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The Columbus Blue Jackets started their 2025 NHL Free Agency period by bringing back a couple of pending free agents on the blue line. The Jackets have re-signed Ivan Provorov to a seven-year deal worth $8.5 million per year. While the Russian-born blue liner got a solid payday, the Blue Jackets may come to regret this deal.
This was not the first defender that Columbus brought back this offseason. They re-signed Dante Fabbro to a four-year $16.5 million extension earlier. This gives the Blue Jackets their top four defensemen in terms of ice time, all under contract for at least the next three seasons. The Jackets also still have cap space to fill other needs. They are still $20.5 million under the cap currently.
Provorov was the seventh overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. He would join the Flyers in the 2017-17 season, playing all 82 games, scoring six goals and adding 24 assists. The blueliner would also prove to be a highly reliable player for the Flyers. He did not miss his first game until January 2022, when he entered COVID-19 protocols.
Still, Philly would trade away their defender, sending him to the Blue Jackets in a three-team deal in the summer of 2023. Since joining the Jackets, he has played in all 164 games, scoring 12 goals and having 53 assists over two seasons.
The Blue Jackets keep their blueline intact, but at a steep cost
Last year, Zach Werenski, Provorov, Fabbro, and Damon Severson led the Blue Jackets in ice time. Werenski also led the team in assists and points last year. Still, all four of them are now back under contract and make up the top two defensive rotations for the Jackets. While the defense comes back intact, it was not great last year.
They were 25th in the NHL in goals against per game and 20th in the NHL in save percentage. This means that while they gave up a lot of goals, they also gave up a lot of shots. The Jackets were sixth in the NHL in opponent shots last season.
Columbus was also not great on the penalty kill. They were 22nd in the NHL on the PK, and the second PK unit, which was home to Provorov, was a major part of that. Provorov does have some desirable qualities, though. He has had over 22 minutes per game of ice time in all but his first season in the NHL.
Furthermore, he has missed just three games in his NHL career. At $8.5 million per year, keeping a defensive unit that was struggling is a steep cost. Still, if Provorov continues to play well, it could be worth it in the long run.
Final thoughts and grade on the Ivan Provorov contract
The Blue Jackets may have overpaid here. They wanted to retain their rearguardman, but did so at a high price. The franchise has had trouble retaining talent in the past, which could have factored into their decision to overpay for Provorov. Still, his comparisons do not match the salary he is bringing in.
To begin with, he is making just under a million less than Werenski. Werenski is one of the best defenders in the NHL, and amazing on the offensive side of the ice. This is something that is not the same for Provorov. Further, he plays on the same side of the ice as Werenski, meaning he will be a second rotation defender. While he will see plenty of ice time, this is a hefty price tag for a second rotation defender.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets did not get Aaron Ekblad in free agency. Ekblad is a higher-quality defender than Provorov, yet the Blue Jackets are paying over $2 million more per year for their guy. Finally, his projected net rating for next year is at a minus 0.8. This places him right around league average for a defender, or a fourth defender on a roster. Still, his salary will be in the top 20 of defenders, well above the NHL average.
For Provorov, this is a great deal. He is getting paid well above his value, and is just 28 years old. When the contract ends, he will have just turned 35. He could chase a Cup with his next contract if he desires to. He also has a no-movement clause that moves to a full no-trade clause until the last two years of his contract.
Further, a majority of the players being paid more than him at the blue line are younger than him, so to sign this long of a deal for this much money is a major win for the Russian-born player. The biggest issue for Provorov may be that he did not sign with a team expected to contend this year. That could change over the lifetime of the contract, though, and being paid this much also helps make up for that.
Blue Jackets Grade: D
Provorov Grade: A
