from Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch,

As training camp draws near, the heat is getting turned up under unsigned Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen, in his strongest words yet, warned against Johansen not being signed by the start of camp on Thursday, and he questioned the motivation of Johansen’s agent, Kurt Overhardt.

“Our success is going to come from being a team, not a bunch of individuals or stars, or whatever,” Kekalainen said during the NHL prospects tournament last night. “To me, it’s huge that you go through training camp together and get ready.

“When training camp starts, that’s it. After that, the focus is on the guys who are there on tryouts or guys who are under contract. That’s it. That will be the only focus.”

Asked whether that meant he would no longer negotiate with Overhardt, Kekalainen paused.

“Draw your own conclusions,” he said.

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