Today, Columbus Blue Jackets training camp continues on without Josh Anderson.
If media reports about the gap between the team and Anderson being large are true – and there’s obviously no reason to think they are not – it looks as though we’ll be able to say that for the foreseeable future.
It’s a big change from, well, about three months ago, it seems. As the expansion draft neared, Columbus was one of the biggest dancers with Vegas in the trade market, trying to figure out ways it could keep as many of its young, talented players as possible.
Losing Jack Johnson would have hurt, given he paired with David Savard to comprise one of the most consistent blue lines in the NHL a season ago. Saying goodbye to goaltender Joonas Korpisalo also would have left a hole on the team’s depth chart, while the entirety of perhaps the team’s most effective playoff line – Anderson, William Karlsson and Matt Calvert – was also staring the expansion draft in the face.
Of that group, it’s fair to say Anderson was in many ways a headliner. And why wouldn’t he be? After a 17-goal debut season at the age of 22, the potential of bigger things to come seemed to be foreshadowed.
Eventually it was Karlsson who headed to Vegas in a deal that also cost the Jackets their first-round pick but allowed the team to offload the contract of injured forward David Clarkson. With most of the 2017-18 roster intact, it seemed Columbus had secured the best available outcome, at least in management’s eyes.
Now, three months later, seemingly one of the key pieces of that whole rigmarole isn’t around. Before camp even started, head coach John Tortorella offered what was essentially a “be there or be square” message to the young forward.
“We talk about a young player that’s not in camp,” Tortorella said, seemingly referencing Anderson. “He may lose his job. That’s the way it works. That’s healthy. That’s not a threat. That’s healthy. That’s the fun part.”
So, what happened?
Of course, it would be folly to simplify this whole thing too far. The Vegas deal wasn’t just about protecting Anderson, and just because the team is holding its line doesn’t signify a major change in its thinking about the forward’s skills.
In fact, both sides have what you could call fair points. For Anderson, you can look at his debut season – in which he showcased excellent speed, a heavy shot and a physical presence – as evidence he deserves a payday.
Now 23, his best years seem to be ahead of him, and he and agent Darren Ferris aren’t stupid. They watched Columbus maneuver ahead of the expansion draft and know there’s a market for a player of his skills.
Yet for a Columbus team that still seemingly wants to make a move for more offense at some point this year, giving too much to a young player with just a single full year under his belt represents a risk.
That’s especially true when you consider the following names – Cam Atkinson, Boone Jenner, Matt Calvert, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jack Johnson, Ryan Murray and Markus Nutivaara. The seven players are without contracts for next season – with Atkinson, Calvert and Johnson unrestricted free agents and the rest restricted – and the Blue Jackets will need to open up the checkbook to keep them in the fold.
No numbers have been reported as for what either side is asking for. Our own Rob Mixer compared Anderson to Toronto’s Connor Brown, a 23-year-old who re-signed in August after a 20-16-36 line last year. Brown inked a three-year deal for $6.3 million to return to the Maple Leafs, and you could argue it would be something approaching a steal to get Anderson on a similar contract considering even Calvert boasts a $2.2 million cap hit this year.
But it must be pointed out that much of the deal the Jackets are likely trying to get done hinges on how one sees Anderson’s future as a player. Is that 17-12-29 campaign just the tip of the iceberg as the winger builds into a power forward who can play in a top-six role? Or does Anderson settle in as a 30-point player, one with some fun skills but one who simply isn’t blessed with top-six offensive talent?
It’s a tough one, and I’m not here to really back either side. It’s just fascinating to watch how someone who seemingly was such a big part of the organization’s future three months ago sits in such a prolonged state of limbo.
Numbers Game
Now that I started thinking about it, predicting which Blue Jackets of next year’s seven free agents re-sign and which leave the pasture is a pretty difficult exercise.
Of course, the Jackets would like to keep all seven, but that’s not how this works. The team currently has about $50 million of the $75 million cap spoken for next year, and with some younger players likely stepping up this year, some of the veterans will be on their way out.
Those seven currently make a combined $17.255 million as far as their cap hits go, according to CapFriendly, but many will be due a raise.
Perhaps the two most intriguing free agents-to-be are Jenner and Murray. A year ago, each seemed like essential building blocks for the team’s future, but the two now face pretty big years in 2017-18 after this past season didn’t exactly go as well as either had hoped.
Bjorkstrand and Nutivaara, each of whom are RFAs, can play themselves into a solid paycheck with big years. As two of the older players on the team, Calvert and Johnson could find spots hard to come by next year.
That leaves Atkinson, who has been the subject of extension talks this offseason. Atkinson will be 29 when he hits the free agent market, so he won’t exactly be a spring chicken. But if he can top 30 goals again as he did last year, he’ll be a prized commodity on the market, one reason the Jackets would appear to want that deal done sooner rather than later.
Traverse Review
I wanted to point out before we get too far away from the event just how much I enjoyed heading up to Traverse City to take in the annual prospects tournament, in which the Blue Jackets finished second this year, just shy of a record-tying fifth victory.
I’ve had plenty of friends who have either lived in or visited Traverse tell me how much fun the city is, but for a first visit, I have to say I came away impressed. First, the scenery is gorgeous – upon first viewing, the deep blue water of the bay is so stunning it takes your breath away – and the city is fun (and well apportioned with breweries for a spot its size).
As for the hockey, it’s fantastic. There are future NHL players on each team, and the fact you can get to close to the action – each rink is about the size of the Ice Haus in Columbus – makes it an almost interactive experience. You can also see plenty of notable scouts and executives walking around along with the players.
When I was in Traverse, someone on the local sports talk radio station pointed out that the event is even underappreciated in the city, with many fans waiting to head to the rink until the full Red Wings squad arrives the next week for the team’s training camp. If you’re ever looking for a September road trip, though, it’s certainly worth the drive.
While I was there, I was able to write prospect profiles on Pierre-Luc Dubois, Vitaly Abramov, Gabriel Carlsson, Matiss Kivlenieks and Paul Bittner, all of whom were candid about their experiences in union blue and their hopes for the upcoming season. I hope you enjoyed it, and maybe I’ll see you up there next year.
A First Of Firsts
There will be many firsts for the Vegas Golden Knights this year, and one was checked off Sunday when Tyler Wong scored the first-ever goal for the team in its preseason opener against Vancouver.
My old friend CBJ Prospects took the opportunity to ask fans who scored the first Blue Jackets goal in franchise history. Most know Bruce Gardiner got the first-ever regular-season tally, but I think a lot fewer remember Martin Spanhel put the first exhibition game biscuit in the basket back in 2000.
Spanhel went on to play in six regular-season games that first season and four a year later, potting a goal in each campaign. Many know him now as the head of the CAHL rec league in Columbus, where he has to deal with a bunch of wanna-be athletes who take the whole thing too seriously (guilty as charged there, as I wait for a new set of goalie pants to arrive).
For that and that alone, he deserves this shout-out.
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