Blue Jackets Acquire Defensemen Ivan Provorov

The Stanley Cup has not even been awarded yet and the Blue Jackets are making offseason moves. The Blue Jackets completed a three-team trade with the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings. 

Here is the breakdown of the full trade:

• Blue Jackets: Defensemen Ivan Provorov
• Kings: 30% of Provorov cap hit, Defensemen Kevin Connauton
• Flyers: 2023 1st round pick (22nd overall; Kings via Blue Jackets), 2024 2nd round pick (Kings), conditional 2024 or 2025 2nd round pick (Blue Jackets), Goalie Cal Peterson, Defensemen Sean Walker, Defensemen Helge Grans

This deal appears to be a good move for all three teams. The Flyers are likely going to be rebuilding soon, so adding picks and shedding contracts is in their interest. The Kings need cap space to sign former Blue Jacket Valdislav Gavrikov. So, shedding the contracts of a few of their players helps them free up money to sign Gavrikov. Then there’s the Blue Jackets, who desperately need help on defense. It’s a win-win-win.

Provorov is a solid defenseman and is in the middle of his prime. He is not flashy and will not “wow” you on a nightly basis. However, he can play a lot of minutes, can move the puck out of the D-zone, and knows how to play a north-south type of game.

The addition of Provorov will surely help the Blue Jackets defense. The 26-year-old defender was taken 7th overall in the 2015 NHL draft, just one pick ahead of current Blue Jackets defensemen Zach Werenski. In 532 games (all with the Flyers), Provorov has scored 65 goals and accrued 152 points. Last season, Provorov scored 27 points through 82 games.

Provorov is signed through the 2024-2025 season, meaning he has two years left on his current deal prior to unrestricted free agency. His cap hit is $6.75 million per season; however, the Flyers are retaining 30% on his contract. Thus, the actual cap hit on the Blue Jackets is $4.725 million per season. That is an excellent cap hit for a top-4 defensemen who can play heavy minutes night-in and night-out.

While this move is significant and certainly helps the defense, Jarmo is by no means done with his offseason moves. He has emphatically stated that changes are coming to the team. This move is just the first of what are likely to be many this offseason. The team has around $12 million in cap space for next season.

So, expect Jarmo to be busy over the next month making trades and/or signing free agents in order to drastically improve the Blue Jackets. The defense still could use more depth, the center ice position needs strengthening, and the backup goaltender position needs to be locked down. Buckle up CBJ fans: the offseason is just getting started.