Columbus Blue Jackets: Which free agents are coming back?
After going all in at the NHL trade deadline, the Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t see their gamble pay off. Which of their free agents could stick around?
2019 was supposed the year of the Columbus Blue Jackets. It had to be after general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen doubled down on his impending free agency departures with even more expensive trade deadline acquisitions.
It seemed like a crazy strategy, considering the better part of the franchise’s future for the next decade was mortgaged for a season they entered as the second wild card. But for a short while, the Blue Jackets were at the top of the hockey world after sweeping the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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After that first round sweep against the Tampa Bay Lightning, fans began to believe and the hockey pundits began to wonder “hey, maybe they were onto something after all”. The excitement throughout a small market town in Ohio began to rival that of the best hockey cities and it seemed the momentum behind the long-suffering franchise couldn’t be stopped.
That was then. Now, they’re the victims of an early offseason as the result of a six-game series against the Boston Bruins.
Not all was lost, considering that first round sweep will most likely be remembered as the greatest accomplishment in the young franchise’s short and often lackluster history. With the offseason now officially started and the lockers officially cleaned out at Nationwide Arena, it’s time for Kekäläinen to make the decisions he knew he was going to have to make. He was just hoping he could postpone those decisions until after the Stanley Cup parade that never happened.
Artemi Panarin
The Blue Jackets were gifted superstar Artemi Panarin in 2017 as a true sign of desperation from the Chicago Blackhawks to get Brandon Saad back. Although cup less, Panarin became the Blue Jackets greatest offensive superstar since former captain Rick Nash.
Also, unlike Nash, he was there for the franchise’s greatest moments. They may not have ended the way Jackets fans wanted, but at least Panarin won a playoff series in a Columbus sweater.
Being the biggest name on the free agent market (considering his youth and lack of injury-prone seasons it’d be safe to assume he’s a more valuable target than Erik Karlsson), it’s been an open secret throughout the NHL that Panarin would not be a Blue Jacket next year.
More likely than not, Kekäläinen has already accepted this, as should Jackets fans. It might not that the franchise is losing him for nothing instead of a trade deadline deal, but that’s in the past now.
Panarin also refused to engage in mid-season contract talks, which complicated Kekäläinen’s decisions. Perhaps he is holding out hope something can still be done in the offseason in Columbus, but that would be a massive surprise.
There are multiple rumors linking Panarin to the New York Rangers. Then there’s the prospect of the reunion between him and former coach Joel Quenneville with the Florida Panthers. After all, Quenneville had an amazing coaching relationship between them.
Sergei Bobrovsky
As the regular season ran down, the pundits kept saying Sergei Bobrovsky couldn’t wait to get out of Columbus. Just like Panarin, he was destined to leave in the free agency. That, along with the reports of internal turmoil between the team and Bobrovsky, makes his departure even more apparent.
The rumor mill is lining Bobrovsky with Panarin in a possible move to the Sunshine State to join the Panthers, which would make a ton of sense. Florida needs goaltending, with their franchise goaltender Roberto Luongo clearly on his way out with no solid successor in place. The Panthers have flirted with success, so the arrival of Bobrovsky and Panarin can make them a legitimate playoff threat, and probably the duo’s best chance to pursue a Stanley Cup in free agency.
From Columbus’s perspective, they might want to try to keep the double Vezina winner. His arrival in Columbus was the turning point of the franchise from NHL mediocrity to a dark horse playoff contender in a small market.
Not only that, but he was a major force behind the Blue Jackets playoff push this season. More importantly, the Blue Jackets have no replacement in mind. Bobrovsky’s backup in Joonas Korpisalo seems to only be living up to potential as an NHL backup, perhaps a victim of playing in Bobrovsky’s shadow.
After he was the third-string goalie Keith Kinkaid acquired from the New Jersey Devils to play the role of nothing more than a bench warmer, but he is also an unrestricted free agent.
That leaves the European based Elvis Merzlikins as Columbus’s best bet, assuming he comes over from HC Lugano. By all means, he appears to have the makings of an NHL starter, but the transition from the European league to the NHL might not come as easily, or without its own stop in the AHL first on his welcome to North America tour.
If the Jackets enter 2019-2020 without a goalie, their demise as a competitive team will be expedited, so that might be worth the extra effort to at least try to have Bobrovsky stay around a little longer.
Matt Duchene
Out of the big name free agents on Columbus, Matt Duchene’s case is the most interesting, after his short tenure following a blockbuster trade deadline deal. His career as an NHL player has been one of a mercenary: going to whoever will give him the best chance of a cup. So far, every single one of his efforts have failed.
Duchene is cup chasing, much like Marian Hossa was before finally hoisting one in Chicago in 2012. Even though Duchene, as a top center, will be more than attractive on the free agent market, he might be the easiest for the Columbus Blue Jackets to retain.
After Panarin and assuming Bobrovsky leaves, they have more money to open up the bank to offer him a reason to stay. He might not give them the best chance of a cup, but after his nomadic playing career of the past few years, signing a short term deal with a team he already knows might be a nice change of pace for Duchene.
Duchene will also give them something to build around. The silver lining for Columbus in this scenario is that their defensive core isn’t going anywhere, but losing Panarin and Bobrovsky would be bad enough, losing them plus Duchene will be devastating.
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With Duchene in place, Columbus can at least put on a façade of competitiveness to attract some more names to stick around as Kekäläinen picks up the pieces of his shattered roster.
On the opposite side, Kekäläinen is going to have to weigh the cost of keeping Duchene. If Duchene resigns, Columbus’s loses another first-round draft pick in 2020. With their stockpile of draft picks already thin, Kekäläinen has to decide if he can get more value in re-signing Duchene, to whatever contract they agree to, or holding onto that pick.
Of course, without Duchene, Bobrovsky or Panarin, the Blue Jackets will have to go into full rebuild mode, which they don’t have the resources of draft picks to do after so heavily investing in this season.
Ryan Dzingel
Ryan Dzingel is more of an honorable mention on this list. Yes, he’s a great young player, but he’s not on the level of Panarin, Bobrovsky or Duchene, or as important to the team. But, like the other three, he’s an upcoming unrestricted free agent and the clock is ticking until July 1st for something to happen.
Dzingel, like Duchene, was acquired from the Ottawa Senators, but in a separate deal for picks and prospects. Let’s assume all three other big-name free agents leave, but Dzingel stays. He would be in a similar situation that Brady Tkachuk is with his former team the Senators – a young player on an otherwise barren roster with the promise that they’ll build around them.
Now, assume that Kekäläinen can find a way to keep Dzingel and Duchene, while Bobrovsky and Panarin walk. Then there’s at least the chance Columbus can tread above water in the standings.
Otherwise, they go into full blown rebuild mode the Senators have committed to. Coming off their most successful season in franchise history, that’s probably not the direction Kekäläinen wants to be headed.
Dzingel, like Duchene, will without a doubt get offers from the trade market. But right now the Blue Jackets free agents can be broken down into two teams: Bobrovksy with Panarin, and Duchene with Dzingel.
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If Kekäläinen wants to salvage the coming future of his franchise and be realistic about it, he’s should look at the writing on the wall and keep Duchene and Dzingel. With that, he can wish Bobrovsky and Panarin the best as they go on their next adventure.