Kekalainen: GMS ‘hungry’ for talent
The Blue Jackets picked a good summer to have three first-round picks.
The 2021 draft class might not be lush with franchise-altering talent, but every draft has future stars and there are some unique factors adding juice to the value of first-round picks in the July 2324 draft.
One of those factors is the July 21 expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken, which will likely spark numerous trade options. The COVID-19 pandemic is another factor, limiting in-person viewings of draft prospects and stagnating the NHL’S salary cap at $81.5 million. General managers are scrambling to locate find escape hatches.
“I’ve already talked with several of the general managers in the league that have protection problems in the expansion draft,” said Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. “They’re very hungry for our first-round picks, I can tell you that. We could do a lot of things with them if we think that it makes sense for us now and into the future.”
The Blue Jackets have nine picks, including one at fifth overall. Kekalainen used trades to add two first-rounders from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs. Those could land in the mid-to-late 20s and both are in play for possible trade scenarios. The only scenario Kekalainen nixed was swapping one of them for “a 35-year old player” for the short-term.
“There’s no offseason for the management,” he said. “We’ll be going at it all summer long.”
Hofmann deal close
Multiple reports from European publications said the Blue Jackets and forward Gregory Hofmann are close to reaching an agreement on a one-year, one-way contract.
Hofmann, 28, helped EV Zug win a championship in Switzerland’s top professional league, NLA, this past season. The speedy forward also led Switzerland with six goals at the 2021 men’s world championship in Riga, Latvia.
“He’s a very good skater and he’s a goal-scorer,” said Josef Boumedienne, who watched Hofmann while acting as the Blue Jackets’ director of European scouting. “It’s a different story doing it in the NHL, but he’s a gifted offensive player in Switzerland. His speed is what excites you. That’s kind of what pops out right away.”
The Blue Jackets acquired Hofmann’s signing rights Feb. 13 from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2022 seventh-round pick. The Hurricanes selected him in the fourth round (No. 103) of the 2011 draft but were unable to sign him. The contract Hofmann is reportedly close to signing is believed to be in the range of $750,000 to $850,000 and would guarantee him the full amount of salary regardless of whether he plays in the NHL or American Hockey League.
He would also need to clear waivers for an AHL assignment.
Other than acquiring Hofmann’s signing rights, the situation mirrors the Jackets’ signing of Justin Danforth, another speedy, undersized 28year old forward who excelled in Europe. Danforth, a Canadian, signed a one-year, one-way contract worth $750,000 with Columbus on May 3 and helped Canada win a gold medal at the world championship.
Thurkauf staying put
It appears forward Calvin Thurkauf will remain in Switzerland.
Rather than playing in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters, Thurkauf, 23, was teammates with Hoffman last season with EV Zug. That was a loan agreement. A Swiss publication is now reporting that Thurkauf, the Blue Jackets’ seventh-round pick in 2016 (No. 185), has signed with HC Lugano. bhedger@dispatch.com @Brianhedger