Brindley signs with Blue Jackets, to make NHL debut
Gavin Brindley is no longer just a Blue Jackets draft pick with promising NHL potential.
The Michigan sophomore is officially a Blue Jackets forward after signing a threeyear, entry-level contract Monday that allowed him to make his NHL debut Tuesday at Nationwide Arena against the Carolina Hurricanes to conclude the season.
Signing a 2023-24 contract and playing will burn the first year of Brindley’s contract, making him eligible for restricted free agency in two years instead of three. That wasn’t a big enough drawback to keep the Blue Jackets from extending the offer, which made him the team’s fifth player who played collegiately for Ohio State’s main rival.
“We’re just happy,” Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson said. “We’re happy that he signed. We’re happy that he’s coming. He’s going to be ours. I know some people may talk about burning a year (off the contract), but there’s pros and cons to that, too, for both sides. So, we’re not going to worry about it. We’re just going to go forward with a fine young man and a fine young player.”
Brindley, 19, was selected in the second round (No. 34) of last year’s NHL draft by the Blue Jackets, who also selected his former Michigan teammate, Adam Fantilli, third overall.
Fantilli, who played just one season at Michigan and won the 2023 Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player, began his NHL career last fall. Brindley, named a first team NCAA All-American and the Big Ten’s player of the year, will start his NHL journey to conclude the same season. After helping the Wolverines make a Frozen Four appearance and playing a key role for the U.S. in winning the gold medal at the world juniors in January, he’s ready to start his professional career.
“If he’d wanted to go back to college, that was his right,” Davidson said. “But our feeling, frankly, is that we think for him to improve, to become a bona fide NHL player, it was time to turn pro. So, he did. He’s got a great motor. He’s got a great way of playing with enthusiasm. He takes the body well. He can shoot and score. He’s a little bit of everything. He’s got all kinds of energy.”
Brindley is undersized at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, but is a speedy goal-scoring winger who can also play center. He lit up NCAA goalies the past two years to the tune of 37 goals, 54 assists and 91 points in 81 career games at Michigan, including 25-28-53 in 40 games this season.
Now, he’ll get an immediate taste of the NHL before heading into the offseason with a training regimen designed to prepare him for his first NHL training camp in September. He’ll become the second Michigan forward to make his NHL debut this week, following forward Frank Nazar’s intro with the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
“(Training camp’s) a long way away, but he’s a kid who’s always achieved his goals,” Davidson said of Brindley. “We’re going to be in a position where we’ll just have to take a good hard look at a lot of different people (in camp). We’ve got a lot of wingers. So, if he’s ready to play, we’ll take a hard look. If he’s not, we’ve got a great situation in Cleveland (AHL). It’s all about development. We’re not going to rush anybody. It’s also up to the next general manager too.”
Davidson is acting as the Jackets’ interim GM until a replacement for Jarmo Kekalainen is named. There’s still no timeline attached to the search, but Davidson has said a couple times that it will happen “soon.”
Warmer weather, colorful flowers and gloriously sunny skies aren’t the only things that put spring on people’s lists as the best season.
If you’re a cook, April is when you can look forward to a bounty of fresh herbs, tender lettuces and green vegetables not just in the grocery store, but at local farmers markets.
Sure, you can find fresh vegetables year-round at even the smallest markets. They’re just extra-awesome when you know something is only available for a couple of weeks in spring or has been grown nearby by a local farmer.
Asparagus immediately comes to mind as one of the season’s prized veggies. After months of eating winter root vegetables and lettuces and other greens grown in Mexico or California, now is the time to add the slightly peppery bite of locally grown arugula to the daily menu, along with the crunch of young Romaine and delicate nuttiness of super-sweet spinach.
Rhubarb, which pairs so wonderfully with strawberries, is also only available fresh in the spring. And who can resist the vibrant green color of two other seasonal favorites in sugar snap peas and green onions?
