Columbus Blue Jackets 15 Best Contracts (2005-2022)

This was originally published in my 2020 book Hunting Bargains in a Salary Cap World, and has now been updated with new contracts. I will continue to update each team’s list every summer going forward. The rule is that only active contracts can move up or down. Expired deals cannot pass each other. Next summer it may even be expanded to top 20. The book is still available on Amazon, though some of the stats on active contracts are now out of date. You may yet find it interesting because there were detailed stat graphics that you won't find here. One thing you won't find here are entry level contracts because they all come from the same cookie cutter and require less skill at the negotiating table.

My latest book The Hockey Economist’s Betting Prospectus is now available. It's a comprehensive commentary on the last 3 years of hockey betting, broken down by team, by category, by strategy, by season. There is plenty of useful information for bettors of all skill levels. It covers pre-pandemic, peak-pandemic, post-pandemic. What worked, what failed. Lessons learned, market trends, team-by-team analysis. What impact did the pandemic have on hockey betting? The market differences between these 3 seasons are discussed at length, and there's a lot to talk about. To read more, visit the Amazon store.

 
Enjoy! Please note: The formatting on the graphics got scrambled being copied from Excel into Google Blogger. It's among the reasons my blog is looking for a new home.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets won just a single playoff series (for which they paid a hefty price on the rental market) in the last 20 years. Most of those dark years came before the arrival of Jarmo Kekalainen, who was the General Manager in Columbus for less than half of the salary cap era, yet is responsible for 75% of their best contracts. If you’d like to learn more about the Scott Howson administration, you’ll have to read the Blue Jackets worst contracts list.

Jarmo’s reign has been much more successful than his predecessors, and in all likelihood the team would have fared better in the overall rankings had their European GM been at the steering wheel for the whole 15 years. The BJs made the playoffs 4 times in his 6 first full seasons, and hit their apex with a stunning first round upset of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019.

Their best list is predominantly bridge deals, but Jarmo didn’t have nearly as much success when going long-term. If you’d like to read more about that, you’ll also have to wait for their worst contracts.

1. Seth Jones
 

Signed By:	Jarmo Kekalainen		Position:	D
Date:	2016-06-29		Age July 1st:	21
Term:	6 years		Playoff GP:	26
Total Money:	$32.4M		Playoff PTS:	18
Cap Hit:	$5.4M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	34.0	418	254	1046
Per 82 GP	5.7	82	50	205	25.1

“At 21, Seth is just beginning to tap into his potential as a player. He has everything you look for in a defenseman and is going to be a very important player and leader on our team for many years.”

– Jarmo Kekalainen

Seth Jones went directly to the NHL after being selected 4th overall in the 2013 draft by the Nashville Predators. The Preds already had a loaded blueline and needed help down the middle so they traded Jones to Columbus for Ryan Johansen. Six months later Jarmo locked up Seth for the next 6-years. 
 
We’ve seen several young defensemen sign some version of this deal, most recently Ivan Provorov,\ (albeit at a higher price) but contract tracing can date this all the way back to Andrej Meszaros in 2009. Seth’s ascent into elite offensive defenseman began shortly after the ink dried, climaxing with 16 goals and 57 PTS in year two, finishing 4th in Norris trophy voting. In year four, Jones set a record for the most ice time logged in a single game.
 
 
2. Sergei Bobrovsky
  

Signed By:	Jarmo Kekalainen		Position:	G
Date:	2015-01-09		Age July 1st:	26
Term:	4 years		Playoff Wins:	9
Total Money:	$29.7M		Playoff SV%:	0.907
Cap Hit:	$7.4M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Avg Adj Cap Hit	GP	W	GAA	SV%
Total	8.2	227	130	2.41	0.920

“A common thread of every successful team in our league is outstanding goaltending and we believe we have one of the best at the position in the world in Sergei Bobrovsky”

- Jarmo Kekalainen

Sergei Bobrovsky’s save percentage had been declining for back to back seasons since winning the Vezina with a .932 in 2013, but still would have drawn a bidding war if he hit the open market. Bob could have been UFA in one year, so it was going to require a substantial offer to buy any unrestricted seasons. Jarmo had to make Bobrovsky the 2nd highest paid goaltender in the league, but cut it short with a 4-year term.
 
