Columbus Blue Jackets 2023-2024 Player Review, Mathieu Olivier brought toughness

Mathieu Olivier had not established himself as a full-time NHL player until he joined the Blue Jackets. He was acquired in the summer of 2022 from the Nashville Predators and has been a mainstay on the 4th line for the CBJ since the acquisition.

The primary reason he was acquired was to bring toughness to the lineup. He is an enforcer and plays with grit and snarl. His presence alerts the opposition that the Blue Jackets will not be pushed around.

Olivier had a surprisingly good 2022-2023 season and the goal was to build on that campaign. Olivier had a similar season in 2023-2024, although he played in fewer games. He did improve his defensive game (his plus/minus improved from -20 to -4).

However, there were times this season when we were expecting a little more offensively from him. We never expected him to be a dynamic offensive player. However, there was hope that he could score 10 or more goals this season, which did not materialize.

So overall, while he didn’t regress, I wouldn’t say he improved all that much either. He seemed to be the same player from the prior season, which isn’t a bad thing.

Olivier’s play since joining the organization has shown that his ceiling is a fourth line player who will fight, bring toughness, and chip in for a goal occasionally. He will score between 10-20 points per season and will bring a lot of energy. That is the player that former general manager Jarmo Kekalainan wanted in Olivier, and he has lived up to that description.

Olivier is signed through the end of next season (2024-2025) at $1.1 million AAV. At this moment, he will be in competition with a lot of young talent for a spot on the fourth line. However, his spot in the lineup is not guaranteed.

There are a lot of young players pushing for playing time. While his toughness is valuable, the new general manager may want to form a team with a different identity. It would not be surprising is Olivier is traded this offseason.

Olivier was the team enforcer and continued to fill his role quite nicely. His offensive game is about what you would expect for an enforcer: between 10-20 points on the season. The reason he gets a B is because he didn’t build upon last season.