The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Mathieu Olivier to a two-year contract extension.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Mathieu Olivier to a two-year contract extension.
The Columbus Blue Jackets continued their busy off-season on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with forward Mathieu Olivier on a two-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $1.1 million.
The deal ties Olivier to Columbus through the 2024-25 season and ensures that the Blue Jackets keep another piece of their forward depth in-house.
Olivier spent his first full season in the NHL with the Blue Jackets in 2022-23, finishing with five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 66 games while logging a little over 11 minutes in nightly ice time. Prior to arriving in Columbus, Olivier spent the prior five seasons in the Nashville Predators organization, racking up three goals and four assists for seven points in 48 total games spread across multiple stints.
Measuring in at 6-foot-1 and 217 pounds, Olivier seems like he could become a favorite of expected new coach Mike Babcock, whom the Blue Jackets have been reportedly set on hiring once his current contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs expires on July 1. If that's the case, Olivier may very well have the size and physicality needed to win over his new bench boss.
The contract now leaves the Blue Jackets with 24 players under contract and about $4.75 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia. They recently acquired Damon Severson in a sign-and-trade with the New Jersey Devils and Ivan Provorov from the Philaldelphia Flyers in a three-team trade with the Los Angeles Kings.