Blue Jackets sign Gaudreau, Gudbranson to help playoff chances

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2022-23 regular season, which starts Oct. 7. Today, the Columbus Blue Jackets:

2021-22 season:37-38-7, sixth in Metropolitan Division; did not qualify for Stanley Cup Playoffs

Key arrivals

Johnny Gaudreau, F: Gaudreau, who turns 29 on Aug. 13, signed a seven-year contract July 13. He had an NHL career-high 115 points (40 goals, 75 assists) and an NHL-best plus-64 rating in 82 games for the Calgary Flames last season. Gaudreau has 609 points (210 goals, 399 assists) in 602 regular-season games and 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 42 playoff games. … Erik Gudbranson, D: The 30-year-old signed a four-year contract July 13. Gudbranson, a right-hand shot with size (6-foot-5, 222 pounds), had 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 78 regular-season games for the Flames, and one assist in 12 playoff games. … Mathieu Olivier, F:The 25-year-old was acquired in a trade from the Nashville Predators for a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft on June 30. Olivier had one assist in 10 games for the Predators last season.

Key departures

Oliver Bjorkstrand, F: He was traded to the Seattle Kraken on July 22, a few hours after the Blue Jackets announced they had signed Patrik Laine to a four-year contract. Bjorkstrand had four seasons at $5.4 million per season remaining on the five-year, $27 million contract he signed on Jan. 6, 2021. He had 59 points (28 goals, 29 assists) in 80 games last season. ... Dean Kukan, D:He had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 41 games last season. Kukan has returned to his native Switzerland to play for ZSC. … Gabriel Carlsson, D: The first-round pick (No. 29) in the 2015 NHL Draft was not extended a qualifying offer by the Blue Jackets and signed a one-year contract with the Washington Capitals on July 20. He had nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 38 games.

On the cusp

Kent Johnson F:The 19-year-old, who was selected with the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, had three assists in nine games for the Blue Jackets after finishing his season at the University of Michigan with 37 points (eight goals, 29 assists) in 32 games. … Kirill Marchenko, F: The 22-year-old, a second-round selection (No. 49) in the 2018 NHL Draft, split time last season between SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL and SKA-Neva St. Petersburg in the second-tier VHL, or Supreme Hockey League. He had 20 points (12 goals, eight assists) in 39 KHL games. … Nick Blankenburg, D:The 24-year-old was signed as an undrafted free agent following his 2021-22 season at Michigan and had one goal and two assists in seven games for the Blue Jackets. Blankenburg signed a two-year contract July 15.

What they still need

Depth among right-shot defensemen. In addition to Gudbranson, the Blue Jackets have Adam Boqvist, Andrew Peeke and Blankenburg on their roster.

They said it

"To get a player of this caliber is going to make us instantly better and make players better around him, which is really important in the culture of a hockey team that you have players that lead by example, and he's done that throughout his career and we couldn't be happier to have him here." -- general manager Jarmo Kekalainen on Johnny Gaudreau

Fantasy focus

Signing Gaudreau magnifies their No. 1 center competition, which features plenty of high-upside options. The safest pick to start the season on the top line with elite forwards Gaudreau and Laine is likely Boone Jenner, who's coming off his best points-per-game average (0.75 last season; 44 in 59 games) and brings added fantasy appeal with strong coverage of hits (2.3 per game in NHL career). But longer-term options at the position include deep fantasy sleeper Jack Roslovic, breakout candidate Cole Sillinger and promising rookies Johnson and Liam Foudy. -- Pete Jensen

Projected lineup

Johnny Gaudreau -- Jack Roslovic -- Patrik Laine
Gustav Nyquist -- Boone Jenner -- Jakub Voracek
Kirill Marchenko -- Cole Sillinger -- Alexandre Texier
Kent Johnson -- Sean Kuraly -- Eric Robinson
Zach Werenski -- Andrew Peeke
Vladislav Gavrikov -- Erik Gudbranson
Jake Bean -- Adam Boqvist
Elvis Merzlikins
Joonas Korpisalo