The Blue Jackets defense showed signs of improvement over the course of the 2024-25 season. However, it was still a weakness of the team by season’s end. Many fans were expecting upgrades to the defense through trades and/or free agency. However, the availability of defenseman was at a premium and general manager Don Waddell opted to resign his UFA defenseman with the hopes that a healthy, in-tact defense would result in improved defensive numbers.
Thus, the team re-signed Dante Fabbro and Ivan Provorov. Along with Zach Werenski and Denton Mateychuk, these men will round out the top 4 on the CBJ defense. While some were disappointed that a change was not made, it was not all that surprising with everything else going on in the NHL. Sometimes no move is the best move to make. In all honesty, the top 4 on defense (when healthy), were pretty solid overall for the team. It was the third pairing that was shaky.
Provorov will once again be leaned upon heavily on the CBJ defense. He will likely be on the second pairing with Mateychuk, as he was for a majority of last season. He will play on the second penalty kill and power play units. He will also be expected to log heavy minutes against some of the top players the CBJ face this season. Provorov is a reliable player and is expected to be a steady presence on the blueline.
He signed a lucrative contract extension this past summer: a 7-year deal (which will go through the 2031-2032 season) worth $8.5 million per season. Barring anything unforeseen, he will be a mainstay on the CBJ defense for years to come. While many people are not pleased with the contract (both term and dollars), let’s face it: this is the going rate for good defenseman in the NHL. I would tend to bet that, with the growing salary cap, this contract won’t look as scary within the next 4-5 years.
One bold prediction: Ivan Provorov will play in all 82 regular season games once again.
This one isn’t all that bold. Provorov has played in all 82 regular season games for 3 straight seasons, dating back to his time with the Philadelphia Flyers. He has played in all 82 games a total of 6 seasons over his 9 year career. Seeing how injuries are a common occurrence, this is a tremendous achievement.
I think Provorov will play in all 82 games yet again this season. While injuries aren’t controllable, his conditioning is superb and he is one tough cookie. He is often able to avoid (or tolerate) most injuries with his great physical condition. I expect him to be in great shape yet again and to play a majority (if not all) of the regular season games this season.
He will be one of the workhorses for the CBJ defense this season. He will log heavy minutes against some of the top players the CBJ will face this season. He will play in all situations and will be leaned upon as one of the anchors of the CBJ defense.