Columbus Blue Jackets 17-18 Season Evaluation: Matt Calvert
With the Columbus Blue Jackets season over it’s time for the Union and Blue staff to give their evaluation of each player’s year.
As we move through the Columbus Blue Jackets season evaluations, we are bound to encounter players whose career in Central Ohio ended on April 23rd. Matt Calvert more than likely falls into that category.
Matt Calvert’s contract with the CBJ will end on July 31st and will enter free agency. The 28-year-old winger is the longest tenured Blue Jacket and it will be tough for many fans but, this is what happens in a cap system to a team trying to grow. There just isn’t the cap space or roster space for a player like Calvert anymore.
The classic fourth line winger had an up and down year whether he disagrees (which he does) with Coach John Tortorella or not. At the end of the year both Calvert and Torts traded barbs about the forward’s season. Torts compared Calvert’s season to a toilet seat as it was up and down all the time throughout the season. Calvert countered by saying that the only thing up and down about his season was ice time.
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Although Tort’s language choice was unfortunate (Torts admitted so himself) it was accurate. Calvert was hot and cold throughout the year. He played everywhere from the top line to being healthy scratched. The season was fairly indicative of Calvert’s career in Columbus though on the whole. Calvert racked up 24 points which he has done in three of the last five years.
Calvert was accurate in terms of his ice time though as he averaged 13:23 this year after averaging just over 15 minutes in the previous four seasons. Although this is unfortunate for Calvert, this is the natural progression for a team on the rise.
It’s tough to grasp Calvert leaving especially after he had one of the better postseasons of any Blue Jacket. In six games he tallied three goals and one assist. But Jackets fans should brace for his departure.
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Number 11 was once a second/third liner for the Columbus Blue Jackets. But as the team added talent, ice time becomes harder to come by and unfortunately Calvert was casualty of added skill.
With younger and cheaper talent coming up like Vitaly Abramov, Jonathan Davidsson and Kevin Stenlund, Calvert is expendable. He will be able to get a better contract on the open market and this will likely be the last season review we write about Calvert.