The first season fell drastically short of expectations, but Bob rebounded nicely, winning his 2nd Vezina in the 2nd year. There was $70M waiting for Sergei when he finally reached the UFA market. On a personal note: Bob and I won back-to-back-to-back fantasy hockey championships together over this span.
 
 
3. Zach Werenski
 

Signed By:	Jarmo Kekalainen		Position:	D
Date:	2019-09-09		Age July 1st:	21
Term:	3 years		Playoff GP:	5
Total Money:	$15M		Playoff PTS:	1
Cap Hit:	$5M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	15.2	166	109	482
Per 82 GP	5.1	82	54	238	24.8

"I didn't want to miss any time, they didn't want me to miss any time. We both had that same thing in mind. I know we weren't too far away all summer.”

– Zach Werenski

Zach Werenski was a star from the moment he arrived in the NHL and scored 47 PTS as a rookie. Over the course of his ELC, the defenseman averaged 44 PTS and 22 minutes of ice time per game, providing double digit goals from the blueline all 3 years. Werenski was one of several RFAs in 2019 that went unsigned into September. That was the trendy thing to do that summer.
 
The Blue Jackets had a history of playing hardball with RFA players who lacked arbitration rights, but were able to avoid such an impasse with Zach when he accepted a very team friendly deal. Fellow RFA Charlie McAvoy signed an almost identical deal 5 days later. The treaty was structured so the salary will be $7M in the final year, which would forced the team to make a $7M qualifying offer when  ended (they actually paid him much more, but you won’t find that contract here).
 
Year one was a stunning success for Zach Werenski (and my fantasy team) when he scored 20 goals and 41 PTS in just 63 GP.
 
 
4. William Karlsson
 

Signed By:	Jarmo Kekalainen		Position:	F
Date:	2016-06-23		Age July 1st:	23
Term:	2 years		Playoff GP:	25
Total Money:	$2M		Playoff PTS:	18
Cap Hit:	$1M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	2.2	163	103	280
Per 82 GP	1.1	82	52	141	16.1

“He is an important part of our young, core group of players and we are pleased that he will continue to grow, develop and contribute to our team as we move forward.”

– Jarmo Kekalainen

William Karlsson had just completed his first full NHL season, scoring 20 PTS. One year earlier, Kekalainen pulled off a masterful trade with the Mighty Ducks, dumping a bad James Wisniewski contract and a 3rd round pick to acquire Karlsson, a really bad Rene Bourque contract, and a 2nd round pick. They exchanged bad contracts, and in return the Jackets landed Karlsson and a higher draft pick.
 
Year one of this contract produced a very uninspiring return, which contributed to the Blue Jackets decision to expose him in the expansion draft. Vegas gave him an opportunity on the top line and Karlsson tripled his offensive output, scoring 40 goals. That’s a fantastic bargain for a 40-goal scorer, too bad he did that for a different team. The BJs were unable to reap the rewards of their investment.
 
 
5. Ryan Johansen
 

Signed By:	Jarmo Kekalainen		Position:	F
Date:	2014-10-05		Age July 1st:	21
Term:	3 years		Playoff GP:	28
Total Money:	$12M		Playoff PTS:	21
Cap Hit:	$4M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	13.9	244	192	541
Per 82 GP	4.6	82	65	182	18.6

“When you see numbers that are thrown at us, we shouldn’t even respond. That’s how bad it is. It’s embarrassing. And if the kid sits out, he sits out. I wonder if the agent’s going to pay him his money back that he’s going to lose by sitting out.”

– John Davidson

 
“It’s extortion is what it is. I don’t make this stuff up. I’ve been in this league doing this for a long time now and this one here, it’s baffling is what it is. This one’s baffling. Baffling.”

– John Davidson

Ryan Johansen enjoyed a breakout season in the final year of his ELC, scoring 33 goals and 63 PTS, and wanted to get paid accordingly. Johansen and his agent were looking for a bridge deal similar to what Ryan O’Reilly extracted from the Avalanche after a bitter dispute/holdout that soured his relationship with management.
 
John Davidson was only going to offer Johansen that kind of salary if he made a long-term commitment, which Johansen was apparently unwilling to accept. Kekalainen instead wanted him to take something closer to Logan Couture, who was making a little over half O’Reilly’s salary. Management resorted to mudslinging in the media, and like O’Reilly before him, it permanently damaged the relationship.
 
