The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed right wing Jared Boll to a three-year contract extension that keeps him with the club through the 2016-17 season, the team announced Friday.
"We started talking halfway through the summer," Boll told The Columbus Dispatch. "There was no rush; I still have a full year left. But I didn't care about free agency. I didn't even want to think about playing somewhere else. There was no reason for me to test free agency.
"The way this team is moving. The [Nathan] Horton signing this summer. The season [Sergei Bobrovsky] just had. The way we finished the season. The people we have in charge at the top. Just everything is headed in the right direction right now, and there's nothing I want more than to be a part of it."
Financial terms of the deal were not released.
"Jared Boll has invested a great deal of himself in this organization and community, and we are very happy that he will continue to be an important part of our hockey club," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in announcing the contract. "He brings toughness, determination and a great work ethic to our team and has become an important leader for us both on and off the ice."
Boll, 27, had two goals, four assists and 100 penalty minutes in 47 games last season.
A 2005 fourth-round pick (No. 101), Boll has 24 goals, 52 points and 963 penalty minutes in 388 NHL games, all with the Blue Jackets.
NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, the Stanley Cup Final logo, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL. TV, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It's The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, and Don't Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. © Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.