The Columbus Blue Jackets are keeping one of their young forwards around. The Blue Jackets have announced that they have signed forward James Malatesta to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season. Malatesta spent all of this season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Cleveland Monsters. In 57 games with the AHL club this season, he posted 10 goals, eight assists, 18 points, and a team-high 87 penalty minutes. This was after he had eight goals, 14 points, and 49 penalty minutes in 41 games for Cleveland during the 2024-25 season. While Malatesta did not play at the NHL level with the Blue Jackets this season, he made appearances for Columbus during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. In 13 career NHL games with the Blue Jackets, he has recorded two goals, four points, five penalty minutes, and 47 hits. After landing one-year contract extension with the Blue Jackets, Malatesta will now be looking to take a step forward with his development in 2026-27. The potential for him to emerge as a solid bottom-six forward for the Blue Jackets in the future is there, and it will be interesting to see if he gets more opportunities with Columbus next season. Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14. Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwm-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and never miss a story. Let us know what you think below. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/23c6f77e-732d-4dfb-95f9-49a65e0940e9.webp]
