One thing Jarmo Kekalainen brought to a Blue Jackets organization starving for success when he was hired is the ability to think outside the box and try new things to better the team.
Kekalainen proved that once again when signing Swedish forward Simon Hjalmarsson to a one-year, two-way contract.
Hjalmarsson has a smallish frame at 6'0 175lbs, but that hasn't stopped him going wild in Sweden's top league, as he's scored 39 times and tallied 100 points over 110 games in the last two seasons.
He's coming off a great year where he was among the league leaders in points with 57 in 55 games.
Kekalainen drafted the 25-year-old forward while he was the St. Louis Blues organization years ago, so he's familiar with Hjalmarsson, and obviously saw something in his game that's progressed in order to give him this contract.
While it's possible Hjalmarsson never turns into anything, I love this move. On a one-year, two-way deal there's absolutely no risk involved. If he's a good player and can score at the NHL level, then the Jackets added a top-9 forward for next to nothing and can re-sign him next summer.
If Hjalmarsson doesn't pan out, he'll still provide some good competition for kids like Kerby Rychel, Alex Wennberg, and co. in camp while trying to crack the NHL roster.
What this move signifies to me is that Kekalainen will explore all options to make this a better team. There's tons of players in Europe capable of being regulars in the NHL, and if Hjalmarsson is one of them then the Jackets will reap the rewards.
If not, there's no commitment to the player at all, and they can allow him to return to Europe after the season.
Whether this works or not remains to be seen, but good on Kekalainen for giving this a shot.
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