All three will be unrestricted free agents (UFAs) July 1 if they don't reach agreement on a contract extension prior to the start of free agency. All three said they'd either like to return or would consider Columbus a destination for another go-round next year, based off their brief tenure with the Jackets this season.
"Certainly," Cole said, when asked if he'd consider re-signing with the Blue Jackets. "I can't say enough how great these guys were, how accepting they were, how accommodating they were. I really have nothing but positive things to say about my experience here in Columbus, from the town to the staff to the players. It was certainly an A-plus organization in my mind. It was awesome."
Kekalainen had similar sentiments about Cole's impact, but declined to say much about the Jackets' future with the 29-year old blue-liner.
"If he wants to go to July 1st and see what's out there, to weigh all his options and make a decision, that's his right and there's not much we can do about it except tell him we appreciate the job he did here," Kekalainen said. "There's not a lot of question marks with Ian Cole, but it's about talking to his representatives and seeing where they're at and how those things fit with our plan and our cap situation and the future of these other contracts that are coming up in a year. All that has to fall into the right place."
That goes for Vanek and Letestu, as well.
Columbus has contractual issues to resolve, this season and next. That includes a number of key players.
Those whose contracts are up this season include three restricted free agents - Jenner, forward Oliver Bjorkstrand and defenseman Ryan Murray - plus eight UFAs, headlined by defenseman Jack Johnson, forward Matt Calvert, the three deadline acquisitions and veteran defenseman Taylor Chorney.
There are key players with just one year left on their current contracts, too, including left wing Artemi Panarin, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, defenseman Zach Werenski and forward Sonny Milano.
Panarin and Bobrovsky, the Jackets' leading scorer and two-time Vezina Trophy winning goalie, each have contracts with average annual values (AAV) of $6 million (Panarin) and $7.425 million (Bobrovsky), according to capfriendly.com. Both could ask for big pay bumps, or become UFAs on July 1, 2019 if they don't come to agreements on extensions with the Blue Jackets.
Werenski and Milano have one year left on their entry-level contracts (ELCs), which each have cap hits of less than $1 million each, and will also get salary bumps with their next contracts, with Werenski likely due a sizeable jump. Combined with Panarin and Bobrovsky, that could eat up a large chunk of cap space starting in 2019-20.
Bill Daly, the NHL's deputy commissioner, said in March that he thought the upper level of the NHL Salary cap - which was $75 million this season - might increase by $4-5 million for 2018-19, putting it around $79-80 million.
That could help a number of teams solve cap issues, including the Blue Jackets, but the actual figure won't be released until mid-June. Meanwhile, free agents like Cole, Vanek and Letestu are free to negotiate with their current team if there's mutual interest.
"I'm a free agent again, and I'm going to keep my options open," said Vanek, who had 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 19 games with Columbus after the trade. "This is certainly a team, an organization, a city and fans I have been impressed with. This city really loves the Blue Jackets. This team, really, is not far away. They are young, but they are good. If a spot were open here, I would definitely think hard about it."
Letestu would too, which goes without saying considering his decision to buy a house and move his family to the Columbus area regardless of where he plays next season.
"My love for the city and the organization is clear," said Letestu, who played four seasons with Columbus (2011 to 2015) before signing with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, 2015. "We're coming to live here regardless, but that doesn't always match up with the team's needs and wants. Hopefully it does this time around, but I've been through this situation in front [reporters] three years ago. Same story."
