After playing in the final year of his four-year, $16 million contract with the Blue Jackets, it was looking like Erik Gudbranson would be moving on to his ninth NHL team.
However, he returned to the Blue Jackets after there seemingly wasn't enough interest among other organizations, signing for one year at $1.75 million, lowering his cap hit by $2.25 million.
It's a very reasonable contract for a player whose contributions to the team go far beyond the ice. Although his play at even strength definitely wasn't great this past season, he also brings a lot of value to the penalty kill, an area that has struggled for a while.
A healthy Erik Gudbranson fills an important role
The biggest concern with Gudbranson right now is his ability to stay on the ice. When looking at how he can help the team next season, that's right at the top of the list.
Over the last two years, he has played just 53 games, scoring eight points during that time. For comparison, he played in 78 games during the 2023-24 season and scored 26 points, his career high.
Last season, Gudbranson and Ivan Provorov were by far the most used defensemen on the penalty kill, more than doubling the ice time of the next closest defender. After that it gets shaky, with Dante Fabbro, Denton Mateychuk, and Zach Werenski getting the most minutes while down a man.
While Fabbro is a solid penalty killer, it's not ideal to have Mateychuk or Werenski on the penalty kill especially considering that their skillset is much better suited in transition and on offense than when backed up in their own end.
This is the main reason why bringing Gudbranson back was pretty much a necessity. Relying on those two to consistently be the second pair on the penalty kill would have used up valuable time that they should be spending at even strength.
Additionally, Gudbranson separated himself as the best penalty-killing defender on the team, allowing the least goals against per 60 minutes on the PK, according to MoneyPuck.
All Gudbranson has to do to make me happy is to play at least 60 games, maintain his top-pair role on the penalty kill, and chip in at least 10-15 points so he isn't as much of a liability at even strength.
He should be able to have a solidified role on the third pair, as Fabbro and Damon Severson are the only other right-shot defenders on the team. With Jake Christiansen appearing to be a depth piece and Guillaume Richard on the outside looking in, Gudbranson should have a good opportunity if he can avoid serious injury.
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