Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen has a lot on his plate right now between preparing for the draft, free agency, and working on extensions for pending free agents, but he continues to get things done.
Kekalainen's latest order of business was getting prospect Daniel Zaar locked up before the prospect signing dealine. Had Zaar not been signed by June 1st, he'd have been eligible to re-enter this year's draft and would no longer be Blue Jackets property. That's not the case, obviously, as he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the team.
The 20-year-old Swede had an impressive season overseas, recording 36 points in 52 games while playing in one of the top Swedish leagues. Kekalainen seemed pretty keen on getting Zaar signed, so it's not surprising they were able to work things out.
I admittedly haven't seen Zaar play and don't know much about him, so here's some background courtesy of HockeysFuture.com.
"Zaar is an extremely well rounded player. His solid work ethic allows him to hold his own in the defensive zone. He relies on his quick release to beat goalies with a deadly wrist shot and can set up goals just as well as he puts them home. While physicality is not his focal point, Zaar utilizes his speed to be a playmaking winger. With great vision and a timely shot, Zaar could be seen as a steal in the sixth round as he could develop into a top nine forward."
If that report is correct, he's a little undersized but he can skate and shoot the puck. It'll probably be a year or two before he's given a chance to make the Blue Jackets, but having talented guys like that in the system can never hurt, especially for a team looking to add some scoring punch.
It remains to be seen if Zaar actually turns into anything, but he looks like a pretty promising prospect for a 6th round pick, and seems worthy of a pro contract.
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