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The Columbus Blue Jackets missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season this year. Still, there was improvement for Columbus this past season. After having just one season over 80 points and one season not in last place in their division in four years, they made a step forward this year. This past year, the Blue Jackets finished with 89 points and finished fourth in the Metropolitan Division. Columbus finished just two points outside of the playoffs this season, and here is the dream scenario for the Blue Jackets in this 2025 NHL Free Agency period.
The Blue Jackets are prepared to be aggressive this offseason. They have two first-round picks in this upcoming NHL draft, and plenty of draft capital in future drafts. Further, they are projected to have almost $43 million in cap space according to Cap Wages. Still, the Blue Jackets have multiple free agents. Columbus has three restricted free agents, plus nine unrestricted free agents that they need to make decisions on.
The Blue Jackets do have their core still under contract. At the blue line, Zach Werenski leads the way, and he is under contract for three more seasons. Still, they need to add depth to the blue line this offseason. Columbus also has Boone Jenner, Kirill Marchenko, and Sean Monahan all under contract to solidify their top line. They will need to fill holes further down the line, though, and with plenty of cap space, could make a big splash in free agency. This is the setup for the dream offseason for the Blue Jackets.
Blue Jackets would love to get Dmitri Voronkov re-signed
One of the pending restricted free agents for Columbus is Voronkov. He is coming off a solid second season in the NHL. Voronkov was drafted in the 2019 NHL Draft with the 114th overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets. After finishing his time with AK Bars Kazan of the KHL, he would move to playing in the United States in the 2023-24 season. Voronkov would play just four AHL games before joining the Blue Jackets for the rest of the season. He has been great in his two seasons overall. In his first year with the Jackets, he would play 75 games, scoring 18 goals with 16 assists.
In his second season, he would score 23 goals with 24 assists. Further, his advanced metrics show major growth from year one to year two. Not only did his time on ice increase, but his scoring chances created, expected goals scored, and his high danger chances all saw a major increase. His defensive numbers also got better, highlighted by his plus/minus rating. In the 2023-24 season, he had a minus-six rating, but that improved to +17 this past season.
Voronkov is also expected to be affordable for a young forward with plenty of upside. His contract is expected to be between $4.3 million and $6.3 million, depending on the length of the deal. While $6.3 million would make him the highest-paid forward on the Jackets currently, it would be well worth it for a player with such upside.
Columbus adds to the blue line
The Blue Jackets have just five blue-liners currently under contract at the NHL level. Werenski is the top player and under contract for the next few seasons. He was joined by Dante Fabbro, who is a free agent. Still, Damon Severson, Erik Gudbranson, Jake Christiansen, and Caleb MacDonald are all under contract. Of those players, Severson played the most this year, playing in 70 games and sitting fourth on the team in ice time per game. With both Ivan Provorov and Fabbro as free agents, the Blue Jackets need to find players who can fill minutes in a quality fashion from the blue line.
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The top solution would be finding a way to bring back Provorov and Fabbro. Provorov was solid last year, scoring seven goals and adding 26 assists. He also had a plus-11 rating this past year. Fabbro played 62 games with the Blue Jackets, scoring nine times and adding 17 assists while having a plus-23 rating. Provorov is expected to sign a contract for $7 million a year, while Fabbro would be near $4.5 million a year.
Columbus could bring both players back, while also adding depth to the blue line. Henri Jokiharju would be the perfect option for the Blue Jackets. First, he is young, turning just 26 before the start of next season. That fits in with the model the Blue Jackets have created of having a young and athletic core of players. Second, he is improving. While he has not jumped to playing top-line minutes, he just had his second straight season with a positive plus-minus rating. He was also solid on the penalty kill and had some offensive capability. Jokiharju is a restricted free agent, but his projected salary is just $3.5 million. The Blue Jackets can afford the salary and have the draft capital to sign him to an offer sheet.
Blue Jackets grab an experienced forward
Columbus needs more scoring depth this upcoming season if they want to make a step forward. Their top-scoring option this year was Werenski from the blue line. Monahan and Marchenko were solid from the top line. Monahan had 57 points in 54 games while Marchenko had 74 points in 79 games. Further, Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli were both solid on the second line. Still, there is a need to fill the left-wing spot on both lines. Boone Jenner played on the top line at the end of the season, scoring seven goals with 12 assists in just 26 games. Still, he is a natural center and may be better suited to play that position on the second or third line.
James van Riemsdyk is a pending free agent and played on the second line. He had 16 goals and 20 assists this past season, but was not a factor on the power play. The Jackets could go after a player like Mitch Marner, but it may be difficult to convince Marner to go to Columbus. Another solid option would be Jeff Skinner. Skinner played all three forward spots this past season and has shown both consistency and versatility. He saw his ice time decrease this past year in Edmonton, but prior to joining the Oilers, he had been scoring well with the Buffalo Sabres.
Skinner is playing in the playoffs for the first time in his NHL career, after playing over 1,000 career games. He is expected to cost just over $2.5 million in cap space. Grabbing Skinner would give Columbus plenty of options as well. They can move Jenner down to a second-line role and have Voronkov move to the top line. They could also keep the lines as is, and place Skinner replacing van Riemsdyk on the second line. He provides versatility and experience that the Blue Jackets need.
Bringing back Voronkov, combined with improving the blue line, and then adding a forward like Skinner, would make for the perfect free agency period for Columbus.
