the immediate impact Zach Werenski has made, while they also have extra wingers that could be moved for an immediate upgrade. For a team that looks poised to compete in the tough Metropolitan Division, nothing seems too drastic.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Cam Atkinson To Seven-Year Extension

November 16, 2017 at 8:58 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

After a report earlier today that negotiations had heated up, Cam Atkinson has signed a seven-year $41.125MM ($5.875MM AAV) contract extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Atkinson was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and had been rumored to be looking at an average salary of $6MM. That would make this deal seem like a bit of a bargain for Columbus, especially given his importance to the team.

Atkinson, 28, has flourished with the Blue Jackets since becoming an NHL regular, with four straight 20-goal seasons including a career-high of 35 last year. The diminutive forward has climbed all the way from the sixth-round of the NHL Entry Draft to star status in the league, finding great offensive success at every step along the way. In 397 career games Atkinson has 233 points which already ranks him fourth all-time in Blue Jackets history. His 125 goals for the club put him behind only Rick Nash on the Columbus career leaderboard.

The easy comparable for this contract will be the one T.J. Oshie signed this summer, when he re-upped with the Washington Capitals for a similar salary. Oshie’s deal is one year longer, but similarly locks him up longer than the team probably wanted in order to keep the cap hit down. Atkinson will be 29 when the deal kicks in, meaning the team is paying him through his age-35 season. It’s unlikely he’ll keep up the same pace for that long, but paying $5.875MM for a potential 30-goal scorer will allow Columbus to keep most of the rest of their core together.

While Atkinson has just six points so far this year, it’s not just his offensive production that makes him so valuable. Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella uses Atkinson in all situations including the penalty kill, and he’s averaging more than 19 minutes per night this season. Though Columbus’ powerplay hasn’t gotten out of the starting blocks yet this season, if it does start clicking you can bet Atkinson will be in the middle of it. Last season he recorded 21 points with the man advantage, trailing only Alexander Wennberg in that category.

Amazingly, the new deal puts Atkinson as just the third-highest paid player on the club behind Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky and will allow them to do more to keep their club together in the next few years. Over the next two offseasons, Columbus has decisions to make and new contracts to sign with a dozen or so huge parts of their team, including players like Zach Werenski, Ryan Murray and Bobrovsky. Getting Atkinson locked in for a reasonable amount lets them know exactly what they have to work with, and where they need to shave salary.

This is another one of the big names to come off next summer’s UFA list, with several more to come before the end of the year. Even though all eyes are still on John Tavares as the head of that group, players like Atkinson, Evander Kane and James van Riemsdyk help fill out what looks right now to be quite the impressive offensive class. We’ll have to wait and see just who remains on July 1st.

Aaron Portzline of The Athletic broke the news of the extension, though originally had it down as a slightly lower salary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Contract Talks Heat Up Between Atkinson, Blue Jackets

November 16, 2017 at 5:39 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, contract talks have heated up over the last week between pending unrestricted free agent Cam Atkinson and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Portzline reports that the two sides have discussed contracts spanning six or seven years, with an average salary of $6MM per season.

Having Atkinson sign a long-term deal would certainly weaken what currently looks like a pretty exceptional free agent class, something that is sure to happen several times before July 1st. While right now there are a dozen or more impact players headed for the open market, in-season extensions will likely reduce that group substantially.

A $6MM cap hit would put Atkinson right alongside Artemi Panarin as the highest-paid skater on the Blue Jackets, with only Sergei Bobrovsky coming in ahead of them. While there are several restricted free agents that also need contracts, Columbus could fit Atkinson in on the short-term at least due to the inexpensive contributions from players like Zach Werenski, Sonny Milano and Pierre-Luc Dubois.

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