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Daniil Tarasov

Panthers Acquire Daniil Tarasov From Blue Jackets

June 26, 2025 at 12:51 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 18 Comments

The Florida Panthers are making quick work to fill in their hole at backup goaltender. According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Florida Panthers have acquired netminder Daniil Tarasov from the Columbus Blue Jackets. In response to LeBrun’s report, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic shared that the Blue Jackets are acquiring a late-round draft pick in the trade. Columbus confirmed the trade, announcing they’ve acquired Florida’s 2025 fifth-round pick (160th overall) for their former backup.

As a potential non-tender candidate heading into the offseason, the Blue Jackets did decent work in not letting Tarasov leave for nothing. After being surpassed toward the end of the 2024-25 campaign by youngster Jet Greaves, there was little chance Tarasov would remain in Columbus for next season. Now, he’ll attempt to revive his career behind fellow countryman Sergei Bobrovsky.

There was a time when Tarasov was believed to be the future of the crease for the Blue Jackets. Columbus selected Tarasov with the 86th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft, and he quickly impressed a year later with the MHL’s Tolpar Ufa. After spending a few years in the Liiga and KHL, including a strong 2020-21 season with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, where Tarasov recorded an 11-3-2 record in 16 games and achieved a .925 save percentage, the Blue Jackets brought Tarasov to North America.

Unfortunately, his professional career in North America got off to a slow beginning. In his first two years with the Blue Jackets and their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, Tarasov participated in just 43 games, which limited his development opportunities.

It wasn’t until the 2023-24 season that Tarasov became a full-time member of Columbus’ goaltending tandem. He managed an 8-11-3 record in 24 games with a .908 SV% and 3.18 GAA. His underlying metrics were strong, including 3.9 goals saved above average (GSAA) and a .565 quality start percentage, indicating that his development had returned to the right track.

Alas, this past season undid most of the positive steps he took a year ago. After starting the year as the backup again, Tarasov ended with a 7-10-2 record in 20 games, posting a .881 save percentage and a 3.54 goals against average, which caused his GSAA to drop to -10.5, resulting in the loss of his roster spot.

Given that Bobrovksy started 54 games for the Panthers during the 2024-25 season, and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, Tarasov should garner similar deployment next season. He’ll benefit from a stronger defensive core in front of him and may see his earning power grow before he becomes an unrestricted free agent before the 2026-27 NHL season.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Florida Panthers| Newsstand| Transactions Daniil Tarasov

18 comments

Contract Negotiations Begin Between Blue Jackets, Daniil Tarasov

June 7, 2025 at 6:06 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 4 Comments

According to a new article from Daria Tuboltseva of RG, the Columbus Blue Jackets have started contract negotiations with Daniil Tarasov. Tarasov’s three-year, $3.15MM contract concluded at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

The Blue Jackets are in the driver’s seat for the negotiations. After a quality 2023-24 campaign, Tarasov had the worst season of his brief NHL career this past season, making him a candidate to be non-tendered this offseason if Tarasov doesn’t agree to Columbus’s offer.

In her interview with Tarasov, Tuboltseva quoted Tarasov saying, “Negotiations are ongoing. My agent is talking to the team’s management. There’s nothing concrete yet — just early discussions. The NHL season is still going, and the final is ahead. A lot will be decided later.”

It’s an interesting revelation given that Tarasov lost his role as the team’s backup toward the end of the season in favor of younger netminder Jet Greaves. The Russian goaltender concluded the 2024-25 season with a 7-10-2 record in 20 games with a .881 SV% and 3.54 GAA.

While already having Elvis Merzlikins and Greaves signed through next year, one could reasonably assume that the Blue Jackets will offer Tarasov no more than a league-minimum contract on a one-year deal. Tarasov didn’t give them confidence to re-sign him to a multi-year deal, and it may be the most he could find on the open market, anyway.

Still, that would be a healthy pay cut for Tarasov who made an AAV of $1.05MM for the last three years. He has not indicated if he’d return to the KHL if he doesn’t re-sign with Columbus, but it may be the most advantageous option for his professional career.

Columbus Blue Jackets Daniil Tarasov

4 comments

Examining The Blue Jackets Goaltending Situation

April 12, 2025 at 4:28 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 6 Comments

The Columbus Blue Jackets shocked many folks this season as they remained in contention for a playoff spot for much of the season despite receiving goaltending that was well below average. Had Columbus received even league-average goaltending, they would have been in a solid spot to make the playoffs.

