The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to a four-year, $29.7 million contract extension. The deal carries a $7.425 million salary cap hit.
- Mike Halford: Top five highest cap hits for goaltenders: Lundqvist $8.5M, Bobrovsky $7.425M, Rinne $7M, Rask $7M, Price $6.5M
- Jason Greger: “Smart move by Blue Jackets. Sign Bobrovsky for 4 years, not 7 or 8. Big money, $7.4AAV million, but he’s quality goalie.”
- Craig Custance: “I would much rather trade money for term when doing a deal with a goalie. Bobrovsky making a lot but love the length of that deal.”
- Jim Matheson: The Flyers sent Bobrovsky to the Blue Jackets for a 2nd round pick (Anthony Stolarz) and two 4th round picks. Traded one of the 4ths and selected Taylor Leier with the other.
- Aaron Portzline: Contract talks between the Blue Jackets and Bobrovsky’s agent were on-again, off-again. At one-point they had decided to not talk until the offseason.
- Aaron Portzline: Bobrovsky gives up three years of unrestricted free agency.
- Pierre LeBrun: “Judging from what both sides were saying 2 months ago, I thought this Bobrovsky negotiation was going to be ugly and drag out. Not so.”
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Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen on the signing…
“We want to make sure the core stays in place,” Kekalainen said. “I keep saying this all the time, but we want to make sure that core keeps getting better. These are the type of players we believe will do this: hard-working, they take care of their career and they take it very seriously.
“Bob is a great example of a guy who really puts in the work every day, how he prepares for practice and prepares for every game. He’s a great example on and off the ice, just the way he is as a professional. Those are the kind of guys we want on our team, and it’s why we’ve locked up all these players.”
http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/blogs/puck-rakers/2015/01/blue-jackets-bobrovsky-signs-extension.html