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The Columbus Blue Jackets missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season. This year, they were the first team out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs by just two points. Being this close to the playoffs, there was the expectation that general manager Don Waddell could be aggressive in NHL Free Agency. The Jackets did not make many moves externally, though, and their grade in free agency reflects that.
Columbus opened the offseason by making some trades. They first sent Daniil Tarasov to the Florida Panthers for a draft pick. They would then add Charlie Coyle to the group of forwards in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche. The team also lost a few pieces. Jordan Harris, a blue liner who played 33 games for the team, moved to Boston. They also lost Sean Kuraly to the Boston Bruins. He was a forward who played all 82 games for the team, scoring six goals with 11 assists. Finally, Justin Danforth moved to the Buffalo Sabres. He played in 61 games with nine goals and 12 assists last season.
The Blue Jackets would make just six signings this offseason, but without any major splash moves. This is how they grade out.
Blue Jackets extend Dante Fabbro
Dante Fabbro has received a four-year $16.5 million deal from Columbus this summer. The defenseman from British Columbia was the 17th overall pick of the Nashville Predators in the 2016 NHL Draft. After playing three years at Boston University, he would join the Predators for four games and the playoffs in the 2018-19 campaign. Fabbro would become a consistent player for the Preds over the next few years, including a 24-point season in 2021-22. After six games early in 2024-25, he would be placed on waivers, and the Jackets would claim him.
Last season, the blue liner would play in 62 games, scoring nine times while adding 17 assists. This would make him the third-highest scoring defenseman on the roster last year. Further, he was third in on-ice time this past season. The Canadian has shown a solid offensive repertoire in his game, although he did have a career high in giveaways this year. He would also have career highs in takeaways and shots blocked this past year. At a cost of just $4.125 million per season for a player who could sit on the top pairing with Zach Werenski, this was a solid deal.
Dante Fabbro contract grade: A-
Ivan Provorov gets a massive deal this summer
Columbus brought back their defenseman, Provorov, on a seven-year deal worth $8.5 million per year. He was the fifth overall pick of the Flyers in the 2015 NHL Draft and would make his debut with the Flyers in the 2017-18 season. The Russian would play all 82 games for the team that year, scoring six times and adding 24 assists. He would become an iron man for the franchise, playing 403 straight games, and not missing one until January 2022 when he was placed into COVID-19 protocols. The Flyers would still move on from their blue liner, trading him to Columbus in the summer of 2023.
Since joining the Blue Jackets, he has played in all 164 games, scoring 12 goals and adding 53 assists in two years. He has shown to be a solid offensive threat who can help on both the powerplay and the penalty kill. Regardless, he primarily plays on the left side of the defense, placing him behind Werenski. He is also making just over a million less than Werenski, who is a much better blue line piece. The Jackets got back a solid player, but paying him as one of the best 20 defencemen in the NHL was an overpay.
Ivan Provorov contract grade: D
The Jackets retain Owen Sillinger
Sillinger has returned to the organization on a one-year, two-way contract. He was undrafted out of Bemidji State University, but would join the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Jackets, in the 2021-22 campaign. He would spend the next three seasons there and was consistent as a player. In each of his three full years, he scored 11 goals in each of them, while also having 29 or more points in all three. This would lead him to making his NHL debut last season, playing in one game without a point.
Overall, on a two-way deal, and an NHL cost of just $775,000, this is worth the risk in hoping he develops. His brother, Cole, has been a solid player for Columbus over the past four years and continues to grow. Cole is also five years younger. This is a low-risk signing, but it will likely not yield a major reward.
Owen Sillinger contract grade: C
Isac Lundestrom joins the Blue Jackets
The former 23rd overall pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2018 joins Columbus on a two-year $2.6 million deal. The Swede broke into the NHL for the first time in the 2018-19 season, but would become a mainstay on the roster starting in 2020-21. He has played 337 games in the NHL, scoring 35 goals and adding 49 assists. This places his career averages at 20 points per 82 games played.
If Lunderstrom can play all 82 games and put up 20 points, this will be a solid deal for the team. Still, he has played over 65 games in a season just twice, and has reached the 20-point marker just once. His best season was in 2021-22 when he played 80 games with 29 points. There should be some hope with the soon-to-be 26-year-old, but this is not a signing that will make a major impact on the team.
Isac Lundestrom contract grade: B-
Dmitri Voronkov re-signs in Columbus
Voronkov was a restricted free agent this offseason. The Russian forward was the 114th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by Columbus and would make his NHL debut in 2023-24. That year, he would play in 75 games, scoring 18 times and adding 16 assists. He was even better last year. Last season, the forward put up 23 goals and added 24 assists. Still, advanced statistics suggest that Voronkov took a major step in growth this past season. Both his expected goal percentage and his chances created factor went up considerably over his first full NHL season.
Still, at an AAV of $4.175 million per year, this may have been a small overpay based on his prior production. Projecting what his production could be, though, may make this a solid deal in the long term. At just 25 years old, he still has room to grow. He became a major part of the powerplay, and has improved on defense as well. Overall, this might be a little expensive now, but could be a valuable contract by the end of the term.
Dmitri Voronkov contract grade: B
The Blue Jackets add Dysin Mayo to the blue line
The only defensive addition this offseason for Columbus was that of Mayo on a one-year deal. He was the 133rd overall pick of the Arizona Coyotes in the 2014 NHL Draft. Mayo would spend years in the AHL before making it to the NHL in the 2021-22 campaign. Over the next two seasons, he would appear in 82 games, scoring four goals and adding eight assists. He was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2022-23 season, but has spent his entire career with the Golden Knights in the AHL.
The Canadian blueliner is going to be 29 years old before the start of the season and has not shown to be an NHL-level defender. With some NHL experience, he could be a call-up in case of injury, but the Jackets have other, younger defenders in the AHL who could also fit that mold. Overall, he is a depth piece for the minors and did nothing to improve the NHL roster.
Dysin Mayo contract grade: D
Final grade on Columbus Blue Jackets' 2025 signings
Columbus scored well last year, sitting seventh in the NHL in goals per game, and was the highest scoring team to not make the playoffs. The powerplay was bad, though. They were 22nd in the NHL on the powerplay last year, and adding Coyle does not address that. Meanwhile, they were 25th in the NHL in goals-against per game and 22nd on the penalty kill. The only addition to the blue line was Dysin Mayo, who is an AHL-level player. The team did not address any major needs this offseason, and then, to cap it off, overpaid to keep Provorov on the team. Columbus was on the brink of the playoffs last year, but did nothing to give hope that they will break through next year.
Overall grade for the Blue Jackets' 2025 free-agency class: D
