BUFFALO — Over the last week or so, several veteran NHL free agents have signed tryout agreements — Max Pacioretty with Toronto, Tyler Johnson with Boston, Tyson Barrie with Calgary, and Sam Gagner with Carolina, just to name a few.
Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell is hoping to go a step further with one or two veterans before training camp opens next week.
In a brief chat with reporters before the Blue Jackets played Boston on the second day of the NHL Prospects Challenge, Waddell said he’s circled back into the free-agent pool in the search for players who can fill immediate roster needs.
He’s not talking about PTOs, but actual contracts.
“There will be players on waivers and there are potential trades, as we’ve talked about,” Waddell said. “As of right now, there’s nothing out there (on the trade market) that I’d be willing to do. There are a couple of guys we like who are still out there, and we might just sign them.
“We’re at least two forwards short right now.”
One of the reasons the Blue Jackets need emergency roster help, of course, is the Aug. 29 tragedy that took the life of the club’s top forward, left winger Johnny Gaudreau.
But Waddell also revealed on Saturday that Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth had offseason wrist surgery and is still having trouble stickhandling. He’s due to see a doctor on Monday, which will determine his availability at the start of camp.
Keep in mind, Waddell said he wanted to add a forward as far back as July. A trade — perhaps with a club facing salary-cap challenges — was his preferred method then.
Among the veteran forwards still available on the market: James van Riemsdyk, Kevin Labanc, and Kyle Okposo, who could be considering retirement. Phil Kessel has expressed interest in playing again this season, but he hasn’t played since winning the Stanley Cup with Vegas in 2023.
Players currently in camps on PTOs could still be signed by the Blue Jackets, too. Those agreements all allow for players to sign a contract with any NHL team, not just the ones that bring them to camp.
That’s the reason Waddell is looking to sign players to contracts, not PTOs. He wants to know they’re going to have the player for the upcoming season, and not have to worry about another club swooping with an NHL offer late in training camp.
The salary-cap ceiling is not an issue for the Blue Jackets, but getting to the cap floor remains unsettled. Waddell said the Blue Jackets have sought guidance from the league and the NHL Players’ Association about how to measure the club’s salary-cap figure for this season in the wake of Gaudreau’s death.
“I’m not worried about the cap floor just yet,” Waddell said. “There are some things that are going to be talked about, things I’ve talked to the league about. We’re in a unique situation. I think the league and the union are both looking at it.
“I probably shouldn’t say too much. They’re looking at it. I don’t think it’s going to be an issue.”
Waddell said he and Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner agree that the sooner the players could arrive before the start of training camp, the quicker they could get together and mourn the passing of their teammate.
The last two to arrive — Kirill Marchenko and Dmitry Voronkov — were expected to arrive in Columbus on Friday, he said.
“The players are in their element. They’re with their friends every day, and that’s a big healing part of the process,” Waddell said. “We all grieve and mourn differently, but being together as a team is going to be critical moving forward.”
(Photo of James van Riemsdyk: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
