The Columbus Blue Jackets' local nightmare is officially over.
Contentious contract negotiations are not anything new, though. They have been through the war of words before, both publicly and privately. It's almost a rite of passage at this point.
It doesn't matter if you're on the club side or the player side: it's always good for hockey to see the client on the ice. Seeing Josh Anderson on the ice is a welcome sight for both fans and team alike, but according to GM Jarmo Kekalainen, the debut may not come Friday during Columbus' season opener.
The Cavalry Has Arrived
What no one wanted to talk about during this negotiation was the fact that the Blue Jackets really needed Anderson. Despite a below-average shot differential and high PDO, Anderson is a skilled player. Combine that with his size and visions of Milan Lucic begin dancing in your head, and you've got a piece that many teams covet.
Looking down the lineup, the top six is solid, but moving down the depth chart, there's a fourth line with career AHLers and unproven players. Pushing those players out despite whatever they did in training camp is important, and establishing forward depth is a reason why the Blue Jackets were as successful as they were last season.
Putting players in positions to succeed is just as important; not putting loads of pressure on young players can't be understated. Anderson impacts the team by just being in the lineup and not providing anything past being a body, and it sure helps that he's an even-strength goal-scoring monster (all 17 of his goals in 2016-17 were even-strength) who didn't need special teams minutes to chip in.
The Blue Jackets need Anderson to shoot more this season, both to offset regression that's likely coming and to become more of an impact player in terms of shot differential. At this stage in his career, Anderson qualifies as a competent bottom-six forward but has the capability to be much more.
No Hard Feelings?
Negotiations can be tough. People stick to their guns and believe they are in the right, for a variety of reasons. Disagreements are not uncommon but it doesn't take long for it to become personal, leaving a poor taste in everyone's mouths.
This isn't just a Blue Jackets problem, this is a sports problem in general. The collective bargaining agreements agreed to by the owners and the players' unions allow for certain rights to be held and then withheld. As a restricted free agent, Anderson had almost no leverage other than withholding his services from the team. There were threats of playing in Switzerland and playing in the Olympics with Canada.
None of it ended up coming to fruition. So are there hard feelings on either side? Have the Blue Jackets soured on dealing with Anderson's agent (Darren Ferris) after this contract?
There are too many questions and not enough answers.
“Josh is coming back for his teammates and the fans,” Ferris told The Athletic. “His teammates were in touch with him throughout this process, and very supportive. "The team wants to win, right? The coach wants to win. I think they just move on. This isn't the first time they've had a situation like this, right?”
That doesn't sound like an agent willing to let it go, does it? Is anyone truly happy with this deal as both sides speak to the media in subdued tones?
The bottom line is the Blue Jackets have Anderson back in the mix (and to their benefit), and Anderson has a new contract that pays significantly more money than the previous one. It's time to move on.
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