Columbus Blue Jackets <\/p>\n
Current Cap Hit: $79,157,499<\/a> (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)<\/p>\n Entry-Level Contracts<\/p>\n F Adam Fantilli<\/a> (one year, $950K) Potential Bonuses Fantilli was drafted with the hope that he could become a legitimate number one center.\u00a0 He appears to be on his way to getting there after being moved back down the middle full-time last season while building off his rookie season nicely.\u00a0 The $1MM in \u2018A\u2019 bonuses could very well be hit if he progresses as expected in 2025-26, putting him in a good spot to bypass a bridge contract if that\u2019s a route GM Don Waddell wants to go.\u00a0 A long-term agreement could run past the $9MM per season mark.<\/p>\n Mateychuk was a midseason recall and quickly earned the confidence of head coach Dean Evason.\u00a0 He was a very productive blueliner in AHL Cleveland before the promotion but hasn\u2019t had a big chance to showcase that part of his game yet.\u00a0 If he gets that chance this year, he could have a chance to earn some of his three \u2018A\u2019 bonuses but if he remains in more of a fourth or fifth role, that will be tricky.\u00a0 As things stand, Mateychuk appears likelier to land a bridge agreement on his next contract but if he locks down a more prominent spot on the depth chart by 2027, that could change.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level<\/p>\n F Zach Aston-Reese<\/a> ($775K, UFA) Coyle was acquired from Colorado this offseason to give the Blue Jackets some extra depth down the middle.\u00a0 He\u2019s coming off a quiet year that saw him record just 35 points but he\u2019s only a year removed from a 60-point campaign.\u00a0 Assuming he\u2019s able to get back to at least the 40-point range, Coyle should be able to hit the UFA market next summer with a shot at matching his current price tag on a three or four-year agreement.\u00a0 Jenner has been a very effective two-way center when healthy.\u00a0 However, he has missed significant time in five straight seasons which will affect his next contract.\u00a0 When he\u2019s healthy and in form, he\u2019s a big center who is above average on faceoffs and scores more than 20 goals a season.\u00a0 That player would normally get $6MM or more on the open market.\u00a0 But with the injuries, his market value might dip closer to $5MM or so.<\/p>\n Chinakhov has been in the media a lot lately with his trade request being made public in recent weeks.\u00a0 He\u2019s only one year removed from putting up 16 goals in 53 games but injuries and a long stretch as a healthy scratch limited him to just seven in 30 outings last season.\u00a0 If he gets back to his 2023-24 form, he\u2019d be in line for a short-term deal that pushes past $3MM per season but if he\u2019s used as he was down the stretch, he could conceivably enter non-tender territory next summer as well.\u00a0 Aston-Reese was an training camp waiver claim from Vegas last fall and earned this one-year extension soon after.\u00a0 As a fourth liner who typically plays limited minutes, he\u2019s likely to stay at or near the minimum salary moving forward.<\/p>\n Gudbranson\u2019s contract came as somewhat of a surprise three years ago given that he was more of a fourth or fifth defenseman at the time.\u00a0 It actually has held up a bit better than expected although last season was largely a write-off due to injuries.\u00a0 In a perfect world, he should be more of a third-pairing player by the time his next contract begins so at least a small dip should be expected.\u00a0 That said, right-shot defenders often get paid more than expected so perhaps he surprises again.<\/p>\n Greaves needs to get into at least seven NHL games this season with at least 30 minutes played per game to actually remain a restricted free agent.\u00a0 If not, he\u2019d become a Group VI UFA.\u00a0 Considering that he projects to be part of the goaltending tandem next season, it\u2019s safe to say that he\u2019ll easily get there, barring injury.\u00a0 He was a big part of their late-season push but still has just 21 NHL games under his belt right now.\u00a0 A solid showing this season could move him closer to the $2MM mark while if he takes over as the starter moving forward, it wouldn\u2019t be shocking to see him more than double that on a deal that buys out a couple of UFA seasons.