Markus Nutivaara
The aforementioned playing partner of David Savard continues to grow into one the better 7th round draft picks in recent NHL history.
Young Finn Markus Nutivaara has seen a big jump in ice time and responsibility and it is paying big dividens for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Through 21 games, Nuti has two goals and eight assist and is averaging over 18 minutes of ice time.
Alongside David Savard, Nuti has given the Jackets a stellar second pairing defensive option. Nuti is third on the team in Corsi for with a mark of 53.1% even though he starts more than have of his shifts in the defensive zone.
Nuti has shown that he can play great defense against the league’s best and produce offensively at the same time. This is the first year of the 24-year-olds four year, $2.7 million deal and he is looking like a steal at that price so far. Great start to the year for Markus Nutivaara.