Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read
Gavin Brindley is no longer just a Blue Jackets draft pick with promising NHL potential.
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The Michigan sophom*ore is officially a Blue Jackets forward after signing a three-year, entry-level contract Monday that allows him to make his NHL debut Tuesday at Nationwide Arena against the Carolina Hurricanes to conclude the season.
Signing a 2023-24 contract and playing will burn the first year of Brindley's contract, making him eligible for restricted free agency in two years instead of three. That wasn't a big enough drawback to keep the Blue Jackets from extending the offer, which made him the team's fifth player who played collegiately for Ohio State's main rival.
"We’re just happy," Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson said. "We’re happy that he signed. We’re happy that he’s coming. He’s going to be ours. I know some people may talk about burning a year (off the contract), but there’s pros and cons to that, too, for both sides. So, we’re not going to worry about it. We’re just going to go forward with a fine young man and a fine young player.”
Brindley, 19, was selected in the second round (No. 34) of last year’s NHL draft by the Blue Jackets, who alsoselected his former Michigan teammate, Adam Fantilli, third overall.
Fantilli, who played just one season at Michigan and won the 2023 Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's top player, began his NHL career last fall. Brindley, named a first team NCAA All-American and the Big Ten's player of the year, will start his NHL journey to conclude the same season. After helping the Wolverines make a Frozen Four appearance and playing a key role for the U.S. in winning the gold medal at the world juniors in January, he's ready to start his professional career.
"If he'd wanted to go back to college, that was his right," Davidson said. "But our feeling, frankly, is that we think for him to improve, to become a Bonafide NHL player, it was time to turn pro. So, he did. He’s got a great motor. He’s got a great way of playing with enthusiasm. He takes the body well. He can shoot and score. He’s a little bit of everything. He’s got all kinds of energy."
Brindley is undersized at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, but is a speedy goal-scoring winger who can also play center. He lit up NCAA goalies the past two years to the tune of 37 goals, 54 assists and 91 points in 81 career games at Michigan, including 25-28-53 in 40 games this season.
Now, he'll get an immediate taste of the NHL before heading into the offseason with a training regimen designed to prepare him for his first NHL training camp in September. He'll become the second Michigan forward to make his NHL debut this week, following forward Frank Nazar's intro with the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
"(Training camp's) a long way away, but he’s a kid who’s always achieved his goals," Davidson said of Brindley. "We’re going to be in a position where we’ll just have to take a good hard look at a lot of different people (in camp). We’ve got a lot of wingers. So, if he’s ready to play, we’ll take a hard look. If he’s not, we’ve got a great situation in Cleveland (AHL). It’s all about development. We’re not going to rush anybody. It’s also up to the next general manager too.”
Davidson is acting as the Jackets' interim GM until a replacement for Jarmo Kekalainen is named. There's still no timeline attached to the search, but Davidson has a couple times now that it will happen "soon."
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Until it happens, the Blue Jackets are focused only on finishing the season strong. Brindley, who drove to Columbus from Ann Arbor on Monday, will be part of that effort against the Hurricanes — one of the Metropolitan Division's top teams. Trey Fix-Wolansky and goalie Malcolm Subban, both emergency recalls, were reassigned to AHL Cleveland to create roster space for Brindley, who came at a contractual cost the Jackets were gladly willing to pay.
“(Burning a contract year) goes either way," Davidson said. "I mean, that’s just the price of doing business. We got him under contract. He’s ours. He’ll play Tuesday. We’ll get him on a program all summer and he’ll be ready to go in camp ... and away we go.”
bhedger@dispatch.com
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gavin Brindley signs in time to make Columbus Blue Jackets debut