The Blue Jackets used three goaltenders this season, with Elvis Merzlikins dressing in 52 games, while Daniil Tarasov appeared 20 times, and Jet Greaves found his way into six NHL games. Greaves was the only goaltender of the three to post a positive goals saved above expected figure with a +0.9; Tarasov was a -4.4, and Merzlikins had a -9.1 (as per Money Puck). Now, it’s not fair to place all of the blame on the Blue Jackets’ goaltending for them likely missing the playoffs, but make no mistake, Columbus should be looking at improving their goaltending this summer.

If Columbus intends to improve in net, they likely won’t find much help on the free agent market as most pending UFA goaltenders have been locked up to long-term deals. With the best available options signed, the free agent market has nothing but career backups and projects available to sign.

The best UFA option is New Jersey Devils backup Jake Allen, who has an incredible contract year, posting 19.5 GSAx (as per Money Puck) in 28 games with the Devils. The 34-year-old veteran of over 450 NHL games hasn’t been a full-time NHL starter since the 2018-19 season when he lost the starter role to Jordan Binnington, who led the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup. Allen is in the second year of a two-year $7.7MM contract, and given the lack of options in free agency, he could improve on his $3.85MM cap hit. The Blue Jackets could sign Allen in hopes of him being a solid 1B option to play alongside Merzlikins, but if they do, they could end up spending $10MM on a goaltending duo that is just okay.

Another UFA option could be Carolina’s Frederik Andersen, who once again posted fantastic numbers with the Hurricanes. The knock on the 35-year-old is that he hasn’t been able to remain healthy for long stretches, which could be problematic in Columbus if they envisioned him as a starter. Andersen has played more than 35 games just once since 2020 and, at this late stage of his career, is better suited to split time with another goalie.

The trade market is the likeliest place for the Blue Jackets to find help, and options are available depending on what avenue they hope to explore. If Columbus wanted to give Merzlikins a fresh start, they could swap him for any other high-priced goaltender looking for a new home. Tristan Jarry and Philipp Grubauer are two names that come to mind, as both men make north of $5MM annually and could use a blank slate with a new team.

Jarry is a two-time all-star who is young enough to rediscover his game. However, he would be an expensive gamble with three years left on his deal at $5.375MM per season. Jarry has obvious talent but, for whatever reason, has never been able to string solid seasons together, bouncing back and forth between a solid starter and a liability. Any team that opts to trade for the Surrey, British Columbia native will be betting that they are getting the solid starter and not a liability who was demoted twice this season and even passed through waivers.

Grubauer has a similar story to Jarry but is four years older and has had a much longer stretch of poor play. The 33-year-old has been a below-average NHL goaltender since signing with the Seattle Kraken in July 2021, and much like Jarry, he was demoted this season to the AHL. At this stage of his career, Grubauer doesn’t appear to be an NHL goalie and is unlikely to be someone Columbus would be willing to trade for.

Their respective teams may buy out one or both of Jarry and Grubauer and if they do, they could become good options for the Blue Jackets to consider as backups. However, Jarry would make more sense with their current cap hits than Grubauer. His game does come with warts, and there is no guarantee that he will improve Columbus’ abysmal goaltending next year.

If Columbus wanted to swing a trade for a bigger name, they could look to John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks. Gibson had a bounce-back season this year, posting his first positive GSAx since 2018-19 (as per Money Puck). The 31-year-old has struggled for half a decade but hasn’t had the benefit of playing behind a strong defensive team. Gibson has long been rumored to be on the move but has remained with the Ducks through a problematic rebuild. But now, with Lukas Dostal’s development, Gibson has been relegated to a backup and would benefit from a fresh start. Columbus would be a good fit for the Pittsburgh native. However, Columbus must fit Gibson’s considerable cap hit ($6.4MM) into their salary structure. With Gibson having a strong season, Anaheim will look to capitalize on his trade value and finally resolve this situation. There are so few options on the market that Gibson should be in demand, and the Blue Jackets could look to add the veteran to try and stabilize their goaltending.

