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Free agent isn't for another few weeks, but it appears the Blue Jackets have made decisions on which of their six pending unrestricted free agents they'd like to bring.

While nothing is set in stone, Jarmo Kekalainen has held contract talks with forwards Jack Skille, Derek MacKenzie and backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney, who many thought they'd allow to test free agent.

The team has not held talks with deadline acquisition Nick Schultz, Nikita Nikitin or Corey Tropp, per Aaron Portzline.

Portzline had an interesting take that I would agree with when it came to making room for the team's young defensemen.

Via the Columbus Dispatch: The apparent decision to let Nikitin and Schultz walk speaks to the faith the Blue Jackets have in their young defensemen. Ryan Murray proved himself capable of a top-four role during his rookie season, David Savard finally bloomed, and the club continues to like Dalton Prout. But the time has arrived for young defensemen Tim Erixon and Cody Goloubef, who could compete for the seventh position. Both would have to clear waivers to be sent to the minors if they don’t make the Blue Jackets out of fall training camp.
role. The bus gets crowded. We’re working through it. There’s plenty of time to get a deal done.”

Personally I like Nikitin. His possession numbers over the last two seasons have been near the bottom of regulars on the Blue Jackets back end, but last season only James Wisniewski averaged more points per 60 minutes of 5 vs 5 than Nikitin. I think he's a good depth defenseman if signed to a reasonable price, but I can understand why the Blue Jackets would allow him to test the free agency market. There's simply no room for his return without stepping on the toes of the team's plethora of young blue liners.

As for Schultz, I think the team is smart to let him walk. Schultz only spent a small portion of his season in Columbus, but he was only a 41% possession player this past season, which is absolutely horrific. To put that in perspective, that means just under 60% of all shot attempts taken when he's on the ice were heading in the direction of his goaltender. I've never been a big fan of his game and thought the trade for him at the deadline was unnecessary, so signing a defenseman who's clearly not going to be a big part of the future wouldn't make much sense.

I was a little surprised to see the team is interested in bringing back McElhinney, as there looks to be several good backup options available in free agency. Kekalainen is electing to go with what he knows in this case.

With the draft just around the corner and free agency seem to follow, it should be a busy few weeks for the Blue Jackets. Be sure to follow along in this space and on Twitter.

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Jackets posts

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It's time for Brodeur and the Devils to part ways

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