Columbus Blue Jackets: NHL free agency preview
It hasn’t taken long for Don Waddell to leave his fingerprints all over the Blue Jackets’ roster.
After inheriting a large group of free agents at the NHL and AHL levels, the Jackets’ new president of hockey operations/general manager is methodically making decisions about which to re-sign and which to jettison.
After consulting with pro scouts shortly after taking the job in late May, Waddell’s roster retooling is taking shape. It began Friday by trading forward Alexandre Texier to the St. Louis Blues and gained steam Sunday at the 5 p.m. deadline for tendering qualifying offers to restricted free agents.
Defenseman Jake Bean and forward Alexander Nylander weren’t extended qualifying offers, making each unrestricted free agents, and defenseman Adam Boqvist was placed on waivers for the purpose of buying out the final year of his contract. He’ll join the UFA market if he goes unclaimed by noon Monday, when the NHL lets the gates fly open in free agency.
That’s four NHL roster players on their way out with the next big offseason date looming. Here’s a breakdown of the Blue Jackets’ situation going into free agency:
Columbus Blue Jackets have plenty of salary cap space
Re-signing forward Yegor Chinakhov and parting with four NHL roster players leaves three NHL forwards to re-sign: Kirill Marchenko, Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson. Marchenko is the only one with arbitration rights for added leverage, and Waddell is confident the Blue Jackets will reach extension agreements with all three.
He spoke with agents for all three at the NHL draft in Las Vegas and the negotiating process is under way. Marchenko is expected to cost the most, followed by Sillinger and Johnson ― who doesn’t have enough NHL service time to receive offer sheets from other teams.
Counting Patrik Laine, who’s still getting treatment for an undisclosed reason in the NHL/NHL Player’s Association assistance program, the Jackets have nine NHL forwards under contract before re-signing their RFAs. They’re also down to four NHL defensemen after cutting Bean and have 15 players under contract, including goalies Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov.
Accounting for the unsigned forwards, the Blue Jackets could fit up to five more players after them within the NHL’s maximum of 23 roster players. Depending on how many defensemen they plan to carry, up to four of the remaining spots might be defenders. A veteran UFA center could also be targeted.
Columbus Blue Jackets going into free agency without head coach
Waddell told reporters Saturday that his coaching search wouldn’t be completed by Monday’s opening bell on the UFA market. He wasn’t concerned, but also knows that’s a huge question he’ll have to answer when pursuing free agents.
The plan is to emphasize his criteria of finding a veteran NHL head coach to take over.
“I’ve said it publicly, that I want somebody with NHL experience,” Waddell said. “We’re looking for structure and accountability, so I think what you’re looking for is probably as important right now as the coach’s name.”
Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell not expecting to make a splash in free agency
Waddell also told reporters in Las Vegas that he doesn’t “anticipate a whole lot in free agency,” for the Blue Jackets this offseason.
Analysts have connected dots between Columbus and pending UFA centers Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm – who both played with Johnny Gaudreau in Calgary ― but signing either one would be a significant decision rather than minor.
The UFA defenseman market will also have good options, including Florida’s Brandon Montour and Colorado’s Sean Walker as potential veteran placeholders as Zach Werenski’s defensive partner until David Jiricek is ready. Again, signing either one qualifies as a significant signing, not a minor “tweaks.”
Stay tuned.
Alexander Nylander's goal splurge not enough to stick with Columbus Blue Jackets
One of the best storylines from an otherwise painful past season was watching forward Alex Nylander take full advantage of an NHL opportunity that he’d started to believe might not reappear.
Nylander, selected eighth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2016, scored 11 goals in just 23 games for the Blue Jackets after he was acquired in a Feb. 22 trade that sent forward Emil Bemstrom to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nylander, 26, was a pending RFA with arbitration rights, but he’s now unrestricted after Waddell withheld a qualifying offer to retain his signing rights.
Considering his age, skill level and success scoring goals in the final two months, the decision to set Nylander free was somewhat surprising Sunday. Considering the Jackets’ high-level skill forwards, however, it makes sense when widening the focus.
Those vying to join Gaudreau for skilled forward roles on the top two lines include Fantilli, Chinakhov, Marchenko, Johnson, Sillinger and even hulking Dmitri Voronkov. Nylander was squeezed out by another NHL team looking to develop its own drafted talent rather than fostering an intriguing reclamation project.
Columbus Blue Jackets part ways with two key pieces in Seth Jones trade
Three years ago, former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen agreed to a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks that sent star defenseman Seth Jones to the Windy City for an impressive return haul. They got Chicago’s first and second round picks in the 2021 draft, Chicago’s first pick in 2022 plus offensive defenseman Adam Boqvist, who was taken eighth overall in 2018.
The second-round pick was immediately flipped to Waddell with the Carolina Hurricanes to acquire Bean and the Jackets used Chicago’s two first-round picks to select Sillinger (12th overall 2021) and Jiricek (sixth overall 2022).
Bean and Boqvist are on their way out of town now, leaving Sillinger and Jiricek as the remaining assets for the Blue Jackets in the deal. Jones has become maligned in Chicago for not playing up to the massive eight-year, $76 million contract extension he signed with the Blackhawks as part of the deal.
The hope for the Blue Jackets was for Boqvist and Bean to become key defensemen, but each struggled to reach expectations due in part to injuries and inconsistency. They’re still young by NHL defenseman standards and could potentially grow into better players for other teams.
Columbus Blue Jackets expected to lose Carson Meyer, Nick Blankenburg, Marcus Bjork, Brendan Gaunce and Tyler Angle
The Blue Jackets also set free a sizable group of pending UFAs that included five who logged NHL time the past two years. Forward Carson Meyer, a local product from Delaware, is expected to sign elsewhere along with defenseman Blankenburg.
Defenseman Marcus Bjork, forward Brendan Gaunce and forward Tyler Angle will also hit the UFA market. Any of the five could re-sign with the Blue Jackets, but most are expected to seek fresh opportunities elsewhere.
Blankenburg made the most NHL progress among the group, but a slew of injuries since signing two years ago out of Michigan and the Jackets’ impressive prospect pool are expected to force a chance of scenery for the feisty, undersized defender.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Previewing Columbus Blue Jackets' roster before free agency
