Now that the Stanley Cup has been hoisted, it's time for the NHL to shift into offseason mode. The next 2-3 weeks will be incredibly busy, with the NHL Draft set to begin on June 26th, and free agency kicking off on July 1st.
So, we can't wait around. There will be lots of news coming at us in rapid fire succession as the Blue Jackets look to further bolster their team with the hopes of competing for a playoff spot next season. Today, we'll share our five boldest predictions for the team this summer.
There are five contributors on the Union & Blue team. We have each offered one submission for this article.
Bold Prediction #1: None of the pending RFAs get multi-year extensions.
Prediction by Mike Stump
This one is definitely plausible, depending on how close Don Waddell thinks his team is to competing. There are some notable players on the RFA list this year, including starting goaltender Jet Greaves, #1 center Adam Fantilli, and reliable utility forward Cole Sillinger.
All of them need to have a new contract in hand before training camp starts, so Waddell certainly has his work cut out for him. This does not include the handful of players in the system who are on expiring deals, either.
So far, only one of the team's pending RFAs has signed an extension (James Malatesta), and it was a one year deal. For the time being, Mike's prediction is holding up.
Signing all of these guys to one year deals would be a bold move by the Blue Jackets. Fantilli had far better underlying numbers than his counting statistics would indicate, so I think his cost is only going to climb. In my opinion, the team would be wiser to lock him up for as long as he's willing to sign for. More on that later in this article.
But, they could also dig their heels in and go back to those counting stats, causing him to sign a shorter deal and bet on himself. Stranger things have happened.
Meanwhile, Greaves burst onto the scene this year and stole the #1 job in the crease, uprooting Elvis Merzlikins and giving the team a breath of fresh air. Did the Blue Jackets see enough of him to hitch their wagon onto him for the longer-term? Possibly. Or, it's also possible that they throw a one-year "prove it" deal into his lap and make him do it all again.
Finally, Cole Sillinger has proven his worth as a middle six forward here. Does the team see him in that role moving ahead and lock him down for third line money; or does he similarly bet on himself and try to sign a larger contract next summer?
In each of these situations, I could see a one year deal making sense. It will be interesting to see what the Blue Jackets do here. Lets move onto our next bold prediction on the next slide.
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