Finally, one name who could be available is Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues. Binnington has developed a reputation as a big-game goalie, among other things. The 31-year-old had struggled the past few seasons before this one but has re-established himself since the 4 Nations Face-Off and has helped St. Louis into a playoff position. The Blues have Joel Hofer waiting to take over the starter’s role. However, he’s struggled this season, which could give St. Louis doubts about moving on from the veteran Binnington.

The goaltending market is fragile this summer, which is unfortunate timing for the Blue Jackets if they plan to upgrade their goaltending. However, as the Washington Capitals showed last summer, the minor moves for goaltenders can sometimes pay off significantly. Columbus will be hoping for the same good fortunes that the Capitals had when they traded for Logan Thompson last summer while shipping out the underperforming Darcy Kuemper.

Photo by Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Columbus Blue Jackets| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals Daniil Tarasov| Elvis Merzlikins| Jet Greaves

6 comments

Eastern Notes: Senators, Capitals, Tarasov

March 21, 2025 at 7:46 pm CDT | by Paul Griser 2 Comments

The Ottawa Senators are making strides toward building a new arena, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. As Garrioch explains, Cyril Leeder, the National Hockey League club’s chief operating officer and president, told Senator season-ticket holders during a virtual chat that talks with the National Capital Commission were progressing.

The new proposed arena will be constructed in the LeBreton Flats section of Ottawa. Leeder noted many key steps remain, including the completion of the purchase, zoning and approvals, design of the building, financing, construction and, finally, the opening. While Leeder appeared optimistic about the project, he also didn’t want to commit to a completion date.

The Sens have played at the Canadian Tire Centre since 1996.

More in the Eastern Conference:

  • While goalie Elvis Merzlikins received the start tonight in Pittsburgh, the backup needed a change. With Daniil Tarasov out sick, Jet Greaves is backing up Merzlikins, per team reporter Jeff Svoboda. The lefty-catching Tarasov has struggled on the season, posting a .882 save percentage to go along with his 7-8-2 record. Through parts of four seasons in Columbus, the team’s third round selection in the 2017 draft has a .899 career save percentage. In limited action this season at the NHL-level, Greaves has fared better than Tarasov, posting a .905 save percentage and 2.83 GAA. He has added a .915 save percentage in 34 games in the AHL. With Tarasov set for restricted free agency this summer, it will be interesting to see what Columbus decides to do with their backup position moving forward.
  • Last night, the Washington Capitals became the first NHL team to officially qualified for the playoffs. What’s more, they became the first club to since 1979-80 to be the first to clinch after being the last to get in the previous season, per AP’s Stephen Whyno. Their turnaround this season has been aided by usual suspects like Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and John Carlson, but have also been sparked by career-years from players like Dylan Strome, Aliaksei Protas, and Connor McMichael. As Ovechkin nears the all-time goal mark, he’ll also set his sights on making a run at his second Stanley Cup.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Ottawa Senators| Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin| Daniil Tarasov| Elvis Merzlikins| Jet Greaves

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Blue Jackets Recall Daniil Tarasov, Reassign Jet Greaves

January 12, 2025 at 5:50 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 3 Comments

The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled goaltender Daniil Tarasov from his conditioning assignment with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Tarasov played in two AHL games on his assignment. He allowed six goals on a hefty 65 shots, and led the Monsters to a 1-1-0 record. Columbus made room for the recall by reassigning Jet Greaves. Greaves led the team to a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, saving 31 of the 32 shots he faced.

Tarasov’s assignment became a bit of a saga after the young backup initially refused to move. He elaborated to Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch, sharing that the backup role is unfamiliar to him – and that he preferred to continue establishing his footing at the NHL level. Tarasov played in five of Columbus’ first seven games of the season, but totals just 10 appearances on the year to date. He’s recorded a 3-6-1 record and a career-low .857 save percentage.

Tarasov joined the Blue Jackets from the KHL’s Ufa Salavat at the start of the delayed 2020-21 season. He’s split time between the NHL and AHL lineups ever since, but has averaged just 14 NHL games and 7 AHL games due to frequent moves and injuries. He started to find his footing last season, appearing in 24 NHL games – the most Tarasov has played in a single North American league – and recording a .908 save percentage. That performance helped Tarasov win out the NHL backup role entering this season, though he still hasn’t able to climb above a healthy Elvis Merzlikins – who’s receiving a lion’s share of the starts. A move to the minors was a chance for Tarasov to sharpen his skills, and his quick return seems to be a bode of confidence from Columbus to their backup.

