Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips October 6, 2020 Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Buying out Alexander Wennberg's contract would help Blue Jackets save cash, gain cap space PAGE 04: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets' Alexandre Texier to remain in France with family, play with Grenoble PAGE 05: ABC/FOX: Columbus Blue Jackets introduce logo for 20th season PAGE 06: 1st Ohio Battery: Hits and Misses: Blue Jackets Have Had Ups and Downs in First Round of NHL Draft Cleveland Monsters/Prospects NHL/Websites PAGE 08: The Athletic: NHL Mock Draft 2020: Corey Pronman’s final projection of the first round PAGE 12: The Athletic: LeBrun: Latest trade talk on Tyler Johnson, Josh Anderson and Patrik Laine PAGE 15: The Athletic: Down Goes Brown: Remembering five of history’s weirdest draft classes PAGE 19: The Athletic: Wheeler: Final 2020 NHL Draft thoughts, notes and predictions PAGE 25: TSN.ca: Josh Anderson a solid bet for rebuilding team PAGE 27: USA TODAY: NHL draft and free agency collide: What could happen during crazy week 1 Columbus Dispatch / Buying out Alexander Wennberg's contract would help Blue Jackets save cash, gain cap space Texier to stay in France for family issue, Blue Jackets introduce 20th anniversary logo By Brian Hedger - October 6, 2020 Blue Jackets center Alexander Wennberg (10) has been the subject of reports that the team is considering buying out his contract. Prepare to hear the term “cost certainty” in NHL circles this week. After a season cut short by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which ravaged league revenue and led to a flat salary cap of $81.5 million for 2020-21 – and possibly 2021-22 – that term is on the front burner for many teams, including the Blue Jackets. Pierre-Luc Dubois is coming off his entry-level contract and will command a large pay raise as a restricted free agent. Josh Anderson’s RFA contract is up, too, along with that of defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. The Blue Jackets started this week with just $7 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly.com, and that number will shrink fast once Dubois – their No. 1 center – agrees to a new contract. There likely wouldn’t be enough left to sign Anderson, who may require salary arbitration, so general manager Jarmo Kekalainen could use some cost certainty in a week that includes the draft (Tuesday and Wednesday) and start of free agency (Friday). That where Alexander Wennberg, a 26-year-old center, enters the picture. Wennberg has struggled for three straight seasons – failing to match the value of a six-year, $29.4 million deal he signed before the 2017-18 season – and three years remain on a deal with a $4.9 million cap hit. A recent report in The Athletic said Kekalainen is weighing whether to use a buyout to end it, something he has until Thursday to do. That might make sense, even though it would allow Wennberg to become an unrestricted free agent in his mid-20s. Here’s why: It comes down to a numbers crunch, starting with how much the Blue Jackets could save in both actual dollars paid and cap space used. Wennberg was still 25 as of June 15, which is important in the context of the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement. Players who are 25 or younger as of June 15 each season can have their contracts bought out for one-third of the money left on the deal. In Wennberg’s case, the Jackets would pay him $5.35 million spread over six seasons if they bought him out, saving $10.7 million for two voided seasons. The Jackets would also recoup about $4.5 million of cap space for the next three seasons, followed by a cap savings of roughly $3.7 million from 2023-2026 – when, according to CapFriendly, the cap charge for Wennberg would go from $441,667 to $891,667 per season. 2 Those are significant discounts for a team in the middle of re-signing its top center, trying to hang on to Anderson and also seeking a better second-line center – the role Wennberg hasn’t been able to fill reliably the past three years. The risk lies with perception, should Wennberg find a new home as a free agent and blossom back into the 59-point center he was in 2016-17 – the season that earned him this contract. Inevitably, hindsight of both fans and analysts might not view the move kindly a year or two down the road. But time is not on Kekalainen’s side. If he doesn’t exercise a buyout now, the Jackets would be on the hook for two-thirds of the remaining money should they revisit the buyout option a year from now, since Wennberg turned 26 last month. Texier staying in France Rather