Subscribe
Follow Us
Although Mathieu Olivier was considered a trade candidate entering the 2024-25 season, in the midst of one of his best NHL campaigns, he's officially off the market.
The Columbus Blue Jackets signed the bruising forward to a six-year, $18 million contract extension ($3 million AAV) on Wednesday, general manager Don Waddell announced.
“Mathieu Olivier has emerged as a key contributor on and off the ice thanks to his work ethic, dedication, leadership and other intangibles that are critical to a team’s success,” Waddell said, per the official release. “Ensuring that Mathieu remains a Blue Jacket was a priority for us and we are ecstatic that he and his family will be part of our Blue Jackets family for many years.”
Olivier has been a wrecking ball in Ohio this season, managing 232 hits in just 61 games. That's good for second league-wide, behind only Vancouver Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood.
The 28-year-old has also managed career-highs offensively, chipping in 12 goals and 21 points while mainly playing in a bottom-six role. Over 229 career NHL games split between the Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators, Olivier has recorded 25 goals, 55 points, 352 penalty minutes, 675 hits, 184 blocked shots and 246 shots on goal, per the release.
Columbus acquired Olivier from the Predators prior to the 2022-23 season for a fourth-round pick. He signed a two-year, $2.2 million contract with the Jackets the following summer.
The 6-foot-1 forward has averaged 14:26 of ice time in 2024-25 while playing in every one of Columbus' games, and he's become a key piece of the forward core this year. Now locked up long-term, the Biloxi, Mississippi native will look to help the Jackets return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2019-20.
Blue Jackets right in the thick of Eastern Conference playoff race
The Blue Jackets have hung around the playoff picture for basically the entire campaign, and they're surging at the perfect time. Despite a disappointing 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night, Columbus is 30-23-8 and currently occupies the top wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference.
The Jackets had won four in a row before Tuesday's defeat, and are looking well-positioned to remain in a postseason slot over their last 21 games.
With the New Jersey Devils struggling as of late, Columbus is now just four points away of leapfrogging them and taking over third place in the Metropolitan Division — and they have two games in hand.
The squad is also getting healthy at the perfect time; captain Boone Jenner and top forward scorer Kirill Marchenko are back in the lineup, and Yegor Chinakhov also made his return after a lengthy absence on Tuesday night.
Along with the continued Norris Trophy-caliber play from Zach Werenski — he scored both of his team's goals on Tuesday night — the Jackets look like they have a great chance to still be in a playoff spot come mid-April.
With 21 tilts left, every single one is going to be crucial for one of the NHL's best surprises. And that begins with another huge game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in Sunrise on Thursday night.
