Dalton Prout got Ryan Johansen’s wish: to remain a Columbus Blue Jacket.
All kidding aside, the Blue Jackets locked up the big defenseman to a two-year contract extension on Friday at the cost of $3.15 million overall.
That’s a $1.575 million cap hit for 2016-17 and 2017-18, as Rob Mixer of the team website notes:
Dalton Prout's two-year extension with #CBJ carries a $1.575M AAV ($1.25M in 2016-17, $1.9M in 2017-18).
— Rob Mixer (@RobMixer) March 25, 2016
Prout, 26, would have been an RFA this summer. Looking at the Blue Jackets’ salary structure, Columbus fans are probably just a touch more eager to hear about a contract extension for another pending RFA defenseman: Seth Jones.
Prout’s mainly a big body who does dirty work (see: 234 PIM in just 201 career games), although maybe a relatively hot streak of three assists in four games helped secure the extension.
He’s logging 15:47 minutes per game, which is actually a pretty big dip from the past three seasons on average, but it’s not as if his asking price is significant.
“Dalton is a hard-working defenseman who adds size, strength and physicality to our blueline,” GM Jarmo Kekalainen said. “He is very well respected by his teammates and everyone in our organization and we are very pleased that he will continue to be part of our group moving forward.”
(Aside: Jack Skille, another former Blue Jacket, is alongside Prout in this post’s main image. It all comes together, folks.)