Columbus Blue Jackets Claim Veteran Jussi Jokinen off Waivers
The Columbus Blue Jackets added veteran forward Jussi Jokinen to the team after being placed on waivers.
Banged up and needing a spark, the Columbus Blue Jackets have turned to Jussi Jokinen to add some depth up front. The 34-year-old forward was placed on waivers by the Los Angeles Kings after only playing 18 games before being picked up by the CBJ. This will be Jokinen’s third team in the NHL already this season.
The Finnish forward started the year off in Edmonton where he was signed by the Oilers to a one year, $1.1 million contract in the offseason. He was traded to Los Angeles for forward Mike Cammalleri.
He had spent the previous two seasons in Florida where he performed well for a third line guy. For the Panthers in the last season he played 69 games and scored 11 goals and netted 17 assists. The year before he was very impressive with a 18-42-60 season for the Panthers.
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Jokinen has certainly lost a step or two this season though and his play has been underwhelming. In 32 games this season he has six points and only one goal.
Low Risk Pick Up
The Jokinen pick up is an extremely low risk move for the Columbus Blue Jackets though. He doesn’t cost the Jackets a future pick or prospect and has a low cap hit.
This pick up is almost identical to the trade the Jackets made for Lauri Korpikoski last season. Korpikoski was an older forward that had shown great potential previously. The thought was always that at worst you don’t play him. Best case scenario, he adds depth scoring to your team and you have a serviceable third liner with tons of experience.
The only difference is that Korpikoski cost the Jackets a prospect in Dillon Heatherington. Jokinen doesn’t cost the team a thing and has been more successful in the NHL than Korpikoski.
Related Story: Jackets Trade for Lauri Korpikoski
This was an easy decision for Jarmo to make. I’m sure their shared Finnish heritage didn’t hurt either as Jarmo certainly has a relationship with Jokinen.
Let’s just hope that this move isn’t a sign that Cam Atkinson or Brandon Dubinsky might be out longer than expected. The Columbus Blue Jackets can’t afford to rely on Jokinen over those two crucial leaders.