In 2022-23, the Columbus Blue Jacket who played the most minutes was Andrew Peeke. Fifth on the list (behind two goalies and Johnny Gaudreau) was Erik Gudbranson. The results were predictable, with a horrible defensive performance from the team. Then-GM Jarmo Kekalainen knew he couldn’t go through the off-season without adding both talent and depth to the blue line.
The first big move was trading for Ivan Provorov (on my birthday, blech). For the cost of a late first round pick (the one acquired from Los Angeles in exchange for Joonas Korpisalo and Vladislav Gavrikov) and a second round pick (in either 2024 or 2025), the Jackets got Provorov from Philadelphia, with LA retaining 30% of his salary.
Provorov was a highly rated prospect and was selected one spot ahead of Zach Werenski in the 2015 draft. He played well early in his career, especially with Matt Niskanen as his partner, and was a leading defenseman on the 2018 and 2020 playoff teams for the Flyers. Things turned sour after that, and by 2023 Provorov had alienated the clubhouse and head coach John Tortorella.
This was a classic “needs a change of scenery” move for Provorov, and he handled it well. With Werenski in place, there was no pressure on Provorov to be the #1 defenseman. He was at his best when playing second pair minutes. He also seemed to have a better attitude, and helped mentor the growing collection of young, Russian players.
The most important ability is availability, and Provorov showed why. As the Jackets were once again hit with the injury bug, he managed to be the only player to dress for all 82 games. Over his eight year career, he has missed only 3 games (all in 2021-22).
The downside of that is that he ended up having to play a bigger role at times than is ideal for him. He was a regular on the power play, though his underlying numbers paled in comparison to the limited action of other defensemen like Adam Boqvist, Jake Bean, and David Jiricek.
The penalty kill should have been a better fit for Provorov, where he was a fixture on the top unit. Unfortunately he was almost always paired with Gudbranson, so it’s hard to say who was more at fault for their struggles.
2023-24 Stats
Games: 82
Goals: 5
Assists: 27
Points: 32
Plus/Minus: -11
PIM: 20
5v5 Corsi%: 48.47
5v5 Fenwick%: 49.33
Off Zone Start %: 42.68
Contract
Provorov has one year remaining on a six-year deal he signed in 2019. He will receive a $2M signing bonus and a base salary of $6.625M, but with the salary retention his cap hit is just $4.725M. He will be 28 years old and a UFA next summer.
With Denton Mateychuk expected to arrive in Columbus next season, and Werenski already signed long-term, it doesn’t seem likely that Provorov will stay in Columbus very long. The big question is whether he gets traded this summer, or by the trade deadline next season. I think the latter is more likely, and if he can play like this (or even better under a new defensive system, hopefully), then he should be able to attract a trade value that recoups what the Jackets paid for him.
High Point
On April 6, the Blue Jackets beat the Flyers 6-2, which effectively killed their playoff hopes. That revenge must have felt a little sweet to Provorov. He wasn’t one of the four defensemen to score for Columbus in that game, but he did lead the team with six blocks.
Low Point
In a 7-3 loss to the Islanders on December 7, Provorov was a season-worst -3. This came in the middle of a three game stretch in which he was -6.
Report Card
B
Provorov was guilty of his share of bone-headed defensive plays, but otherwise put together a solid season and could be relied on for big minutes every night.