In his fourth campaign with the team, Justin Danforth was once again a solid utility player who provided a spark when this team needed it. But, he finds himself without a contract heading into this summer. Will the Blue Jackets bring him back?
The fact that Danforth made it to the NHL at all is very inspiring. He never played major junior hockey, instead opting to go the NCAA route. He spent four seasons with Sacred Heart University before turning pro in the 2016-17 season. He then played at nearly every professional level, including multiple stints in the ECHL.
After not finding many opportunities in North America, Danforth took his services overseas. He played two years in Sweden before one year in the KHL. That last year, spent with Podolsk Vityaz, put his name on the radar of some NHL teams. The Blue Jackets swooped in and signed him to a one-year contract after a strong showing at the World Championships in 2021. What a find he has been.
Since arriving in Columbus, he's been an extremely versatile player. He's seen time on the power-play, penalty kill, and has moved up and down the lineup as needed. Wherever he's been utilized, he's brought energy and tenacity to the ice each and every time his skates have touched it.
There's just one problem: he's only 5'8", and less than 190 pounds. As a guy who doesn't have one elite trait or a knack for generating offense, it's very hard to make the league. It can be even harder to stick around. But Justin has done that, playing in four seasons with the Blue Jackets and bringing them some very good minutes when he's been in the lineup.
This season, he scored 9 goals and 21 points in 61 games. But for the fourth consecutive year, he missed a chunk of time due to injury. When you're a guy like this, who has to find a way to make a difference on each and every shift to even stay in the league; missing time with injury is not good. As such, I have a hunch that the Jackets might be looking to get bigger in their bottom six.
That doesn't mean that Danforth will not get another contract here, or that he doesn't have a place. No forward on the team averaged more time on ice while shorthanded than his 1:39 per game. In fact, only three defensemen saw more ice while a man down than Danforth this season. In that regard, he clearly had the trust of Dean Evason and his coaching staff. But, at 32 years old, he was also the 5th oldest player on the roster. So, one could look at this from the perspective that he should have been reliable on the PK.
His even strength usage shows that he was leaned on heavily in defensive situations as well: he and Sean Kuraly were far and away the most common players rolled out for D-zone faceoffs. This is also evidenced by his CF rating, which was just 47.2%. Even with the injuries and the heavy defensive usage, he found a way to make a difference offensively; even giving us one of the most memorable moments in franchise history:
At this point, I could see this situation going in any direction. Clearly, Danforth was an important role player to the Blue Jackets this season. He was heavily leaned on - and reliable - in tough situations against better competition. But, as an undersized player with a long injury history, who is now on the wrong side of 30; does he have enough left in the tank to extend him beyond this season?
Personally, I would love to see him back. Even if he's just signed as a fourth line or "extra" forward, Danforth is a great guy to have around. You never know when you might need to throw him into the lineup for a quick spark.