Blue Jackets Free Agency 2015 Preview

By William Espy

The first priority of the Blue Jackets management before the July 1 free agent frenzy should be attempting to complete a deal with pending RFA Matt Calvert, after that however it is a completely different story. Many of the moves made recently were acquisitions of forwards, now the focus is changing to the blue line. With an abundance of forwards currently donning the union blue, even more cap space will be cleared up when one of them is traded.

While this year features a relatively weak free agent lineup, there is still some very solid talent defensively specifically on the right side. With the signing of rookie Mike Reilly appearing less and less likely daily, a right handed defenseman is quickly becoming a much higher need in Columbus.

MIKE GREEN

Mike Green used to be one of the best, if not the best offensive defenseman in the league just a few years ago. The former 31 goal scorer has spent his entire career in Washington and as the team begins to switch to a more defensive style of play, especially following the hiring of Barry Trotz at the beginning of this past season, a change of scenery for Green is looking more and more necessary for him to get back to his once phenomenal level of play. The 29 year old will be turning 30 right near the start of the 2015-2016 season and would provide the Jackets with another veteran leader on a relatively young blue line. Green is coming off of a 3 year, $18.25M deal with the Capitals and will more than likely receive a decent sized pay cut due to his decline in production the past few years. If Jarmo can get him for a decent price, Green would be a solid, and possibly great addition to the CBJ back end.

JUSTIN SCHULTZ

Justin Schultz is a very unlikely signing without a massive overpayment due to Edmonton’s ability to match nearly any offer. Schultz has been a single bright spot and a dark and horrifying defensive core in Edmonton but he has also been known to ask for more money than he has seemingly earned which could play into the advantage of the Blue Jackets.

DOUGIE HAMILTON

Dougie Hamilton is the main reason why Justin Schultz’s crazy wage demands may benefit the Blue Jackets tremendously and here’s why. Dougie Hamilton is a 6’5” 212 pound right hander from the Boston Bruins, he is only 21 years old and is a pending RFA. The Blue Jackets are one of the few teams who can afford to match his wage demands without risking any damage to their core and it the cap problems in Boston are well known. Hamilton is the future of the Boston blue line, however they currently cannot meet his wage demands and if a team submits an offer sheet they would not be able to match it without trading a top player. A future top pairing of Ryan Murray and Dougie Hamilton would create one of the best pairings in the NHL and would be a force.

RFA Compensation Chart

(From http://www.mynhltraderumors.com/2015/06/05/2015-restricted-free-agent-offer-sheet-compensation/ )