Columbus Blue Jackets: Grading Jarmo Kekalainen’s Off-Season

The most important area of improvement to the actual roster: acquiring legitimate NHL defensemen. The Blue Jackets found themselves shelled a lot last season because the defense corps on a lot of given nights, was made up of 1-2 guys best suited for third pairing minutes; and a handful of guys probably more suited for AHL minutes.

Jarmo was quick to act here as well. While the Stanley Cup Finals were still being played, he made two separate deals to acquire top-four defensemen, first acquiring Ivan Provorov from the Philadelphia Flyers; then Damon Severson from the New Jersey Devils just two days later.

To acquire Provorov, the Jackets sent a 2023 first round pick (#22 overall – Oliver Bonk) and a conditional second round pick to the Flyers; while the LA Kings got involved in the trade as well, retaining 30% of Provorov’s salary to help facilitate the deal and clear up some cap space of their own. This move helps the Jackets replace beloved defender Vladislav Gavrikov, who was sent to the Kings at the trade deadline for that very same first round pick.

Still not finished shoring up the back-end, Jarmo went out two days later and acquired Damon Severson from the New Jersey Devils in a rare sign-and-trade. By dealing a third round pick, he was able to keep Severson from hitting the open market – while also giving him an eighth year that no other team would have been able to offer. For the second year in a row, he boasted that they were able to acquire their most coveted free agent on the market (the other being Erik Gudbranson in 2022).

The two defensemen share one common theme that was probably held in very high regard by the Jackets: they have been able to stay remarkably healthy throughout their careers. Both guys are legitimate top-four defensemen in this league, and immediately give the Jackets a viable second defense pair, if that’s how they’re used.

Most importantly, these moves buy the Jackets some time to allow their prospects to develop. We were hitting a crossroads this summer, where the team needs to contend soon; or they’ll risk making the locals restless. But, the team also wasn’t ready, as constructed, to contend for a playoff spot. By picking up two very good NHL defensemen, Jarmo may have bought this team’s top prospects one more year to mature – which often makes all the difference.

Jarmo’s grade for acquiring Provorov and Severson: B

The only thing that keeps these moves from being an “A” for me is Severson’s contract. I do think that signing a guy like that to an 8-year deal at a cap hit north of $6m, is a risky move. Already with Erik Gudbranson, Andrew Peeke, Nick Blankenburg, and Adam Boqvist in the mix, what does that do to top prospects David Jiricek and Corson Ceulemans? Both guys play on the right side, and at some point, you need a spot for them.