AHL| Columbus Blue Jackets| NHL| Transactions Daniil Tarasov| Jet Greaves

3 comments

Blue Jackets Reassign Daniil Tarasov, Owen Sillinger; Recall Jet Greaves

January 10, 2025 at 10:49 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 1 Comment

The Blue Jackets assigned goaltender Daniil Tarasov and forward Owen Sillinger to AHL Cleveland on Friday, the former heading down on a conditioning stint, per a team release. Columbus recalled netminder Jet Greaves from Cleveland in a corresponding transaction to serve as Elvis Merzļikins’ backup for the foreseeable future.

Tarasov, 25, has made only three starts in the past two months despite not carrying an injury designation. The lack of playing time has stemmed from the Russian’s poor play, as he’s logged just a .857 SV% and 4.23 GAA in 10 appearances this season with a 3-6-1 record.

It’s a disappointing regression from the 2017 third-round pick. Tarasov recorded a promising .908 SV%, 3.18 GAA and 3.9 GSAA in 23 starts and one relief appearance last season behind Merzļikins, ushering in renewed optimism that he could be a long-term backup or tandem option in Columbus.

He’s been essentially unplayable in 2024-25, though, only recording an SV% above .900 in two of his 10 appearances. He’s dropped six straight games dating back to October, allowing at least three goals on each occasion.

Assigning Tarasov to Cleveland on a conditioning loan allows the Jackets to avoid placing him on waivers for now, but it comes with some stipulations. He can only remain in the AHL for 14 days, during which time he counts against the active roster and salary cap, before he must be kept in the NHL or waived.

It’s important to note that Tarasov must have agreed to the conditioning loan – it can’t be a one-sided decision. The 6’5″ netminder has logged time with Cleveland in each of his four previous seasons in North America, both on permanent assignments and injury-related conditioning stints. He has a .893 SV% and a 3.27 GAA in 32 appearances in the minors, good for a 16-11-4 record.

Keeping Tarasov in the minors for a couple of weeks will allow the 23-year-old Greaves to get a more extended audition at the game’s highest level. The Ontario native has played 14 NHL games over the past few seasons while filling in when injuries affected Merzļikins or Tarasov, posting a 4-8-2 record with a 3.45 GAA and .907 SV%. He’s started four of Columbus’ 42 games this year, allowing 14 goals on 127 shots.

Greaves has impressed in the minors ever since Columbus picked him up as an undrafted free agent from the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts in 2021. He’s rocking a career-best .914 SV% and 2.78 GAA in 20 games for Cleveland this year.

Since assigning Tarasov on a conditioning loan doesn’t free up a roster spot for Greaves’ recall, Sillinger heads back to the minors after making his NHL debut on Thursday against the Kraken. The 27-year-old took a minor penalty, skated 13:09, recorded a hit and a block each, and won two of his five faceoffs.

Sillinger had a tough showing possession-wise in his debut, with the Jackets getting out-attempted 17-6 while he was on the ice at 5-on-5. He was a last-minute replacement for his younger brother, Cole Sillinger, who was unavailable with an illness. The former’s reassignment suggests the latter should be good to go tomorrow against the Blues.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Transactions Daniil Tarasov| Jet Greaves| Owen Sillinger

