Kekalainen ‘couldn’t be happier’ to add Gaudreau to CBJ fold

Johnny Hockey is now Johnny Jacket. 

A state that once helped make Johnny Appleseed famous — and led to the downfall of Johnny Football — has a new Johnny on the spot as the Columbus Blue Jackets made the biggest free agency splash in franchise history Wednesday with the signing of Johnny Gaudreau. 

A city and an organization that have often felt spurned by the sport’s brightest stars turned over a new leaf with the announcement of the seven-year, $68.25 million deal, as the biggest fish on the NHL free agency market will be a Columbus Blue Jacket. 

On top of that, in the words of general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, Gaudreau’s signing wasn’t simply the case of a player with no other options.  

READ MORE: Instant analysis | Columbus signs Gaudreau

The former Calgary star was in many ways the belle of the free agency ball — that will happen when you’re a six-time All-Star and finished third in the NHL in points a year ago — who could have signed with just about any team in the league, but as the day went on, the star winger’s eyes became set on Columbus. 

“He told us this was one of his true primary destinations,” Kekalainen said Wednesday evening. “We were like, ‘OK, wow, is this real?’ Once we realized that yeah, he wants to come here, we got into serious talks. We obviously let him know that he was one of the players that we desired the most, and when it got real serious to where he was like, ‘OK, I want to come there,’ then we got it through the finish line pretty quickly.” 

Gaudreau carries impeccable credentials, having been one of the most dynamic and dominant players in the NHL since his first full season of 2014-15. In the past eight seasons, he ranks sixth in the NHL in scoring, and the 28-year-old New Jersey native is coming off a campaign in which every number is more eye-popping than the last — 40 goals, 75 assists, 115 points and a plus-64 rating.  

The Blue Jackets scored the most goals in franchise history a year ago so offense wasn’t necessarily the primary target going into free agency — note the signing of Gaudreau’s former Calgary teammate, defenseman Erik Gudbranson — but an elite, play-driving forward who will make those around him better is always an attractive option. 

“Players this caliber are not very often available,” Kekalainen said. “He wanted to come here, so you can’t pass up an opportunity like this. That’s basically the main reason. I think he was pretty much No. 1 on everybody’s board, I would assume, but I can’t speak on anybody else’s behalf. But once we knew that this was a desired destination for him, we went for it.” 

Columbus is coming off a season that was termed the start of a ‘reload’ after many of the team’s long-term pieces were traded late in the 2021 season and the ensuing offseason. A squad that was expected to contend for the NHL’s basement instead went 37-38-7 to finish sixth in the Metropolitan Division and 10th in the Eastern Conference.  

That left the Blue Jackets 19 points out of a playoff spot, but the season was a better one than many experts expected, and the future already appeared bright with Columbus boasting quite a stash of young talent that makes Stanley Cup contention the goal in coming seasons.  

“I think the one reason why we never talked about a rebuild was we felt this was going to be a quicker turnaround than some of the people on the outside thought,” Kekalainen said. “I think this is another step in the right direction. 

“You need players that make other people around them better, and this is one of those guys. He’s a play-driving player that plays like a center off the wing and makes everybody else around him better. He had 115 points last year. He’s a six-time All-Star. He’s a superstar in this league. I couldn’t be happier to have him.” 

Columbus added two big pieces in free agency Wednesday, but the Jackets likely are not done with their offseason plans. Four restricted free agents remain in Nick Blankenburg, Emil Bemstrom, Trey Fix-Wolansky and another really big fish in Patrik Laine, plus the Blue Jackets will likely have to make some moves to address both roster construction as well as the salary cap after the Gaudreau signing. 

But when it comes to Laine, who finished with a point per game this past year with the Jackets, Kekalainen said the goal remains the same even after the addition of Gaudreau. 

“It changes nothing,” he said. “We are still going to try to sign him to a long-term contract just like we’ve talked about before. Now we just have to get back to work with him and resolve this. We want to keep them both, and we want to keep them both for the long term.” 

Gaudreau will be in Columbus on Thursday afternoon for an introductory press conference at 1 p.m.