Leading up to the 2025 NHL Draft on June 27-28, we will explore both trade targets and free agent targets that Don Waddell may want to explore in his quest to improve the Blue Jackets for next season.
Three years ago, the Columbus Blue Jackets shocked the hockey world by signing the biggest star on the market, coming off his first 100-point season for his longtime Canadian team, in large part due to how great of a city Columbus is for new families raising kids. Now, the Jackets have the chance to do it again.
Except this time, things are different. Instead of a team trying to convince itself it was ready to contend with a coach and management that had no idea what it was doing, the Jackets are actually ready to contend and do have a coach and management that know what they’re doing. Columbus is, or should be, an attractive destination.
But, unlike 2022 when the Jackets were the only team with cap space in a flat cap world, the salary cap is exploding, and there are approximately 31 teams ready to make a move on Mitch Marner.
Why He’s a Good Fit
I mean… he’s Mitch Marner. Who wouldn’t want to add an elite Right Winger who’s scored at an 100-point pace each of the last five season? Oh, and he’s one of if not the best defensive wingers in the league, spending regular time on the penalty kill, in late-game lead-protection situations, and even playing a game as a defenseman last season.
Now, some will point to his lack of playoff success as an issue, but I think the Toronto Maple Leaves are just cursed that’s overblown. Of the last four Toronto postseasons, Marner is over a point per game in three of them. He hasn’t been lighting the lamp a ton (career high of three goals in a single postseason is suboptimal), but that isn’t his game. He has a career goal to assist ratio of 1:2.35 over his career; he’s a playmaker, a playmaker the Jackets desperately need.
Where does he fit in the lineup? While it’s tempting to throw him with Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko and let ‘er rip, I think there’s a better fit on the second line. Monahan, Marchenko, and Dmitri Voronkov formed one of the best lines in hockey last season, while Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli showed some great chemistry. Add Marner to that line, and he can not only play with and mentor two upcoming stars, but provide a defensive anchor on it to provide more flexibility to the coaching staff.
Why He Should Come Here
A lot has already been laid out: An immediate and obvious role, a supporting cast just blossoming into their primes, and a great place to raise a family, close to home. There’s more that could be laid out, getting out of the shadow of Auston Matthews (or another star on a new team), less media pressure than Toronto, etc. But the real motivator here may be the cold hard cash. The Blue Jackets have the second most cap space in the NHL this offseason; they need to spend a minimum of $15M anyways to hit the cap floor. Why not knock that all out in one fell swoop?
Contract Proposal
The latest rumor on Marner is that he’s asking for a two- or three-year deal (due to the exploding salary cap) in the $12M-$13M range per year. I feel like the Blue Jackets should not only be willing to meet that, they should be well on their way to exceeding that. I’d personally feel comfortable signing Marner to a deal that matched Leon Draisaitl’s $14.5M AAV, making him the highest paid player in the league; I could see an argument to go as high as $16M AAV. Whatever Marner wants on term is more than fine; if he wants a short-term, fine; let the city sell itself. If he wants long term, great; it’ll look like a steal when the cap is well over $120M in five years.
In case you’re wondering about the practicality of all this, I made a spreadsheet with how the Jackets can not only be cap compliant, but have additional room to add over the next three years, even with Marner signed to a $16M AAV deal. The link to that is here.