Star defenseman Ivan Provorov may be an impending unrestricted free agent at the end of the NHL season but the Columbus Blue Jackets, in the midst of an improbable playoff push, are in no hurry to deal him.
TSN NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reported that the team will continue to listen to offers for Provorov but that it would take a significant offer for them to consider moving him.
Povorov is having one of the best years of his career, with a plus/minus of +10, seven goals, 21 assists and the best shooting percentage of his career at 9.6. Add 23:34 of ice time and three shorthanded goals to the equation and he has been a key member of this surprise Blue Jackets squad.
Solidly in the playoff conversation in a year in which the team and community was rattled by the tragic and untimely passing of the former Blue Jacket Johnny Gaudreau, the team is giving its fans something to root for, all the more reason not to deal a player whose impact is obvious and in the process, tinker with the playoff chemistry.
Yes, Provorov is an impending unrestricted free agent and could potentially leave for another squad this offseason, but for a team that is not used to consistent winning, showing the Russian-born player loyalty and letting him finish out what he has helped craft in Columbus will go a long way toward inspiring that same loyalty from him in postseason negotiations.
That his play on the ice has been a key contributor to the changing of the culture in Columbus, a team that has not always had a rich history of success, only confirms why the team should be more willing to hold onto Provorov despite looming contract discussions.
The team is not without needs, though.
As LeBrun noted, it could use a forward, and there are players to be had. Scott Laughton in Philadelphia, Jake Evans up in Montreal, and either of Boston’s Trent Frederic or Charlie Coyle could help provide depth at a position of need.
Columbus is loaded with draft picks over the next three seasons, including two in 2025. They have the assets to make a deal that can provide them that much-needed forward without having to package Provorov in the deal.
Focusing the front office in that direction and taking care of the defenseman in the offseason is the right call for a team that can be one of the Cinderella squads of this season, in an Eastern Conference that feels winnable regardless of what seed a team finds itself in come the playoffs.