The Gudbranson signing has always been contentious, but if you’ve seen the behind the scenes video of the Johnny signing it’s apparent he helped bring Gaudreau to Columbus. Erik spent a year in Calgary with Johnny and they clearly connected right away. His tribute at the beginning of the season was one of the ones that stuck with me through it all and I’ve shared it here again, he’s the first of the speakers. Gudbranson seems to quickly become a locker room favorite wherever he goes and has become a well-spoken part of this one and represents the leadership group well.
2024-25 Stats
Games: 16
Goals: 0
Assists: 4
Points: 4
Plus/Minus: +1
PIM: 6
5v5 Corsi %: 49
5v5 Fenwick %: 46
5v5 O-Zone Start %: 37.3
Contract
Erik Gudbranson is entering the final year of his infamous “4×4” contract that he signed in Free Agency in 2022. He is 33 years old and the former 3rd overall pick has bounced around the league playing with 8 different teams throughout his career.
High Point and Low Point
As your classic defensive defenseman, it’s hard to create memorable moments in a limited sample size. The high and low points for me are his almost season-ending injury he sustained in the third game of the year and the ensuing recovery and return to the lineup before the end of March. As tough as it is to suffer a shoulder injury requiring surgery so early, the recovery into game shape in under 6 months is impressive.
Report Card
B
In his limited sample of games Erik Gudbranson was putting up the best numbers in his time with the Blue Jackets. Some may say that’s a low bar to clear, but maybe he’s a much better fit with Evason’s system. Per NST at 5v5 his 48 xG% was 4th amongst the regulars on D, and above guys like Provorov despite having the worst offensive zone deployment of them all. He did miss the part of the season where the team was the most banged up and yet maybe there is some optimism for him going into next year if he can match these results.
Gudbranson has his flaws as a player, but this season was much more about off ice adversity than on. Let’s see how he can grow from this season and enjoy the physical presence and big shot he can provide in the final year of his contract.