via the Columbus Blue Jackets,
The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired defenseman Ivan Provorov as part of a three-team trade involving the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a first-round pick, 22nd overall, in the 2023 NHL Draft, and a conditional second-round pick in either the 2024 or 2025 NHL Draft, club general manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced today.
The details of the trade are as follows:
from Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch at the Detroit Free Press,
The Blue Jackets haven’t officially announced Babcock as their new coach because they’re waiting for his contract with Toronto to expire on June 30.
That deal was an eight-year contract worth $50 million that made him the highest-paid coach in the NHL, earning an average of $6.25 million per season. It would be a surprise if his salary with the Blue Jackets approaches that annual figure, but don’t be surprised if it's in the $4-5 million a year range.
Also don’t be surprised to see Babcock push Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to make immediate roster changes to add veteran talent over developing youngsters. He did spend one season at the helm of a bad team in Toronto, which led to the Maple Leafs winning the Auston Matthews sweepstakes in the 2016 NHL draft, but that’s not Babcock’s modus operandi.
His teams in Detroit were filled with established veterans and he pushed former Red Wings GM Ken Holland behind the scenes to sacrifice valuable assets — such as first-round picks and salary-cap space — to acquire older players.
Holland made several big mistakes along these lines, starting with a 2012 mid-season trade that sent Detroit’s first-round pick that year to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Kyle Quincey, a slow-footed defenseman. Quincey didn't do much in Detroit, but the Lightning used the pick to select goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy 19th overall....
Babcock was also the Red Wings’ coach when Holland signed veteran center Stephen Weiss in 2013 to a five-year contract worth $24.5 million. Weiss, who was 30, played parts of two injury-plagued seasons before Holland bought out the remaining three years.
from Aaron Portzline of The Athletic,
Almost one month ago, Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said he’d have a new coach in place “sooner rather than later.” An explanation for the drawn-out process came into focus on Saturday.
The Blue Jackets intend to hire veteran coach Mike Babcock when Babcock’s current contract with Toronto expires at the end of this month, a team source not authorized to speak publicly on the matter has confirmed to The Athletic. Babcock has been out of the NHL since he was fired by the Maple Leafs in 2019.
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report speculation of Babcock’s return to the NHL on Saturday.
The Blue Jackets had hoped to get Babcock under contract this week, but have been unable to complete an agreement with the Maple Leafs to buy out the remaining month of his contract. Unless that changes, the soonest the Blue Jackets could officially sign Babcock would be July 1....
The news sent shockwaves through the NHL on Saturday, and assuming the hiring takes place as planned, it will require a considerable amount of heavy lifting by the Blue Jackets’ public-relations and ticket-sales departments, with some fans already expressing discontent and disappointment on social media.
read on ($)
Speculation around the Memorial Cup is Mike Babcock will return to the NHL as @BlueJacketsNHL new coach and the delay in announcing coincides with his existing contract with the Maple Leafs expiring the end of this month. https://t.co/OUlxBRS8bq
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 3, 2023
via the Columbus Blue Jackets,
The Columbus Blue Jackets have relieved Brad Larsen of his duties as head coach of the National Hockey League club, General Manager and Alternate Governor Jarmo Kekalainen announced today. Larsen was named the eighth head coach in team history and signed a three-year contract through the 2023-24 season on June 10, 2021. The club also announced that the contract of goaltending coach Manny Legace will not be renewed.
"This season has been extremely disappointing and the responsibility for that lies with all of us," said Kekalainen. "These decisions were difficult and not made lightly given our respect for both Brad and Manny as coaches and people. Brad has been part of our organization for more than a decade, and we are extremely thankful for his hard work and many contributions - both on and off the ice - during that time. We wish nothing but the best for Brad and his family in the future."
On the 27th anniversary of the original Michigan goal by Mike Legg.
WELL WELL WELL…
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 2, 2023
We have acquired Jonathan Quick from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Michael Hutchinson and a 2025 seventh-round pick!#VegasBorn | #TheGoldenAgepic.twitter.com/ew53N5rvsr
With LA/CLB working on a Korpisalo/Gavrikov deal, word is one of the pieces in return will be Jonathan Quick. Loved watching him during his fantastic run with the Kings, backbone of their two Stanley Cup championships. A first-round pick will also be involved.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 1, 2023
from Craig Merz at the CBJ website,
Jakub Voracek said Monday that his chances of playing again this season with the Columbus Blue Jackets are "very slim."
