Blue Jackets Rumors: Fedor Tyutin’s Future in Columbus
Blue Jackets Rumors: Fedor Tyutin’s Future in Columbus?
Fedor Tyutin’s future in Columbus may be coming to an end. With a disappointing season winding down and the state of the Blue Jacket’s future blue line, it looks more likely that a veteran defenseman will be moved out of Columbus in the near future. The Blue Jackets have managed to form a promising young defensive core to join the team’s strong goaltending for upcoming seasons. The 29 year old Jack Johnson and 32 year old Fedor Tyutin are two names to watch through February and in the offseason. While Johnson will likely spark interest in the trade market and prove to have a much higher trade value than Tyutin, moving the 32 year old Russian and his contract should be a team priority.
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As Fedor Tyutin gets older, his contract continues to look worse for the Blue Jackets. The defender has a cap hit of $4.5 million dollars per season, making him the highest paid defender on the team’s blue line. The contract has Tyutin scheduled for unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2017-18 season, which is a time when Cam Atkinson, Jack Johnson, Kerby Rychel and Ryan Murray will all be negotiating new contracts. Prior to Tyutin’s contract expiring, key building blocks Seth Jones, Joonas Korpisalo, William Karlsson, Boone Jenner and Alex Wennberg will need new contracts. The majority of the players listed above will be seeking significant raises to their current contracts and will be integral in the organizations future success, which means Columbus needs to focus on shipping out bad contracts. Now.
How has Tyutin fared this season?
The defenseman has been unimpressive when on the ice. Putting up zero goals and two assists through 45 games this season, Tyutin is on pace for career lows in both categories. While the defender has put up decent possession metrics, he appears to be far from a lock on the teams third defensive pairing. John Tortorella has made Tyutin a healthy scratch on multiple occasions, which has reportedly frustrated the veteran, but has not sparked improvement in his play. In addition, the defender has shared bottom pairing minutes with Cody Goulebouf, Dalton Prout and Justin Falk without cementing himself as the clear option.
To put the Blue Jacket’s third pairing competition into perspective, Tyutin’s annual cap hit is nearly double the collective cap hit of Goulebouf ($750,000), Falk ($600,000) and Prout ($1.075 million), yet he has not separated himself on the ice. The team is simply not receiving the production or presence they need from the veteran, regardless of cap hit. Once the cap hit is considered, his position on the team becomes a concern. A long term replacement for Tyutin may not currently be on the roster, but the team can easily address this need via Free Agency this offseason at a much lower price.
Who would be interested
It is important to mention that Fedor Tyutin posses a no movement clause, which means the veteran defender will have final say on the trade destination. It is anticipated that Tyutin will be willing to waive the clause for a trade to a playoff contender, but this has not been confirmed. The Ottawa Senators reportedly kicked the tires on Tyutin prior to swinging the Phaneuf deal last week. The obstacle in those trade discussions is unknown, but it was likely either Tyutin putting his foot down on the destination or the Senators wanting to send a bad contract back and/or wanting the Jackets to eat significant salary.
Last week, it was reported that numerous Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning scouts were present when the Blue Jackets took on the New York Islanders. Both the Red Wings and Lightning have interest in improving their blue line ahead of the trade deadline, but it is difficult to envision a situation where one of the teams have Tyutin and his entire contract in mind. Were the teams watching Tyutin, Johnson or a different player? Would a deal involving Tyutin work between the Blue Jackets and one of the Eastern clubs without a bad contract being swapped and/or the Blue Jackets eating salary? Would a Western team (perhaps Dallas) be interested? Moving Tyutin is unlikely to be an attractive or blockbuster deal, but moving the defender and his cap hit are necessary to continue the build in Columbus.
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As for the potential return, this is dependent upon what contract is being sent the Blue Jackets way. The Tampa Bay Lightning have Braydon Coburn on $4.5 million dollar deal expiring after this season. If the two teams could build a trade surrounding those pieces, that could be a great fit for both teams. Regardless of trade partner, it is tough to see a situation where Columbus receives anything more than a mid or late round pick, but moving Tyutin is a need for the organization. This is a story line to follow in the next two weeks.