Ken Campbell at the Hockey News wrote a piece late that September explaining how anonymous player agents were confused by Johansen’s demands and that they defied logic. About 2 weeks later, the two sides finally reached a compromise, but the damage was done. Granted that “damage” would eventually greatly benefit the team as they traded Johansen to Nashville for Seth Jones.  
 
Johansen scored 192 PTS in 244 regular season GP over these 3 seasons (a 65-point pace), adding 21 PTS in 23 playoff GP. The Preds rewarded him with a monster extension you can read about on their worst contracts list.
 
 
6. Cam Atkinson
 

Signed By:	Jarmo Kekalainen		Position:	F
Date:	2015-03-02		Age July 1st:	26
Term:	3 years		Playoff GP:	11
Total Money:	$10.5M		Playoff PTS:	7
Cap Hit:	$3.5M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	11.8	228	161	697
Per 82 GP	3.9	82	58	251	18.2

“He is a dynamic young player who scored 21 goals last season and we believe, with his commitment and work ethic, he will keep getting better in the years to come.”

– Jarmo Kekalainen

Cam Atkinson was close to completing back-to-back 20-goal, 40-point seasons when the restricted free agent needed a new deal at age 26. UFA status was only one year away, and Jarmo managed to sell him a 3-year term at a very fair price for the stat line (some fans on Reddit thought he was overpaid).
 
It might have been smarter for Cam to bet on himself and fast track to the open market, but there would be a $41M pot of gold waiting for him at the end of this rainbow, so who am I to judge? The diminutive winger would take his game to a higher level after this was signed, peaking at 35 goals and 62 PTS in year two at a bargain price.
 
 
7. Oliver Bjorkstrand
 

Signed By:	Jarmo Kekalainen		Position:	F
Date:	2018-07-15		Age July 1st:	23
Term:	3 years		Playoff GP:	15
Total Money:	$7.5M		Playoff PTS:	8
Cap Hit:	$2.5M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	7.7	182	116	466
Per 82 GP	2.6	82	52	210	15.5

"Oliver is a gifted player with a tremendous shot and scoring instincts who has improved steadily during his first three seasons as a pro. He is just scratching the surface of the type of player he can be and we believe he has the potential to be a dynamic offensive player for our club."

– Jarmo Kekalainen

Oliver Bjorkstrand did not earn full-time NHL duty until the final year of his ELC when he scored 40 PTS. The young winger would get paid exactly the average of his basket of comparables on a 3-year deal that would give the team one more year of RFA control after it expired. Ondrej Kase accepted the same deal one month later.
 
Bjorkstrand’s ice time dropped by 2 minutes per game in year one, but his goal total more than doubled as he was beginning to find his scoring touch. The 2nd year brought a full-blown breakout, with Oliver scoring 36 PTS in 49 GP before an ankle injury prematurely ended his season.
 
 
8. Sergei Bobrovsky
 

Signed By:	Jarmo Kekalainen		Position:	G
Date:	2013-06-30		Age July 1st:	24
Term:	2 years		Playoff Wins:	2
Total Money:	$11.25M		Playoff SV%:	0.908
Cap Hit:	$5.6M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Avg Adj Cap Hit	GP	W	GAA	SV%
Total	7.0	109	62	2.53	0.920

“Re-signing Sergei Bobrovsky was a top priority for our organization and once again ownership has given us the resources to build a winning team. Bob is a terrific player and an outstanding young man with a work ethic that is second to none and was a well-deserved winner of the Vezina Trophy this season as the NHL’s top goaltender”

– Jarmo Kekalainen

In June 2012 the Columbus Blue Jackets traded 3 draft picks to acquire Sergei Bobrovsky from the Philadelphia Flyers and he proceeded to win the 2013 Vezina trophy. That’s great timing for a restricted free agent who needed a new contract and lacked arbitration rights. The Jackets would not be able to play hardball on this one, as there had to be more than a few teams sniffing around the Vezina winner with offer sheets in their pockets.
 
Jarmo had no choice but to reward him with a big salary, but at least were able to squeeze it into a 2-year bridge the day before Bob would have been eligible to sign an offer sheet. Kekalainen definitely deserves credit for this one and getting it done before free agency opened. Had I been Bobrovsky’s agent, I’d have been advising him to wait a few days to see if any offer sheets materialized.
 
