Columbus Has Some Important RFAs To Qualify Today, Or They Risk Losing Them

Don Waddell and the Columbus Blue Jackets have until 5 P.M. eastern time to give qualifying offers to their restricted free agents. As a reminder, any player not qualified will become a UFA on July 1. 

Let's take a look at who the Jackets have, that are due qualifying offers. 

Kirill Marchenko - Arbitration Eligible - Qualifying Offer Due: $874,125

Alex Nylander - Arbitration Eligible - Qualifying Offer Due: $813,750

Cole Sillinger - Qualifying Offer Due: $874,125

Jake Bean - Arbitration Eligible - Qualifying Offer Due: $2,800,000

Kent Johnson - 10.2(c) Ineligible for offer sheet - Qualifying Offer Due: $874,125

Jet Greaves - Arbitration Eligible - Qualifying Offer Due: $813,750

Jake Christiansen - Arbitration Eligible - Qualifying Offer Due: $874,125

Marcus Bjork - Arbitration Eligible - Qualifying Offer Due: $813,750

Tyler Angle - Qualifying Offer Due: $813,750

With new GM Don Waddell in charge, it's anyone's guess what he does with some of the RFA players. He already traded RFA Alex Texier to get him off of the books, could he trade a few more of them, or let them walk? He also already signed Yegor Chinakhov to a 2-year, $2.1 million AAV deal last week. I would expect some of these deals to look very similar to Chinakhov's contract. 

As a reminder, he traded Jake Bean from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Columbus Blue Jackets on a draft day trade back in 2021. People have speculated that Waddell wouldn't have a second thought about trading Bean or letting him walk for a couple of reasons. The main reason is that he's due $2.8 million on his QO. 

Between today and tomorrow, there should be lots of Blue Jackets news, stay tuned. 

What do you think? Please share your thoughts on our forum.

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