Adam Clendening seems to have found a role.
And while he spent most of the 2018-19 season somewhere on I-71 between Columbus and Cleveland, he did whatever was asked of him. Play one night in Cleveland then drive to Columbus to be on-call in case a guy can't play? No problem. Step in during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and be part of one of the biggest upsets in NHL history? You got it.
The versatility and veteran presence of Clendening are among the reasons why the Blue Jackets signed the 26-year-old to a two-year contract extension, announced Tuesday. It's a two-way (NHL/AHL) contract for 2019-20, and becomes a NHL-only deal in 2020-21.
Adam Clendening #BlueJackets
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) June 25, 2019
2 year Contract Extension
2019-20: $700,000 NHL / $450,000 Minor
2020-21: $700,000 NHL
Clendening will be an Unrestricted Free Agent when his new contract expires in 2021.https://t.co/R3cEa7jhb1 pic.twitter.com/CjfPQ0Pi3T
From the team's release:
Clendening, 26, has registered four goals and 20 assists for 24 points with 49 penalty minutes and a +11 plus/minus rating in 90 career NHL games with the Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks. He has also collected 32-166-198, 365 penalty minutes and is +49 in 306 career AHL games.
The 6-0, 194-pound blueliner signed a one-year, two-way contract with Columbus on July 1, 2018. Last season, he was +1 in four regular season games with the Blue Jackets before making his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. Tampa Bay. He went on to collect 0-1-1, two penalty minutes and was +1 in seven games during the postseason. He also tallied 4-33-37 with 98 penalty minutes and a +18 plus/minus rating in 45 games with the AHL's Cleveland Monsters.