The 33-year-old forward sustained a concussion Nov. 4 at the 2022 NHL Global Series in Tampere Finland, when he was hit below the nose with a high stick from Dryden Hunt of the Colorado Avalanche. He has not played since.
"After talking to many people and many doctors we came to the conclusion that as of right now, I'm not capable of coming back, I won't be coming back anytime soon," Voracek said. "Obviously, I'm going to make my best efforts to do that (return) but it might be a long process and as of now I don't see myself playing in the near future.
"I had a lot of head injuries in the past and that's something I've got to think about and be smart about and that's where I stand right now."
Voracek said he is not contemplating retirement at this point. He is signed through the 2023-24 season.
"If I'm going to be medically cleared, I'm going to try. We'll see about that," he said. "And retirement? I can't retire, I'm still under contract. I would like to finish it off. If I'm going to be able to, I'll be happy about that. If I won't be, that's going to be up to doctors.
from the Columbus Blue Jackets,
The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed defenseman Nick Blankenburg, center Sean Kuraly and right wing Jakub Voracek on Injured Reserve, General Manager and Alternate Governor Jarmo Kekalainen announced today. Voracek was placed on Injured Reserve retroactive to November 4, while Kuraly's designation is retroactive to November 5. The Blue Jackets have added defensemen Gavin Bayreuther, Marcus Bjork and David Jiricek to the roster on emergency recall from the Cleveland Monsters, the club's American Hockey League affiliate. In addition, defenseman Zach Werenski suffered a separated shoulder and torn labrum in Thursday's 5-2 win over Philadelphia and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season.
from Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com,
Patrik Laine's presence is everywhere in this city.
The Columbus Blue Jackets forward is being used heavily to promote the 2022 NHL Global Series against the Colorado Avalanche, his face all over billboards and television.
Walk into almost any bar in the city and there will be a Laine jersey, often signed, hanging on the wall, be it a Blue Jackets jersey or one from the Winnipeg Jets, his first NHL team. Some bars even have the blue-and-orange jersey from Tappara, the team in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland, that Laine played for before heading to the NHL.
Go to perhaps the most famous wing place in the city, Hook Restaurant, and there is Laine on the menu with Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov, his co-creator of the hat-trick, a dish that includes 33 chicken wings and waffle fries.
"Not everyone has a dish named for them," Laine said with a laugh.
There have been a lot of laughs this week for the 24-year-old, who is reveling in the opportunity to be in his home country during the NHL regular season, a rarity since he was selected by the Jets with the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.
from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,
I was on the road, in a car with a satellite radio, and I was tuned into the New Jersey Devils’ feed of the Devils-Blue Jackets game Sunday. I couldn’t help but feel for Devils play-by-play man Matt Laughlin and color analyst Chico Resch.
This should have been an empty netter for these guys: The Devils, poised for a letdown after an impressive 1-0 victory over the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, did not let down. They ran the Jackets out of whatever the name of the building is in Newark, final score 7-1. If you are the home announcers, it should have been an easy-peasy Sunday.
The problem was Laughlin and Resch had a hard time watching the spiritless, hapless, halfhearted Jackets. Resch, the old goalie, was particularly affected. It killed him that Jackets goaltender Elvis Merkins was “playing his heart out” while the rest of the Jackets fled from the net front. He used words like “embarrassing” and “pathetic.”
I felt for Chico. He’s 74 years old now. He roots for everybody – the Devils, especially – but mostly, he roots for hockey. He has 50-plus years logged as a player and a broadcaster, and he loves the game as much as life itself. The Jackets let him down Sunday. And if the Jackets let down Chico, who bleeds Devil Christmas tree colors, it goes without saying they let down Columbus and its true-blue fans. Once again, they failed to show, with the possible exception of Elvis – who seems to be the only Jacket with any fight in him.
via the Columbus Blue Jackets,
The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed winger Patrik Laine on Injured Reserve, club General Manager and Alternate Governor Jarmo Kekalainen announced today. He is expected to miss three-to-four weeks due to an elbow sprain suffered in Wednesday's game at Carolina.
Laine, 24, who scored the club's first goal of the season vs. the Hurricanes before suffering the injury, has recorded 177 goals and 151 assists for 328 points in 408 career games with the Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets since making his NHL debut in 2016-17. Last season, he scored at a point-per-game pace for the first time in his career as he tallied 26-30-56 and 24 penalty minutes in 56 outings.