Blue Jackets sign imposing defenseman Erik Gudbranson to four-year contract
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The Blue Jackets were tired of being pushed around.
After a number of bigger teams took liberties with their top players last season, the Jackets’ management team has addressed the issue this offseason with a one-two combination of toughness.
The first strike was June 30, when a fourth-round pick in last week’s draft was sent to the Nashville Predators to acquire Mathieu Olivier — a gritty 25-year old forward who’s not shy about throwing punches or his heft around. The second salvo landed Wednesday afternoon, when the Blue Jackets inked Erik Gudbranson, a 6-foot-5, 217-pound veteran defenseman whose primary job is to stiffen the Jackets’ resolve.
“It was important,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “We felt that we were light at times. That’s probably one cause of the defensive issues that we had. We have a lot of guys that are mobile and skilled, and good NHL players, but we were really light back there. Well, we’re a lot heavier back there right now.”
It cost a hefty price, though.
Gudbranson, 30, signed a four-year, $16 million contract that will cost the Blue Jackets an average annual value of $4 million a season against the NHL salary cap. That’s a $2.05 million raise per season from the $1.95 million the Calgary Flames paid him to provide the same elements last season.
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Prior to signing with Calgary, Gudbranson split the previous three years between the Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators, playing out a three-year contract worth $12 million that he originally signed with the Canucks in 2018.
That’s the same cap charge the Blue Jackets will now pay for the next four years if they keep the powerful blue-liner for the entire term of his new contract.
As soon as the news became public, a lot of Blue Jackets fans voiced their displeasure with the signing on social media, citing the move as a large “overpay” for a player that has just 27 goals, 67 assists and 94 points in 641 NHL games.
“There’s critics one way or the other, whatever we do,” Kekalainen said. “There’s always critics. So, you know, with all due respect and we appreciate the fans’ passion ... the one thing I’ll say is this system is dictating the CBA, in before the (unrestricted free agent) years we have to pay guys just for their points and their ice time and their other statistics. When you get to UFA, you pay for the intangibles too, and this is what this guy brings, and it’s the price of doing business and the market dictates that.”
Gudbranson, selected third overall in 2010 by the Florida Panthers, is a stay-at-home style defender. He’s also a scrapper who fought seven times last season — once in the preseason and six times in the regular season. He has also logged 708 penalty minutes in his NHL career, many after defending teammates or intimidating opposing players.
"I try to bring guys into the fight with me, if that's a way of saying it," Gudbranson said. "I hope that i can make guys feel a little bit more comfortable on the ice and make that a staple here."
Those are elements the Blue Jackets didn’t have last season after enforcer forward Zac Rinaldo — the muscle Kekalainen signed last summer — was disinvited from training camp because he refused a COVID-19 vaccine. The Jackets’ top skilled players paid the price while being targeted by bigger teams — most notably a pair of games against the Minnesota Wild.
That won’t be an issue in the season ahead.
Olivier is expected to earn regular playing time up front and Gudbranson will slot in somewhere within the Jackets’ top three defensive pairs. He’s also right-handed, has a big slap shot from the point and will give the Jackets’ defense added bite around their own net.
“He brings all those elements that we felt we were missing and he’s a great character guy,” said Kekalainen, who noted that one of Gudbranson’s former NHL coaches had already reached out to vouch for his leadership and attitude. “Our (pro) scouts have done this all year long. We identified the targets we felt we needed and our problem is not scoring goals. … We’ve just got to keep the puck out of our net, and this guy can defend, he’s a penalty-killer and he’s got size and strength and toughness and grit and leadership. So, we’re very excited to have Erik here.”
Last season was also a career-best for Gudbranson, who finished with high-water marks in goals (six), assists (11), points (17), shots (129) and plus/minus (+15) while logging the second-highest ice time of his career (1,414:09). He served 68 penalty minutes, drew 14 penalties, had 145 hits, blocked 92 shots and, according to Natural Stat Trick, absorbed 164 hits.
"I did a lot two summers ago, working on just being effective all over the ice," Gudbranson said. "A lot of it, believe it or not, was changing my (stick) curve and being able to settle down pucks quickly. In the offensive zone, everything is driven to the front of the net and when it comes low to high to the point, you have to be able to settle the puck quick and find a hole to get it there. I took a lot of pride in that this year and it ended up working out pretty well. It was really good for my confidence to get that part of my game going."
Blue Jackets sign 2022 first-round picks, David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk
The Blue Jackets announced shortly after free-agency opened that defensemen David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk, the team’s first-round picks this year, each signed three-year entry-level contracts.
Jircek, 18, was selected sixth overall in last week’s 2022 NHL draft in Montreal. Mateychuk, who turned 18 on Wednesday, was selected six picks later at 12th overall. Each of the highly-regardes blue-liners participated in a development camp this week at Chiller North that lasted three days and concluded Wednesday with a scrimmage attended by a large number of fans.
Jiricek and Mateychuk each showed off skills during their first development camp that prompted the Blue Jackets to take them so high in the draft. Jiricek’s size, skating and skill with the puck was evident and Mateychuk impressed with smooth skating, soft hands and creative playmaking vision.
Jiricek and Mateychuk may both play for the Jackets’ team that heads to Traverse City, Michigan in September for the annual prospects tournament and both are expected to participate in their first NHL training camp in September.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets in NHL free agency: Columbus signs Erik Gudbranson