than rejoining KalPa Kuopio in the Finnish Elite League (Liiga), Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier will remain in Grenoble, France with his family, which is dealing with an illness that prompted his return in late September. KalPa confirmed earlier reports about the decision by issuing a statement Monday, stating the loan agreement between KalPa and the Blue Jackets had been terminated. Texier’s agent, Simo Niiranen of Wasserman Hockey, said the talented two-way forward will now be loaned to the Grenoble Wolf Burners in France’s top professional division – his hometown team whom he played for one season prior to the Jackets selecting him in the second round (No. 45) of the 2017 NHL draft. Texier is expected to return to Columbus for training camp once the NHL and NHL Players Association hash out a start date for the 2020-21 season. Anniversary logo The Blue Jackets introduced a commemorative 20th anniversary logo Monday to honor their 2000-01 inclusion in the NHL as an expansion team. The logo will be worn by players in 2020-21 as a patch on the upper right side of both home and road jerseys. The patch features the number 20 and includes the team’s primary logo based off the state flag of Ohio. A patch with a different color scheme will accompany the Jackets’ third jerseys, which are blue and cream with a cannon logo. NHL draft First round: 7 p.m. Tuesday (TV: NBC Sports Network) Rounds 2-7: 11:30 a.m. Wednesday (TV: NHL Network) Blue Jackets picks: first round (21st overall), fourth (114th), fifth (145th), sixth (176th) and seventh (207th) 3 Columbus Dispatch / Blue Jackets' Alexandre Texier to remain in France with family, play with Grenoble By Brian Hedger – October 6, 2020 Alexandre Texier’s offseason plans have officially changed. Rather than rejoining KalPa Kuopio, the Finnish team he spent two seasons with prior to his Blue Jackets debut in March 2019, the 21-year-old French forward will remain in Grenoble, France, with his family. Someone close to Texier is dealing with an undisclosed illness that caused Texier to return in late September from a mandated quarantine period in Finland. A statement issued Monday by KalPa confirmed earlier reports, and Texier’s agent, Simo Niiranen of Wasserman Hockey, said the loan agreement between KalPa and the Blue Jackets was terminated Monday morning. The talented forward will now be loaned to the Grenoble Wolf Burners in France’s top professional division – the team he played with one season prior to being selected by Columbus in the second round (No. 45) of the 2017 NHL draft. Texier completed his NHL rookie season in August with four assists while playing all 10 of the Blue Jackets postseason games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning. He had six goals, seven assists and 13 points in the regular season – which was cut short for him Dec. 31 by a lumbar fracture (lower back). Texier missed about six months before rejoining the Blue Jackets for small-group training sessions at Nationwide Arena prior to training camp in July. He played mostly top-six minutes in the playoffs and had some impressive moments. The goal was to keep the momentum rolling in Finland while the NHL attempts to determine a start date for the 2020-21 season, but the illness situation took precedence. Texier previously played for Grenoble in 2016-17, putting up 10 goals, nine assists and 19 points in 40 games in France’s top men’s division. He was only 16 to start that season and turned 17 about a month into it, catching the attention of NHL scouts and agents. The Blue Jackets then directed him to Finland after drafting him, where he played for two seasons and totaled 63 points (27 goals, 36 assists) in 108 games. 4 ABC/FOX / Columbus Blue Jackets introduce logo for 20th season By Jarrod Clay - October 6, 2020 COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) — As it prepares for its 20th NHL season, the Columbus Blue Jackets introduced Monday a special 20th season logo. The Blue Jackets' 20th season will be presented by Nationwide and OhioHealth. The special logo features a large No. 20 that is white with red trim and outlines in blue and silver. The logo also features the club's primary logo, white stars in the shape of the letter "C" wrapped around the Blue Jackets star, the club's signature 1857 Napoleon cannon, and the phrase "Since 2000." Players will wear a patch featuring the commemorative logo on the upper right chest of their jerseys throughout the season. Special 20th season merchandise is also available for fans. Wednesday, Oct. 7, will mark 20 years since the Blue Jackets played their inaugural game.