Denton Mateychuk’s next payday is already coming into focus in Columbus, and the number attached to it could land well above where he sits now in the defenseman market.
The Blue Jackets’ young blue liner is currently 31st in cap hit among NHL teams’ second-pair right-shot defensemen, but that’s not likely where things stay for long. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported that Mateychuk could be in line for a major raise, though his agent, Scott Bonner, said there haven’t been any talks yet. Even so, both sides appear open to getting into the conversation if the framework makes sense.
Mateychuk is entering his third NHL season and the last year of his three-year entry-level deal, and he’s already giving Columbus plenty to think about. Through the first four games of 2026-27, he’s averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time per night, a strong sign of how quickly his role has grown.
That rise has been building for a while. Drafted 12th overall in 2022, Mateychuk came up after a midseason call from AHL Cleveland and put up 13 points in 45 games in 2024-25, good enough to finish 12th in Calder Trophy voting. Last season was his first full run from camp to finish, and he responded with 13 goals and 31 points while logging just 16 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time.
Portzline noted that 12 of those 13 goals came at even strength, which tied Mateychuk for ninth among NHL defensemen with Brent Burns, John Carlson, Josh Morrissey, Darren Raddysh and Mattias Samuelsson.
The offensive uptick this season has only strengthened the idea that there’s more production ahead. At 5-foot-11, the left-shot defenseman has already shown he can fit as a high-end top-four player. Last season, he spent time next to veteran right-shot Damon Severson and also handled top-pair work on his off side with Zach Werenski, finishing fifth on the team with a plus-12 rating.
The bigger question is what that production will cost. Columbus is projected to have nearly $24 million in cap space next summer, and the recent market for young defensemen suggests Mateychuk won’t stay anywhere near his current place in the pay scale.
Zeev Buium’s $9.38 million AAV stands as the high-water mark in that group, while the lowest of the newer deals was Olen Zellweger’s $3.1 million AAV from the Sabres. Most of the contracts for U23 defensemen have landed a little above the $7 million range, including Brandt Clarke at $7.4 million a year after a 40-point season in 2025-26 and Simon Nemec at about $7.25 million annually after 26 points.
There’s also a timing wrinkle. The Leo Carlsson $18 million offer sheet changed the temperature around those deals, with Zellweger’s agreement signed on July 1, two days before that move. Carlsson’s effect also showed up in the numbers for Pavel Mintyukov and Tristan Luneau, who both came in at $7.2 million per year despite different amounts of NHL experience.
AFPAnalytics projects Mateychuk’s next deal at seven years and a little over $8 million per season. That would fit the direction of the market, and it would also give Columbus a long runway with one of its most important young defenders.
The Blue Jackets have other restricted free agents to sort through in Dmitri Voronkov and Kent Johnson, but both are viewed as players who still need to prove themselves before their next contracts are set. If Columbus can get Mateychuk locked in for the long term, it would add another major piece to a future group that already includes Matthew Knies, acquired via the Kirill Marchenko trade to Toronto, and Adam Fantilli, who is extended past 2030.
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