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2026-27<\/p>\n D Jake Christiansen<\/a> ($975K, UFA) Voronkov received his bridge deal just last month on the heels of a solid second NHL season that saw him record 24 goals and 23 assists.\u00a0 The short-term contract made sense for both sides to better assess if he can become even more impactful offensively before locking in a long-term agreement.\u00a0 Assuming he stays on this trajectory, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see his next contract surpass the $6MM threshold.\u00a0 Marchenko appears to be well on his way to an even bigger raise on his next deal.\u00a0 He very quietly put up 31 goals and 74 points last season, legitimate top-line numbers for a middle-six price tag.\u00a0 He has surpassed the 20-goal plateau in each of his three NHL seasons and at the rate salaries are set to increase, he could plausibly double his current price tag two on his next contract.<\/p>\n Johnson received a bridge deal last summer on the heels of a tough season.\u00a0 That contract already looks like a big bargain as he locked down a full-time spot in the top six and had more points than his previous two seasons combined.\u00a0 At this rate, he could get into the $6MM or $7MM range as well with arbitration rights when his deal is up.\u00a0 Lundestrom comes over from Anaheim after the Ducks elected to non-tender him.\u00a0 He has been more of a depth player in recent years, unable to live up to his first-round billing.\u00a0 The fact he can kill penalties gives him some utility but he\u2019ll need to be a lot more impactful if he wants to get past the $2MM threshold on his next deal.<\/p>\n Christiansen was a full-timer on the NHL roster for just the first time last season which didn\u2019t give him much leverage in contract talks.\u00a0 He also averaged just 12:32 per game in 2024-25 which was one of the lower marks for a regular.\u00a0 If he can work his way up to 15 or 16 minutes a night, he could push closer to $1.5MM on his next deal.\u00a0 It also wouldn\u2019t be overly shocking if he was on waivers at some point on this deal if he\u2019s pushed out of a roster spot.<\/p>\n While Merzlikins showed promise early in his career, he simply hasn\u2019t been able to play at the level of an NHL starting goalie with much consistency.\u00a0 Frankly, his performance has been that of a backup at best more often than not.\u00a0 At this point, landing a deal paying half of what he\u2019s getting now could be a challenge barring him turning things around over the next couple of seasons.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2027-28<\/p>\n D Zach Werenski<\/a> ($9.583MM, UFA)<\/p>\n Signed Through 2028-29 <\/p>\n D Dante Fabbro<\/a> ($4.125MM, UFA) A few years ago, Calgary paid a first-round pick to clear the final year of Monahan\u2019s contract.\u00a0 But he stayed healthy to earn this contract and while he missed significant time with injury, he still potted 57 points in 54 games, scoring at close to the best rate of his career.\u00a0 It\u2019s likely Fantilli will take his top-line role in the near future but even if he holds down a second-line spot as a 50-point player, this contract should age well.\u00a0 Had he been on the market this summer, he\u2019d have landed a fair bit more than this.\u00a0 Wood had a good first year in Colorado but last season was one to forget between injuries and general struggles.\u00a0 The Avs attached him in the Coyle trade to clear out these final four years which is a clear sign of his current value.\u00a0 However, if he can return to his usual form, the cap charge for a mid-20-point player is reasonable.<\/p>\n Fabbro will go down as one of the top waiver claims in recent memory.\u00a0 Cast aside by Nashville, Columbus claimed him in November and immediately became an impactful player, playing well defensively while logging over 21 minutes a game.\u00a0 There\u2019s some risk with this contract given his play with the Predators but if he can maintain this level, this will become a team-friendly pact pretty quickly.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2029-30 Or Longer<\/p>\n F Mathieu Olivier<\/a> ($3MM through 2030-31) Olivier picked a great time for a career year, scoring more goals last season than the rest of his career combined.