Blue Jackets Jettison Three More Players on the Brink of Free Agency

Adam Boqvist has been placed on waivers for the purpose of a buyout, while Jake Bean and Alex Nylander are set to become unrestricted free agents (UFAs).

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a swift maneuver, Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell has carved out roster flexibility just ahead of Monday’s free agency.

The Blue Jackets’ offseason overhaul under Waddell advanced significantly on Sunday. Defenseman Adam Boqvist was placed on waivers to facilitate a buyout, and two significant restricted free agents — defenseman Jake Bean and forward Alex Nylander — were not tendered qualifying offers, rendering them unrestricted free agents.

Late last week, Waddell dispatched versatile winger Alexandre Texier to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2025 draft.

Additionally, the Blue Jackets have chosen not to retain two part-time NHLers from recent seasons — defenseman Nick Blankenburg and winger Carson Meyer — both of whom will enter the market as unrestricted free agents. Meyer, a native of Powell, Ohio, a Columbus suburb, departs the team.

The exodus of these four NHL players liberates two roster slots at forward and two on defense, positions that will be addressed when the free-agency window opens Monday at noon. Waddell is expected to target one or two acquisitions for both offense and defense.

The Blue Jackets did extend qualifying offers to forwards Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, Cole Sillinger, and goaltender Jet Greaves, thus safeguarding their rights. Waddell has indicated that negotiations with their representatives are already underway.

While the decisions to release Boqvist and Nylander were not wholly unforeseen, they did raise some eyebrows.

Boqvist, still just 23, is a highly skilled yet undersized defenseman who has been plagued by injuries. Since his acquisition by Columbus in the blockbuster trade with Chicago for Seth Jones, he has appeared in only 133 of the Blue Jackets’ 246 games, missing the majority due to injuries.

He participated in a mere 23 games last season, suffering two concussions under unusual circumstances. The first concussion occurred when he was struck in the face by the puck while seated on the bench during a game. The second concussion happened following a collision with a linesman along the boards.

Nevertheless, Boqvist, the No. 8 pick in the 2018 draft by Chicago, spent considerable time paired with Zach Werenski on the Blue Jackets’ top defensive line. He concludes his tenure with Columbus with statistics of 17-39-56 and a minus-31 rating in 133 games.

According to CapFriendly, the Blue Jackets will owe Boqvist $533,334 for both this season and next. However, buying out his contract saves the team $2.1 million, as he was set to earn $3.2 million this season.

Nylander, on the other hand, was one of the few bright spots last season after being acquired from Pittsburgh near the trade deadline. Having struggled to secure a steady role in the NHL for most of his career, he set a personal best with 11 goals in just 23 games.

His qualifying offer for the upcoming season would have been $813,750.

The 26-year-old winger, the No. 8 pick by Buffalo in 2016, has played for four different teams across six NHL seasons and is now once again seeking new opportunities.

The decision to let Bean walk was the least surprising of Waddell’s moves on Sunday.

Bean appeared in 72 games last season, averaging a career-high 16:19 per game. However, he struggled to rise above the third pairing, and the situation was not expected to improve next season with prospects David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk poised to vie for roster spots.

Bean’s qualifying offer for next season would have been $3.2 million, a substantial sum considering his projected role.

Moreover, Waddell previously traded Bean to Columbus for a second-round pick in 2021 when Bean was with the Carolina Hurricanes and Waddell was the GM there. This marks the second instance of Waddell removing Bean from his roster.

The Blue Jackets also trimmed some minor-league players by declining to extend qualifying offers. Forward Tyler Angle and defenseman Marcus Björk will become free agents on Monday.