1 comment

Metropolitan Notes: Tomasino, Tarasov, George, Holmstrom

January 4, 2025 at 3:25 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Penguins winger Philip Tomasino left Friday’s game against Florida early after a collision with Nate Schmidt and sustained a lower-body injury on the play.  Team reporter Michelle Crechiolo relays (Twitter link) that there was no further update on his injury today with head coach Mike Sullivan indicating that he’s still being evaluated.  Tomasino has been a nice addition since being acquired from Nashville back in November for a 2027 fourth-round pick, picking up four goals and three assists in 16 games but now it looks like he’ll be out of the lineup for a little while.  Barring any further roster movement, one of Anthony Beauvillier or Jesse Puljujarvi (who remains on the roster despite recently clearing waivers) will take Tomasino’s place in the lineup.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov acknowledged to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link) that he declined the organization’s request to take a conditioning stint with AHL Cleveland. The 25-year-old has only played once in the last month – that coming last Saturday – and has played just twice since mid-November.  It has been a rough year for Tarasov who has a 4.23 GAA and a .857 SV% in 10 starts but feels he’d be best served staying in the NHL while his agent J.P. Barry added that Tarasov’s injury history in the minors also played a role in the decision.
  • Islanders defenseman Isaiah George is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, notes Newsday’s Denis Gorman (Twitter link). The rookie was injured in Thursday’s loss to Toronto.  George has been impressive since being recalled in early November.  He has played in 25 games so far, recording five points and 30 blocked shots while averaging 16:38 of playing time and even saw time on the top pairing at one point.  Meanwhile, Gorman adds that winger Simon Holmstrom is also listed as day-to-day with his upper-body injury.  He last played on Sunday and has nine goals and 13 assists in 37 games so far and is close to matching his rookie-season output already.

Columbus Blue Jackets| New York Islanders| Pittsburgh Penguins Daniil Tarasov| Isaiah George| Philip Tomasino| Simon Holmstrom

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Snapshots: Tarasov, Dumba, Vanecek, Miller, Nugent-Hopkins

December 22, 2024 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

It has been a tough year for Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov.  The 25-year-old has played to a 4.26 GAA and a .857 SV% in his nine starts and has only played once in the last month while AHL starter Jet Greaves has seen time with Columbus since then.  However, GM Don Waddell told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link) that he has no plans to put the netminder on waivers, feeling that Tarasov has too much talent to go through unclaimed.  Tarasov had some success just last season when he had a 3.18 GAA and a .908 SV% in 24 games so they’ll continue to work with him in practice for the time being.  It’s a contract year for Tarasov who will be owed a $1.26MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights this summer so he’ll need to turn things around soon or risk being a non-tender candidate in June.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • While Stars defenseman Mathew Dumba returned to practice today with a full cage, he will not suit up on Monday against Utah, relays Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports (Twitter link). He has missed the last two weeks with an upper-body injury.  It has been a tough first year in Dallas for Dumba as he has been limited to just one assist in 19 games so far this season which is not the type of production the team was expecting when they signed him to a two-year, $7.5MM contract this summer.
  • Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (subscription link) that they expect to have more information on the path forward for goaltender Vitek Vanecek in the next day or two. The netminder was hit by a puck on the bench on Tuesday and was listed as week-to-week.  He has since seen a specialist so further clarity on how much longer he’ll be out should be coming soon.  Vanecek, a pending unrestricted free agent, has a 3.84 GAA and a .885 SV% in 14 appearances this season.
  • Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller missed today’s game and remains listed as day-to-day, mentions NHL.com’s Dan Rosen (Twitter link). New York was hoping that he’d be able to return from his upper-body injury but evidently, he wasn’t quite ready to do so.  The Rangers are in action on Monday against New Jersey so it’s possible that he returns then or they could opt to give him a few more days of rest over the break.  Miller has just six points in 30 games so far while sitting second in ice time among blueliners at over 21 minutes a night.
  • Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was scratched tonight due to illness, notes Bob Stauffer of 880 CHED (Twitter link). The veteran had played in all 33 games before this one but is having a quiet year offensively, tallying six goals and a dozen assists.  For comparison, Nugent-Hopkins had 18 goals and 49 helpers in 80 games just last season.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Dallas Stars| Edmonton Oilers| New York Rangers| San Jose Sharks| Snapshots Daniil Tarasov| K'Andre Miller| Matt Dumba| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins| Vitek Vanecek

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Blue Jackets Recall Jet Greaves

November 29, 2024 at 10:29 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 1 Comment

The Blue Jackets announced Friday that they’ve recalled goaltender Jet Greaves under emergency conditions. He’ll back up Elvis Merzļikins this afternoon against the Flames instead of Daniil Tarasov, who Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports is dealing with an illness.

It’s the second recall of the season for the 23-year-old Greaves. He was summoned to back up Tarasov for a pair of games in mid-October while Merzļikins was dealing with an upper-body injury, but he did not play.

Greaves, an Ontario native, is now in his fourth season of pro hockey, all of them coming in the Columbus organization. He’s been decent so far for Cleveland this season, posting a 3.23 GAA, .908 SV%, one shutout, and a 7-3-1 record in 11 games.

