Blue Jackets Off-Season Updates: Marchenko and Johnson Signed; Laine Cleared

Kent Johnson Celebrates Goal With Team
Photo: Columbus Blue Jackets

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.

ITR 32: The Final Countdown Inside The Rink

Join Chris and Conrad as they discuss everything in the world of hockey, including the Washington Capitals making two significant contract signings and the NHL Salary Cap to keep rising. John Tortorella is out of Philly, Eastern & Western Conference Roundups & More.
  1. ITR 32: The Final Countdown
  2. ITR 31: Let Them Fight
  3. ITR 30: Down The Stretch
  4. ITR 29: Trade Deadline Review
  5. ITR 28: Deadline Week

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Lance Schrock

Credentialed Writer covering the Columbus Blue Jackets. Host of the BrewJackets Podcast.

Leave a Reply

Adam Proteau

Catching up With Adam Proteau of The Hockey News

With the trade deadline behind us and teams pushing toward the Stanley Cup playoffs, I figured now was as good a time as ever to conduct an email interview with the great Adam Proteau of The Hockey News. Adam was kind enough to take time out of his busy writing schedule to give us his […]

Read More
Todd McLellan behind the bench

March Contiues to Be a Month That Sinks the Detroit Red Wings Playoff Hopes

March has been the part of the NHL schedule that has caused the Detroit Red Wings the most trouble in the past three seasons. In two of these three seasons, the Red Wings were led by former head coach Derek Lalonde. The Red Wings had a record of 3-11 in March of 2024 under Lalonde. […]

Read More
New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes celebrates a first-period goal against the Minnesota Wild.

New Jersey Devils Take Down Wild in a Shootout to Sweep the Season Series

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night at the Prudential Center, sweeping the home-and-home season series between the two. Looking to end a three-game winless streak at home, the Devils put together another 60-plus minute effort that earned them a resilient and well-deserved win over a team […]

Read More