The Great Spending Spree of 2010
September 2, 2008Beanie Wells: Injury Updates
September 2, 2008Every Tuesday, WFNY’s The 5-Hole will bring you up to date with the goings-on of the CBJ…
The Week That Was
After last week’s craziness, the Jackets had a bit of a slow week. Nothing new has surfaced relative to Stefan Legein’s premature retirement, or #1 pick Nikita Filatov’s impending arrival in North America next week.
However, the Jackets did manage to sign prospect Maksim Mayorov to a three-year contract. Mayorov, the 94th pick in the 2007 draft, will not be playing with the big club this year. If he plays in juniors, the Jackets continue to hold his rights but won’t have to kick in the salary in this new contract. However, if he ends up with the CBJ’s AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch, his contract would begin this season.
Think of it like a minor league baseball player whose “major league free agent clock” starts as soon as he gets called up for the first time; Mayorov’s contract doesn’t kick in until he starts officially playing in the Blue Jackets’ organization. Unlike MLB’ lower-level minor league teams, junior league hockey teams aren’t technically tied to NHL organizations. NHL teams have only one high-level minor league team…a sort of hockey-AAA, if you will. So, unless Mayorov plays at Syracuse this season, his contract doesn’t technically start.
In short, Mayorov is with the Columbus organization until AT LEAST the end of the 2010-2011 season, and until the end of the 2011-2012 season if he plays in juniors this year.
Regarding Mayorov’s talent and potential, Portzline in the Dispatch says:
Mayorov…was considered a top 20 talent in the 2007 NHL entry draft in Columbus. But because of the lack of a transfer agreement with Russia, he stayed on the board longer than anybody could have guessed. The Jackets traded three fourth-round picks to Dallas and drafted Mayorov with the 94th pick. The Blue Jackets expect Mayorov to take part in the rookie tournament in Traverse City, Mich., next month. He’ll stick around for veteran’s camp, which starts a week later, too. This kid has all the tools to be a big-time player. Should be interesting.
Mayorov was a risk in the draft because no one knew if they could get him out of Russia. The Jackets succeeded in bringing him to North America, and their willingness to pay a relatively small price of a few draft picks may pay off huge in a few years.
Injury Update
Forward Fredrik Modin is chomping at the bit to get back on the ice. “I feel good,” Modin said. “The back feels good. No pain. I’m able to work out in a way that I haven’t been able to do for a long time, and I’m ready to play hockey.” Modin played in only 23 games during the 2007-2008 season. He never played more than eight in a row while working through a back injury, a torn hamstring and groin pulls and a concussion. Modin is slated for a second-line pairing with young centerman Derick Brassard and right winger Raffi Torres, assuming the latter is fully recovered from his knee injury. “We want Freddy to help bring the rookie along,” coach Ken Hitchcock said. “He’s the kind of guy you want next to a player who’s getting used to playing in the NHL. I’ve told him that’s going to be part of his role. I think it can be really effective.” In Tampa Bay during the 2000-01 season, Modin played on a line with then-rookie Brad Richards, who ended up with 21 goals and 41 assists. Modin himself had a career-high 32 goals and 24 assists that season. “It’s a very similar situation with (Brassard),” Modin said. “He’s a heck of a player. There’s a lot of talent there. It’s still a big step to go in there and play 82 games, but he’s got the talent.”
Quote of the Week
“I think we’re all excited by what we have in the dressing room right now. It’s almost like we should tone our excitement down a little bit now, but we’re really looking forward to this season. […] I was back in Sweden. But I kept checking on the Internet. It was a lot of fun to see the names keep popping up. I think the players now feel like management is really committed to building a good team.”
–Fredrik Modin, talking about his–and the team’s–feelings about the roster overhaul this off-season.
Up Next
Blue Jackets Calendar:
- #1 pick Nikita Filatov is expected to be in North America by September 7th, arriving in Columbus by September 10th
- Rookies and prospects report for physicals and fitness tests on Friday, September 12th
- Prospects’ tournament in Traverse City, Michigan, Saturday September 13th – Wednesday September 17th
- Veterans report for physicals and fitness tests on Friday, September 19th
- First full practice in Columbus on Saturday, September 20th
- First exhibition game on Tuesday, September 23rd in Chicago against the Blackhawks
- First regular season game on Friday, October 10th in Dallas against the Stars
- Home opener on Friday, October 17th against the Nashville Predators
2 Comments
Man, I give you credit for these pieces simply due to the names of most of these guys!
“Cut and paste” is a columnist’s best friend! I’ve actually seen Mayorov’s first name spelled two different ways, even in the Dispatch (Maksim, or Maxim).