We are almost to August and there is still a lot to be settled for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Believe it or not, Training Camp will open in less than two months.
Welcome to a mid-summer edition of Blue Jackets News and Rumors. We normally don’t have this much to talk about at this part of the offseason. But with a potential arbitration hearing on the horizon along with other big news, it’s time to reset the situation.
Latest on Kirill Marchenko
Russian reporter Daria Tuboltseva recently had the chance to speak to Kirill Marchenko. He along with several other players played in the NHL/KHL All-Star Game. The game finished 8-8 with Alex Ovechkin being named Player of the Game. Blue Jackets’ forward Dmitri Voronkov scored a goal for the NHL All-Stars.
Marchenko opened up about a couple of things most notably his ongoing contract negotiations. You can read Daria’s piece here. The biggest thing he said about the negotiations is that he’s not worried.
“My contract arbitration hearing is scheduled for July 31st. I’m not worried. I just don’t want to go to Toronto (where hearing would take place),” Marchenko said. “If we don’t reach an agreement before that date, it would be better if I flew to the hearing. If necessary, I will go to arbitration.”
Marchenko went on to say that he hasn’t received any worthy offers from the Blue Jackets and that things are progressing slowly. He is hoping there is a more specific offer from them in the coming week.
Marchenko also admitted that he is considering both short and long-term deals with the Blue Jackets.
The first two potential arbitration cases were easier to settle with both Jake Christiansen and Jet Greaves agreeing to new deals before their hearings. Marchenko’s situation is a little different given his early production. With GM Don Waddell still being new to the team, it’s interesting to consider what process he will use to determine when to give out longer-term contracts.
Still, no Blue Jacket has ever gone through with the arbitration hearing. Marchenko’s desire is to get a new deal before July 31 but he is prepared to go to Toronto if necessary. His agent Dan Milstein did not respond to a request for comment about where things currently stand.
The sense I get is that Marchenko’s situation will be determined before July 31 assuming the ongoing coaching search is done by then. More on that one later.
Laine Training in Florida
Patrik Laine remains in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program as of this writing. The Blue Jackets had thought he would be reinstated “soon” but they continue to wait just like everyone else.
But Laine was spotted in Florida this week training with some NFL stars under the guidance of Dr. Sharif Tabbah and Alkeme Sports Rx. Based in Davie, Florida, Alkeme helps athletes with a variety of things including physical therapy, injury prevention, exercise recovery and performance training.
Laine hasn’t played in an NHL game since he left the game on Dec 14 against the Toronto Maple Leafs due to injury. We are now coming up on six months since he entered the Player Assistance Program.
The 2024-25 season is rapidly approaching. Seeing Laine train is a good sign that perhaps he will be reinstated soon. There are no updates as to a player’s status unless it comes from the league. It remains hard to say exactly when he will be back.
The moment Laine gets reinstated is when trade speculation will heat back up. Since teams cannot directly talk to Laine while in the program, it’s hard for them to pull off a trade. Now that it’s the middle of the summer and away from the draft, making a trade will be harder but certainly not impossible.
While it is the preference of the Blue Jackets to not retain salary and to get a roster player to help them now, they may have to come off that some depending who is interested and what they’re willing to offer. It’s entirely possible now that the Blue Jackets could get some form of futures back in a potential deal.
The other part to this that should be acknowledged is that it is entirely possible Laine starts the season with the Blue Jackets. If the team cannot find a trade, that could happen. Could we even see a change of heart given the new leadership on the team in the form of Waddell and a new head coach? That seems unlikely but it can’t be ruled out.
As for next steps here, we continue to wait to see if Laine will be reinstated soon. Given his appearance at Alkeme, that is a reasonable conclusion to draw.
Coaching Search
And now to the ongoing coaching search. It was a quiet week in terms of updates. The belief was that both Dean Evason and Jay Woodcroft flew to Columbus to meet with the team.
As of this writing (Sunday morning, July 21), I was told the process remains ongoing with the hope that a new coach is hired “soon.”
That’s not exactly breaking news however there isn’t anything to add at this point. The team is continuing their diligence on this most important decision.
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There are a couple questions you might be thinking to yourself though. Is it a problem that the Blue Jackets don’t have a coach yet? Right now, the answer is no. But if this somehow leaks into August, then it becomes a problem as it will raise a bevy of questions about why they weren’t able to reach an agreement with any of the three finalists. That would also leave less preparation time for the upcoming season.
Is there anyone else being considered now? As of this writing, I’m told it’s still the same candidates. Todd McLellan is on hold while the other two are being considered. As we’ve said before, Joel Quenneville is not a candidate for this job opening.
My own 0.02 here. Given Marchenko’s arbitration date of July 31, that gives a rough timeline of when to expect events. Ideally, the team wants the coach in place ASAP. If they can make it official this week, then they can turn to finishing off contracts. Now imagine if Laine is reinstated this week. Waddell would have an even fuller plate to deal with.
These next 10 days could prove to be instrumental for the Blue Jackets. We could see a new head coach, contract news and even a trade if things go according to plan.