Blue Jackets quietly work to improve their depth on free agency day 1

After much ado about improving their roster this summer, the Columbus Blue Jackets appear to be running things back with pretty much the same group. Instead of targeting a big ticket UFA on day 1 of NHL free agency, they quietly improved their depth.

The team made some hard decisions on their RFA players yesterday, opting only to return three of the eight that could have been extended qualifying offers. This opened up roster flexibility for Don Waddell and his staff, and today they made use of it.

First, the Jackets extended Cleveland Monsters standout Owen Sillinger to a one-year, two-way deal this morning. Brother of Blue Jackets center Cole; Owen hasn't had the same success at the NHL level to this point. But, he became an important player for the Monsters, bringing leadership, energy, toughness, and a little bit of offense to the mix.

While I don't expect Owen to move the needle much for the NHL team, he's a good guy to keep around because of his versatility and the fact that he's a known entity. You can never keep too many good, solid pros around your players developing in the AHL.

Jackets add two depth players in free agency.

Once the free agency window opened, many expected the Blue Jackets to make a big splash. However, Waddell has said all along that this isn't his preference. So, we shouldn't have been surprised to see the team fly under the radar a little bit today - even during one of the weakest free agency days in NHL history.

Instead of ponying up for big ticket assets, the Jackets quietly added a couple of inexpensive, low-risk players: defenseman Christian Jaros, and center Isac Lundestrom.

Originally a 5th round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators back in 2015, Jaros has 94 NHL games under his belt split between the Sens, New Jersey Devils, and San Jose Sharks; with 1 goal, 14 points, 37 penalty minutes and a -24 rating. He has spent the last three seasons playing in the KHL, totaling 8 goals and 42 points in 132 games played. He gets a one-year, two-way deal to come back to North America.

Clearly, this is nothing more than a depth add for the Blue Jackets. Jaros is a 29 year old journeyman defenseman who hasn't stuck with any one organization at any level for more than a year since 2019. But, he's a right shot, which fills a need within the system - and at 6'3", 225 pounds, he plays a defense-first game that might earn him an opportunity with the Jackets at some point.

Lundestrom gets a two year contract, and he is by far a more intriguing acquisition. He was a 1st round pick (#23 overall) by Anaheim at the 2018 NHL Draft, and he's played his entire NHL career with the Ducks until now. A veteran of 337 games, Lundestrom has 35 goals and 84 points in the NHL.

That doesn't tell the full story, however. This is a mature two-way center, who excels in the defensive zone, blocks shots, and wins puck battles. He's also reliable at the faceoff dot. All of these are needed traits for the Blue Jackets, and if that's "all" he brings to the table, this is a good signing.

With all of that said, I wonder if there is some untapped potential with Isac? He started a whopping 81% of his shifts in the defensive zone last season, which led to him being caved in a lot from an advanced stats perspective. He's started more than 60% of his shifts in the D zone for four years running, and his offense has gradually tapered off during that time.

Perhaps a new opportunity in Columbus will help draw more out of his game. After all, this is a player who once scored 16 goals and 29 points in this league. It will be interesting to see if he can rediscover that skill in a new environment. If nothing else, he's signed to an inexpensive deal that is more than suitable for a #13 forward in this league. I like this pickup.

While this hasn't been an overwhelming (or even whelming) first day of free agency, it hasn't been terrible. Ultimately, I do think the Jackets added some good players in much needed areas today.