Bob put up a 2.53 GAA and .920 SV% over these 2 seasons.
 
 
9. Francois Beauchemin
 

Signed By:	Doug MacLean		Position:	D
Date:	2005-08-01		Age July 1st:	25
Term:	2 years		Playoff GP:	36
Total Money:	$1M		Playoff PTS:	17
Cap Hit:	$500K		Stanley Cups:	1

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	2.0	143	64	265
Per 82 GP	1.0	82	37	152	24.3

“I can’t sell this as a stand-alone hockey deal, and I won’t”

– Brian Burke

Francois Beauchemin had spent most of his pro career before the 2005 lockout toiling in the AHL with only 1 game of NHL experience. He had been starting to flash offensive upside in the minors, but still was in no position to demand anything more than the league minimum.
 
Francois won a roster spot in camp, but would only play 11 games for the Blue Jackets (averaging 17 minutes per game) before getting traded to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks for Sergei Fedorov. It was entirely an issue of the Mighty Ducks needing to shed salary, and Brian Burke wasn’t happy about it.
 
The Mighty Ducks GM described Beauchemin as a “a stay-at-home defenseman. He’s physical when we need him to be.” Francois proved to be so much more than that for Anaheim, averaging 37 PTS per 82 GP and playing a substantial role in their Stanley Cup championship.
 
 
10. Rick Nash
 

Signed By:	Doug MacLean		Position:	F
Date:	2005-08-06		Age July 1st:	21
Term:	5 years		Playoff GP:	4
Total Money:	$27M		Playoff PTS:	3
Cap Hit:	$5.4M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	46.1	363	326	1244
Per 82 GP	9.2	82	74	281	20.1

"He is a supremely talented player on the ice and a tremendous person off it. I believe our team is poised to take a major step and Rick is certainly going to play a significant role as our franchise continues to grow."

– Doug MacLean

Rick Nash was a former 1st overall draft pick who broke out with 41 goals and 16 assists as a sophomore at age 19 before the 2005 lockout. After the new CBA was signed, Doug MacLean paid Nash like one of the NHL’s elite players (Peter Forsberg had accepted a similar salary 3 days earlier).
 
While he was getting paid like one of the league’s top forwards, it took him a few years to get there. Rick was overpaid early in the deal until he rounded into form in year three, eventually climbing to that 40-goal summit in year four. As the cap got bigger, Nash’s relative salary became much more reasonable. He averaged 38 goals and 74 PTS per 82 GP.
 
There was a $62M jackpot waiting for Rick when this expired, as the team was able to extend the winger before potentially losing him to free agency.
 
 
11. Boone Jenner
 

Signed By:	Jarmo Kekalainen		Position:	F
Date:	2021-07-28		Age July 1st:	29
Term:	4 years		Playoff GP:	0
Total Money:	$15M		Playoff PTS:	0
Cap Hit:	$3.75M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	15.0	0	0	0
Per 82 GP	3.8	0	0	0	0.0

"He is an important part of our hockey club and ensuring he remains a Blue Jacket for years to come was a priority for us this summer."

– Jarmo Kekalainen

Boone Jenner agreed to an early 4-year extension after scoring 17 PTS in 41 GP (a 34-point pace) at the price you’d expect to pay a 40-point player. He then proceeded to explode up to 44 PTS in 59 GP (61-point pace) when he could have reached unrestricted free agency at age 29. If that incredible boost proves to be a fluke and he reverts to half point per game or less, then this contract needs to be demoted.
 
Perhaps it would have been prudent to wait until next summer to rank this on the Columbus best list, but I’m betting that the acquisition of Johnny Gaudreau increases the likelihood Jenner’s bump is sustainable. Had the power forward waited until the end of the season to sign his extension, he could have commanded north of $6M and probably solicited an extra year or two of term.
 
 
12. Ron Hainsey
 

Signed By:	Doug MacLean		Position:	D
Date:	2006-07-11		Age July 1st:	25
Term:	2 years		Playoff GP:	0
Total Money:	$1.5M		Playoff PTS:	0
Cap Hit:	$738K		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	2.6	158	66	297
Per 82 GP	1.3	82	34	154	22.7

"Last season he came in after he was claimed off waivers and played well the last 50 games of the season. We are pleased with his progress and think that he can develop into a strong player in the National Hockey League."

