Defenseman Jake Christiansen has signed a two-year, $1.95M contract extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The move, which carries a $975k average annual value, was announced by the club Friday.
“Jake is a mobile, puck-moving defenseman who continues to improve and become a consistent contributor on our blueline this season,” said President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell.
“His high character fits in well in our dressing room and we are excited about his future with our club.”
Christiansen has played in every game with the Blue Jackets this season, rotating between the second and third pairing and averaging just over 13 minutes of time on ice per game. In those 45 games, he has one goal and six assists for a total of seven points.
The 25-year-old has 89 career games in the NHL, with a stat line of two goals, 12 assists, and 14 points.
First goal of the season for Jake Christiansen!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/qx2fkw5QTB
— FanDuel Sports Network Columbus (@FanDuelSN_CBUS) December 22, 2024
Christiansen originally signed a three-year, entry level contract with the club on Mar. 4th, 2020 and made his NHL debut Jan. 6th, 2022. He was an undrafted free agent.
This extension will keep with the Blue Jackets through the 2026-27 season.
QUICK THOUGHTS:
It's the second well-deserved contract extension of the week for a Blue Jacket, following the news Monday that veteran forward Zach Aston-Reese re-upped with the club for the 2025-26 season.
Christiansen earned a spot on the roster with another solid camp and impressing the new coaching regime, particularly head coach Dean Evason. He was immediately inserted into a second-pairing role and has rotated between the second and third pairing all season long. It's very telling that Jake is yet to be a healthy scratch this season, considering that veteran blueliners Damon Severson and Jack Johnson and fellow young defender Jordan Harris have been scratched on multiple occasions this season.
His +4 plus/minus playing with various players and in various situations is a small-but-impactful showing of what he's done on the ice, and Evason has also entrusted him to play on the penalty kill as well.
As it was with Aston-Reese, the job of Christiansen was not to come in and be a top producer on the club. Instead, it's to play a pivotal role in the middle-bottom of the rotation and understand Columbus' systems and strategies. Jake has done just that and has proved himself to be a more-than-capable NHL-caliber blueliner.
