Johnny Gaudreau talked about his decision to sign with Columbus in free agency. There is a time and a place for this. The Blue Jackets have re-signed forward Patrik Laine to a four-year contract. The deal announced Friday carries an $8.7 million salary cap hit through 2026 and gives Columbus a scoring winger to go along with Johnny Gaudreau. The biggest question was whether the Blue Jackets would be able to fit Laine under the cap. The general manager made sure that didn't happen. Keklinen said that one of their priorities was to extend the contract of the player. He is a special player, one of the truly elite goal scorers in the National Hockey League, and he has fit in well with our group since he arrived. He's an important part of the team in Columbus. He was a point-a-game player in his first full year with Columbus. In 431 NHL regular-season and playoffs games, the Finn has 184 goals and 158 assists for 362 points. Pierre-Luc Dubois was traded to Columbus in January 2021. It was always a challenge to keep her around. After Johnny Gaudreau blew away the myth that players don't want to go to or stay in Columbus, this deal came about. After signing, Gaudreau said he thought it was a good place to live. We can have a lot of success here. I had circled it on my list for a long time now. They've got good players on this team, too, and I'm really looking forward to being a part of it. The group also includes a captain, a first-round pick, and a goalie. The Blue Jackets are close to returning to the playoffs for the first time in five years with the signing of Laine.
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