Restricted Free Agent center Alexander Wennberg has signed a six-year, $29.4 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets . His contract guarantees him $4.9 million a season and he will stay with the team until 2023-24. Wennberg has spent the first three years of his career with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Alexander Wennberg Re-Signs with the Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets drafted Wennberg with the 14th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. Wennberg spent the next season in the league then known as the Elitserien, now the Swedish Hockey League, before making the jump to the United States in 2014. Once Wennberg made it to the United States, he immediately impressed the Blue Jackets only playing six games with the AHL Affiliate Springfield Falcons. In Wennberg’s first season, he scored just 20 points in 68 appearances with Columbus. In 2015-2016, Wennberg started to show why he was the 14th overall pick. He scored 40 points in 69 games.
6 years, $4.9 mil aav for Wennberg extension with @BlueJacketsNHL
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) September 1, 2017
Wennberg’s improvement would continue into this past season, where he showed the potential of a number one center. He stayed healthy, playing in 80 games. Wennberg led the team in assists this past season with 46 and finished second in points with 59, both career highs. 13 goals on the season is also a career high for Wennberg. The Blue Jackets power play was another spot where Wennberg excelled, leading the team with 23 power play points. Wennberg had yet another career high as well in the face-off circle, winning 47.3 percent of his face-offs.
Wennberg’s rookie contract was a three-year, $4.2 million deal. The base salary of the contract was $925,000, as well as $475,000 in incentives for Wennberg. The amount of improvement he has shown over the last three years proves that Wennberg can be a special player. Wennberg has also shown that he can be a number one center in the very near future.
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