– Doug MacLean

Ron Hainsey was a 1st round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2000 and had spent most of his first 4 pro seasons in the AHL. That’s where he was playing when the Blue Jackets claimed him off waivers as an injury replacement for Adam Foote. Ronny never played in the AHL again. He would finish that season with 17 PTS in 55 GP, averaging close to 18 minutes of ice time per game.
 
The career experience was still too thin to demand too much, but he was fortunate to at least get more than the league minimum. The Blue Jackets investment paid dividends, with Hainsey logging top pairing minutes and averaging over 30 PTS. When this expired, the Atlanta Thrashers Winnipeg Jets paid him $22.5M.
 
 
13. David Savard
 

Signed By:	Jarmo Kekalainen		Position:	D
Date:	2014-07-05		Age July 1st:	23
Term:	2 years		Playoff GP:	0
Total Money:	$2.6M		Playoff PTS:	0
Cap Hit:	$1.3M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	3.1	147	61	234
Per 82 GP	1.5	82	34	131	23.0

“We are excited about his future with the Blue Jackets."

– Jarmo Kekalainen

David Savard had just completed his first full-ish season in the NHL at age 22, scoring 15 PTS and averaging 18 minutes of ice time. Jarmo Kekalainen had only been in the GM job a few months when this agreement was reached. It was a carbon copy of the treaty forged by Eric Gryba 1 day earlier.
 
Over the full 2 seasons, Savard averaged 34 PTS per 82 GP and 23 minutes of ATOI. The Blue Jackets paid 30 cents on the dollar for that stat line, also receiving a quality 2-way defenseman who is reliable defensively. David might have been a discount on this deal, but he made up for it on the next one, banking a $21M extension the following year.
 
 
14. Sam Gagner
 

Signed By:	Jarmo Kekalainen		Position:	F
Date:	2016-08-01		Age July 1st:	26
Term:	1 year		Playoff GP:	5
Total Money:	$650K		Playoff PTS:	2
Cap Hit:	$650K		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	0.8	81	50	178
Per 82 GP	0.8	82	51	180	13.7

"I had a chance to speak with management and the coaching staff, and they think my best hockey is still in front of me, which I agree with. They felt there was a good opportunity for me to get some pretty prime offensive minutes, and that's something I was really looking for in my next team.”

– Sam Gagner

Sam Gagner hit rock bottom in 2016. After going directly to the NHL as a teenager, bypassing the AHL, he was finally demoted by the Philadelphia Flyers amidst a disappointing 53-game, 16-point campaign. He became an unrestricted free agent at age 26 (due to tenure), and sought out a team where there would be an opportunity get power play minutes. That team would be the Blue Jackets.
 
Sammy took a 1-year bet on himself deal close to the league minimum and the wager paid off. Gagner scored 50 PTS in 81 GP (the last player to score more PTS for less money was PA Parenteau in 2011). Choosing the Blue Jackets was the right decision, as Gagner parlayed the experience into $9.5M from Vancouver, which you can read about on the Canucks worst contracts list.
 
 
15. Cam Atkinson
 

Signed By:	Jarmo Kekalainen		Position:	F
Date:	2013-04-26		Age July 1st:	24
Term:	2 years		Playoff GP:	6
Total Money:	$2.3M		Playoff PTS:	3
Cap Hit:	$1.15M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	2.9	157	80	428
Per 82 GP	1.4	82	42	224	16.4

“Cam is a highly skilled and exciting player who continues to evolve in all aspects of his game”

– Jarmo Kekalainen

Cam Atkinson had scored 32 PTS in 62 GP in the NHL on his entry level contract when he came due for another treaty in 2013. Matt Calvert also needed a new ticket and the teammates recorded similar stat lines, thus autographed similar contracts 3 days apart (Cam received a little bit more having scored 2 extra points).
 
The Atkinson contract proved to be the far better investment, as Cam would very quickly reach a much higher ceiling, logging back-to-back 20-goal 40-point campaigns. He may have only been paid 35 cents on the dollar for these accomplishments, but any money left on the table would be reimbursed in future negotiations.