At the beginning of the 2015 NHL offseason, Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen had made it quite clear to everyone in the league that he was looking to add a defenseman to his blue line unit.
Kekalainen didn't do that, but there still may be a bit more time to add that elusive defensive-defenseman the Blue Jackets would love to add.
Christian Ehrhoff, the former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman, is still available, and he may have a fit with the Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets have reached out to Ehrhoff already this summer.
Translation: UFA defenseman Christian Ehrhoff confirms he has a contract offer from #CBJ. https://t.co/Y4idAlph50
— Rob Mixer (@RobMixer) August 3, 2015
But there's just one problem: They don't really have the money for Ehrhoff at the moment.
#CBJ, with salary cap concerns, have a low-ball offer on the table for Ehrhoff. He wants to play for Columbus, but fit not right ...for now.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) July 29, 2015
According to General Fanager, the Blue Jackets have just $3,728,693 in cap space, with 13 forwards and eight defensemen on the roster.
Last season, Ehrhoff took a pay cut to play with a contending team, earning a one-year, $4 million contract with the Penguins. Why is he so willing to take a pay cut? Ehrhoff will be paid $857,143 every season until 2028 by the Buffalo Sabres, as part of the Sabres' compliance buyout on Ehrhoff a season ago.
Would Ehrhoff be willing to take an even larger pay cut to play for the Blue Jackets this season?
Ehrhoff played in just 49 games last season, the lowest amount he's played in since his rookie year in 2003-04 (excluding the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season). He's an elite-level defenseman capable of playing top line minutes, even at the age of 32. He has a bit of offense to his game, and is comfortable playing on either the penalty kill or the power play.
Should the Blue Jackets sign Ehrhoff, it allows head coach Todd Richards a little bit more comfort within his blue line lineup. Jack Johnson, primarily used as a top pairing defenseman last season, can bump down to the second pairing and focus primarily on his offensive abilities. It would allow Ryan Murray, who Kekalainen regarded as the potential top addition of the summer for the Blue Jackets (Murray only played in 12 games last season), to ease into a top four pairing role a little bit smoother. And it gives the Blue Jackets a tremendous amount of defensive depth, something the team lacked just last season.
An Ehrhoff signing could be the difference between a good and a great Columbus Blue Jackets team this upcoming season.
