Free agents, expansion draft are key this summer
The biggest challenge before the Blue Jackets’ front office last summer was patience.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen and company made a few substantive moves, but they did not blow up the foundation of the dressing room and they did not quit on young players who were taking their sweet time to develop.
It will be much easier to stay the course this summer after the Blue Jackets climbed from the fourth-worst record in the NHL to fourth-best.
Even though the offseason has started earlier than anyone hoped — the Blue Jackets were bounced from the first round of the playoffs by Pittsburgh — there is undeniable proof that Columbus is on the right path.
Here is a broad look at the biggest issues and key dates on the NHL’s offseason calendar, and how each affects the Blue Jackets:
Contracts
The Blue Jackets won’t have many contracts to negotiate this summer, but a few could be tricky.
Center Alexander Wennberg, coming off a breakout season, is a restricted free agent who likely will expect to get paid as a No. 1 center. (Has this ever been an issue in Columbus? Hmm.)
Power forward Josh Anderson, also a restricted free agent, surprised the hockey world with 17 goals and will get a hefty raise.
Goaltenders Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg are both RFAs, but these should not be difficult deals to get done.
A tougher question will be what to do with unrestricted free agents Sam Gagner and Kyle Quincey.
Gagner, a right wing, said early talks had taken place, so there likely is mutual interest, always the first step to a deal. He was a vital part of the club’s offensive surge this season.
Quincey could be seen as a veteran hand — a No. 6-8 guy — on a young blue line, but will he fit the budget?
Don’t expect the other UFA, forward Lauri Korpikoski, to figure into future plans.
With the NHL’s salary cap expected to climb to between $75 million to $76 million next season, the Blue Jackets should have room to get these deals done.
Don’t rule out an extension for right wing Cam Atkinson, either. His deal runs through next season, meaning a new deal could be struck as soon as this July 1.
Expansion draft
It will soon be time to bite the bullet. The Blue Jackets, like every other team in the NHL, will lose a roster player to the league’s new franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights, at the expansion draft on June 21.
A refresher: Teams can protect seven forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender (7-3-1), or eight players (forwards and a defenseman) and a goaltender (8-1).
The Blue Jackets, like most teams, almost certainly will choose the 7-3-1 option.
Players with nomove clauses in their contracts must be protected, which puts the Blue Jackets in a pickle unless they can get two players to play along for the good of the franchise.
Forwards David Clarkson, Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno and Scott Hartnell have no-move clauses in their contracts.
Clarkson, whose career is likely finished because of a chronic back injury, has all but said he will waive his no-move clause.
It’s unclear whether Hartnell, who is getting married this summer and has come to love living in Columbus, will make the same concession, although it is unlikely that Vegas would pick a 35-yearold with a big contract. Expansion teams typically look for youth.
Let’s say that Clarkson waives his no-move clause, but Hartnell does not. That’s three no-move contracts that must be protected, leaving four open spots to protect forwards: Atkinson, Boone Jenner, Brandon Saad and Wennberg fill those four spots, but that leaves Anderson, William Karlsson and Matt Calvert exposed.
If Hartnell agrees to waive his no-move clause, the Blue Jackets could pull back one of those three: Anderson, Karlsson or Calvert.
On defense, Seth Jones, David Savard and Ryan Murray seem obvious choices for protection. It’s possible that Murray’s end-ofseason injuries (hand, back) would prompt the club to consider protecting Jack Johnson instead.
But Murray, a former No. 2 overall pick, is only 23 years old. Johnson, meanwhile, is coming into the final year of his contract; Vegas may want to avoid drafting a player it could lose one year later.
The goaltender is easy: Sergei Bobrovsky has a no-move clause and will be protected.
Each team’s protected list is due to the NHL on June 17.
Other stuff
The NHL will hold its draft lottery. For only the third time in 18 lotteries, the Blue Jackets are not part of the festivities. (The NHL draft will be June 23-24 at the United Center in Chicago).
At least three Blue Jackets could take part in the World Championships, to be staged in Cologne, Germany, and Paris. Jones (U.S.), Wennberg (Sweden), and right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand (Denmark) are the most likely, but defenseman Marukus Nutivaara (Finland) could take part, too.
The NHL will hand out its annual awards on the same day as the expansion draft. The Blue Jackets should be well-represented, as Bobrovsky is a finalist for the Vezina, Werenski is a finalist for the Calder Trophy and coach John Tortorella is expected to be a finalist for the Jack Adams Trophy.
The Blue Jackets aren’t expected to be big-time players when free agency opens, but Kekalainen is always good for one surprise a summer.