\u00a0 While his reputation is that of a fourth-line pugilist, he actually has played higher in the lineup over the last couple of years and as long as he can legitimately hold down a third-line role, this should age relatively well.\u00a0 But if he\u2019s pushed down as other prospects join the lineup, this could become pretty pricey.<\/p>\n This contract for Provorov feels like the Werenski situation repeating itself.\u00a0 They couldn\u2019t afford to lose him for nothing so they paid an above-market price to keep him.\u00a0 It worked out great with Werenski but this could be harder to get positive value on.\u00a0 Provorov is a top-four defender but he hasn\u2019t been able to get his production back to his early Philadelphia days when it looked like he was on his way to being an impactful player on that side of the puck, not a secondary contributor.\u00a0 Had he made it to the open market, he probably would have landed something close to this price tag given the short supply but this looks like a fairly steep overpayment relative to his recent performance.<\/p>\n Something similar could be said for Severson, whose contract seemed high at the time of the sign-and-trade with New Jersey and that remains the case today.\u00a0 He\u2019s a serviceable second-pairing player but was notably scratched down the stretch, hardly an ideal situation for a player signed for six more years.\u00a0 He turns 31 this week and those final couple of years could be an issue.\u00a0 They likely weren\u2019t thinking the first few would be an overpayment as well.<\/p>\n Still To Sign<\/p>\n D Daemon Hunt<\/a> Buyouts<\/p>\n D Adam Boqvist<\/a> ($533.3K in 2025-26) Retained Salary Transactions<\/p>\n None<\/p>\n Carryover Bonus Overage Penalty<\/p>\n None<\/p>\n Best Value: (non-entry-level) Marchenko Looking Ahead<\/p>\n
D Denton Mateychuk<\/a> (two years, $886.7K)<\/p>\n
Fantilli: $3.2MM
Mateychuk: $750K
Total: $3.95MM<\/p>\n
F Yegor Chinakhov<\/a> ($2.1MM, RFA)
F Charlie Coyle<\/a> ($5.25MM, UFA)
G Jet Greaves<\/a> ($8.125K, RFA)
D Erik Gudbranson<\/a> ($MM, UFA)
F Boone Jenner<\/a> ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Cole Sillinger<\/a> ($2.25MM, RFA)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/USATSI_22721297-229x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Sillinger just turned 22 and already has four NHL seasons under his belt and has taken some gradual strides offensively but isn\u2019t quite proven as a second-line middleman just yet.\u00a0 Notably, he\u2019ll only be two years away from UFA eligibility next summer while also having arbitration rights.\u00a0 If the sides can\u2019t agree on a long-term pact, a one-year second bridge contract could run the team around $3.5MM while a medium-term agreement might land closer to $5MM per season.\u00a0 On the other hand, if he takes a jump forward and Waddell is ready to lock him up long-term, the price tag could push past the $6MM mark.\u00a0 It\u2019s not often someone this age is in this contractual spot since few 18-year-olds play in the NHL right away and with his development so far, there\u2019s a wide range of outcomes.<\/p>\n
F Kent Johnson<\/a> ($1.8MM, RFA)
F Isac Lundestrom<\/a> ($1.3MM, UFA)
F Kirill Marchenko<\/a> ($3.85MM, RFA)
G Elvis Merzlikins<\/a> ($5.2MM, UFA)
F Dmitri Voronkov<\/a> ($4.175MM, RFA)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/zach-werenski-columbus-242x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Werenski\u2019s contract raised some eyebrows at the time it was signed but after they lost Seth Jones<\/a> to Chicago, they weren\u2019t in a spot where they could risk losing their top defender.\u00a0 After injuries wrecked the first year of the agreement, he has played at a true number one level, an all-situations player who logs heavy minutes and puts up plenty of offense.\u00a0 He led the Blue Jackets in scoring last season, averaging just over a point per game while finishing second in Norris Trophy voting.\u00a0 Given the inflationary trend of the market (particularly on the back end), Werenski appears to be on his way to landing another raise three years from now on another long-term agreement.<\/p>\n
F Sean Monahan<\/a> ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Miles Wood<\/a> ($2.5MM, UFA)<\/p>\n
D Ivan Provorov<\/a> ($8.5MM through 2031-32)
D Damon Severson<\/a> ($6.25MM through 2030-31)<\/p>\n
F Mikael Pyyhtia<\/a><\/p>\n
F Alexander Wennberg<\/a> ($891.7K in 2025-26)<\/p>\n
Worst Value: Provorov<\/p>\n