Delightful, right? Not to mention uber-nutritious and super refreshing.
It all adds up to spring being a great time to add a few new entree salads to your weekly rotation.
After our long winter nap, we can feel a little rusty coming up with fresh ideas for really great salads or seasonal sides. The three easy recipes from three new cookbooks that follow are a great way to get started.
One from Christopher Kimball’s very engaging latest tome, “Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” turns a traditional chicken salad on its head by tossing the meat in a creamy (and super green) tahini-herb dressing instead of mayonnaise. It includes sliced green apple and celery for extra crunch.
A recipe from America’s Test Kitchen’s new “The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook, 10th Anniversary Edition” joins sweet and delicately briny scallops with sugar snap peas and the zesty bite of fresh radish.
And for you asparagus lovers? We capture the flavors of the French Riviera with a recipe from French food writer Rosa Jackson’s just-released cookbook, “Nicoise: Market-Inspired Cooking from France’s Sunniest City.” It dishes up asparagus in a zesty but incredibly simple yogurt dressing, with a lovely grated-egg garnish.
All can be prepared in less than a half-hour and are gorgeous on the table. That leaves plenty of time and energy for where most of us really want to be spending time when April’s showers give way to spring sunshine — outdoors.
We’ve also included Milk Street’s “foolproof ” vinaigrette recipe for those fuss-free days when a simple bowl of salad greens suffices as a side or starter.
ASPARAGUS WITH YOGURT DRESSING
The perfect spring side dish, this asparagus salad with a simple yogurt dressing is fresh, light and totally addictive. Grated hardcooked eggs and fresh herbs add a lovely punch of color.
For salad:
2 large free-range eggs, room
temperature
12 thick (1/2-inch) asparagus spears or 24 skinny ones, tough ends broken off
Sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive
oil
For sauce:
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or
freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon finely minced
shallot
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons very thinly sliced herbs — any combination of flat-leaf parsley, chives, chervil, dill and/or mint, divided
Sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
Paprika or Espelette chile powder for sprinkling
Bring a small pot of water to boil (there should be enough water to cover the eggs). Lower eggs into boiling water with a spoon and set timer for 10 minutes. When eggs are done, drain and place in a bowl of ice water, then remove the shells.
In a saute or frying pan with a lid, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add asparagus and a pinch of salt, cover and cook for about 3 minutes for thin asparagus and 5-7 minutes for thick asparagus, until tender when pierced with a knife but still bright green.
In a bowl, whisk together vinegar or lemon juice, shallot, yogurt and mustard. Add 2 tablespoons of herbs and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Grate peeled, boiled eggs using a coarse grater. (The trick is not to press them too hard against the grater.)
Divide sauce among four plates, or spoon it onto a serving platter, then arrange asparagus spears on top. Sprinkle with grated egg and remaining 1 tablespoon chopped herbs. Finish with a hint of paprika or Espelette chile powder, and serve immediately.
CHICKEN SALAD WITH ROMAINE AND TAHINI-HERB DRESSING
This tasty chicken salad swaps mayonnaise-based dressing for one made with fresh herbs and tahini, a ground sesame paste used in Mediterranean cooking. It’s as green as the season, with sliced Granny Smith apple and celery adding a delightful crunch.
I roasted my own chicken breast, but there’s no shame in using a grocery store rotisserie chicken. If you don’t like Romaine lettuce, substitute baby spinach or arugula.
11/4 cups lightly packed fresh
flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup lightly packed fresh
cilantro
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon honey
1 large garlic clove, roughly
chopped
Kosher salt and ground
black pepper
3 cups shredded cooked
chicken
2 medium celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 medium green apple, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
1 small head Romaine lettuce (about 12 ounces), cut crosswise
SEARED SCALLOP SALAD WITH SNAP PEAS AND RADISHES
This elegant dinner salad pairs sweet and tender scallops with fresh spring vegetables. They’re tossed