ZAR is stickin' around.
The Blue Jackets signed veteran forward Zach Aston-Reese to a one-year extension worth $775k, the club announced Monday.
The signing will keep Aston-Reese with the club through the 2025-26 season.
ANOTHER YEAR OF ZAR!
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 13, 2025
Weve signed forward Zach Aston-Reese to a one-year contract extension through the 2025-26 NHL season!
https://t.co/PofsArzQVO@RuoffMortgage | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/BRnNfzI7hG
It's an identical contract to his current one. The Blue Jackets acquired Aston-Reese when they claimed him off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights at the end of the preseason. Vegas had signed him to a one-year, $775k contract in July.
When Columbus claimed him, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell described the 30-year-old as "a smart and versatile player that can play any of the forward positions.”
He's been exactly that for the Blue Jackets. Aston-Reese has played in 42 of the team's 43 games, scoring four goals and adding seven assists for a total of 11 points. He's playing an average of 13:09 per game and has played both sides of the wings in second, third, and fourth-line roles.
#ZAR with his first as a #CBJ to make it a 5-3 game just seconds into the final period! pic.twitter.com/67oTnCZ803
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) October 18, 2024
With nearly half the season still to go, he's just six points away from tying his career-high of 17. That came in the 2018-19 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In announcing the extension, Waddell said Monday that Aston-Reese "has been a great addition to the Blue Jackets on the ice and in the dressing room."
"He brings speed, grit, and versatility to our forward group," added Waddell. "We are excited that he will continue to be part of our club."
Aston-Reese left Saturday's win over the St. Louis Blues with an upper-body injury, but appears to be healthy and on track to be in the lineup Tuesday night when the Blue Jackets host the Philadelphia Flyers.
QUICK THOUGHTS:
Aston-Reese has done exactly what the Blue Jackets expected of him when they brought him in before the start of the season. This was a team that needed a veteran forward after losing Boone Jenner and Dmitri Voronkov late in the preseason. His addition allowed for players like Luca Del Bel Belluz and (now that he's back from an injury) Gavin Brindley to get valuable experience winning professional hockey games and in the case of Del Bel Belluz, we're starting to see that pay dividends already.
ZAR isn't going to be a 30+ point guy — and that's fine; no one in the organization has that expectation. They wanted, as Waddell said when they brought him in, a guy who was smart, versatile, and had a veteran presence. This is a well-deserved extension and one that will continue to give Columbus stability.
