There are three former highly touted prospects who have deals expiring this summer.
James Malatesta
Not all that long ago, we touted James Malatesta as a fringe player to make the Blue Jackets out of training camp. He has fallen pretty far from that grace, but I still believe the team should re-sign him this summer.
His production has fallen flat in the AHL, but I never really envisioned him as a big time scorer. The undersized winger is scrappy, and unafraid to back down from any challenge. He scored 10 goals and 18 points for the Monsters this season-and led them in penalty minutes with 87.
I still think there is bottom-six potential here. He can skate and forecheck at an NHL level. Now, they just need his scoring touch to come a little bit further. But, like Pyyhtia above; this feels like make or break time for Jimmy. He's one of my favorite prospects in the system, so I hope we have not seen the last of him in Columbus.
The Blue Jackets have spent a lot of draft capital on defensemen over the last couple of drafts. Will these guys still have a place?
Corson Ceulemans
Four years after being taken with a first round pick they acquired for trading their beloved captain, it feels like Corson Ceulemans is finding his way for the Blue Jackets. He had a bit of a breakout season in Cleveland this year, finishing second amongst Monsters defensemen with 24 points in 64 games played.
From a physical perspective, he checks all of the boxes. He's 6'2" and around 200 pounds. He's a right shot (everyone loves those), and his skating is very good. He has a lot of all-around tools that just needed honing in, and it seems like he's starting to get there. I expect him to be back in the system next fall, on a 1 or 2-year extension.
Stanislav Svozil
Sometimes, defensemen just take longer (see: Corson Ceulemans). In the case of Stanislav Svozil, I'm not sure that's the case. In fact, I'm afraid he's gone in the opposite direction.
Drafted by the Blue Jackets in the third round of the same draft as Ceulemans; Svozil's production has gone the other way. This season, it cratered. He scored just 1 goal and 7 points in 41 games played. Like Ceulemans, he is a toolsy defenseman who can skate. But on the flip side, he hasn't figured out how to utilize those tools quite as well.
Stan was always going to be a "boom or bust" type of prospect, so this isn't terribly surprising. I'll be interested to see if the organization still believes in him and offers him another contract this summer. There are some younger guys coming up through the system that may make him expendable.
On the final slide, we'll dive into the really important pieces that need sorted out...
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