The Jackets defence has a lot of question marks heading into next season. One thing we now know for certain is that Markus Nutivaara is going to be a part of the top six. Last week he signed a four year extension with club for a total of $10.8M.
#CBJ have signed D Markus Nutivaara to a 4 year, $10.8 million contract extension. He has 6-16-22, plus-10, in only 16:05 ice time across 59 games this season.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) March 29, 2018
Would have been a restricted free agent with arbitration rights on July 1.
I wasn’t able to write about this deal when the news first broke, but I made my thoughts clear on Twitter. This is an incredible deal for the Blue Jackets. Nutivaara is the prototypical “new age… defencemen. He might not be a 40 point player but he is offensive in nature, can move the puck and jumps into the rush where he can.
In 61 games this season Nutivaara has seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points. I've said this a few times, but I really believe he is just starting to scratch the surface of what he can become. This past month he’s put up five points, close to a quarter of his total. He’s not nearly as skilled as a Seth Jones or a Zach Werenski but he plays the same way. Just take another look at the goal he scored in Calgary.
The Finnish Fortress solidifies the Blue Jackets lead. Vanek is masterful with his passing here.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/mB7LheHtw8
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 30, 2018
Nutivaara jumps up into the play and creates an odd man rush. This is a play you expect to see from a Jones/Werenski. When you see an opportunity jump up and take it. What’s great about this deal is that even if this is Nutivaara’s peak offensively he’s going to be worth it because of everything else he provides.
He’s a really good defender. His 53.2% Corsi at 5 on 5 is third on the Jackets behind Jones and Werenski. Nutivaara pushes the play in the right direction whether he is putting up points or not. When he's been on the ice the Jackets have had 54.47% of the high danger chances and 58.82% of the goals.
He makes everyone around him better. He’s played significant minutes with seven players this season, and everyone has seen their Corsi improve when on the ice with Nutivaara. This isn’t just fourth liners were talking about here; this is Artemi Panarin and Pierre-Luc Dubois who are improving with Nutivaara. Nutivaara takes Jack Johnson from a well below average 44.51% possession player, to an above average 53.17% possession player. A very remarkable thing to do, especially for a player who is just 23 years old.
Nutivaara is core piece of this team. Between him Ryan Murray, Jones and Werenski you have a very good group of defencemen to build your team around. This is an extremely young group, Murray is the oldest at 24, and when you supplement them with veterans in David Savard and Ian Cole you have yourselves a really strong defensive group.
To find a player of Nutivaara’s calibre in the seventh round is incredible. The Blue Jackets scouts deserve a ton of credit for seeing the potential. Nutivaara has continued to grow and has gone from someone who didn’t make the team out of camp into an integral part of the team’s top four. With the new extension he has the opportunity to further blossom in this league.
You can follow me on Twitter @PaulBerthelot