Columbus Blue Jackets Re-Sign Forward Carson Meyer

The Blue Jackets continued to take care of offseason business on Friday, re-signing forward Carson Meyer to a one-year, two-way contract extension.

This brings back yet another gritty depth winger for the organization, after they signed Mathieu Olivier to a two-year deal earlier in the week. Meyer will make $775k at the NHL level, and $190k in the American Hockey League.

Originally drafted by the Blue Jackets in the sixth round (#179 overall) at the 2017 NHL Draft, Meyer has played in 27 career games with the club, scoring 1 goal and 4 points in that time. The Powell, Ohio native is also a veteran of 117 AHL games, scoring 34 goals and 73 points with the Cleveland Monsters in three seasons combined.

Keeping Meyer around for the time being makes sense for the Jackets, who saw what can happen to their roster when the injuries start stacking up last season. In fact, until he went down with an injury, I thought Meyer was making a case for himself as a bottom-six role player for this team; and because of his hard work, it’s entirely possible that he gets a long look at training camp this fall.

He’s the kind of player coaches love to have, because he’ll take on any role and work very hard to be successful at it. He simply pulls up his sleeves and gets to work, bringing speed, energy, and surprising physicality to the ice each and every shift.

At the very least, keeping him around in the AHL gives the Jackets a quality veteran of professional hockey, who can help the prospects coming through the system learn along the way. You need guys like this to set the example and show the kids what it takes to play professional hockey – whether you have the skill to do it or not.

This signing leaves the Jackets with just six remaining free agents; including restricted free agents Trey Fix Wolansky and Marcus Bjork, and unrestricted free agents Joona Luoto, Justin Richards, Michael Hutchinson, and Jon Gillies. It will be interesting to see which players they decide to keep, and who is allowed to walk away – but it’s worth noting that Jarmo has done a tidy job of getting things done, staying well ahead of the rest of the league this offseason.