- Erik Gudbranson re-signs with Columbus on a one-year, $1.75 million contract
- The 34-year-old defenseman returns for a fifth season with the Blue Jackets
- Read below for the full terms and where he fits on the Columbus blue line
The Blue Jackets are keeping one of their veteran anchors on the back end.
Columbus re-signed defenseman Erik Gudbranson to a one-year, $1.75 million contract on Thursday, bringing the 34-year-old back for a fifth season with the club.
He isn’t going to fill up the scoresheet, and Columbus isn’t paying him to. Gudbranson had three points (one goal, two assists) in 37 games last season while doing the grunt work most nights, clearing bodies from the front of the net and throwing his weight around.
That physical edge is why general manager Don Waddell wanted him back.
It also lands as the Blue Jackets try to steady a group that just lost its captain. Boone Jenner signed with Washington in free agency, so keeping a familiar veteran in the room carries some extra weight.
With Zach Werenski already committed to staying, Columbus returns a good chunk of last season’s blue line intact.
Gudbranson has bounced around plenty. The No. 3 pick by Florida in the 2010 draft has suited up for the Panthers, Canucks, Penguins, Ducks, Senators, Predators, Flames and Blue Jackets, piling up 140 points across 842 regular-season games.
Ohio is where he’s settled in. Four seasons deep, he’s carved out a role as the guy who makes life miserable for anyone parked in the crease.
Now he gets a fifth year to keep doing it.
