Five Great Contracts for the Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are often criticized for a few bad contracts, however they have quite a few good ones as well.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have a few seemingly bad contracts like those of Brandon Dubinsky and Nick Foligno, which despite their popularity don’t live up to the expectation of their salary cap hit. With that being said, both of those players are also having rebound seasons following an off year last season.
The Blue Jackets have more good contracts than they have bad ones at this point however. All contract information is from Capfriendly.com.
5. Boone Jenner
Boone Jenner brings leadership and grit to the Columbus Blue Jackets along with a scoring touch. He often provides more offensive contribution than a few players with high cap hits than him and he’s only 25.
His contract runs through the 2021-2022 season and carries a small cap hit of $3.75 per season. With his recent success, this contract appears to be a steal considering he has yet to reach his prime. It’s unlikely he’ll reach the 30 goal mark again, however his contract is certainly fair for a 30-40 point scorer with his physical presence and defensive ability.
He’s also been playing a bit more of the center position this season compared to the past, which will only increase his value going forward. Trusting Jenner in the face-off circle isn’t a bad idea either considering his 52% win percentage from the dot. He has yet to develop into the top six forward he was expected to be, however he’s definitely a great middle six player for the Blue Jackets.
4. Josh Anderson
Josh Anderson is in the midst of a breakout season for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and it seems like it won’t be long before his contract is the biggest steal in the NHL. While that status may only last a year, following next season Anderson will almost certainly get a massive pay raise from his current cap hit of $1.85M.
Last year, Anderson set a career high with 19 goals in 63 games. This season, he’s on pace to shatter that number as he has already scored 12 in just 28 games. He’s on pace for roughly a total of 36 goals and while it’s unlikely he scores that many, he could almost certainly reach 25 by the end of the season.
On top of his offensive contributions, Anderson is one of the most physical players on the Blue Jackets. He’s their main form of protection from players like Tom Wilson who try to wreak havoc on their opposition.
Anderson’s contract goes through next season, but after that he remains a restricted free agent meaning that the Blue Jackets will more likely than not retain his rights. Many people questioned how much the team gave up to protect Anderson from the expansion draft considering William Karlsson‘s success with the Vegas Golden Knights last season, but it seems as if it will pay off as the right move in the long term.
Josh Anderson may not be a top line guy, but he certainly brings an unmatched work ethic and depth scoring while maintaining a physical presence.
3. Markus Nutivaara
When the Columbus Blue Jackets drafted Markus Nutivaara in the 7th round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, not even Jarmo Kekalainen likely expected what would happen next. Nutivaara would become a mainstay on the Blue Jackets blue line by the 2016-2017 season and is now in his third season at the NHL level.
Nutivaara may not develop into a top pairing defenseman, however he’s on pace to grow into a second pairing defenseman of the future and can be a solid third defenseman behind Seth Jones and Zach Werenski for the foreseeable future.
With Markus Nutivaara, his contract was signed prior to he seemingly started to have a breakout season this year, giving the benefit of the deal to the Columbus Blue Jackets. His contract runs through the 2021-2022 at a cap hit of only $2.7M. At only 24 years of age, Nutivaara will only continue to grow in terms of production from here.
This year, Nutivaara has 12 points through 28 games and has been one of the most consistent players for the Jackets on defense. Werenski and Jones may put up more points, but Nutivaara is more of a two-way player and as a result his defensive abilities make him an all-around good player.
Markus Nutivaara is not only one of the best contracts on the Blue Jackets right now, but he will remain that way for the foreseeable future with his relatively long term deal. With him being the third defenseman of the future in Columbus, he’ll likely get a massive raise when this deal is up.
2. Seth Jones
Seth Jones is the future face and captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’s a superstar in the making and he’ll be one of the league’s best defensemen in just a few years. He’s 24 years old, and he’s already been in the league for almost 6 years jumping into the NHL shortly after he was drafted fourth overall in 2013 by the Nashville Predators.
Jones is the definition of an offensive defenseman, and as Drew Doughty proved with his recent contract extension, points mean money even for a defenseman. Seth Jones puts up enough points to be a future Norris Trophy winner for the Columbus Blue Jackets and on top of that, he has a defensive skill set that not many on the team have.
Jones’s contract is currently super team friendly, at a cap hit of only $5.4M through the 2021-2022 season and as a result he’s easily one of the biggest bargains in the league. He’s only going to get better from here, and the deal will only look better the further in the future that we get.
Trading Ryan Johansen for Seth Jones was a move that put the Blue Jackets years forward in terms of their development as a whole, but specifically on the blue line. It took one of the worst defensive corps in the NHL and made it one of the best almost over night. Adding Zach Werenski and Markus Nutivaara were just a bonus that made one of the best blue lines in the NHL.
1. Cam Atkinson
Cam Atkinson was Columbus’s best kept secret prior to this season, he consistently put up a large amount of points and goals but never received much recognition from the rest of the league. There were many times where it seemed as if he’d even be traded, specifically to the Boston Bruins closer to home for him.
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Luckily Jarmo Kekalainen decided to keep Scott Howson‘s former 6th round pick and sign him to one of the most team friendly deals in the NHL. Atkinson is signed through the 2024-2025 season, in a deal that will more than likely end his NHL career with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Not only is the term great, he’s only holding a cap hit of $5.875M per season.
While that may seem like a lot, it’s worth mentioning that Atkinson is currently the hottest player in the NHL and besides one season of regression last year, he’s improved in every season he’s been in the NHL. He could realistically hit 50 goals this season at his current pace, however it’s more likely that he ends up around the 40-45 goal range.
He’s currently over a point per game and despite the lack of hardware, specifically the Maurice Richard Trophy, he could very well go down as the greatest Blue Jacket of all time over Rick Nash. While the future remains to be seen, he’s proving that right now he’s an elite player in the NHL.
Next. Atkinson Continues Insane Hot Streak. dark
Despite that production, he’s still not getting much recognition from the rest of the media around the league. That’ll certainly change by the end of his contract though.