The 6-foot-1 190-pound Finnish defenseman came in as a 7th-round pick and proved that it can be done.
Markus Nutivaara was drafted in 2015, in the 7th round. Just a year later in 2016, he would come to North America and make his debut for the Blue Jackets.
In his rookie season, he played in 66 games, scored 2 goals, and had 7 points. He would also chip in a goal and an assist in two games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 2017-18 season saw him take a major step forward. In 61 games played, he would score 7 goals and have 23 points. The Blue Jackets, in March of 2018, signed Nutivaara to a four-year $10.8 million contract extension. Not bad for pick #189.
In the 2018-19 season, Nutivaara would play in a career-high 80 games. He would score 5 goals and 21 points. Nutivaara would only play in two games in the playoffs before being knocked from the series by Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, on a very dangerous boarding play. Kucherov was suspended for game 3 of the series, cementing a historic loss for Tampa.
The 2019-20 season saw the return of Nutivaara from injury. During the stopped COVID season, he played in 37 games, scoring 3 goals and 9 points. And unfortunately for Nutivaara and Blue Jacket fans, that would be the end of the Nutivaara era in Columbus. In early October 2020, he was traded to the Florida Panthers. GM Jarmo Kekalainen alluded to the fact that they were trying to sign Pierre-Luc Dubois and needed money to do that, so they had to shed some salary. Just a few short months later, Dubois himself would be traded to Winnipeg.
Nutivaara played in 30 games for Florida during the shortened NHL season, scoring 10 points. He suffered some injuries that severely limited his time. In the 2021-22 season, he would only play in one game due to a hip injury. The Panthers would let him walk in free agency and he would sign a one-year deal with San Jose. He would never play a game for the Sharks. Following a season where the hip injury wouldn’t allow him to play a single game, Nutivaara would be forced to retire.
Markus Nutivaara’s time in Columbus was relatively short, but he was loved by fans and his teammates. He played in 244 games for the CBJ spanning 4 seasons. He would total 60 points and average almost 16 minutes of ice time per game. Nutivaara’s shot was elite and he had great passing skills to go along with his defensive game. He played well during his time in Columbus, not too shabby for a 7th-round pick. There’s no doubt in my mind, that Nutivaara could have been a very good defenseman in the NHL if not for injuries.
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