When the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Mathieu Olivier from the Nashville Predators during the summer of 2022, nobody truly thought much of it. Less than three years later, things have drastically changed — on Wednesday morning, it was announced that the Blue Jackets had signed the forward to a six-year contract extension worth $3 million per season.
Becoming an NHL Regular
When Olivier came to Columbus, he didn’t have much experience at the NHL level under his belt. He had already made history, becoming the first Mississippi born player to make it to the top tier of hockey, yet he struggled to stick in the NHL. He played a total of 48 games over the course of three seasons with the Predators, but spent most of his time with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. In his first season in Columbus, Olivier eclipsed that figure, playing 66 games with the Blue Jackets and set a new career-high in points and penalty minutes.
With Nashville, Olivier’s best season came during the 2020-21 season when he played 30 games, recorded five points and had 70 penalty minutes (PIMs). During the 2022-23 season with the Blue Jackets, he doubled the number of games played, tripled his career-high in points and kept all of his aggression, still posting 81 PIMs.
Olivier’s contributions with the Blue Jackets have been consistent and he’s quickly become a big part of the organization. While enforcers often fly under the radar league wide, they’re some of the most beloved players in their organization. Fans will often adore a player who is willing to put their body on the line to help their team win. One great example of that is current Blue Jackets assistant coach Jared Boll, who filled the same role Olivier now holds for nearly a decade. Fans loved him, and as a result it wasn’t a surprise to see Boll return to the organization when his playing career came to an end. With his new contract extension, Olivier could easily see his career follow a similar path.
Continuing to Thrive in Columbus
The news that Olivier may be staying in Columbus was first shared last week, when Darren Dreger of TSN reported that Olivier and the Blue Jackets were making progress on a contract extension and there was “virtually no chance he’s traded” at the upcoming 2025 Trade Deadline.
While Olivier will never be a household name around the NHL, nor will he be a star player for the Blue Jackets, he’s thriving in Columbus and the extension will allow him to build a legacy with the organization. Olivier has become one of the NHL’s most-feared players while keeping his game clean for the most part. His physical playstyle fits the definition of what it meant to be a Blue Jacket when the team was hitting its highest points of success.
Players like Nick Foligno, Brandon Dubinsky, and Scott Hartnell made the Blue Jackets a difficult team to play against a decade ago. Since then, the Blue Jackets lost their identity but players like Olivier are helping bring it back. While the roster former general manager (GM) Jarmo Kekalainen built early in his tenure were never able to accomplish much in terms of postseason success, it was more than the organization had ever seen. This season, GM Don Waddell and head coach Dean Evason have helped the team get back on their feet and brought them back into the playoff fight.
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This season, Olivier’s value to the organization has only continued to grow. He’s hit double-digits in goals for the first time in his career, and recorded a career-high 21 points through 61 games. Most notably, he scored a goal in the Stadium Series matchup against the Detroit Red Wings.
Although Olivier isn’t on the scoresheet on a nightly basis, he’s a big part of the reason behind the team’s success this season and he could be a part of the group that takes the Blue Jackets to heights they’ve never experienced.
