In his second year with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ivan Provorov continued to play a major role on the blue line. He skated in all 82 games again (fun fact: in 9 NHL seasons, Provorov has missed just 3 games. He has played the maximum number of games 8 times) and he trailed only Zach Werenski in minutes per game by defensemen. In addition to a second pair role at even strength, he was frequently on the second power play unit, and always the top-used penalty killer. He displayed an extra level of versatility by primarily playing on the right side – rather than his natural position on the left – once Denton Mateychuk came up and earned his place as the second LHD.
The big question is whether Provorov has a future in Columbus. When he was acquired in June 2023, he had two years remaining on his contract and it was expected that he would be trade bait at some point in order to recoup some of what was spent to get him. With the Jackets in a playoff spot at the trade deadline, it was prudent to keep the roster intact to give them a chance to make it together.
That push fell short, of course, and now Provorov enters unrestricted free agency. In his end-of-season media availability, GM Don Waddell expressed an interest in re-signing Provorov. Provorov’s agent had made it known publicly in the middle of the season that Provorov was also interested in staying in Columbus. His younger brother, Vladimir, is 17 years old and has been playing junior hockey in New Jersey for the last two years. While he will be joining the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL next season, he has committed to play at Ohio State beginning in 2027. Surely Ivan would like to overlap with Vladimir in Columbus, but at age 28, in his first chance at the open market, would he be willing to take a short-ish term – say, 3-4 years? That is likely where Waddell’s comfort level would lie. On the other hand, there should be other teams that would be willing to go the full 7 years for him, and match or exceed Columbus in AAV. The Jackets have cap space, but already a lot of money committed to the defense, between Zach Werenski and Damon Severson.
2024-25 Stats
Games: 82
Goals: 7
Assists: 26
Points: 33
Plus/Minus: 11
PIM: 31
5v5 Corsi %: 48.3
5v5 Fenwick %: 48.1
5v5 O-Zone Start %: 46.4
Contract
Provorov just finished a 6 year contract that paid him an average annual value of $6,750,000. Thanks to the three-team trade with Philadelphia and Los Angeles, the Kings retained 30% of his salary, so his cap hit in Columbus was just $4.72M. That’s a great deal for someone like Provorov! You’d have to think he’s going to want a raise, both based on his play and the rising cap. Is he worth $7.5M? I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that, especially with Werenski at $9.58M and Severson at $6.25M (not to mention Erik Gudbranson for one more year at $4M).
High Point
Provorov’s highest point total of the season was 3, all assists in a 6-4 Jackets win over the Blues. Two were even strength and one was short-handed.
Low Point
There were four games where Provorov was -3, including the 0-5 loss to Toronto on April 5, which was a weekend that essentially blew the playoff berth.
Report Card
B
He’s a good, solid player. He’s not great. There were certainly plays that stood out as “jeez, Provorov, what were you doing there” but most of the time he was competently invisible, which is ideal for a second pair defenseman counted on mostly for his defense.