Patrik Laine signs 4-year extension as Blue Jackets excellent summer continues
Anthony Scultore
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The Columbus Blue Jackets big offseason continues as they take care of one of their own. Patrik Laine signed a four-year, $34.8 million contract extension on Friday. The annual average value comes out to $8.7 million.
The announcement comes just hours before the 5 p.m. ET deadline for restricted free agents to accept their qualifying offer.
“I definitely want to be a part of it and playing here,” Laine said on breakup day. “I love the city. I love everything about being here. It’s that simple.”
Per CapFriendly, the Blue Jackets are $6.3 million over the cap. More moves are expected.
Blue Jackets extend Patrik Laine
Laine, 24, experienced difficulty adjusting to his new surroundings after a trade with Jack Roslovic from the Winnipeg Jets for Pierre-Luc Dubois back in 2020-21. This past year was a different story, as he scored 26 goals and 56 points in 56 games.
“One of our priorities this summer was signing Patrik Laine to a contract extension. He is a special player, one of the truly elite goal scorers in the National Hockey League, and he has fit in extremely well with our group since his arrival,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. “He is an integral part of the team we are building in Columbus, and we couldn’t be happier that he will continue to be a Blue Jacket for the foreseeable future.”
For his career, Laine has 327 points in 407 career games split between with the Jets and Blue Jackets. He was selected by the Jets second overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.
Blue Jackets big summer
When the news dropped that top free agent forward Johnny Gaudreau signed a seven-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets on the opening day of free agency, it sent shockwaves through the hockey world.
Gaudreau, 28, had a career year posting 115 points (40 G – 75A) in 82 games. Columbus dropped a whopping $68.25 million to secure Johnny Hockey’s services. A deal with an AAV of $9.75 million.
“Johnny Gaudreau is a superstar in the National Hockey League, and we couldn’t be happier to welcome him to the Columbus Blue Jackets family,” said GM Jarmo Kekalainen in a news release. “He is an elite player with great character that makes the players around him better. We are thrilled to add a player of his caliber to our group. This is an exciting day for our franchise, our fans and the city of Columbus.”
In addition to Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets also signed big defenseman Erik Gudbranson to a 4 year deal with an AAV of $4M. He registered 17 points in 78 games for the Flames last season.
