Tuesday.
It's day one of free agency in the NHL, and the first opportunity (wink wink) teams will have to talk with unrestricted free agents from across the league.
While adding a top forward has been a priority for President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell, it's no secret that the club is also wanting to add a top-four, preferably right shot defenseman to the mix, as well.
The Blue Jackets answered one blueline question Sunday when they re-signed defenseman Dante Fabbro to a four-year, $16.5 million deal.
But other questions remain: will Fabbro play alongside Zach Werenski on the top pair again this fall, or will Waddell and company get aggressive in adding a big-name free agent to partner with the Norris finalist? Is Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames still available via trade? Are the Blue Jackets going to be able to work out a last-minute deal with Ivan Provorov? It seems unlikely, but never say never.
In any event, expect Columbus to be active. Here's a look at five potential free agent targets the Blue Jackets could have interest in when free agency (officially) opens at noon on Tuesday:
Aaron Ekblad
(UPDATED AT 3:30PM MONDAY: It appears Ekblad will, in fact, be staying with the Panthers.)
There's no doubt that the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers would love to bring back one of their best defensemen and a primary catalyst in this spring's run to the championship.
But even with a rising salary cap, the Panthers seem unlikely to have the money available to pay the 29-year-old defenseman what he's worth. He's at the end of an eight-year, $60 million dollar deal and will likely receive a raise from the average annual value of $7.5 million he had in Florida.
Ekblad is the exact type of player the Blue Jackets covet: big (6'4", 225lbs), physically imposing, a proven winner, and a guy who has been an alternate captain with Florida since the 2016-17 season. He's a right shot blueliner, so it would be a plug-and-play scenario with him opposite of Werenski on the top pairing.
But it may not be that simple. Chris Johnston of The Athletic recently reported that "there are some concerns out there about how well Ekblad’s game will age" amongst those in the know. The first overall pick of the 2014 draft has missed at least ten games in six consecutive seasons, including 26 games this past season — 20 of which came from a suspension for taking a banned substance to recover from injuries.
Ekblad had three goals and 30 assists (33 points) in 56 regular season games in 2024-25, but added four goals and nine assists (13 points) in Florida's 19 postseason games. He wouldn't quite bring the scoring threat that Werenski offers, but there's little doubt that two would complement each other well initially. Long-term, it's a potential risk. Is it one the Blue Jackets would be willing to take to lure the top free agent blueliner?
Vladislav Gavrikov
Another question: Reunion, anyone? Gavrikov is going to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career and SportsNet's Elliotte Friedman says that the Blue Jackets are interested.
Since being dealt to the Los Angeles Kings in March 2023, Gavrikov has 14 goals and 48 assists (62 points) in 179 games. He averaged over 23 minutes a night during the 2024-25 campaign — a career high — and was arguably the Kings' best defender throughout the year.
Gavrikov shoots left, but rotated around a bit in the Kings' top four and played on both sides. He's demonstrated the ability to play on his off side going all the way back to his first stint in Columbus.
For a return to happen, the Blue Jackets would likely need to offer in excess of $7 million per year. Gavrikov's expiring contract was a two-year deal with a cap hit of $5.9 million, and the 29-year-old will assuredly get a raise from that when he hits the open market Tuesday.
Cody Ceci
Ceci would not be an option to pair with Werenski, but he does check a couple of boxes that the Blue Jackets are looking for: the 6'3", 210lb, 31-year-old is a right-shot option that Columbus may see as a second-pairing blueliner.
There's not a ton of offensive ability here — Ceci has only scored more than five goals twice in his 12-year career — but that's okay. The Ottawa native is a stay-at-home, defensive defenseman.
He carried a cap hit of $3.25 million over his last contract, a four-year deal he signed in 2021 while with the Edmonton Oilers. Ceci would likely receive a comparable deal this time around, perhaps closer to $4 million given the cap increase.
Fun fact: Ceci played 85 regular season games this season; only the ninth player in league history to do that and just one shy of the all-time record for most regular season games played in a single campaign.
Tony DeAngelo
The Carolina Hurricanes twice acquired DeAngelo while the team was GM'ed by Waddell, which is a bit curious considering he's relatively small for a defenseman (5'11", 185lb) and is typically more of an offensive-focused blueliner.
Still, Waddell signed DeAngelo to a one-year deal for the 2021-22 season, then reacquired him in the summer of 2023. So clearly, there's something about the second-to-third pairing option that the now Blue Jackets general manager likes.
DeAngelo, 29, spent the second half of the season with the New York Islanders in 2024-25, signing a one-year, $775k deal in January. He played 35 games in a top-four role, averaging more than 23 minutes per game. He proved his worth, too, scoring four goals and adding 15 assists for a 19-point season that translates to 45 over an 82-game season.
Nick Perbix
This is a bit of a dark horse candidate and certainly not Plan A (or even B), but Perbix has consistently been on the third pairing for the Tampa Bay Lightning in each of the last three seasons and has some attributes that could be attractive to the Blue Jackets.
Like most others on this list, he's got the physical presence that Columbus is looking for: the 25-year-old is 6'4", 210lbs knows how to use his size. Given his age, it's also fair to say he's still growing into the role of an NHL defenseman.
There's just a bit of a scoring touch for Perbix, too. He set a career high with six goals this season despite averaging under 15 minutes a game as a defenseman and only Victor Hedman has more amongst the Bolts' blueliners.
While Columbus has money to spend, Perbix would be a more affordable option — likely commanding somewhere in the neighborhood of $2-3 million per year.
The re-signing of Fabbro makes signing a player like Perbix — a second-to-third pairing option — less likely. Still, if Columbus swings and misses on some of their top options, Perbix may receive a call from a 614 area code.
