The Columbus Blue Jackets shocked the hockey world on the first day of free agency, signing Johnny Gaudreau and bringing a legitimate NHL star and Hart Trophy candidate to Columbus in free agency for the first time in team history. The team had publicly committed to this not being a rebuild but a reset and now we have the first major piece to drag the organization out of that reset.
This signing, of course, has ramifications. General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen is going to face more pressure this season to acquire talent to help the roster now. Head coach Brad Larsen will be under the gun to make these pieces fit together and play in a cohesive system that produces better defensive results than what the team experiences last year.