The Columbus Blue Jackets seemingly had two main goals in free agency this offseason. The first one was to sign restricted free agent (RFA) center Alexander Wennberg. They did that with a six-year deal. The other goal was to sign RFA winger Josh Anderson. They have not done that.
Josh Anderson had an impressive rookie season in the NHL, posting 29 points (17 goals, 12 assists). His goal-scoring and physical nature led him see the ice more for the Columbus Blue Jackets than a lot of other 23-year-old, fourth-round draft picks usually do.
Despite this, talks between Anderson and the Columbus Blue Jackets have not made the kind of progress that either side should be happy with. TSN’s Bob McKenzie described the situation as “frosty” in a tweet Monday morning.
As for Josh Anderson in CBJ, who is also repped by Ferris, the two sides do not appear to be close at all. Frosty situation right now.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) September 18, 2017
As seen above, Anderson is one of only two restricted free agents not signed yet. The other is center Andreas Athanasiou of the Detroit Red Wings. Athanasiou’s situation is actually very similar to Anderson’s as both are 23 years old, both played their first full NHL season last year, both finished with 29 points and both are represented by agent Darren Ferris.
Although Athanasiou is reportedly making progress with the Red Wings, it’s probably not a coincidence that the two RFAs having the most trouble getting a deal done are tied to Ferris. I can’t blame him for doing his job and presumably looking out for his clients’ best interest, but it’s frustrating to see two young and talented players held up in contract negotiations just weeks away from the season’s start.
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This upcoming season is one of the most anticipated seasons in CBJ franchise history yet one of the one of the best youngsters that the Blue Jackets have, didn’t participate in training camp. With the additions of Artemi Panarin, it would’ve been great for Anderson to be in Columbus for camp to see if a Panarin-Wennberg-Anderson line could work.
It is unknown when–and realistically, if–a deal will get done with Anderson. If it comes after the season starts, a prospect such as Vitaly Abramov may get his chance in the NHL sooner rather than later.