The Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t waste time making a statement this offseason. They locked in defenseman Ivan Provorov on a seven-year deal worth $8.5 million annually, totaling $59.5 million.
The move didn’t land softly, especially with NHL analyst Dom Luszczyszyn, who labeled it one of the league’s most baffling deals.
Blue Jackets Under Fire for $59.5M Ivan Provorov Contract
Provorov, 28, came over from Philadelphia in 2023 and hasn’t missed a game since. He put up 33 points last season while logging more than 23 minutes per night. Those numbers are solid. But the payday raised more than a few eyebrows. Many around the league question whether he’s truly worth top-pairing money.
Ivan Provorov, signed 7x$8.5M by CBJ, is a minute-munching defenceman who eats minutes, plays a lot, has good stamina, and stays out of the box (allowing him to spend more time on the ice). #CBJ pic.twitter.com/exXmddlLAB
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 30, 2025
Luszczyszyn didn’t mince words. He compared the deal to similar contracts and found it lacking. Vladislav Gavrikov’s recent deal, signed at a $1.5 million lower annual value for the same term, put Provorov’s extension in a tough light. “The Blue Jackets were able to keep their big fish fed and happy enough to stay, but at a truly exorbitant cost,” he wrote.
His projected net rating next season is reportedly minus-0.8, which reflects league-average performance, not elite status.
“For almost any team this would be a back-breaking deal that would be difficult to make up for with other savvy bets. This is an immediate albatross that Provorov will have an extremely difficult time living up to,” Dom wrote as he gave the contract a D- grade.
“The Blue Jackets paid an extremely heavy price to an almost unprecedented degree. Mistakes add up in a cap world, and getting good deals is usually what separates the league’s contenders from the pretenders…Provorov’s contract is an unfortunately massive error that is difficult to reconcile and one that will make becoming a winning franchise even harder than it already was,” he concluded.
Ivan Provorov Extension Shows Columbus Betting on Familiar Faces
Columbus didn’t land its preferred trade or free agent market options. The front office reportedly looked into deals for several standout defensemen like Noah Dobson, Rasmus Andersson, and Bowen Byram, among them. Nothing materialized. Meanwhile, Aaron Ekblad re-upped with the Panthers, and Gavrikov seemed bound for the Rangers. With top-tier talent off the table, Columbus pivoted.
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General Manager Don Waddell decided to bring back Provorov and Dante Fabbro instead. Both were pending UFAs. While Fabbro’s deal drew praise for being team-friendly, Provorov’s price tag didn’t sit as well with analysts.
Provorov’s durability can’t be ignored as he’s missed just three games in his career. That counts for something. He played against top lines last season and gave Columbus steady, if unspectacular, minutes. Still, the team ranked 25th in goals allowed and was bottom-tier in penalty killing. It’s tough to argue that re-signing the same core at a higher cost fixes much.
Even supporters of the move admit it comes with financial pressure. Columbus now has over $18 million a year tied up in Provorov and Zach Werenski, two left-shot defenders, neither of whom cracks most “top 10 D-men” lists. Provorov’s salary is just under Werenski’s, but their impact on the ice isn’t exactly equal.
The Blue Jackets are banking on a rising cap and internal growth. If Provorov plays closer to his ceiling, the contract might age well. But if he remains a second-pair defender with average metrics, this could turn into a long-term cap headache.