This off-season has been a whirlwind of activity for the Columbus Blue Jackets. It all started with hiring the new GM Don Waddell, and so far he has made several moves including hiring new head coach Dean Evason.
Recently a few restricted free agents have avoided going to arbitration with the re-signings of Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko. This leaves Cole Sillinger as the last RFA needing to sign a new contract.
Patrik Laine made headlines this past week after he was cleared from the NHLPA Players Assistance program. What does this mean for the Blue Jackets?
Kent Johnson
Kent Johnson inked a three-year $5.4M deal with a cap hit of $1.8M. Johnson’s expired contract had been a 3-year $2.78M deal with a cap hit of $925k, so he’ll be making about twice as much. Expectations are high for the young forward, who was drafted fifth overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. After playing 79 games in the 2022-23 season, Johnson only played 42 games this past season due to injury and being sent to the Jacket’s AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. In 42 NHL games, Kent Johnson scored six goals and had 16 points. In his 10 AHL games, he scored five goals and had 15 points.
Johnson quickly showed how skilled he was in the AHL and was back in the NHL after a short time. He is still a developing young player but his skill ceiling could be very high. At only 21 years old this contract could prove valuable for the Blue Jackets over the next three seasons.
Kirill Marchenko
Marchenko signed a three-year deal with a value of $11.5M and a cap hit of $3.85M. So far, he has played two seasons with the Blue Jackets. This past season he scored the most goals on the team with 23 and had the third-highest point total with 57. His expired contract was a two-year term valued at $1.85M with a cap hit of $925k
At 24 years old it’s no surprise Marchenko got a much bigger contract. Despite the Blue Jacket’s poor performance last season, he scored over 20 goals. In the 2021-22 season, he scored 21 goals in only 59 games. Keeping him on a line with other skilled players like Johnny Gaudreau or Yegor Chinakhov could benefit the Blue Jackets in the coming seasons. In his first season, Marchenko proved he can score goals and last season he showed he can also be a play-maker. If his trajectory in the NHL stays on the same path, this contract could be a bargain by its third year.
Patrik Laine
Previously Laine had asked for a trade last season before he entered the program. Now that he is cleared the Blue Jackets are allowed to make that move and the trade pitches are already running rampant all over the internet.
Laine has shown to be a highly skilled player, but in the past few seasons, he’s missed many games due to injury. In the 2020-21 season, he played 46 games (one was when he was still with the Winnipeg Jets). In 2021-22 he played 56, and the next season 55 games. In both seasons he scored over 20 goals and had over 50 points.
There is some risk involved with taking on Laine but there is also a chance for a big reward. He’s shown before that when he plays a full 82 games he can score 44 goals and 70 points. Even in the shortened 2019-20 season, he achieved 28 goals and 68 points.
Many teams could be interested in Laine. He won’t be a hard player to move however, getting the right return could take some time. He has two years left on his contract with a $8.7M cap hit. His abilities demand a larger contract but in recent years they have been hampered by injury. Though missing games hasn’t been his fault, it does lower his trade value compared to his current contract.
GM Don Waddell has not been afraid to make changes when needed. Besides hiring a new head coach, this could be one of the biggest defining moves of his career with the Blue Jackets. Waddell’s experience could be exactly what the Jackets needed to deal with this situation.
