Erik, despite only being in his third year in Central Ohio, has fully embraced the city of Columbus, the community, the fans; and has set an example that the rest of the team can follow. Next to Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski and Sean Kuraly, Gudbranson was constantly visible in the community following his early season injury that made him miss a majority of the season following shoulder surgery in October.
Erik, his wife, and their children, have become not only a part of the overall Blue Jackets family, but also the family of the Gaudreau family. Following the tragic passings of Johnny and Matty Gaudreau, Erik was outspoken in his support of the Gaudreaus and asking that Jackets fans find a ride home when they need one and don’t take the risk that led to the loss of Johnny and Matty.
On the ice, we unfortunately didn’t see much of “Guddy” this season due to the shoulder injury that he took during the first few games of the season. By the end of the campaign, Erik slashed a 0-4-4 line in just 16 games played with a +1 rating while he was on the ice.
Gudbranson knows his role and, frankly, plays it quite well. He’s a defensive defenseman that is best suited to playing on the third pairing for the club, matched up against a similar caliber of players. He’ll get you some puck retrievals, some hits, a ton of blocked shots and is a stabilizing guy on and off the ice. For both team culture and leadership, Gudbranson is an invaluable guy to have on the team.
Erik is approaching the final year of the $4 million AAV, 4 year contract that he signed with the club during the same 2022 offseason that brought “Johnny Hockey” to Columbus as a free agent. He’s on the “wrong side of 30” now as well, and will turn 34 in January.
That contract earned him a lot of detractors, but we'll argue that he's been worth every penny as the team has transitioned through a rebuild.
Despite his age getting up there in relative terms, Gudbranson has experienced his best years of his career in Columbus, both from an intangibles and point production standpoint. I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest that, if he continues to be featured in the third pairing role that best fits his abilities, he may have another 6-8 years left in the league, depending on his preferences.
I would love to see him re-signed in Columbus come next offseason. He’s a guy that’s invaluable to the club and city with his intangibles and is a stabilizing presence in the postseason, having now played in 31 postseason games in his career, including the relatively deep postseason run he shared with Johnny Gaudreau in ’21-’22 with the Calgary Flames.
Erik, you're a Blue Jacket for life.