However, it’s not really the step forward in his development that the Jackets were hoping for. Columbus appeared to have found a diamond in the rough with Greaves, who they inked as an undrafted free agent out of the OHL’s Barrie Colts. He’s been solidly above average in his limited NHL action to date, posting a .912 SV% and 3.44 GAA in nine starts and one relief appearance for the Jackets over the past two seasons despite facing over 34 shots per game on average.

The 6’0″ Greaves may not have yet taken a demonstrable step forward in his play in Cleveland this season, but there’s still plenty of runway left in 2024-25 to do so. He remains waiver-exempt this season but will need them to head to the AHL starting with 2025-26.

Tarasov, meanwhile, hasn’t played since Nov. 16 and has backed up Merzļikins for four straight. The 25-year-old has had a tough year, logging a career-low .861 SV% and 4.04 GAA with a 3-4-1 record in eight starts.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Transactions Daniil Tarasov| Jet Greaves

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Blue Jackets Issue Multiple Injury Updates

April 5, 2024 at 2:30 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 1 Comment

Blue Jackets defenseman Jake Bean has an upper-body injury that will keep him out for their six remaining games this season, head coach Pascal Vincent said Friday (via Jeff Svoboda of the team’s official site). The 25-year-old exited last night’s 4-2 loss to the Islanders after taking a shot to the hand late in the game, which the team later confirmed resulted in a break. It’s unclear if he’ll require surgery to repair the break or if rehabilitation over the offseason is sufficient to address it.

Bean’s third season in Columbus was much better than his second, when a November 2022 shoulder injury resulted in surgery that ended his season. He’s been a fixture in the Blue Jackets lineup for the most part, only being scratched on a handful of occasions. The 2016 first-round pick wasn’t able to rise above a third-pairing role, however, recording four goals and 13 points in 72 contests while averaging 16:20 per game. His pairing with Erik Gudbranson was Vincent’s most used, logging nearly 600 minutes together across 62 games. They were also the worst of Columbus’ six most-iced pairings at maintaining possession quality, controlling 45.1% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. Bean’s individual possession numbers weren’t any better away from Gudbranson at 5-on-5, posting an on-ice xG% of 44.9.

Bean was the WHL’s leading goal-scorer among defensemen in 2016 and won Best Defenseman honors in the AHL in 2020, but his NHL ceiling is crashing down as he passes through his mid-20s. While his junior and minor league production still suggests there’s significant upside in his game, it won’t come buried on the depth chart on one of the worst defensive teams in the league.

He’ll be an RFA this summer upon completion of his three-year, $7MM contract, the last time he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency. With younger, high-ceiling defenders like David Jiricek vying for bigger roles in Columbus and multiple exemplary young defense prospects on the way, Bean could find himself on the open market this summer if Columbus opts not to issue him a qualifying offer and risk being taken to arbitration.

Extra blue-liner Adam Boqvist is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury and won’t be cleared to play before tomorrow’s contest against the Flyers, so the Blue Jackets will need to recall a defenseman from AHL Cleveland. That will likely be Jake Christiansen, who’s got two assists in 12 NHL games this season and was returned to the minors Tuesday after a weeks-long stint in Columbus.

On a shorter-term horizon, Vincent also said neither center Sean Kuraly nor goaltender Elvis Merzļikins will be available against Philadelphia. Both are out with lower-body injuries. Kuraly has returned to practice and is nearing a return after a three-week absence, while Merzļikins hasn’t played since getting banged up in a win over the Penguins on March 30. Backup Daniil Tarasov also sustained an upper-body injury in last night’s loss to the Islanders, so they’ll need to bring fourth-string netminder Malcolm Subban up from Cleveland if he’s unable to dress tomorrow. 23-year-old Jet Greaves will likely get the start in any event, posting an exemplary .917 SV% in limited NHL action this year. Subban hasn’t played a major league game in over two years, last appearing with the Sabres in January 2022.

A rare bit of good news for Columbus is that top winger Johnny Gaudreau will return against Philly after sitting out last night’s loss with an illness, Vincent told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. It’s been a disappointing season for the $9.75MM man, only potting 11 goals, but he still leads the club in scoring with 56 points in 75 games.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Injury Daniil Tarasov| Elvis Merzlikins| Jake Bean| Johnny Gaudreau| Sean Kuraly

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