The Columbus Blue Jackets are soon set to resume games after the holiday break. 2023-24 has been another poor showing from the team, as they will start the new year at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division’s standings by a widening margin. The team has been 3-5-2 in their last 10 games, with a record of 11-18-6 in their first 35. The chase for a playoff position is pretty well up.
So, as the Blue Jackets’ season continues to meander along, they should really consider prioritizing looking ahead and tackling some of the challenges they expect to encounter this offseason. One such challenge is signing contract extensions for a rather large amount of their players – many of whom they expect to be a part of their long-term core.
Blue Jackets With Less Priority For An Extension
There are 11 players on expiring contracts with the Blue Jackets’ big club who are all eligible for contract extensions. Due to their influx of young players over the last several seasons, there are eight of those players who are pending restricted free agents (RFAs), which means they can only sign with Columbus should the team choose to tender them a qualifying offer.
Before we get to the players Columbus should prioritize, we should take a look at the others that are eligible for a contract, but could use a little more of a sample size before settling on a monetary value for their future contracts. I’m not saying that they shouldn’t be re-signed, but there are a few RFAs with question marks in their games and thus require a little less urgency on an extension.
Let’s start with Frenchman Alexandre Texier, who has not been all that he was before his season abroad. He’s largely been playing as a bottom-six forward, when it was once thought he could be a lot more. Cole Sillinger’s development is still bouncing back after an abysmal sophomore season, and is more the player who scored 16 goals as a rookie. It’s still not quite certain if he’ll be ready for a top-six role soon.
Emil Bemstrom has had questions about his ability, consistency, and overall performance in the NHL in his four seasons with Columbus. While he’s scored 9 points in his first 20 games, I’m not sure he’s warranted anything more than a year or two on his next pact.
Defender Jake Bean got off to a great start but has leapt off a cliff. The 25-year-old “offensive” defenseman plays between 10-15 minutes a night and hasn’t been on the scoresheet since October 24th. It’s not like he’s been out of the lineup either, dressing for 32 of the team’s 35 games. If he is re-signed, it’s got to be below his current cap hit of $2.3 million.
As much as I personally adore the play of defender Nick Blankenburg, there are some serious questions about his game too. One is availability, as the 5-foot-9 defender was only able to keep himself healthy enough to play 36 games last season and finds himself hurt again after only six NHL games this season. He plays with reckless abandon, similar to captain Boone Jenner, which while endearing to the fanbase has yet allowed the team to see what he’s really capable of over a full 82 games.
Some players are pending unrestricted free agents (UFA) who are questionable for a longer-term extension that could be considered for fodder at the impending trade deadline. That includes Columbus-native Jack Roslovic, third-string goalie Spencer Martin, and NHL ‘tweener’ Brendan Gaunce. I wouldn’t expect a new contract for any of those guys before the end of the season.
Blue Jackets That Should Get Contract Extensions ASAP
There are three Blue Jackets eligible for a contract extension and a lot that will have rising price tags as the season continues to play out. The team should get out a little ahead of the eight ball and start locking down these players, that they presumably want to be a part of their team in the long term. The team has some history of apprehension when it comes to dealing with higher-profile RFA negotiations. With everything that’s transpired in the last year, management really does not need another Josh Anderson situation.
Just as Anderson was once thought of, pending RFA winger Kirill Marchenko is expected to be a big part of the Blue Jackets’ future. He’s done a really good job as a glue guy in the locker room and helping bring along the younger Russian players, exemplified in working with Dmitri Voronkov as a translator at times. On the ice, he’s been outproducing his stats from last season and is on pace for 32 goals and 51 points. All of that makes Marchenko this free agent crop’s best case for a long-term extension.
Related: Blue Jackets’ Marchenko’s Play & Personality Deserve Attention
Another key piece to the team’s future will be 2021 fifth-overall pick Kent Johnson. He’s rebounded quite nicely from a rough start and has eight points in his last ten appearances. The super-skilled and tenacious forward will be an offensive threat over the next decade and should be considered for a longer-term extension. However, at only 21 years old, he’s a prime candidate for a bridge deal at a lower term and cap-hit before he cashes in on a massive contract still as an RFA a few seasons down the line.
Yegor Chinakhov is a unique example who has really come into his own over the last month. His ice time has deservedly skyrocketed, with around 19 minutes played in four of his last five games, and he’s looked like the most impactful player at times, with ten points in his last seven games. Having just signed a one-year contract for 2023-24, he’s not eligible for an extension until Jan. 1, 2024. To me, that’s the day that the team should try to re-sign him because his price tag will continue to rise if he continues his strong performance.
There were already some rumors that the 2020 first-round pick was disgruntled with how they were handling him to start this season, it really would not be a great idea to force the issue and drag out contract negotiations between the two sides. Again, Blue Jackets’ management does not need Chinakhov to be the next Anderson hold-out situation.
As the Blue Jackets continue through another poor season, they should start looking at re-signing some of their younger players to contract extensions sooner rather than later. Some of their eligible players are expected to be around for a significant amount of time. It would generate some goodwill in a tough season showing a commitment to those younger players who have performed well, in Marchenko, Johnson, and Chinakhov.
