The Columbus Blue Jackets have added to their depth chart in the last week with a pair of signings. With that an interesting trend continues for the team.
The Blue Jackets first signed defenseman Marcus Bjork to a one-year entry-level contract. He has spent the past four seasons in the Swedish Hockey League. He has limited experience in North America appearing in a handful of games for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers in 2016-17 before returning to Sweden.
Then on Wednesday, the Blue Jackets announced the signing of forward Joona Kuoto to a one-year, two-way NHL/AHL contract. He has appeared in 16 career NHL games with the Winnipeg Jets during the 2019-20 season. This past season in Finland’s Liiga, he won the Jarri Kurri Award for the best player in the playoffs.
Joona Luoto comes to the Blue Jackets with previous NHL experience with the Winnipeg Jets. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson)
The question that comes to mind is what does this mean in the grand scheme of things for the Blue Jackets? Besides adding depth on defense and forward, it continues to show the willingness of the team to look overseas for depth. Each player is a low-risk, good bet given their contract terms and what they’ve just accomplished in Europe.
Blue Jackets Hoping to Hit Depth Signings
If there’s been a pattern that has emerged with the Blue Jackets, it’s that they make low-risk signings of players from overseas in which they hope will turn into a key contributor for them. Here are some recent examples of this overseas trend.
Mikhail Grigorenko: Signed to a one-year deal in April 2020 after being in Europe.Justin Danforth: Signed a contract with the Blue Jackets after spending time in Finland and Russia.Gregory Hofmann: After his rights were acquired in a trade, Hofmann signed with the Blue Jackets after playing in Switzerland.Brendan Gaunce: Signed a two-way contract with the Blue Jackets after playing in Sweden.
The results from this group have been a mixed bag. Grigorenko and Hofmann are…
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