BLUE JACKETS

COLUMBUS

The big headlines in Columbus will revolve around massive contract extensions for Sergei Bobrovsky, Artemi Panarin and possibly Zach Werenski, all of whom are free agents in 2019. But in the here and now, the Blue Jackets also need to take care of several prominent RFAs. Oliver Bjorkstrand, Ryan Murray and BOONE JENNER head the list, and Columbus doesn’t have a ton of cap space to play with, so it surely will be a bit of a dance. UFA forwards Matt Calvert, Thomas Vanek and Mark Letestu are destined to move on and sign elsewhere. Defenseman Ian Cole would be a nice UFA to retain if the price is right. Meanwhile, we’re probably seeing the end of the Jack Johnson era in Ohio.